Set my Sights on Where I'm Going and my Goodbyes to Where I've Been

I have been putting off writing this last post for days now but I am finally forcing myself to sit down and collect my thoughts.

What a whirlwind these past two weeks have been. Being home is wonderful, I missed it so much. It took a couple days to get used to the time change (I was up at 5am and wanted to go to bed by 6pm) but luckily it only took a few days to adjust and no serious physical symptoms occurred. Thank God! It is really nice to relax and spend time at home before my busy summer schedule begins.

Airport Reunion 

Since coming back I have had the chance to reflect on my time abroad. I spent a few hours one day rereading all of my blog posts (I talked about food and used the word 'so' TOO MUCH!! Sorry) but it was nice to look back on where this blog started and see how it has morphed into something much more than I could have imagined.

Before I left for London I was confused and to be honest really sad. There was a lot going on in my life on top of preparing to be abroad for months. It wasn't easy. But looking back now on my first post and that time, I just have to laugh because everyone was right, it does get easier. It takes time but leaving for London when I did was the best thing that could have happened because I was able to take a step back and see things a little clearer.

I am not sure if I changed that much as a person, overall. How can one really judge that? But I am certain, the place I was in when I left is now only a distant memory. London helped open my eyes to all of the amazing opportunities, places and things around me and made me appreciate, even more, the opportunities I have been given. I had an amazing time and could not have picked a better city to study abroad in.

It's good to be home.

When I decided to write this blog my intentions were simply to share my adventures with my close friends and family. But to my surprise, a lot of people have taken the time to read what I have to say, which is pretty cool. Although sometimes writing a blog post was the last thing I wanted to do on Sundays, I realized how many little things I would have forgotten if I hadn't. And the positive response I received from so many people kept me motivated to continue writing. So I want to say thank you, for all of those who read even one thing I posted here. It means a lot to me.

With that being said, I have decided to continue blogging. I am not sure exactly what direction this will go but I think it is important to keep writing. I have a lot of exciting things happening in my life right now and I am about to enter my senior year of college this fall. There will certainly be things worth writing about I am sure.

I have been told the key to a good blog is the name, so I actually took some time coming up with it. If you are confused I encourage you to look it up and make your own inferences but I think it speaks for itself.

If you do continue reading I promise it won't be boring and hopefully not too weird. (No promises on that last part though, I am who I am) My intention is to share my life and hold nothing back, maybe even more so than I already have here, but I guess you will have to see for yourself. For those who will end here though I thank you for staying with me this long, it is more than I could have hoped for.

Until next time…

Follow my new blog here:
http://astateoftarantism.blogspot.com

Prague: My Last Stop

I am sitting on a plane, on my way to Paris, next to an older woman who won't stop talking to her friend about anything and everything (so annoying). BUT I'm on my way home so I can't complain, too much. 

So Prague: My last stop on this journey and it couldn't have been a better place to end an amazing time abroad. 

The city it beautiful and old but in the best way. The architecture is so ornate and there are sculptures and statutes everywhere depicting some pretty interesting things and lots of bridges. The main one, Charles Bridge, connects Old and New Town to Lesser Town (don't let the name fool you, there is nothing lesser about it). On Charles Bridge there were lots of artists selling handmade jewelry and paintings, so many amazing things.

I have to take a minute to talk about the level of skill and passion so many Czech people have when it comes to the arts. Wow! They can seriously make some beautiful pieces. And they are all so excited to show you and tell you exactly how all of their pieces are made in great detail. It was really nice. Also a great selling tactic because how can you say no when someone spends so much time talking with you. I can't at least. Let's just say I bought a lot of things but all totally necessary. Right? 

It's alright though because for once the dollar is appreciate in Prague!! I think I said that right, appreciated? I should know Miss. Economics. Yea, okay. But anyways unlike the ridiculous exchange rate for the pound in London, in Prague one Czech Crown is only 0.5 cents. Five Cents!! So great. 

We did a lot of wondering around and exploring, always in search of the perfect coffee shop. I'm not sure if we found it but a couple of them came really close. One, in particular, was a chocolate coffee shop. The hot chocolate was a mug of warm melted dark chocolate with coconut milk. Ill let you wipe the drool off your face. It was amazing!! 

The city is pretty small and rather compact so getting around wasn't too confusing. Although we didn't do a ton of touristy things, we still saw a lot. There were long stretches we spent just sitting and reading, either in a park or in one of the coffee shops. We did see the castle that sits on the hill though and it was really pretty, the views from there were breathtaking. 

We were able to meet up with Sam, a friend of Emma and Marlena's from home who is studying in Prague this semester. What a guy! He showed us around a lot of the city and told us some of the history. He took us to the best gelato place in town and to a really cute local pub last night. We were also able to see beautiful peacocks just wandering around in a park he took us too. Definitely a highlight of my trip. Sam, if you read this, thank you!! You are great. 

I do have some pretty exciting news to share as well. I finally made it though a pub crawl and actually enjoyed myself. Don't worry, I'll clarify, it's actually a funny story. We had no intention at all to go out while traveling. We were/still are exhausted from many late nights out in London but we had heard many great things about the Prague Pub Crawl so we decided to check it out. We had a little push though. On Wednesday night we were walking home and ran into the guy who owns the apartment we were renting. Really nice guy who was super helpful. But when we saw him on the street Wednesday night (it should be noted he was not sober!!) he made us feel really bad that it was only 10:30pm and we weren't going out. We went home and bought the pub crawl tickets for the following night. We regretted it when the time came of course. At 8:45pm we didn't want to go out but we dragged ourselves there and actually had a really great time! We danced super weirdly at the final club and all of the friends we had made quickly dispersed... Oops. But oh well we had fun anyways and I made it through the whole thing! I'm really proud of myself. 

Prague was a relaxing and beautiful place to end my adventures. I am tired, my feet hurt from walking around so much but all completely worth it because I had an amazing time. 

It was sad to say goodbye to Helen and Perri this morning, since we have been inseparable since January. I know they will have many more exciting experiences ahead though and we will be reunited before we know it. I'm really excited to go home. I don't know if it has hit me quite yet that in just a few hours I will be back. Once I see my smiling parents faces waiting for me though I think reality will set in. See you soon everyone! 

XX. 

Amsterdam

Everything I write here is honest. If it seems like I have been having an incredible time this past semester then I have been doing this whole blog thing right, because I really have. This experience has opened my eyes to so many wonderful things and I have been able to see more than I ever imagined. So readers, I am going to be honest once again. Amsterdam was more than I expected it was going to be and at the same time worse, in many ways.

I came into this trip very hesitant, knowing we all had different expectations. Mine, I guess was a bit too hopeful. Things don't go as you plan and that's alright because it means you just have to improvise and make the most of every situation, even if it is not the way you imagined it. Luckily, for me, Amsterdam is a city that has so much available to see and do. It is a gorgeous canal town. I didn't let the situation stop me from experiencing and seeing everything I wanted to and had a great time doing it! 

I am writing this now, on my last night here, on our little balcony getting bitten by bugs, because I had an amazing day today and I couldn't wait to share. I went to the Keukenhof flower fields, about a 45 minute bus ride outside the city, to see fields of tulips. Yes, this is a real place and it was magical. I knew this was something I had to see while I was here and I'm so happy I went. I spent three hours on this beautiful, sunny and finally warm day, walking around in fields of tulips. They were all different colors and types, so many I didn't even know existed. For those who don't know, tulips are one of my favorite flowers so this was a dream come true. It was nice to get out of the city on my last full day here and I was able to do it surrounded by flowers. I walked around the gardens for a long time and then sat in the sun to have a snack and people watch. I really wished my mom could have been with me because she loves tulips as much as I do and it is a great place to share with someone. I will have to come again with her. 

But instead, I bought tulip bulbs that they will dig up from the gardens and send to me in September when they can be planted! Tulips from Holland in our yard... does it get much better? 

I did a lot of touristy things here and it honestly helped me learn a lot since the streets are kind of confusing with all the canals. It made it easier than just wandering aimlessly around, even though I did a lot of that too!! There are over 1,000 bridges in the city of Amsterdam and over 100 canals. All of the homes also have gables on top because the buildings are so narrow they have to hoist furniture in and out of the windows! Pretty neat. On my bus trip today I also learned that the airport, Schiphol, means ship- hell because when they were draining the area to build the airport they found a lot if sunken ships, which resulted from the rough water there. Interesting! Ok sorry, enough with the history lesson.

So these past 5 days have been extremely relaxing. Lots of sleeping and reading which was nice after going non-stop not only this whole semester but in Scotland too with all of our hikes. We slept late and went to bed early and lounged around our great apartment that is just a little outside of the center of town. The perfect location.  

Even though it was relaxing, I still explored the city a lot too. We went to the Van Gogh and Anne Frank Museum and took a boat tour through the canals. The Van Gogh Museum was really great. We were able to see a lot of his work from different periods of his life and other artist's work as well. The Anne Frank Museum was unbelievable. We got to see the actual rooms Anne lived in and the postcards and cut-outs she decorated her walls with, which were still up. I had to keep reminding myself that 8 people lived there. It was an incredible experience. The lines for both of those museums were so long. We waited almost two hours for each but they were worth it. 

The canal tour was also great and a nice way to take a tour of the city. We were able to see it from a different perspective and learned a lot about some of the historical buildings along the way. Being on the water was great and it was nice to sit back instead of walking. 

I did a lot of exploring in town and came across some really cool shops and places to sit and to eat. Amsterdam is bigger than I thought it was going to be but it was pretty easy to navigate and the trolleys are always around to take you back to the central station if you got really lost. 

Don't let my somber beginning make you think that Amsterdam wasn't amazing. It was! Absolutely beautiful and so many great things to see. Although I was by myself a lot, even when there were people around me (if you know what I mean) I had a wonderful time. 

We are off to Prague tomorrow, my last stop on our travels. I can't believe how fast the time is going but I know by Saturday I will be more than ready to go home. I hope you are ready for me America!

Until then. XX. 

Scotland: Three Hikes in Three Days

Scotland was everything I imagined it would be and more. I just want to start right off by saying no matter what words I use to describe our adventure or the pictures I choose to include, nothing will do Scotland justice other than taking a trip there yourself. And I encourage all of you to do so. 

We took the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross to Edinburgh on Saturday. Why does that sentence seem so casual and normal for me now? HELP!! I have been with Perri and Helen for too long! For those who remember, we had to take the train from the same station that the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 is. Perri and Helen got excited all over again and wanted to get back in line. Luckily, we didn't have enough time. Instead though, they pretended they were taking the train to Hogwarts. For those lucky enough to be snapchat friends with Perri, I am sure you understand what I am talking about. 

We boarded the train and pulled away from the station. I watched London fade in the skyline, thinking of all the wonderful memories we made and the experiences we had, always together. It was sad, but all good things must come to an end. Life keeps moving forward as we drift to bigger and better things. But London I know, will always be a sweet, fond memory for all of us. 

Five hours later we arrived in Edinburgh. It was a beautiful train ride along the coast and the fields were filled with what I learned was rapeseed flowers, used to make canola oil. Instead of fields filled with green it was fields of yellow, for miles. Absolutely beautiful. 

We met Tara at the train station and walked down the street to the hostel. We got a little lost but this funny Scottish couple pointed us in the right direction and walked down the street singing to us. They may have been a little drunk. 

Edinburgh was beautiful. The only way I can describe it is layers of old stone buildings and castles. The city was built up on the side of a mountain so there are a lot of different levels and lots of hills!! This trip was definitely filled with lots of exercise! We finally found our hostel, checked in, changed and went to dinner. 

Now this was my first experience in a hostel and it was interesting to say the least. I am not sure if I am a hostel girl. It was weird. We were in a 10 person room and when we walked in around 5pm everyone was sleeping and it was completely dark. We fumbled around in the dark trying to find empty bunks and put our stuff down. Not only was it dark every time we went back, it was weird using a bathroom with complete strangers from all over the world. I guess it's like a freshman dorm but it didn't feel the same. On the plus side though it was clean and the man at the front desk was super helpful. So would I stay in a hostel again? If I had to. Would it be my first choice? Probably not.  

After dinner we went to meet up with Anna, who we met in London when she came to visit Rena. She is studying in Edinburgh so we went to her apartment and hung out and then went to a club called Bongo. It was fun. Crazy lights and a bongo-drum player who accompanied the DJ. It sounds like it wouldn't work but it was really cool. 

The next day we hiked up Arthur's Seat with Anna as our tour guide. We climbed countless steps up to the top winding around the side of the hill as we went. It was exhausting but the views were breathtaking. It was cold at the top and the fog was thick but we could still see for miles. We all decided to go a little higher up to the very top of another hill where we could see even more. It was great! We walked down the other side of the hill, which was a lot easier and looped around heading back towards town. It was a long walk, miles, but it was worth it and we rewarded ourselves with a late lunch at a Thai restaurant that was delicious. After lunch we said goodbye to Anna who was so kind to show us around and spend time with us!! 

That night we went to the Elephant Room to sit, read and write. This is the spot where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book at a table that overlooks the castle. A truly inspirational view I must say. The restaurant was good and the tea and baileys hot chocolates were delicious. There was surprisingly not a lot of Harry Potter stuff everywhere considering what a historical place it is, but with one exception. Perri got up to go to the bathroom and when we realized it had been a while and she wasn't back we opened the door to the bathroom to find her staring, completely transfixed on all the writing on the walls. The fans get the bathroom walls to express their love for Harry Potter and share their thoughts. It was pretty cool. 

The next day we walked up to the castle and looked around for a little. The stone detail was incredible. The castle was built right out of the side of the mountain. Not a bad view! 

That afternoon we took a bus to Sterling to see Tara's school and the town she is spending her semester in. She described it perfectly, "a sleepy little town." It was so quaint and so Scottish. The downtown was filled with little shops and cafés and people walking around in kilts (seriously!!). It was cute! 

That afternoon we hiked up to Wallace Monument where we got to see great views of the whole city. It was beautiful and we were able to look across to Dumyat, where we would be hiking the next day. That night we took it easy and hung out and went to a local pub right down the street, one of Tara's hangouts. She was like a celebrity. Everyone knew her and were so happy to see her. She is a rock star though so can you expect anything different? She is making so many friends and having amazing experiences all on her own without close friends by her side and she makes it look effortless. 

The following day is one for the books! Maybe the highlight of my trip (so far). The hike up Dumyat!! Drum roll please... I'm so excited to tell you all about this because the whole day was magical. I felt like I was in a dream. So a little background, Dumyat is in central Scotland and has two summits, one of which we climbed up to. It is 1,371 feet high, which I guess is relatively small but for an inexperienced hiker like myself it was perfect. And the views, oh the views. We started mid-morning on an unusual beautiful, sunny and warm day, strapping on our sports bras and lacing up our running shoes. We were prepared, and brought plenty of food and water. The trail starts off through the woods and winds upward with several clearings along the way. Reaching the first one was incredible and we could see everything. Little did we know, it just kept getting better and better as we climb. We made it through the forest and up a huge rock hill which was scary. I'm not good on rocks at all. For some reason I always imagine myself stepping on a slippery rock and tumbling all the way down the hill. Maybe because it has happened before... 

Anyways, we followed the trail through these open fields of grass, completely surrounded by open landscape. We came across sheep casually grazing in the fields and it was as if we were in this parallel universe, filled with open space and crisp air, looking out at beautiful Scotland. It was as if time stopped. I haven't seen that much open space in so long and it was a great change after being in the city for the past few months. The hike took almost 2 hours but that was stopping every few feet for photo-ops. Finally, we made it to the top. We were there and looking out at the vast landscape completely surrounding us on all sides. 

We had a picnic at the top in a flat grassy area. We were so happy and could not get over the views. It was a long walk up and after eating we were tired. With no one else around but the 4 of us, we all took a nap at the top of the summit. The sun was warm on my face and there was a light breeze making it the perfect temperature. We were out. I woke up confused at first where I was, but once I realized I couldn't help but smile. We stayed at the top for a long time taking in the views. The walk back down was just as beautiful and peaceful as the walk up. It couldn't have been a better day and a perfect end to our Scotland adventure! 

It was so nice to see Tara and all the places she has been spending her time. It was a great trip and I'm so glad we did it! Scotland truly is beautiful and everything I hoped it would be. 

I started writing this post a couple days ago but the craziness of travel and exhaustion from literally three hikes in three days was too much. But now, it is complete. I hope I did justice to the beauty of Scotland and our time there. I will never forget it. 

Please excuse the awful presentation of my pictures, I don't know how to fix them from my phone. But don't let that take away from the views! They are in chronological order. 

Enjoy!! XX.

A Farewell to London

I wanted to wait and post this week's blog now, instead of last Sunday, so I could include all of the happenings from my final week in London. 

After my parents left last Tuesday, which now feels like weeks ago, I was busy finishing papers and studying for finals so I could enjoy my last weekend. We all were. We finished everything and were so releaved to be done and relax. We started off our weekend on Thursday and tried to go to The Roxy one last time BUT there was a huge line when we arrived. It was unbelievable, we were baffled that our little Thursday night spot had been invaded by hundreds of people. I waited in line for at least twenty minutes and reluctantly had to give up and go home (I had to pee so badly) I literally ran home, which didn't help the situation at all!! 

Pure Happiness 

On Friday I didn't have work because of the bank holiday/Easter so we kicked off our day at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. Yes, this exists even though the scenes in Harry Potter weren't even filmed there so... I'm confused. This has been something Perri and Helen have been talking about doing the entire time we have been here so they HAD TO GO!! And they dragged me along to be the photographer. Great fun! We got out of the station and had to ask where the platform was. After the tube station man laughed at Helen he pointed us in the right direction. When we walked over there was a huge production in front of it. "Conductors" were taking professional photos and mingling with the people in line chatting about the movies, books and secret Harry Potter gangs that meet and practice their wizardry (I'm assuming). Anyways we walk up and there is a huge line wrapped around to go up and take a picture with the trolley that has been pushed halfway through the wall already. Magic!! The girls got in line and I found a seat and got some tea. About 45 minutes later it was finally their turn so I positioned myself in the perfect spot to take pictures of them. Now I have never been to a professional photo shoot before but I imagine it was something like this. Perri and Helen, no where near the youngest waiting in line, which is weird but I won't comment further. Everyone has their thing right? proceeded to have a full on photo shoot for a solid 15 minutes as the crowd cheered them on. First individuals and then group photos of them casting spells on each other. The crowd was loving it. I'm not sure if they were laughing at them or with them, maybe both but they didn't care. Thankfully they finally finished up and I had over a hundred photos proving just how much they love Harry Potter. 

Oh Helen your wizardry

After that we met up with Rena and Anna, a friend of hers visiting from Scotland, and went to Brick Lane. This is where they have traditional Indian restaurants... But of course I will get to the food in a minute. FIRST the vintage shops! Wow thank God we didn't make it here earlier or I would have had to buy another suitcase to take home. It was a street lined with vintage stores. More clothes than you could sift through in a lifetime. We went to one shop first and I bought a scarf/ headband thing (yes, mom another one). But Rena knew of a cool underground place so we went there before it closed. It was an underground vintage market. So many little stalls set up with different people's treasures it was a lot to take in. But.. I found this one man who was selling Levi high waisted jeans, 20 quid!! I was like OKAY! I tried on a bunch of pairs in this small dark corner that was the "dressing room" all by myself. I had lost the other girls and was going in blind, making a major fashion decision without consulting my friends first. Oh no! (It wasn't as dramatic as I'm making it seem I was calm, cool and collected so the guy would give me a good deal. I bought high waited jeans and black shorts and a tshirt all for 35 pounds! What a steal. I love getting a deal. The stores were closing so I ran around trying to find the girls, high on life after the purchase I made. They loved them! (Hugh sigh of relief) the jeans were a little 'mommy' but I got all crafty with them when I got home and with the guidance of Helen and Perri distressed them, and bam, they were perfect. I couldn't have lucked out more. 

After shopping we went to dinner with Ravina and one of her friends that was visiting too. Ravina and Rena had been before so they knew the best restaurant to chose. All along the street men from the restaurants stand out front and bargain with people on the street to chose them for a place to eat. One place offered us four bottles of wine and 25 percent off. I tried to be funny and said why don't you just give it to us for free but no one heard me... I laughed to myself anyways. So we picked a place and sat down. We got our free bottle of fine Italian wine (at an Indian restaurant none the less) and our free papadum. I had pakora and saag masala with rice and Perri and I split naan (garlic naan, Perri insisted). Yummy!! It was delicious and the perfect amount of food. Good job Rena and Ravina. 

It was the perfect day until... Helen lost her license and Oyster Card. I'm honestly surprised her or Perri haven't lost something important yet just based on the way their sides of the room look. No one's perfect, me included. Maybe I'm just slightly more organized. Anyways, I helped her look. We retraced our steps because we hadn't gone far but no luck. It was gone. It was also sad. She surprisingly handled it very well (unlike I did the one time freshman year I thought I lost my phone and ID. I'm sure those of you who remember this are laughing or shaking your head in disgrace at how I acted) I got my stuff back but Helen's has yet to turn up. Good thing we only had a few days left. 

On Saturday Helen and I went to Regents Park and sat and people watched for a while. It was nice to go one last time and just sit in the sun relaxing. I'm going to miss that park. That night we all attempted The Roxy ONE MORE TIME!! But when we got there, the cover charge had mysteriously (hmmm) gone up to 8 pounds and we only brought the 5 pounds it was supposed to be so we went home. Well, we did some questionable eating first and then went home. But we were alright with it, we have had some amazing memories at The Roxy and I will remember it fondly. We all will. 

Sunday was our last full day at Free State. We ate all of our favorite foods and drank a lot of coffee and tea while we finished a few little things that needed to be done and I studied for my Econ final, which was the next day. I won't bore you with details but the final was alright. I did the best I could with what I could retain. Fingers crossed my professor liked me enough not to grade me too harsh. But if you need to know anything about the Japanese or Chinese economies, I'm your girl.

This past week seemed to fly by with my last few days of work and taking exams. All of the exams were fine and we are all officially done with CAPA!! Hurray! Thank god. What an eye opening experience that place was. I love you so much Clark!! 

My last day of work was Wednesday and my team was so sweet. I misjudged the situation and, to my defense, I think the British work culture had a little to do with it but they actually really liked me and appreciated all the work I did. The team took me to lunch and gave me a nice card and a gift certificate to an accessories store, which I went to after work and bought a ton of rings. My favorite. It was really sweet and I was sad to say goodbye to them. I really have learned so much there and I wouldn't have wanted to trade my internship for anything. Whizz-Kidz you have been good to me! 

So, as of today, Friday, we are all officially done with everything and pretty much all packed up and ready to go. This is our last full day in London and tomorrow we leave for Scotland to see Tara!! 

It's bittersweet leaving London. We are glad classes and work are over but saying goodbye to this city is hard. I have really fallen in love with this place with all of the food, shopping, museums and landmarks that make up this intricate and diverse city. I couldn't have picked a better place to study abroad or had a better experience. Although I didn't have the typical, 'made so many friends from everywhere' experience (we had a strict no new friend policy) (jokingly but it kind of didn't happen) (we blame CAPA). But the people from Clark who I wasn't really friends with before coming here have become some of my closest friends. You all know who you are and I will fake a text message every time I walk by you back at school. That's how much I love you guys! 

Some of my favorites:

Market- Portobello for shopping and Borough for food
Club- Toss up between The Roxy and O'Neils
Pub- Princess
Coffee Shop- Free State
Restaurant- Amico Bio
Monument- Big Old Ben
Park- Regents Park
Sweet Treat- Portobello Market Crepe
Tube Line- Circle Line
Tube Line Name- Hammersmith and City Line
Tube Station- Picadilly Circus
Tube Station Name- Cockfosters
Mush- Rice with refried beans, salsa, a little cheese and when I was lucky, avocado
London Saying- Cheers! Bye yea (in an upward inflection)
London Memory- When Perri and Helen jumped on an old desk chair in front of our flat one night and instead of sailing down the street, like intended, crashed down hard on the pavement. They woke up the next morning with bruises on their body and it took a couple of hours for us to realize what they were from.
BigBed Moment- Getting hit by Helen in my sleep and waking up holding her hand
Picture Taken-

No caption needed 

For those tearing up thinking this is my last post, don't fear. It is not. I had to give Kyle my computer yesterday to take back home with him since I am traveling so I wrote this on my phone. Impressive right? I think so. My fingers are cramping up but I will continue to document our travels as we go. The posts will be sporadic but I will fill you in after each country we visit. We are off to Scotland this weekend and then Amsterdam and Prague. I will be heading home after that but Perri and Helen will continue their journeys without me. I will see you on May 10th America and I can't wait!  

XX. 

Mom and Dad in London

Madison's Cafe 

I am exhausted, have blisters on my feet and papers to write but I could not have had a more perfect weekend with my parents. I knew I missed my family a lot being away but after seeing my mom and dad these past five days I realized just how mush I miss them, SO MUCH. We have done a lot these past few days but I would say they got to see the best of London from their personal tour guide, me.

They got here on Thursday morning while I was at class but took a long nap, to help with the jet-lag, and by the afternoon they were ready to go. We walked to Regents Park to see all of the beautiful flowers and sat on a bench in the warm sun. They were so excited it was actually warm and that the flowers were already in full bloom, unlike back at home. We walked around my area a little more that afternoon and went to a few furniture stores (my mom was ready to ship a lot of stuff back home but restrained herself). That night we went to Princess, the pub Helen and Perri and I always go to, before dinner. My dad loved it and we went back a few more times while they were here. If he lived here it would be his hangout for sure. For dinner we went to a Greek restaurant down the street from me that I have been wanting to go to. It was delicious. I was definitely spoiled getting to go to all of the places I have had my eye on but never got the chance to get to.

Regents Park 

On Friday we got a jump start on the day and took the tube down to Westminster to see the London Eye, Big Ben and walk along the River Thames. I must say I was a little hesitant with how they would do on the tube since they are not the best city people but boy was I impressed. They did great! I showed them once how to swipe in and out and they picked it up so quickly. By the end they were pros.

I feel like they fell in love with London as much as I have in just the few days they were here and I could tell, despite all of the people and the faster pace, they didn't seem overwhelmed at all. They are already planning to come back again just the two of them. You really gotta love this city. It can make the most unlikely people want to keep coming back.

So back to Friday... they saw what I would say are some of the essential London tourist spots and really liked them. We almost went up in the London Eye but the line was really long so instead we just walked along the river and ended up at Borough Market. I forgot that although there is a lot of meat there, it also has amazing desserts and produce. They loved it! We got a bunch of different things to share and they couldn't get over the fact that there are markets like that set up all the time. We walked around some more that afternoon and ended up in Victoria, so they got to see where I have been working. We had a late lunch in the area and then went to Buckingham Palace, which is literally two streets over from my office. Who knew? I realized a lot of things were a lot closer and that places even existed after walking around more with my mom and dad. Very eye-opening. We took a tour of the Mews at Buckingham and then walked through Green Park and took the bus back to my area.

This guy got oysters at Borough Market 

That night we went out with Perri and Helen to Princess, again, for drinks and then to a pub in Brixton. It turns out that despite the great pictures and reviews on the website the pub was less than average. We left not long after getting there but I knew of a Mexican restaurant in Victoria, which was not too far from where we were and we went there instead. It was delicious. We got pitchers of margaritas and a ton of food, we were all so full after. We took a cab home because my dad really wanted to get the "full London experience" which was nice. It was great to be able to have Perri and Helen there with us as well. (I was having separation anxiety from not seeing them the past few days... well not really... but maybe a little)

In the Mews of Buckingham Palace 

On Saturday it was my mom's birthday so we made the day extra special. We went to Portobello Market with Perri and Helen and spent the morning and early afternoon walking around and shopping. We bought a lot of cool things and my parents, again, loved it. There were a lot of antiques and vintage things which was right up their alley. We also discovered that the market goes past this restaurant Helen, Perri and I always go to. We were amazed and there were so many more great shops we had never been to before. We had lunch a great pub and my parents tried the crepes I am always raving about. They liked it too. Later that night we went to this all vegetarian and organic restaurant for my mom's birthday dinner. It was so amazing and wonderful not to have limits on what we could order since everything was vegetarian. I think my mom had a really great birthday and I am so glad we got to spend it together.

On Sunday my mom and I went to Camden Market in the morning, my dad unfortunately, had food poisoning (from the vegetarian restaurant, yes, I know seems ridiculous but the poor guy was down for the count). We let him rest while my mom and I walked around the market. I had only been one other time, at the very beginning of the program, and I have to say I don't remember it being as awful as it was on Sunday. It was a lot of cheap touristy junk but it was still fun walking around and letting my mom see another area of London. We had lunch at the market and then sat in the park in the afternoon. My dad was able to join us too. We went to Freestate that afternoon too which was another highlight for my parents, getting to see the place I spend so much of my time. My mom and I went out to a great Italian restaurant that night and got pizza, my first actual pizza since being away and yumm did it taste good!!

Today I had to go to class in the morning but my mom and dad took the tube, all by themselves, to Kensington and walked around Hyde Park and the Kensington Palace. We met for lunch and then went to Harrods, the big department store, which I actually hadn't been to yet. It was impressive but all high end designer clothes and accessories which got old pretty fast. At least we can say we have been though. In the afternoon they took me grocery shopping, the nicest thing ever. We have enough food to last us till the end of the program and it is really great stuff. We are so excited!

Tonight we went to Madison's Cafe, the rooftop bar overlooking the city for dinner. I have only ever been for drinks so actually sitting and eating was nice. Huge shoutout to Scott for telling us about that in the first place, it really was a great and classy place to go for a relaxing night out.

We were so busy the whole weekend but I think they were really able to see the best parts of the city. I could not have had a better time with them here and I am so glad they were able to come. They really are the best. I loved hanging out with them and getting to show them around. It was tough saying goodbye but I know it will be a quick month and then I will be back home again.

Only two more weeks left in London and then 2 weeks of traveling and I am home. Where has the time gone? I have a lot of work and finals to study for in these next two weeks but we are determined to go out with a bang and have an amazing last weekend and week coming up. My parents took all of my clothes home with them so the only clothes I have left are the couple of things I am traveling with after the program. It will be a challenge to see how it goes wearing the same things over and over again, but it will be good for me to rough it a few weeks.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.

XX.

The Day We Saw the House that Shakespeare's Cousin's Best Friend Lived In

Oh what a week. We have been so busy and I feel like I haven't slept at all. What rockstars we are. On Thursday night we went to O'Neill's, which we had gone to when we first got to London but with a 10 pound cover charge we weren't quick to go back. Thursday night was free though and we like free!   It was a lot of fun and nice to be back out after being hermits for the past two weeks. We were dancing like our crazy selves and people were either laughing and admiring our skills or really shocked and convinced we were on something. (We weren't I promise you!) It was a really great night and Perri even danced with a 40 something year old woman. Priceless!!

Saatchi Gallery

 On Friday I had work in the morning, which is   going well. The London Marathon is next weekend so I have been working on stuff for that and I get to go to the expo on Wednesday and help hand out the Whizz-Kidz race packs. I will get the opportunity to meet a lot of the runners I have been interviewing these past few weeks which is exciting and I won't have to sit in the office all day. 

In the afternoon I met Helen at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. It was amazing and all of the art was modern and interesting. I loved it. The area the gallery is in is very upscale and very wealthy. We were looking around for celebs but sadly didn't see any. 

Shakespeare walked by this house once 

On Saturday we were up early and went to Stratford Upon Avon and Kenilworth Castle. It was a tour through CAPA which means we had a tour guide. She was so annoying. I usually really appreciate tour guides and all the knowledge and fun facts they share but she just kept repeating herself and barely stopped talking the entire two hours we were on the bus driving there. Stratford 'Upon the River', Shakespeare's birth and death place, was a pretty town but very touristy. We decided that if you were a Shakespeare enthusiast, like a real die-hard fan, then this is the perfect town for you. Most of the home's Shakespeare and his family lived in have been torn down and rebuilt, which made walking around looking at his daughter's replicated home a little tiresome. We joked, hence the title of this post, that we saw everything that was in some roundabout way related to Shakespeare. But don't get me wrong, no disrespect to the man, the town was great. We got lunch at this cute cafe and walked around a little before we had to get back on the bus to head to Kenilworth Castle. 

The castle was the highlight of the day. It was so big and beautiful and we were able to explore in all the little rooms and climb to the top. The views were breathtaking. I took so many pictures and Perri ran around exploring in her expedition shirt. Thank god she was wearing it yesterday. 

Frolic Young One 

Last night the three of us, Rena and Margo, who was visiting this weekend from Siena, went to Bubbledogs, a champaign and hotdog restaurant. Don't get too excited (Scott) I didn't eat an actual hotdog. Perri and I got veggie dogs which were actually pretty good. I got the Mac Attack which was macaroni and cheese and onions. WOW so great. Everyone loved theirs and it was a really cool concept for a restaurant, one we could even bring back to Worcester with us?? 

We are down to our last couple weeks which is just so sad. We definitely have a mix of emotions about leaving but we have such an amazing adventure ahead of us too. Spending so much time together can be challenging but I wouldn't have picked better friends to share this experience with. When else am I going to get to fall asleep in big bed listening to Helen and Perri take a Harry Potter quiz for a solid 45 minutes. 

COUNTDOWN 4 days till my parents come!! 

I will leave you with this quote Helen heard from a drunk man outside our flat at 2am on Wednesday. Although a little ridiculous there is some truth to it: 

"Get in there and headbutt somebody, shag somebody, have a glass of wine, go and live your life and don't be a coward."

XX.