Week Six: Belated Barcelona Post

Oops I fell behind, I swore to myself I wouldn't but I just completely forgot! Oh well I'm writing now and that's what matters.

So on Oct 25 I went with a few friends to Barcelona Spain in my first trip that I fully planned myself! I met up with a close friend/sorority sister while there which was definitely a highlight of the trip :]

Friday the 25th: 

We arrived in Reus Airport late in the evening, and the airport was nowhere near the city of Barcelona (Ryan Air you sneaky snake telling us its in Barcelona). So we take a Bus to Barcelona and then a taxi to the hostel. We spend more money on this trip on transportation than anything else. We check into our awesome hostel, and I spend time with Darlina!

Saturday the 26th:
Woke up bright and early and headed via Metro to the Sagrada Familia with Darlina and her school friends. This basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi is the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my life, stained glass windows, decorative ceilings and grand statues.

Darlina and I at Sagrada Familia

Storm Troopers?

After the basilica I head to the hostel for a siesta and then head to get some dinner with friends. We ate seafood paella and drank wine, so delicious!

Paella for 4, we ate it all! 

Sunday Oct 27th:

We spent most of our day at the beach, ate Tapas for lunch and then had to venture to the airport to make our flight. 

Me at La Playa!

Sangria! So yum

Getting to the airport was an ORDEAL let me tell you. We get to the bus station and learn no bus gets to our airport in time, so we decide to split a taxi to Reus. We tell the driver we want Reus Airport, and he takes us to Barcelona City airport...oops language barrier. We then try to find a bus to take us to Reus, and there are none. We try to find a taxi but at this point most of us are out of cash, we finally find a taxi that takes credit card and convince this wonderful taxi driver to only charge us 150 for the 1hr+ taxi ride. We finally get to the airport and I can't find my boarding pass, I ask the front desk how much it costs to print a new one "70 euro" she says. So I tear apart my bag searching for it, and find it thank goodness!

Finally we get home to our dorm very very late, and get caught in the crazy rainstorm leading up to the Gale force winds headed to the UK. What drama!

But soon I am headed off on another journey along with others, here's the schedule:

Nov 8-10: Edinburgh Scotland (including the Highlands and Loch Ness)

Nov 23-25: Munich Germany

Nov 30-Dec2: Venice Italy

Dec 7-9: Antwerp Belgium

Cheers!

Week Five: Big Rocks and Mr. Bennett

This weekend I went on a day trip to Stonehenge and the City of Bath, named after the famous Roman Baths located there.

Stonehenge (while I am glad I went) wasn't much when I got there. How the stones got there is still one of the world's greatest mysteries. But I guess when you get they just look like a stack of rocks...oh well at least  I got to see it! It makes me wonder what people thought in medieval times when they rode by it, what did they think it was?

Next we drove to the town of Bath, we drove past beautiful old buildings (some of which are rented by celebrities such as Johnny Depp) and past the Jane Austen centre, as Jane Austen spent the end of  her life in Bath. But she always wrote negative things about Bath in her novels because so  many bad things happened to her while she lived there. Standing outside was a man dressed as Mr. Bennett, a character from Pride and Prejudice. 

We were only given an hour and a half of free time in the city so after lunch that didn't leave much time to explore which was really unfortunate. We did explore the Bath Abbey since we had time but hopefully I can go back and tour the Roman Bath houses, and Jane Austen Centre and more of the city, I didn't have enough time but it looked so amazing driving through! 

So many stained glass windows in this Abbey, they make up 80% of the structure

Bath Abbey

until next week, when I go to Barcelona!

Cheers!

Week Four: I travel to Amsterdam with 22 others, and return with 20...

This weekend I went on my first trip out of London! I went on a 3 day guided tour of Amsterdam and Bruges. I learned how to make a clogs, how to properly pour Heineken and that rain SUCKS.But I didn't let that put a damper on my spirit (even if I was much more than damp myself).

Day 1: I sit in a bus, a lot. We arrive in Amsterdam and take a canal boat ride the rain had an artsy effect on my photos. I try Dutch Pancakes for dinner, and get a tour of Amsterdam's famous red light district (no photos of that were allowed for obvious reasons).

One of 2500 houseboats in Amsterdam, that number is never allowed to change! 

One of the many Bridges in Amsterdam

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Day 2: We wakeup and head to Zanser Schaans (probably butchered the spelling of that). Learned how clogs are made, how cheese is made and tasted some yummy cheese! Went to Anne Frank house (no photos allowed) and went on the Heineken Experience Tour. Ate delicious Indonesian food (large Indonesian population in Amsterdam) and hung out! 

Abby and I  in some oversized clogs! 

Gorgeous bridge

True cat ladies find cats no matter where they are in the world. Case in point. 

Me in front of a true Dutch Windmill! 

Tasting Heineken mmm! 

Delta Love from Holland! 

Day 3: We went to the beautiful Medievel town of Bruges Belgium. It was raining sideways and I was soaked, so no photos sorry!!! But the hot chocolate was delicious!

Until next week! Cheers!

Week Two: (In Which I Nerd out at the Tower of London)

Hello! So this week was orientation week, but I didn't let that stop me from seeing the sights of this beautiful massive city!

Monday I suggested to the ladies in my program we hit the Tower of London (I was far too excited for this) and the British Museum.

Oh my god, the history nerd in me really came out that morning. Well let me speak my enthusiasm through photos.

The Tower of London, former home to kings, then traitors (and some wives) and now to the Crown Jewels and some great history. 

Tower Bridge is visible from inside the tower

Chelsea in front of the first tower 

The Tower of London was not always where they kept prisoners and traitors. For many hundreds of years kings lived here (a few Edwards and some Richards, forgive me for not knowing the Roman Numerals). But when Henry VIII became king he turned it into a prison because he really HATED the tower. Most criminals were executed outside the tower at public execution, but Anne Boleyn and other royal prisoners were executed within the tower itself.

The Yeomen Warder or "Beefeater" who gave us a tour of the Tower

This happy Raven along with 7 others are kept at the tower for Good luck, weird urban legend

In WWII the tower was hit and the raven population seriously threatened, so they had to instill a breeding program to get enough ravens in the tower. Odd fact.

I could go on and on, but I promise just two more photos of the Tower and then I'll move on. 

This is the site where Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard were executed

Traitors gate where prisoners went into the tower, Elizabeth I went through these gates but luckily, made it out of the tower. 

Sadly we were not allowed to have cameras in the area with the Crown Jewels, but trust me the jewels were huge and impressive. 

Next we moved onto the British Museum which turned out to be more impressive to me than the artifacts inside the building did. 

The British Museum

The Rosetta Stone

The museum was impressive but it was a lot to see in a day and we all were super exhausted. But Thursday we headed out again for a bus and boat tour of the City that London Met paid for. We starting by going right under the Tower Bridge, and saw the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral and Parliament (and Big Ben of course) 

The London Eye

ajajaja

This photo was snapped after I got off the boat, but the bell rang while we were on our tour!

That's all the highlights from this week, I start school tomorrow so hopefully this blog doesn't become super boring. I'll leave you with some British lingo:

Are you alright?= Can I help you?

Queue = Line. for example "Are you in the queue for this pub?"

Favorite part of this week? When going on a walk with friends one night, a drunk Englishman asks us "are you enjoying your visit to your old colonial masters?" Yes sir, I am. 

Cheers!

Week One: How many dumb American things will I do?

It's been an eventful first week, I arrived Wednesday and hit the ground running!

I took the tube from the airport to Kings Cross station after having a very embarrassing moment attempting to use my Oystercard for the Tube (I learned I'm supposed to tap it on a sensor and not stick it in a slot). I met a girl on the train there who was getting back from Studying abroad in the states.

After checking in at NIDO Kings Cross I entered my room and could not believe the view I had from my window.

The view from my window

King Cross station right out my window

The second day I went out for coffee and shopping with the girls on my study abroad program who arrived early like me. We shopped on Oxford Street which is a massive busy street with the best shopping in London and I was able to buy some warm weather clothing. It started to rain for the first time while we were there and I started to feel like I was really in London, and since I had my umbrella with me I stayed dry.

For dinner we went to a pub called the Driver that was 3 stories tall and covered in ivy, we drank pints of Guinness and Hard Cider and ate fish and chips for dinner. It was delicious and so authentic!

My First Fish and Chips, they gave me a whole fish...

My Hard Apply Cider I had with Dinner

Friday I settled more into my room, did some grocery shopping and went out for cocktails with some girls in my group. 

Saturday was a busy day! We woke up and went out to our first authentic English breakfast at a place called The Breakfast Club. It was so nicely decorated on the inside with all kinds of knick knacks on the wall. 

Potatoes, Grilled Tomato, Eggs, Beans, Mushrooms, a Sausage and Toasted Bloomers (bread) SO MUCH FOOD!

After breakfast we headed to the world famous Camden Market and shopped around there, I don't have any photos because whoops I forgot my camera. 

I start Orientation on Tuesday (which includes a tour of the city) and my group is planning on doing some touristy things tomorrow, so wait for that in next weeks post!

Cheers!

19 days till I head across the Pond!

I leave for London in 19 days, on September 17th 2013! I'm excited, nervous and stressed too. I still have a lot to get done before I leave .

This blog will be a chance to share my experience with everyone and post when I have the time and all you do is click and read!

I will be living at an off campus dorm-like building called NIDO King's Cross, which is located a 5 minute walk from King's Cross Train Station.

I arrive on the 18th and which gives me a few days to settle in, deal with jetlag and explore some of the city before I start orientation on the 23rd. I don't start my classes until the 30th, I hope I got the ones I wanted but luckily no matter what I get I'm on track to graduate.

I've already made a list of places I want to travel both in England and in Europe, here's my list so far:

•  Barcelona, Spain (hoping to meet up with a sorority sister there who is studying in Seville Spain for the year)
• Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Paris, France
• Munich, Germany
• Venice, Italy
• Dublin, Ireland 
• Bath, England,
• Stratford Upon Avon, England
• Stongehenge

If anyone has any suggestions of places within England to go, let me know! 

Before I leave I still need to get some warm clothes, because I think the California girl in me is going to struggle with the rainy foggy weather at first. 

But otherwise that's all for now! Look for my first post after I arrive in London.

-Amanda