Aye, Scotland!

I come to you a tired traveler, after a long weekend book-ended by two busy weeks. After I last updated, on Wednesday, our group went out to dinner for my roommate, Sarah's, 21st birthday. We went to a small French bistro in Covent Garden, which was lovely, then got to experience one of London's most famous and interesting clubs. Called the Absolut Ice Bar, it's exactly what you'd think - a bar made entirely out of ice. You can only go in for 40 minutes, and they make you wear these thick poncho things with gloves attached and a hood! I thought it was silly at first, but once I got in I understood completely - it's freezing! The bar, seats, tables, walls, even the glasses are all made of ice, and the drinks they give you glow in the dark! It was quite an experience, even if I was freezing the whole time. After our time ran out and we were all sufficiently frostbitten, we went to a nearby bar and danced the night away.

The next day Sarah and I got on a night train headed to Edinburgh, Scotland, where we arrived early Friday morning. The air was crisp and damp as we stepped off the bus, and we hurried to our hostel, called Castle Rock, where we left our luggage for the day. The hostel is actually built inside an old castle-like building, so there are tons of rooms and each one has an interesting theme. Ours was "Scottish Isles" and my island was called "Raasay," Sarah's was "Skye." That day we walked around the city for a while, grabbed some dinner at a nice little pub called The New Bell, then went on a city pub crawl, sponsored by a free tour group. We got to visit several of Edinburgh's great pubs and bars, ending up in a hip club where we danced the night away, yet again.

Saturday, we woke up a little too early and got on another bus to take a full day tour of the Highlands, the northern countryside of Scotland where the traditional clans once lived. Think Braveheart. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and had some great stories, which kept us entertained for the 12 hour tour. We stopped in a bunch of places for photos, and ended up in Loch Ness for two hours at lunch time. Sarah and I walked out to the loch (which just means lake) and took a ton of pictures. It reminded me a lot of Lake Placid from when I backpacked there a few years back. Absolutely beautiful. I dared to touch the dark, mysterious water, but sadly we didn't catch a glimpse of Nessie, the famous monster of the loch. Back on the bus, we saw more beautiful countryside, and ended up back in Edinburgh in time to go back to our hostel and pass out from sheer exhaustion.

Sunday was a calmer day, spent taking a free four hour walking tour of the city. We got to see all of Edinburgh's highlights, like the Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile (high street), and my personal favorite part: HARRY POTTER SIGHTS!! The tour guide asked the group, "does anyone here care about Harry Potter by chance?" at which I just about exploded and screamed "I do, I do!!" jumping up and down, while the rest of the group stared. I had heard about all of the Harry Potter sights in Edinburgh, as the city was where JK wrote the books and got most of her inspiration, and I was so ready to see them all, having been a Harry Potter fan since the very beginning. I was practically crying as the guide showed us the cafe where she sat to write the books, since she was too poor to afford heating in her house. I took a moment to look at her seat, at her table, at her window, and picture her sitting there, writing about the characters I loved so much. Next, we were taken to the graveyard where many of the names of characters came from - and I got to see the grave of Tom Riddle. For those of you who know anything about Harry Potter, you'll understand how exciting this was. We even got to see the two castles that inspired Hogwarts! So exciting!! Ok, enough Harry Potter. The rest of the tour was great as well, especially all the parts that bashed England, because it was just funny how much the Scots seemingly hate England, even though I know deep down they really love them. They're like two quarreling siblings.

Our time in Scotland ended with a great meal and a run to the bus station. The ride back to London was long and uncomfortable, but I bought a cozy fleece Burberry print blanket to keep me warm for the trip, so that helped a bit. We got back to the city very early, went back to bed, and I made it to class in the afternoon. I spent the whole evening writing a paper on the English Monarchy, Buckingham Palace, the River Thames, and Greenwich. It turned out well, and I turned it in this morning in class. Today's tour was of the East End of London, which was less epic than others but just as interesting. We saw the international area, and Brick Lane, a currently Bangali neighborhood where we got some good curry. It used to be dominantly Jewish, and a good bagel shop still remains, so we stocked up. My favorite part of the day was seeing Dennis Sever's House. An American, Sever's was obsessed with British history, so he came to London and restored a house to Victorian style, and now you can our it. It's incredible. He got everything right down to the tiniest detail. It even sounds and SMELLS like an old Victorian home. Everything is real - from the bed frames to the boiled egg on a plate. I was told there was a cat running around the house, which I looked hard for, but couldn't find, much to my dismay. My cat-withdrawal continues.

A great weekend and start to a great week. Tomorrow is our last day of class for this week, as we leave early Thursday morning for... drumroll... PARIS!!! The weekend will be jam-packed, since our program has planned most of it for us and is footing a lot of the bill (yay!). Activities so far include a Seine river cruise, tour of the Musee D'Orsay, Louvre (of course), Eiffel Tower, possible trips to Versailles and Giverny (I LOVE Monet), and a walking tour of the Marais, a shopping and good historical area. And, of course, LOTS of croissants, crepes, and other delicious French food! Should be fantastique! I know pretty much zero French, so hopefully my skills will improve by the time I come home on Sunday. And then, Mom comes to visit on Monday! Should be an absolutely amazing week or so, I'm so excited!! Wish me luck in Paris, au revoire!

Love!

Photos: Loch Ness, Glencoe in the Highlands, Sarah and me with Hermish the wooly cow, cafe where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter, Sarah and me with Tom Riddle's grave, cold at the Ice Bar!

A Lovely London Weekend

What a wonderful weekend in London it's been!

I got a chance to spend the weekend doing all the things in London I'd wanted to do since I got here, which is great because I'll be traveling for the next 3 weekends in a row. A lot of my friends were in Greece, so I spent most of the weekend on my own, which I didn't mind at all. It was nice to just explore, listen to my ipod, read my book, and get in some quality me time.

I started the weekend off on Friday by spending the day in Hampstead. Set high on a hill just north of central London, I had heard that Hampstead was a quaint sort of suburb (although technically part of London) with a beautiful heath and stunning views of the city. It did not disappoint. I got off the tube and traveled almost 200 feet up to street level (Hampstead is the deepest underground station) where I stepped out onto a cozy little street in the center of town. I walked for a while, not really knowing or caring where I was headed, and ended up in a residential area. Looking around, I fell in love with the neighborhood, and decided that if I ever live in London, this would be where I'd settle. Sadly, I later learned that it's one of the most expensive places in the world to live, and contains more millionaires than any other part of London. Of course I would fall in love with the most expensive place in the world. C'est la vie.

I soon found myself in the famous Hampstead Heath, a HUGE forested park with several lakes, paved and dirt paths, hidden meadows, and spectacular city views. I got lost on purpose, and wandered around, breathing in the fresh air and utterly enjoying the fall leaves tumbling to the ground around me. I even found another Buckeye! There were a ton of them on the ground in this little grove I found by accident. They keep calling to me! I got a delicious crepe for lunch and ate it on Parliament Hill, famous for its kite fliers and perfect view of London. I saw St. Paul's, The City of London, Regent's Park, and even Bloomsbury, where I live. I reluctantly made my way back to the tube station, and passed the poet Keats' house along the way, stopping to admire the small white cottage. Finally I departed my fairytale home, and made my way back to London. After a short yoga class, I spent the rest of the night in, chatting with friends and watching movies on television. I even made some tabouleh salad, which made me think of home.

Saturday was a very, very full day. I woke up early to start the festivities of Open House. I started off at the Bank of England, where I waited in line for over an hour to take a 30 minute tour of one of London's most famous old buildings. It's actually only 70 years old, but it was rebuilt to be a restoration of the old building on the site, so it seems much older. Most of the rooms we saw were ornate and grand, with much of the same furniture from older versions of the bank. Sadly, the vault was not on the tour, but I did get to see the door that leads down to it! At the end of the tour, we got to try and lift a gold bar like the ones they have in the vault to back up their money - and it was heavy! They told us it weighed 25 pounds, and most of the people that tried before me couldn't lift it at all. I was very proud of myself when I lifted it all the way up with one hand! I've been going to the gym. :)

After the bank, I went to Lloyd's, the most famous insurance company in the world. The architecture of the building is very modern, and made to look like its inside out, with all of the heating/cooling and stuff on the outside. As I'm typically unimpressed by modern art and architecture, I had a hard time appreciating it from the street, but I waited a short 25 minutes to get inside, where I had my breath taken away. I walked in to "The Room," where all of the business takes place. A huge space with a giant clock in the middle, The Room opens upward 13 floors to the grand glass ceiling, and you can see all of the floors in between, as well as 5 crisscrossing clear glass escalators. The elevators are another story. After crossing through the room, I stepped into a small glass box, and was flown upward on the outside of the building, taking in all of London as I soared to the eleventh floor. I stepped out of the elevator and into a room with more great views of the city. The tour concluded with a book in which they hand write every ship damage that happens on the sea, as Lloyd's ensures every large vessel on the ocean. This book was opened to the page of April, 1912 - the sinking of the Titanic. It briefly described the incident in very simple terms, then the handwriting faintly trailed off with "loss of life reported to be very serious..." It was eerie seeing it there in someone's handwriting.

I left Lloyd's blown away by the modern architecture, and set off for Guildhall, one of London's older buildings. Used as a kind of city hall, the Guildhall had impressive high arched ceilings and a medieval crypt, with beautiful stained glass depictions of many historical figures - my favorite being Sir Thomas Newman, a great man who did some pretty incredible things in his lifetime. I got a chance to check out the basement of the Guildhall, where remains of Roman London were found recently. It was amazing to see what is probably the oldest London we know of. I left the Guilhall to see St. Mary le Bow church, one of the oldest in London, then caught the tube back to central London, where I saw St. Anne's Church clock tower. By the end of the day, I was absolutely wiped out, so I sat in the garden of St. Anne's and read my book for a while before heading home. Once back in my flat, I got ready to go out, then went with some friends to the Rocket, where we'd been previously, and spent the night dancing and laughing.

Sunday was a more laid back kind of day, although I did venture out to see Horse Guards, where the horse-mounted guards are. I watched the tourists throw an arm over the horse for a photo and laughed, imagining one of the horses getting a little fed-up and giving the obnoxious tourists a little kick. I walked over to the Thames, and found the building I find most beautiful of all I've seen in London. I'd never known what it was before, and I found out it's actually a hotel. I was pretty shocked at this news, although I think it was originally built for something much more grand, as it looks like a grand palace. It's perched right on the river, with beautiful gardens in front, and it's one of the most expensive places to stay in London, as it is within walking distance of Buckingham, Parliament, and Westminster. I sat and read in the little park, then walked over to Trafalgar Square, where the Mayor of London's skyride was taking place - a day long ride around the city, encouraging people to use bikes for transportation. Many of the city roads were closed for the event, and there were thousands of bikers of all ages flooding the streets. I watched the action for a while, then went back home to write a big paper for class the next day.

Monday passed uneventfully, and today we toured Parliament. It was magnificent! I've always been fascinated by government, so it was very interesting to hear about the British system. And the building itself was beautiful, with the House of Lords being ornate and grand, and the House of Commons simple, but not at all plain. We couldn't take pictures, sadly, but it gave me more time to listen to our guide and take in the beautiful portraits and architecture.

It was quite the weekend, dampened only slightly by USC's loss to Washington. I can't say I wasn't upset, but I can't say I was all that surprised either. USC has a tragic flaw of losing to unranked PAC 10 teams, and it seems we just can't get passed it. I have hope for the rest of the season, but perhaps it's a good thing that I can't watch most of the games. Luckily, OSU pulled out a win from Toledo, or rather a shutout, which I was happy about. Looks like we're about even in the rankings now, so I'm pulling for both of my teams this week. Scotland this weekend, and Paris the next. Could be a while before I get back on here, so cheers to all!

Love!

Photos: Lloyd's, Keats House, my favorite London Building (Horseguards Hotel), SkyRide bikers, view from Parliament Hill of London, Hampstead Heath.

Castles, markets, and a whole lot of football

What a week it's been!

The school week wrapped up nicely last Thursday with a class all about the blues, jazz, and the birth of rock music in England. I learned a lot about the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, the Yardbirds, and many others. I don't know a whole lot about popular music history, so it was really interesting to hear all of the stories about these amazing artists. We even got to hear some conspiracy theories about their deaths from our professor, Justin. Needless to say, I'm loving my classes and learning all kinds of great new things.

Friday was a full day of royalty, as we traveled with our tour guide, Angie, west of the city to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. Windsor was a huge, intimidating castle that boasted green lawns and beautiful interiors. It was incredible to stand in those halls and think about all those that had been there before. We got to see where the Queen lives when she's there (which she wasn't) as well as many staterooms that are used often by the monarchy. After taking an audio tour of the inside, we saw St. George's chapel, a place I had been anticipating for a long time. As soon as I walked in the building, I was taken aback by the scent. It took me a few minutes walking around the beautiful chapel to realize why it smelled so familiar. The smell reminded me of Christmas - and I realized it was because it smelled like the old south campus of my church, with its old wood and high stone ceilings. I only go to this branch of my church for midnight mass on Christmas with my mother, so the smell took me back to the holidays and made me feel very much at home. It was very comforting and made me so happy! Finally, at the very back of the church, I found what I'd been looking for: the tomb of Henry VIII and his favorite wife, Jane Seymour. My fascination with the Tudors was only heightened as I stood above the floor plaque that marked his burial place.

The overwhelming presence of such great history only continued at Hampton Court, the palace built for Cardinal Wolsey but lived in mostly by Henry VIII. It is a beautiful brick palace, and while its interior is not as epically beautiful as that of Windsor, the surrounding grounds more than make up for it. We took a quick tour through the older half of the palace, guided by Angie, and picked up a lot of stragglers as we went, eager to hear Angie's fascinating stories about the Tudor family. We even got to see a man dressed as Henry VIII walking around! I took another moment to think about all of the historical people who had walked these halls, then our group went outside to explore the gardens. This was where I found my happy place. The gardens themselves were beautiful, but a little too finely manicured for my tastes. However, we soon wandered over to the edge of the deer park, where the giant trees and leaf-covered grass made me think of autumn in the midwest. It was a wonderful feeling, made even better by the hedge maze we found ourselves horribly lost in. We finally made our way out, then got on our bus to head back to London.

That night we went to a nearby bar called The Rocket, which attracts many local university students and was a lot of fun. The next morning we woke up and went to the Portobello Road Market at Notting Hill. It was crazy! There were all kinds of stands, from antiques, to silverware, to clothes, to food. I bought some fresh veggies, a Breakfast at Tiffany's poster, a new bag and a £5 dress. Once home, I took a short nap, then went with some friends to Covent Garden to get some cookies at a little bakery. We then went home to get ready for the main event of the night. We left the flat around 10pm, then went to a pub in Soho, and finally made our way over to Sports Cafe in Picadilly to watch the "Collision in Columbus": USC vs. OSU. We met up with a bunch of USC alumni, and set up to watch the game in our own private room with a nice big tv. I found a front row seat, and met some friendly Buckeye Brits. It was really nice to hang out with some Buckeyes, even if we weren't cheering for the same team. I mean, of course I was cheering a bit for the Bucks on the inside, but I was dressed in USC gear and supporting my alma mater all night. We shared stories of high street, Upper Arlington, and even chocolate buckeyes (which they call chestnuts over here), but when the game came on we were separated by the competition. And what a game it was! Both teams fought hard and played well, but the Trojans took it home in the end. I was a proud Trojan and a sad Buckeye that night, but at least I got to see the game all the way over here, and I met some very nice people in the process.

Us London Trojans didn't get home until 5:30am, having watched the game live, so it was rough waking up at noon to go to the Fulham vs. Everton football (soccer) match. But it was a lot of fun, and Fulham won in an exciting finish. After the game, I went straight to the River Thames Festival, which is an annual event put on by the Mayor of London. It was a great festival, with lots of street vendors, art, music, and good food. I got some paella and bought a couple of souvenirs: a hand-pressed t-shirt with multicolored birds (I love birds, which was ironically the name of the artist selling the shirts) and a glass panel with tiny pressed flowers inside spelling out "PEACE" in different colors. It was a great night that finished up with a bunch of us on the Hungerford bridge watching an incredible fireworks show. The bursts of light bounced off the River Thames and lit up the red buses driving slowly across the London bridge. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Still having a great time here in London, and filling in every single minute with amazing memories! This weekend should be a little slower paced, but just as full. The weather's getting chillier by the day, so I'm trying to fit in all the outdoor things I can before that famous London cold sets in for good. Tomorrow we'll be touring the infamous Buckingham Palace, and this weekend is Open House - where many of London's most famous buildings are open to the public for free. I plan to take full advantage of the event, and maybe even fit in a market and a trip to the nearby Kew botanical gardens. I'm sure I'll have a lot to report then, so I'll try to keep you posted!

Love!

Photos: Football (soccer) match, Hampton Palace, Windsor Castle, the group and the London Eye (all lit up!) at the Thames River Festival, fighting on for the Trojans!

Touring the Thames: on a boat!

Alright, it's already 10pm and I haven't started my reading for tomorrow, so I'm really keeping this one short. It was a very long, but great day! Our group took a river cruise down the Thames to Greenwich for our London tour of the week. It began at Westminster, where we boarded the ferry, then meandered toward the sea. We saw all of London on either side of us - what a view! But my favorite part was seeing the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, since those were the two biggest sites of London that I hadn't seen yet. The Tower Bridge did not disappoint - it was absolutely magnificent... and blue! I didn't know that it was painted such a beautiful color on the sides, but I loved it. We got to Greenwich around noon, and Angie showed as around what used to be the naval academy, but is now a university. Built originally as a palace by Christopher Wren, the famous architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, it's a fantastic building, split in two to allow the Queen's House, a very old building built for Queen Ann, a view of the Thames. The whole complex is very beautiful, with a great green quad in the middle. One side of the building is the "Painted Hall" with beautiful paintings on the walls and ceiling, while the other half is a chapel. After this little tour, we ate lunch nearby, and got ice cream, of course. We then met back up to climb the hill through Greenwich Park. The park was full of people enjoying an absolutely perfect day out in the sunshine. At the top of the hill is "the birthplace of time," or the Prime Meridian Line for which Greenwich is famous (Greenwich Mean Time = GMT). There's an actual line on the ground, and you can straddle it and say that you're standing in both the eastern and western hemisphere. Pretty cool, yea? We took a bunch of photos, as well as some snapshots of the amazing city view we got from up there. We learned a little bit about how the Prime Meridian Line was found (by a very poor man under King George III, who spent his entire life creating devices that could measure time at sea), then took a tour of the discoverer's home. It was a very interesting experience and I certainly learned a lot about longitude! The afternoon came to a close with one of my favorite moments of this whole trip. Sarah and I decided to go sit in the park for a while to rest up and enjoy the amazing weather. After choosing our spot, we began to make our way there, when something caught my eye. As I looked at the grass beneath my feet, in this park so far from home, I saw something very familiar. I picked it up, and sure enough, there it was… a Buckeye. A real Buckeye nut! To all you non-Ohioans out there, this may seem quite silly, but to me it was incredible to find such a rare memento of home in somewhere so very far away. I couldn't find any others, and there were no Buckeye trees in sight, so I took it as a sign that I was meant to find this little nut, as a reminder that home is always with me. :)

What a great day it has been, and as I look over at my little nut on my dresser, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be all the way over here, having such incredible experiences every day. It's always hard to be far from home, and there are many people that I miss terribly, but I know that home will always be there, and I have my Buckeye to remind me when I forget!

Love!

Musicals, migrations, markets... and football.

Sorry it's been so long, but I have been busy busy! This post will be short (sorry again!) because I'm feeling a bit under the weather and plan to get to bed early to rest up.

The past weekend has been fantastic, complete with a trip to the theatre, a visit to Stonehenge and Bath, a day at the Borough Market, and a couple of really great football games. On Wednesday we saw Billy Elliott at the London Palace Theatre, one of London's most popular musicals. It was absolutely wonderful! It's about a little boy from northern England who loves dance, but is afraid to pursue his dream because it's not really accepted in his small town. I learned from our tour guide Angie, who filled us in a bit on the production, that the show started as a one time performance, but after Elton John saw it, and deeply empathized with Billy's story, he made it into a long-term musical, and wrote the music for it. He also created a school for the arts in northern England for boys like Billy, and they now cast every "Billy" from that school. Pretty cool, huh?

On Thursday of last week, everyone in my program made a dish and we had a big potluck dinner. I made my family's tabbouleh salad, which was a huge hit. The next morning we woke up bright and early for a trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was magnificent. I'd heard so much about it, but seeing it in person was an astonishing experience. I took a million photographs, of course, but also took a moment to sit in the grass and look upon the awe-inspiring stones, pondering their intention and just thinking about life. It was lovely.

After an hour at Stonehenge, our group headed further west to the city of Bath, where we promptly took a tour of the famous Roman baths from which it gets its name. These baths, which date back to the 1200's, were created by the Romans to indulge their luxurious passion for bathing and lounging. They were quite splendid, and I'm amazed at how well they are preserved. After the tour, my friends and I walked around the city, doing some shopping and eating. I bought some tea and some chocolates (the essentials), then shared an incredible ice cream sundae with Sarah, which boasted two scoops of locally farm-made ice cream, espresso, and whipped cream - delicious. Full to the brim, we boarded our coach and made our way home to London.

That night, Sarah and I booked our trip to Edinburgh, Scotland for the end of September. We're taking a night bus that will get us there in 9 hours, but for very cheap. After our Ireland adventure, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything, so I'm excited for the trip. I think now that that's booked, I'm all set for the semester. I'm going to a total of six places (including Ireland) outside of England, with two trips to Italy (one with friends, one with my mom when she visits in October). I will also have two more day trips, to Windsor and Hampton, and Oxford and Blenheim. Over all, a whole lot of traveling! I guess I'm sort of glad I'm sick now, so I can be healthy for all of these planned adventures. I think it's just a cold, so hopefully I'll be up and running in just a few days.

The rest of my weekend was spent shopping at the Borough Market, under the London bridge, and watching some grade-a American football. The market was great: I got some fresh farm grown potatoes, cinnamon almonds, organic oranges (for extra vitamin c), and a delicious looking pie, with goat cheese, spinach and tomatoes. We also ate at a Mediterranean stand, and the owner told me he was from Syria. Delighted to meet a real Syrian (perhaps my first, outside of family), I promptly, and very excitedly, told him that I was Syrian. At this, he kindly shook his head and chuckled at my red hair and freckles. I then explained to him that I am only a quarter Syrian, and look nothing like it, but we had a good laugh and he gave me some free falafel. Over all, a great market experience.

Saturday night was all about the football. I found the Ohio State-Navy game streaming online (somebody out there loves me) and was able to watch almost all of it. The USC game was harder to find, but I got to see the first half, and that was enough to predict the ending. The Buckeyes looked pretty good, but I would have liked to have seen a little more defense. On the other hand, the Trojans wailed on San Jose State, almost an embarrassing amount, and our defense stood strong (not that we really needed it). Over all, I was quite pleased with both of my teams, and am beyond excited to watch them battle each other next weekend. The USC alumni association here in London is meeting up at a nearby pub to watch the showdown, so my die-hard fan friends and I have planned to attend. It should be a great experience, and hopefully a great game. The only downside is that I will be watching the game live... at 1:30am. But it's all worth it for a good game. Go Buckeyes, fight on Trojans!

Alright, this post ended up being way longer than intended, and now I think it's time for a Sex and the City episode (I brought the entire series with me on DVD) and then bed. Hopefully I'll kick this cold and be back to taking London by storm in a few days. Until then... love!


Photos: A view of Wales from the countryside outside of Bath, a statue of Julius Caesar at the Roman Baths, Sarah and me at Stonehenge.

Trains, planes and... a ferry?

Hello again my loves!

This weekend was crazy, but absolutely wonderful. We actually missed our flight out because of some airline complications, but we ended up taking the train to the coast of England, then a ferry over to Dublin. Quite the experience! Once in Ireland, Sarah, our friend Aaron, and I went south to Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Done Leary) where the musical festival was. The festival was incredible! There were a TON of people there, the streets were filled, and there was all kinds of music being played everywhere you went. There were also tents set up selling things from all different countries. I bought a lovely winter hat made of sheep's wool, to prepare for the London cold. The three of us rode the ferris wheel, with spectacular views of the ocean and the city, ate some delicious Bailey's crepes, then took the seaside train up to Dublin for the rest of our trip.

We stayed at a great hostel, and went out in the Temple Bar district that night. It was a ton of fun! The area is full of bars and pubs, with a very international crowd. We started in a small pub then moved on to a huge microbrewery called the Porterhouse, where we tried some local beers and listened to a live band. And guess what? All the music was American! I especially enjoyed "Last Dance for Mary Jane" by Tom Petty. Aaron and I met some great Italian people from Rome, and spent the night trying to talk to them in English, Italian, and even a little Spanish. My favorite part was when they taught us how to say "cool" in Italian - it's "bella," which also means beautiful. I just love that!

The next day we took the train up to Howthe, a small seaside town with a farmer's market and beautiful cliffs. We walked around the market for a bit, then did a 2 hour hike on the cliffs - beautiful. The ocean seemed to go on forever, and the classic Irish green hills sprawled out behind us. It was a really lovely little town with some adorable cliff-side cottages. After we worked up an appetite, we enjoyed some fish and chips (my first!), then took the train back down to Dublin for our last night. Sarah and I explored the city a bit, seeing the Spire (a downtown statue that looks like a giant thin spike, tallest statue in the world!), eating some yummy Irish dairy ice cream, walking around the local park, and just enjoying a loving evening in Dublin.

The three of us woke up very, very early to catch our 8am flight back to London. But, thankfully, everything went smoothly and we were back at our flats before noon. The rest of my day was spent in class, then at the Notting Hill Carnival, the largest carnival in London. It was crazy! There were tons and tons of people there, you could hardly walk around. It was mostly just fun Caribbean music and yummy jerk chicken (another first for me). By the time I got home, I was totally wiped out, so I crashed early to wake up for early morning class.

Today's tour was to Westminster Abbey, and the surrounding areas. The abbey itself was gorgeous - as expected. My favorite part was definitely the back area, with the "lace stone" ceiling. The carvings are so intricate that they really look like lace, and the white stone allows the light from the glass windows to bounce softly throughout the whole chapel. It was truly beautiful. I saw the tombs of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, and many others. It was weird to think of how many famous people were buried there... I'm excited to go to Winsor and see Henry VIII's grave. That trip is in a couple of weeks. This weekend we are going to Stonehenge and Bath on Friday, then a nice relaxing couple of days here in good old London. I think a couple of friends and I are going to have a picnic day in Regent's Park (my favorite) on Saturday, complete with paddle boats and garden walks.

It was a long weekend, but a great one, and it was very exciting to start my travels around Europe. So far, my other planned trips for the semester are to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, and Italy (twice). I might try to squeeze Spain in there somewhere too, we'll see. And the rest of the time will be spent here in London, my new home, which is just fine with me. :)

Cheers and love!
Bella!

Photos (top to bottom): Sarah and me on the ferry; Sarah, Aaron and me at the festival; me and the River Liffey in Dublin; cliffs of Howth; Dublin Spire; me on the cliffs of Howth