tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9813916099791529782024-03-19T06:09:58.944-07:00Living in LondonValhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-39011712703147356562011-12-10T13:16:00.001-08:002011-12-10T13:16:12.041-08:00Miles Apart<em>''We'll be miles apart, I'll keep you deep inside, you're always in my heart. A new life to start, I may be leaving but you're always in my heart.''</em> -<strong>Miles Apart</strong> by Yellowcard<br />
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This is going to be my final blog post from London! It's incredibly hard to believe and these four months absolutely flew by! Even though this semester was trying and stressful at times, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've learned so much about myself and the world. More than anything, I learned that I am capable of living on my own in a new place; let alone a new <em>country</em>. I am so proud of myself for living successfully in a big city, I never thought I could do it and now I know otherwise! <br />
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London is definitely a unique place in that people from all over the world congregate here, and I am lucky to have lived in a place like that. I've made friends from countries all over the world, including Switzerland, Turkey, France, Austria and Bulgaria. I've also been able to get to know people better whom I go to school with at home, which is an awesome side effect. I've been lucky enough to travel all around the entire United Kingdom and had adventures in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff. I feel like I have another home here and how many people can really say that? I know I'll be coming back to the UK at some point, I have to. I love it here so much. Everyone I've met here has been so friendly and helpful and I can't imagine not hearing everyone talk in their super cute accent anymore and asking me if I'm ''all right love?'' I'm going to miss eating chocolate crossaints everyday at breakfast, taking the Jubilee line to Baker Street tube station (which is aptly adorned with it's Sherlock Holmes tiles) and walking by Big Ben and the Eye overlooking the Thames. I can't wait to be able to say ''I remember that time when I lived in London...'' or ''This happened while I was living in London...'' but unfortunately that means I have to leave. I am definitely excited to go back and see my family and friends and dogs (more excited than you'd know) but there's a lot here that I'll be excited to come back and see again. I can't wait to eat at Mcswinney's, eat proper chilli and actually be able to watch <em>Glee</em> on tv and not on a computer screen, but this is a bittersweet excitement. It's going to be so strange to go from pounds to dollars, from bangers and mash to a hamburger and fries, from Primark to Target and Wal-Mart. I'm going back to somewhere familar, yet it will be strange to me at first. You know, at first I was scared to leave home and come to a completely different place, and now? I'm leaving one home to go back to another. London will always be home to me now, and the best part about home is that you can always come back. <br />
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''A man who is tired of London, is tired of life.'' -Samuel JohnsonValhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-19032225954599539922011-12-10T13:00:00.000-08:002011-12-10T13:22:56.387-08:00Chocolate and Creepy StoriesSo I have just a couple more things to tell you about! <br />
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Yesterday me and my friend Danielle decided to head to Westminster to admire Big Ben and the Eye one last time. It was <em>such</em> a good decision! Even though it was freezing cold, we just took some time to stare and appreciate how beautiful of this city this was. We even got to see them both lit up (and even when they were starting to light them up too!) We also took a walk by Westminster Abbey to see St. Margaret's Church, which is absolutely stunning as well. Then we came back to school and got together and tried to watch <em>Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging</em> (an adorable British comedy) but there were these idiots (surprising I know) who were all drunk and being SUPER loud and inconsiderate so we could barely hear it. They didn't even get our passive-aggressive hint of turning on the subtitles, but they were dumb so it didn't surprise us. Oh well. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhjyBCjKkNvV8vUVTGFub_zKPlPtxI7WD-OVXAdEWI7WthHgIZSCP3ky6VXcUp1YML5IKDGAdQ7icebSRWnUd5DwL4AwtvUC3zGmfnv_7uSpUtZ8xIsvxB1uvY8NZ-kkTOLsOiwOE-Lg/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhjyBCjKkNvV8vUVTGFub_zKPlPtxI7WD-OVXAdEWI7WthHgIZSCP3ky6VXcUp1YML5IKDGAdQ7icebSRWnUd5DwL4AwtvUC3zGmfnv_7uSpUtZ8xIsvxB1uvY8NZ-kkTOLsOiwOE-Lg/s320/1.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The unbelievable view as you exit Westminster tube station!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkh7I92nbdy62La17DIlab7WV7XUx4iSQTI3ndKE3I1TSS7zppicW8hGDCsHpxhV9X9VegnaeysIVxBBCw0-0s4RzgPsYAEGfPVxjLIuU1r_htvQ6th5D8QZ-lOqzjmEb9rtrR5EBDvg/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkh7I92nbdy62La17DIlab7WV7XUx4iSQTI3ndKE3I1TSS7zppicW8hGDCsHpxhV9X9VegnaeysIVxBBCw0-0s4RzgPsYAEGfPVxjLIuU1r_htvQ6th5D8QZ-lOqzjmEb9rtrR5EBDvg/s320/4.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me and Danielle in front of the Eye<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0Zak3BV4kstKuBZJBMxMg2Q58CeMx9549lxAC1wbhHEoWiVlGxd0rL6eQDZLrjtaNk_17kyWTzvK4R2nbMqrUs_P-VTbmfcSUm7lYAhdtxN5wN7iUBPscWMp_d3Js2SfGsGIN1k9P0A/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0Zak3BV4kstKuBZJBMxMg2Q58CeMx9549lxAC1wbhHEoWiVlGxd0rL6eQDZLrjtaNk_17kyWTzvK4R2nbMqrUs_P-VTbmfcSUm7lYAhdtxN5wN7iUBPscWMp_d3Js2SfGsGIN1k9P0A/s320/5.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I love how the tops of the fence have crowns on them!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioruxXWuEi7nfZJwX34yEFMH29tZd82TXO7HqXsFm8uEHbgBJMSZvjhh9oJbFuGxJu50WitfD1HZ7VPIu0fV6pHxcmr_N9IXGRbX4_NB8_mn36OmFXjJnhoW9YwBECUUEnA0ICogQCSWg/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioruxXWuEi7nfZJwX34yEFMH29tZd82TXO7HqXsFm8uEHbgBJMSZvjhh9oJbFuGxJu50WitfD1HZ7VPIu0fV6pHxcmr_N9IXGRbX4_NB8_mn36OmFXjJnhoW9YwBECUUEnA0ICogQCSWg/s320/9.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">If you can believe it, it's even prettier in person</div><br />
Then today, me, Eve, Danielle, Lizzy and Mariah decided to head to the Chocolate Festival on Southbank and it was an awesome life choice!! The view was beautiful and there were all kinds of free samples and yummy things to try. I got the most delicious hot chocolate everrrr and some amazing chili later on, both which were perfect for the nippy noodles weather. (If you're wondering about the strange phrases I've been using, please do yourself a favor and read the <em>Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging</em> series. You'll thank me.) Anyway, then I went to see <em>The Woman in Black</em> one last time. It was just as much fun as I remembered and if possible, even creepier. I was literally shaking at one point! I love that show and the actors are incredible, and it was a perfect last show to see! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnktkj4zsOm_x8jc7gRVKplXZbtwpYVeTOMXi3pykHKC_lETqHVrRc_omrzjstC0-Bv1j53UyI1tYDx6EDsxpdTMmqccQjdqC4v3bHS7b3carV7uFNwyjOAJNwHJVwe-LqMx8qL84hMPQ/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnktkj4zsOm_x8jc7gRVKplXZbtwpYVeTOMXi3pykHKC_lETqHVrRc_omrzjstC0-Bv1j53UyI1tYDx6EDsxpdTMmqccQjdqC4v3bHS7b3carV7uFNwyjOAJNwHJVwe-LqMx8qL84hMPQ/s320/11.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The world is yours. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Now it's off to my room to finish packing and taking down my pictures on my wall :( And then I'm going to hang out with friends one last time before my big travel day tomorrow!Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-33562205827678373012011-12-08T10:52:00.000-08:002011-12-08T11:04:26.810-08:00Abbey Road, Oxford and the Double-Denim BallerinaSo I went to see Billy Elliot as our final musical for my musical theatre class on Tuesday night! It was quite amazing and a perfect way to end the semester! I wasn't too sure at first though because the show definitely has a salty-sweet kind of flavor. It has lots of sadness and drama mixed in with quite a bit of humor too. I think that's quite a hard thing to do, and this show definitely pulls it off well. The boy who played Billy was fantastic and one of the best dancers I've ever seen. But my favorite character HAD to be Michael. He made EVERYTHING he did funny. The way he talked/walked/dressed and just in general acted was hilarious. I lovedddd his and Billy's dynamic. Therefore, my favorite number had to be when Michael was dressed in drag and convinced Billy to do the same and they then went on to sing ''Expressing Yourself.'' So priceless. And the grandmother was fantastic as well. This show had a lot of heart and soul. It's about this young boy who is being made to learn boxing, even though he hates it. His father and older brother (his mother died) work as miners and are facing unemployment and their town essentially dying off as that is its livelihood. Billy accidentally stays for the ballet class that is immediately after his boxing class and eventually it is realized that he is a naturally gifted dancer. This comes with tons of opposition from his family, as you can imagine.<br />
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http://www.billyelliotthemusical.com/<br />
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Then yesterday, I took a trip to Oxford! Had a bit of a disaster getting there (including multiple wrong tube stations and lines) but I finally caught the right train and was surprised to find out that it was only an hour ride! I hopped off, had a quick and yummy lunch (a pepperoni and cheese bap) and decided to do a bus tour since I only had the day in the city. It turned out to be a great choice because I had the most adorable little old lady as a tour guide. Before the tour even started, she came over and introduced herself and we got to talking about how I got to Oxford and how London was a lovely place when you're young, but not forever. She said she'd been in Oxford for over 30 years now, so I felt like I was in pretty good hands. The tour lasted around an hour and we saw Oxford Castle, most of the colleges that make up Oxford University (there are 38), the pub where JRR Tolkien and Lewis Carroll used to hang out and discuss their work, and part of the original 9th century wall that used to surround the city, among many other things. I learned so much on this tour! For instance, Oxford is the third oldest university (and the oldest English-speaking University) in the world (after Bologna and Paris)! There is evidence that teaching occurred as early as 1096! I also learned how Alice from Alice in Wonderland was named after a teacher's daughter at the school, and I got to walk into the sweet shop she used to frequent!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrTIBN468RSlOLMdRagUz8D0SaUgPdjYoYTXkLL5uLJc9XGl-LaiDmJtcBFgsx8TFkSHGti2-DT25Fcb1aJ6FAZZk55p-n9W5fvmsxCSMWyb7zJfPyOMkDYnmvxSo2raAiwtOKEjpDp8/s1600/100_4916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrTIBN468RSlOLMdRagUz8D0SaUgPdjYoYTXkLL5uLJc9XGl-LaiDmJtcBFgsx8TFkSHGti2-DT25Fcb1aJ6FAZZk55p-n9W5fvmsxCSMWyb7zJfPyOMkDYnmvxSo2raAiwtOKEjpDp8/s320/100_4916.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Trinity College </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6TkrLWMyfVdVRp5K4qy3E5sfocuGOEBhp6viGA3-W_Zl2_e9JT3OKzjb5vagjeyM7LQZMukj27d8nt71OgbTVkATz7z_zbO32Egjyrehpdba_o6vXUdzhjrNgSm3vTfwiusXwXGqBJE/s1600/100_4919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6TkrLWMyfVdVRp5K4qy3E5sfocuGOEBhp6viGA3-W_Zl2_e9JT3OKzjb5vagjeyM7LQZMukj27d8nt71OgbTVkATz7z_zbO32Egjyrehpdba_o6vXUdzhjrNgSm3vTfwiusXwXGqBJE/s320/100_4919.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hJhTJFlAz7GQdKmhvNtZqRefhe_Ya_7uWIj6Zt-CN_HB0a4tz0BwXHHxzUSIxmg5ynrDzRm_LI_ovrUIej-NIk9FRF4HZ93PO7hzcsr4xRNm0hXExTd63KV3VXQYyf7iDpbv8JYVefE/s1600/100_4921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hJhTJFlAz7GQdKmhvNtZqRefhe_Ya_7uWIj6Zt-CN_HB0a4tz0BwXHHxzUSIxmg5ynrDzRm_LI_ovrUIej-NIk9FRF4HZ93PO7hzcsr4xRNm0hXExTd63KV3VXQYyf7iDpbv8JYVefE/s320/100_4921.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sheldonian Theatre </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyLbfBWN5DEU4ZrCUee60275wFHim36ZOesmEltKh7nY4e2EKWluVVIMa7JUj2ya89SoEGp8lLKmb8Pm33FjBlBAw7uefPd4c-7RKftUtWFhwv8mFdfRTdEzx2jcfwaIrSHN5cNjv0xQ/s1600/100_4929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyLbfBWN5DEU4ZrCUee60275wFHim36ZOesmEltKh7nY4e2EKWluVVIMa7JUj2ya89SoEGp8lLKmb8Pm33FjBlBAw7uefPd4c-7RKftUtWFhwv8mFdfRTdEzx2jcfwaIrSHN5cNjv0xQ/s320/100_4929.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The pub where JRR Tolkien and Lewis Carroll used to meet</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4zkPFWa2fFkgWw2aPzlLJD4r8es050GRPqoQG0MqSKLhQqdivFyRekDHKaBrIbgAlrcnE78XidwEgPRtaoWd_P51Yhe_w_TPzrKzil6DNFsUkZXcVDFRErKJflEGn4HUMZpFEt41-Zg/s1600/100_4935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4zkPFWa2fFkgWw2aPzlLJD4r8es050GRPqoQG0MqSKLhQqdivFyRekDHKaBrIbgAlrcnE78XidwEgPRtaoWd_P51Yhe_w_TPzrKzil6DNFsUkZXcVDFRErKJflEGn4HUMZpFEt41-Zg/s320/100_4935.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8o0NP9aPIwgEQFG3jAritKE9m4xcM90XWODYqJHn6Zvv3-zSVg5FiYcKZT8NVIc3N375TbqaK7ZHqOLTwRYTSDLxZTXk49pMxiHE8GAKTyh-94GBZIt7TabP_-QFuYJfZ262fFb3s588/s1600/100_4939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8o0NP9aPIwgEQFG3jAritKE9m4xcM90XWODYqJHn6Zvv3-zSVg5FiYcKZT8NVIc3N375TbqaK7ZHqOLTwRYTSDLxZTXk49pMxiHE8GAKTyh-94GBZIt7TabP_-QFuYJfZ262fFb3s588/s320/100_4939.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Oxford Castle (from the 11th century)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EJa8vVhut2_2DjQP2vdMxcLRCWW0NhTJ9hHbT_4FFEMK0HcA22D1Fu79iSTklesfxSmN_SzTLyiGIw9G2AqFQ855x1edWGYeL1zMiSMmghqJyPnMitKXqkUdSY3jpltgqy0W4n4rQto/s1600/100_4944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EJa8vVhut2_2DjQP2vdMxcLRCWW0NhTJ9hHbT_4FFEMK0HcA22D1Fu79iSTklesfxSmN_SzTLyiGIw9G2AqFQ855x1edWGYeL1zMiSMmghqJyPnMitKXqkUdSY3jpltgqy0W4n4rQto/s320/100_4944.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Christ Church, part of Oxford University</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNpjWPATyHAykb960vgZklvifnehrC_feCjq5UEl4TTze4uZSsM0jBpfYr52vGynqCPZ1f72-G_Si2nE9GWE2YfM43S9vCPnkl1vTxQWg1DOjiKDODPEE3X40BsMDyh5rbvI0vrFPsGs/s1600/100_4948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNpjWPATyHAykb960vgZklvifnehrC_feCjq5UEl4TTze4uZSsM0jBpfYr52vGynqCPZ1f72-G_Si2nE9GWE2YfM43S9vCPnkl1vTxQWg1DOjiKDODPEE3X40BsMDyh5rbvI0vrFPsGs/s320/100_4948.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ''I'm late, I'm late!'' </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aJQGtl_5RGuwpPDjiE6fupwfrPr4M610tMm-ueUgaYMfVt_Son0nhad1mkOqtpgQOy6Feht1OZZdZMk0MauWgngZjdccA2-qY_ijqyVvhFa5Rkw5G1ghq-h-qw2fQ8p7uU18HJbxXOE/s1600/100_4957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aJQGtl_5RGuwpPDjiE6fupwfrPr4M610tMm-ueUgaYMfVt_Son0nhad1mkOqtpgQOy6Feht1OZZdZMk0MauWgngZjdccA2-qY_ijqyVvhFa5Rkw5G1ghq-h-qw2fQ8p7uU18HJbxXOE/s320/100_4957.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qTYNTf5O3-2t0x23mz0GZT0Z9dlq9FIAVOHNL4xnK7WOuolb5u7CYAfWP4YvfDwMv-ZzTQDsHzqXpntZPqgIyAZCwPebjIq3OvDHLkRtziQE85eXIf3xgpQvWf3ZIz2kdhHFZsUIQp4/s1600/100_4960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qTYNTf5O3-2t0x23mz0GZT0Z9dlq9FIAVOHNL4xnK7WOuolb5u7CYAfWP4YvfDwMv-ZzTQDsHzqXpntZPqgIyAZCwPebjIq3OvDHLkRtziQE85eXIf3xgpQvWf3ZIz2kdhHFZsUIQp4/s320/100_4960.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Christ Church from the Meadow</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfsppnUbc2bKu4Q8pdAvexcOj_w4d5q1Wub59OpMupr1pTstQnUCdTBoooFK0drHgd59xr7QUfKqCodrOrHCvBGBw7OR8PddZaqezi1Nsy6oBbcbB63NVow2BMugU6mhQGEjSISwYspw/s1600/100_4966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfsppnUbc2bKu4Q8pdAvexcOj_w4d5q1Wub59OpMupr1pTstQnUCdTBoooFK0drHgd59xr7QUfKqCodrOrHCvBGBw7OR8PddZaqezi1Nsy6oBbcbB63NVow2BMugU6mhQGEjSISwYspw/s320/100_4966.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqYaAhoCLI08OEBkO2fpW3AI74SMgxlroCZndtiRLtk6TEEo3n4rDgNQqaQvgL9sfhM15P8N0DzC8pw_wISrkztW3Ssgxll0IgFafpP0a1PfWKSAgvsvVynziqhl_aJkpyMt3V1vMiZs/s1600/100_4983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqYaAhoCLI08OEBkO2fpW3AI74SMgxlroCZndtiRLtk6TEEo3n4rDgNQqaQvgL9sfhM15P8N0DzC8pw_wISrkztW3Ssgxll0IgFafpP0a1PfWKSAgvsvVynziqhl_aJkpyMt3V1vMiZs/s320/100_4983.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2iKTf6cV6U0XgLnA1IF1lN3Rf4ydiVN9ZuA9fqsVkMOy9JCc6cpyNZOxszxMCtLsIkc_orQWUgiRZxj7_1JNYn_otDjyoxqiQQPn1-kgeE6BijiCQnIz-HZSUdvUJujGmZpDNVopOXI/s1600/100_4986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2iKTf6cV6U0XgLnA1IF1lN3Rf4ydiVN9ZuA9fqsVkMOy9JCc6cpyNZOxszxMCtLsIkc_orQWUgiRZxj7_1JNYn_otDjyoxqiQQPn1-kgeE6BijiCQnIz-HZSUdvUJujGmZpDNVopOXI/s320/100_4986.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Headed up to the Great Hall!!! Another dream come true!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsz22JQ80yPemZdgdYQTH3Cczz0eF466_eMwq7671_NVWmujspR3A5id-N9YQYRf4XVchc9CB9-14sxFp0wchoBQTPUR-PBGj7PYoY2O3UkuRGAgJdm-xSCsEpm9aECo9Ngw9AhRjsLg/s1600/100_4997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsz22JQ80yPemZdgdYQTH3Cczz0eF466_eMwq7671_NVWmujspR3A5id-N9YQYRf4XVchc9CB9-14sxFp0wchoBQTPUR-PBGj7PYoY2O3UkuRGAgJdm-xSCsEpm9aECo9Ngw9AhRjsLg/s320/100_4997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Isn't the Gryffindor table majestic? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1e_MzzBxGOyBSx6WI4XeRdTCOfAVjTsoKRc3UbjUD6B-eXA26Qth_09C2WqBxOftxOiJ_rMaZJAzzJvb2k-p-H90lOLicrPLwCt0IP_d24VkDCi8hKOex_rxqOz9ciQCUXU3SeFm3vI/s1600/100_4998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1e_MzzBxGOyBSx6WI4XeRdTCOfAVjTsoKRc3UbjUD6B-eXA26Qth_09C2WqBxOftxOiJ_rMaZJAzzJvb2k-p-H90lOLicrPLwCt0IP_d24VkDCi8hKOex_rxqOz9ciQCUXU3SeFm3vI/s320/100_4998.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> My place setting, right next to Ron Weasley!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25DzaXuC35zBpfsJgeWyqadj5U99kJVnmcidEONeNtMCZGISJ5t4bbrj2d881APGN02uMHv-5DOBl-8zjbHBT0pqCroanERK9W98ykqgdBKHeplocf1eZN_-kFkHwPlpbJ8w98-uZrwY/s1600/100_5026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25DzaXuC35zBpfsJgeWyqadj5U99kJVnmcidEONeNtMCZGISJ5t4bbrj2d881APGN02uMHv-5DOBl-8zjbHBT0pqCroanERK9W98ykqgdBKHeplocf1eZN_-kFkHwPlpbJ8w98-uZrwY/s320/100_5026.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6KT4j_RMGqS0_zE4Si3uoRsSuBJ49SWDUkbE4koeq1LwSg-tf3Sl1RAnfjiI0yGWQOPjNt9b2uTh74qxzznPwBwImo7DOFhFejdL2otXohcf6RUOni9nnzeMUgndOsrp5cCL5dsxFnM/s1600/100_5029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6KT4j_RMGqS0_zE4Si3uoRsSuBJ49SWDUkbE4koeq1LwSg-tf3Sl1RAnfjiI0yGWQOPjNt9b2uTh74qxzznPwBwImo7DOFhFejdL2otXohcf6RUOni9nnzeMUgndOsrp5cCL5dsxFnM/s320/100_5029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> A view of Oriel College through the archway. The picture doesn't do it justice.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKZ77wsk8vDjl5ckrYnL6NE1WydSAb2iOP195iYzQF6gnv1d_RyOLd80hKTtOuYoHPbCbLN4T-7iK8qaHedJHEOObvdXPKdeXBsQfCNv3h7-kBB6Ob61LrCBRtf8ekFOpJ12Z5ZnCW44/s1600/100_5033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKZ77wsk8vDjl5ckrYnL6NE1WydSAb2iOP195iYzQF6gnv1d_RyOLd80hKTtOuYoHPbCbLN4T-7iK8qaHedJHEOObvdXPKdeXBsQfCNv3h7-kBB6Ob61LrCBRtf8ekFOpJ12Z5ZnCW44/s320/100_5033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXDxGKhkZrEbQdPbA5ZimbBahP4ymdCU3CPGzMRHePqEfZqNr5Bqv6JFSyPF3i1xXn0wUX2BVjwexX6vkKof_FkW6dcVNR2ioiKtanpBXoYCPERH5exr4yL1lk1LxDELWCK2FjHlzr-o/s1600/100_5043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXDxGKhkZrEbQdPbA5ZimbBahP4ymdCU3CPGzMRHePqEfZqNr5Bqv6JFSyPF3i1xXn0wUX2BVjwexX6vkKof_FkW6dcVNR2ioiKtanpBXoYCPERH5exr4yL1lk1LxDELWCK2FjHlzr-o/s320/100_5043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Radcliffe Camera</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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After the tour, I jumped off at Oxford Castle, and then I went to Alice's Sweet Shop and Christ Church and then to Radcliffe Square before finding a lovely pub to eat dinner at. I got the cutest Cheshire cat Christmas ornament and an adorable tote bag, and kinda went nuts and bought the sweetest Harry Potter book ever (for £25...) I also treated myself to my fave HP book (The Prisoner of Azkaban) in the British version. Hello good read for the 8 hour plane ride home! Christ Church was stunning and sooo worth the small admission fee! I also got to go into the dining hall where they filmed all the scenes for the Great Hall in Harry Potter!!! (In other words, I have walked where Rupert Grint has walked... AHHFDHFDHSF!!!) So amazing. Actually, pretty much the whole school made you feel like you were in Hogwarts! Thennn, I jumped back on the bus because it was FREEZING cold outside (although according to the sweet old lady I met at the ATM, that was warm for them :O). I wandered around to find Radcliffe Square (per recommendation of my tour guide earlier; according to her, it's her 'favorite place in Oxford' so I had to go!) It was spectacular, with gorgeous 360 degree views. I then walked back to the Young Arms pub and had a lovely dish of bangers and mash one last time. It was yummy scrumboes (thank you Georgia Nicholson). After relying on the help of some cute and sweet Oxford boys, I made my way to the bus stop and eventually back to the train station!! Oxford was absolutely beautiful and very charming, and everyone was so nice! A perfect last trip for the semester!!<br />
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Then today, me and a few friends journeyed to Abbey Road (the real one this time!) A couple weeks ago, me and some other friends attempted to go to Abbey Road but actually went to another one about a half hour away by tube on accident! Ironically enough, we're one tube stop away here at school. It was harder than it looks to get pictures because you have to time it just right between cars. (And we almost died attempting to do a freeze frame picture...) But we got some pretty good ones! We then wrote on the wall outside Abbey Road Studios! It was very cool and reminded me of writing on the Peace Wall in Belfast on a smaller scale. We then walked to a Beatles collectibles shop a few blocks away per invitation of a cute old man who saw us taking the pictures. He had lots of cool stuff that was collected over 40 years! Paul McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin and Madonna have visited the shop!! Apparently Chris and Gwyneth even used to live down the street and Paul doesn't live too far away either :O It was a good day!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBDtvqjcb_Hm3RIPjrItJuufNO8EGOmJk5Tc2PMkuiYzYpAIYzPkEck20MHAzOjGuWF5hG19krE0SiNsp9FzcWLA-irxKstAicrzGTP8-6dV2D2Z4By2qJqzmkPM1J1i_qIafGJwtL-0/s1600/100_5061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBDtvqjcb_Hm3RIPjrItJuufNO8EGOmJk5Tc2PMkuiYzYpAIYzPkEck20MHAzOjGuWF5hG19krE0SiNsp9FzcWLA-irxKstAicrzGTP8-6dV2D2Z4By2qJqzmkPM1J1i_qIafGJwtL-0/s320/100_5061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Including this one just because Mackenzie's expression is priceless. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHWiN3MyQcCIvhcQvwxFmoCy_WSkSGEORtZORryQymMuo-RhN0EFHVqSXRQRwikRZMmNdi1m7cVs8WYKld1rYNu799RsLPsPqwuT8DXPJmOLXGy4LEHxkLGcT1J3asgbVhBL5VH6DZMA/s1600/100_5062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHWiN3MyQcCIvhcQvwxFmoCy_WSkSGEORtZORryQymMuo-RhN0EFHVqSXRQRwikRZMmNdi1m7cVs8WYKld1rYNu799RsLPsPqwuT8DXPJmOLXGy4LEHxkLGcT1J3asgbVhBL5VH6DZMA/s320/100_5062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Yup, we're awesome. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07X1rr7mrGcQPbQ5_1bepenFL8TxChspm5TfoKnJZoQTHXo1M4I7NcYsV_btv4oBoLMtdupytEH5wTwP2WlVOR8K8ZEi33wKzG_emxOI0A4wM4n-TIRsihxjvVILbBDfNLJkDsqav5gI/s1600/100_5068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07X1rr7mrGcQPbQ5_1bepenFL8TxChspm5TfoKnJZoQTHXo1M4I7NcYsV_btv4oBoLMtdupytEH5wTwP2WlVOR8K8ZEi33wKzG_emxOI0A4wM4n-TIRsihxjvVILbBDfNLJkDsqav5gI/s320/100_5068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lgAh3Ici34ElxFqHgzoxTx24yUYpHmi1C-VNVEXkK7en3Da_yG-v8JADqHEzcp6A4m55Pqa52DV44TMu4t2T34Qiff9feq8pKHaN67tXzO7iJYG1HKXJ43svoSF_SWqHt2WrS1EI23g/s1600/100_5072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lgAh3Ici34ElxFqHgzoxTx24yUYpHmi1C-VNVEXkK7en3Da_yG-v8JADqHEzcp6A4m55Pqa52DV44TMu4t2T34Qiff9feq8pKHaN67tXzO7iJYG1HKXJ43svoSF_SWqHt2WrS1EI23g/s320/100_5072.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I draw beautiful suns. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhgngRtN8hX82vtfomSgbpB44R1q_2LmXJ6e5F9JSmlURV3ec8TGbl4oZk0MfeVVlhWH-z5ARXmJydpJ27KSR5jbHRCwrh1LLY1BG7XHJRKA_R_7TWuNXRmrx3Qd3zSfnIgekKaMIhXk/s1600/100_5073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhgngRtN8hX82vtfomSgbpB44R1q_2LmXJ6e5F9JSmlURV3ec8TGbl4oZk0MfeVVlhWH-z5ARXmJydpJ27KSR5jbHRCwrh1LLY1BG7XHJRKA_R_7TWuNXRmrx3Qd3zSfnIgekKaMIhXk/s320/100_5073.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4E5Igr6x3BTSujYAotgVKd77u8ukhO1JU5Bg0OhrVFZxiTuXZE8wlrd4aSkoYsTZdv5OAoIMeiVwE7_Lvl_dD-2zPfjmPyXexzHHT1MACYzZy5-P7fExMcoO9x9hkyebE1FXLxbBlbqg/s1600/100_5074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4E5Igr6x3BTSujYAotgVKd77u8ukhO1JU5Bg0OhrVFZxiTuXZE8wlrd4aSkoYsTZdv5OAoIMeiVwE7_Lvl_dD-2zPfjmPyXexzHHT1MACYzZy5-P7fExMcoO9x9hkyebE1FXLxbBlbqg/s320/100_5074.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the shop!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">So in other news, I'm not able to take one last day trip tomorrow, so my last two posts will be about me going to a chocolate festival, the Woman in Black (again) and having dinner with Heavens, Danielle and Eve (on Saturday), and then a farewell post (*tear tear*) </div>Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-26652697867087838882011-12-06T05:54:00.000-08:002011-12-08T11:05:22.630-08:00Perfect Weekends: Part 2This past week(end) was absolutely amazing! Before I talk about that though, my Musical Theatre class went to see<em> Pippin</em>! It was so incredible, I have to say. I didn't know anything about it, other than that it was Eve's favorite show haha. Beforehand, Mo (who we got an extra ticket), Eve and I went to dinner at the attached restaurant in the Menier Chocolate Factory. Eve took a picture of my dessert that I must share because it is beautiful. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6Ev7M69f9JZNDF56jhXHSIuJCrwP4E2zRZMvFZ1yeXKc53wWZGh42c_-3cazTgOSImeyRE8Y_ZdLyg2th197xW6qy9TgTkG6OD9lAZ-8wSmxIMEPzMbo4hVHklyhskHk8lkSszPhrUw/s1600/yum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6Ev7M69f9JZNDF56jhXHSIuJCrwP4E2zRZMvFZ1yeXKc53wWZGh42c_-3cazTgOSImeyRE8Y_ZdLyg2th197xW6qy9TgTkG6OD9lAZ-8wSmxIMEPzMbo4hVHklyhskHk8lkSszPhrUw/s320/yum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So then we went to the show which was SO COOL! From the moment you walk in, you are already immersed in the show. The had the entrance to the theatre made up to look like Pippin's bedroom and he was there playing a video game. (The 2nd time I saw it he was actually playing Super Mario Brothers, hahaha I was in love). Actually, it was funny because you obviously don't know it's him at first and so as we're walking, this guy jumps down from a ladder in the ceiling and almost hits me and he apologizes quite cutely, and now I know it was the guy playing Pippin :D He can do that anytime he wishes... Anyway, so the show itself is about a college-aged boy named Pippin who hates his life and is contemplating killing himself. He escapes by playing a video game and is obsessed with finding meaning for his life because according to him, he is extraordinary. All of the characters in the game either encourage or discourage him towards killing himself (I won't spoil the end for you because it is DEFINITELY worth seeing!!) I even went to see it twice, and can I just say, they should pay me as a writer because when we were discussing it in class, I made a suggestion for the end. They totally heard me/read my mind and used it the 2nd time I saw it. Matt Rawle (who plays the Lead Player) and Harry Hepple (who plays Pippin) were definitely the shining stars in this sky. Their singing was phenomenal, and they were so charming that you automatically just fell in love with them straight away. And the Lead Player was totally a cheeky minx and winked, blew kisses and held Eve, Mo and my eye contact at one point ;) And I must mention that Harry's 'dancing' (or attempt at dancing) was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Hopefully someone films it so I can just watch that video over and over and over... <br />
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Last night, I went to see it again and they did this weird reprise/medley thing but it was nice to hear all the best songs one more time. ''Magic to Do,'' ''Corner in the Sky,'' ''Glory,'' ''Simple Joys,'' ''No Time At All,'' ''The Right Track,'' and ''Extraordinary'' were definitely the best songs. And, when Berthe (Pippin's grandmother) sang ''No Time At All'' she encouraged the crowd to help her and Pippin sing the chorus. So I can now truthfully say I have sung in a London musical :D And we got to see more of Pippin's dancing so ya know, I loved it... I wish we could have taken pictures of the set because the special effects were AMAZING! There were lasers, projections to make the actors look like video game characters, a curtain wall to make it look like characters appeared out of nowhere (like they would in a video game) and web cams to make the story feel up to date and really make it feel like you were in the video game with them. <br />
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I can't rave about it enough, soooo: GO SEE IT NOW <br />
<strong><a href="http://tinyurl.com/6yhsosf">http://tinyurl.com/6yhsosf</a></strong><br />
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We go see Billy Elliot (our last show :( ) tonight, so I will definitely let you know how that is. I know it's gonna be fantastic though!! <br />
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Then on Thursday, I went to see Yellowcard perform at the HMV Forum in Camden. I was a little nervous going by myself but I found some nice girls to talk to in line, so it was okay. I got there a little over an hour before doors opened and was surprised to find that there were maybe only about 20 people in the queue. In the US, if you got there an hour before doors, there would be most of the crowd already in line. Unfortunately, it started raining steadily and that lasted until we got inside, so I ended up kind of soaked. But the waiting was worth it as I got barrier!! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvuZYtz598SlVN7N3XDqbR62sFcdkbBFZ8HssYYlTt6KxocGDXGHB9uZo1gA5QdajTr_goYrjWjybdPki1o24KFoGbD3PGZRtMex071hqdgT3w13z0eTg3POMAMRfGZ9phmw_04wfgFo/s1600/front+row.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvuZYtz598SlVN7N3XDqbR62sFcdkbBFZ8HssYYlTt6KxocGDXGHB9uZo1gA5QdajTr_goYrjWjybdPki1o24KFoGbD3PGZRtMex071hqdgT3w13z0eTg3POMAMRfGZ9phmw_04wfgFo/s320/front+row.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_r-9W4MfjvUUO1SIPHfOyfS3OIS_cFMZaFU_7q5te9SSPnY1TgutTBYiVssMtf5nO-OOGtP4VfmGOV69GI27wn88qoRnmFhUpTsEn8vliBJo7sRzsmFF5_yU26TGra0xoa2B6Ovmq4NY/s1600/closer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_r-9W4MfjvUUO1SIPHfOyfS3OIS_cFMZaFU_7q5te9SSPnY1TgutTBYiVssMtf5nO-OOGtP4VfmGOV69GI27wn88qoRnmFhUpTsEn8vliBJo7sRzsmFF5_yU26TGra0xoa2B6Ovmq4NY/s320/closer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6me6Wn1aJdiHDbtnZD7tIhD-FvThv97_Mfefcdgm7BHMR_Ox4SeMlhpyU3xxdte0lJ0y8C4u7qgZ2_4odLs9kQ3bZT5hjATGDyl2ISTFxU1acGvSxTZc7pz60cuuU54bqW4Ni0PD90xk/s1600/milesapart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6me6Wn1aJdiHDbtnZD7tIhD-FvThv97_Mfefcdgm7BHMR_Ox4SeMlhpyU3xxdte0lJ0y8C4u7qgZ2_4odLs9kQ3bZT5hjATGDyl2ISTFxU1acGvSxTZc7pz60cuuU54bqW4Ni0PD90xk/s320/milesapart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I may be leaving but you're always in my heart. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSnICs6vEonga0SsEtoaA0b3-0Ycjr1v_nHCEBMYuyftlaH6EHVdfwSZXxQxIXrXkAvb-YrJmT5m9Qik0FlnjvaEOWi1HfvghEgONAZwzacXCkPIfzzHxXZjxpzxt42rPdQ-7CscQlXM/s1600/roughlanding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSnICs6vEonga0SsEtoaA0b3-0Ycjr1v_nHCEBMYuyftlaH6EHVdfwSZXxQxIXrXkAvb-YrJmT5m9Qik0FlnjvaEOWi1HfvghEgONAZwzacXCkPIfzzHxXZjxpzxt42rPdQ-7CscQlXM/s320/roughlanding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Rough Landing, Holly </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-oeoolw2GX1DwvlIZ9R0IPWimEGDxRvsBes5AQkE-oVBviS6kx0xPIkNtB6PEtq0rLBO_K8fhRkz_UxHH0Wy1vze7uG2DqZJErWYNfC84r_W598-NiPaqzJdldmMcKzthla8mPtDMVQ/s1600/breathing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-oeoolw2GX1DwvlIZ9R0IPWimEGDxRvsBes5AQkE-oVBviS6kx0xPIkNtB6PEtq0rLBO_K8fhRkz_UxHH0Wy1vze7uG2DqZJErWYNfC84r_W598-NiPaqzJdldmMcKzthla8mPtDMVQ/s320/breathing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Can you feel it beating, my heart sinking like a weight?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTeXsy6vwmk33M7qy6UTCGeg7IhqN61_PIYt0sD5pEZSl9aqrS06Q749SzAWqDiC64-RF0laVUZ76AC6RmIu4eVirQG5qmG5sOxoKHY0DUiR_sTjPfSHBq42IVNsr93DGoJ1qqDSPOU4/s1600/unionjack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTeXsy6vwmk33M7qy6UTCGeg7IhqN61_PIYt0sD5pEZSl9aqrS06Q749SzAWqDiC64-RF0laVUZ76AC6RmIu4eVirQG5qmG5sOxoKHY0DUiR_sTjPfSHBq42IVNsr93DGoJ1qqDSPOU4/s320/unionjack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Check out that British flag that they hung up for a bit in the background :D </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pk9fUGHzVLg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"> A chunk of 'Soundtrack' that I found on Youtube. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oBo-CaMl-EA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">''Sing For Me (acoustic)'' which Ryan told us was about his late aunt Steph, who unfortunately passed away about a month ago. He told us she was Yellowcard's biggest fan and was at every show she could make. I even read somewhere else that she would drive them to shows because his parents weren't supportive of his career choice. It warmed my heart. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The show was SO much fun! I just jumped around, sung my heart out and went crazy! I was so glad they played 'Soundtrack' since it's one of my favorite songs off of <em>When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes! </em>They also played 'Be The Young,'' ''Believe,'' Breathing,'' For You, And Your Denial,'' Hang You Up,'' ''Life of Leaving Home,'' ''Lights and Sounds,'' Ocean Avenue,'' ''Only One,'' Rough Landing, Holly,''The Sound of You and Me,'' ''Way Away,'' and ''With You Around.'' I was a bit sad they didn't get around to ''Inside Out,'' ''Twentythree,'' ''Miles Apart,'' or ''Empty Apartment'' but it's just an excuse for me to see them a third time (which if the opportunity ever arises, I definitely plan on taking advantage of it!!) They're so humble and amazing and I love them so much, even more especially after getting to know how they are as people a bit. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So then since I checked my coat, I unfortunately had to wait about 20 minutes in order to get it back. But on the bright side, I met this really nice girl name Beatriz and we got to talking. We decided to wait outside together and see if any of the guys were gonna come out. We also met this really nice girl named Stephanie while waiting! One and a half hours later in the freezing cold...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUTb1T6pNvlSWZjTn01mqXNB1t4NPg8mE0tASJZ3IJV37dwmso0R2lZYpT_E-kH0C3i28ibso9KEE6KhFnCcDDojNqzX_gzg_H_ygK6aMVlXip7RmQWi1uvnrP47UQnVt7YBAjDm9pRk/s1600/ryan1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUTb1T6pNvlSWZjTn01mqXNB1t4NPg8mE0tASJZ3IJV37dwmso0R2lZYpT_E-kH0C3i28ibso9KEE6KhFnCcDDojNqzX_gzg_H_ygK6aMVlXip7RmQWi1uvnrP47UQnVt7YBAjDm9pRk/s320/ryan1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Me and Ryan Key, the lead singer. He is so sweet. I told him I was sad they didn't play 'Inside Out' and he said that it was getting tough now since they had 5 albums. I told them to just play a 5 hour long show ;) He said that if they did that, we'd all have to go, as well as clone ourselves so that we could all stay awake for it haha. He's wonderful. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoaDGXcU0wqluKlQmMmvzhN1F9ICHv2yjgWxK24vPjwkXjVdiEa-QtpdqMuPb8guz-MKn-xzbFMdM7YmDpxLEWqY-5911NsSN6MYx2LdVKW25he4YqZPGKguhysn_1KtL7anDOsYGo30/s1600/sean1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoaDGXcU0wqluKlQmMmvzhN1F9ICHv2yjgWxK24vPjwkXjVdiEa-QtpdqMuPb8guz-MKn-xzbFMdM7YmDpxLEWqY-5911NsSN6MYx2LdVKW25he4YqZPGKguhysn_1KtL7anDOsYGo30/s320/sean1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Then we met Sean O'Donnell, the bassist. He was really nice! Someone in the crowd told him congratulations on getting engaged and asked him about wedding plans. So he told us how his fiancee keeps asking his opinion on <em>everything</em> and how it was driving him nuts because he doesn't care about the details lol. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC0bCdnbnqN12w_03-_8WaxlotTNesxhw2ZUmNCAWi410g2mXcaxyiXmeBP0EVbXxZm4KrNq6PjYkwo7vc29RgHbOSoohTqQ5UGUJMi7L7ZEHypRIWUc0KR1sqGo7ClWeV4UP1rqhHh8/s1600/ryan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC0bCdnbnqN12w_03-_8WaxlotTNesxhw2ZUmNCAWi410g2mXcaxyiXmeBP0EVbXxZm4KrNq6PjYkwo7vc29RgHbOSoohTqQ5UGUJMi7L7ZEHypRIWUc0KR1sqGo7ClWeV4UP1rqhHh8/s320/ryan2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me and Ryan Mendez, the lead guitarist. I didn't really have any idea what he was going to be like, but he turned out to be one of the sweetest people I've ever met! He was so nice and very understanding when Steph took our picture and it came out dark the first time. He didn't mind at all taking another one :) Then some girl brought him the scarf he's holding and he kept hugging her and it was so cute. Then they were talking about how she made a website for them and he told her to send it to him on twitter so he could check it out and almost as an afterthought and in a teasing way, she told him that she did but he ignored her post! His reaction was priceless. He walked right up to her and and was like ''Do you really think I ignored you?? You know that's not true. If I see it, I reply. Sometimes I just don't see it because there's a lot of people and a lot of posts.'' Haha, it was adorable, because she totally challenged him and he accepted. But then I was telling him about how I was sad they didn't play ''Inside Out'' and he told me they'd be back in London again. So then I told him I was leaving soon and he asked me where I was from and I don't even know how to describe it without it sounding dumb, but it was really cool for him to be interested in talking to me. Even if it was only for a few minutes, he cared about what I had to say and was interested to hear what I had to say. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolIwhlCx76tegYBb5Q8egcp5nyEE4sosGSAkKn-jkd59ogz68hKrWvLWA3R1NRO7sQRJkTZvM4bRAxEQykZ_D3L1TBtmqpgoiZJBTiCmFZI5KMdVvPKYZCoBSdial3DMGFP3is1J4naY/s1600/sean2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolIwhlCx76tegYBb5Q8egcp5nyEE4sosGSAkKn-jkd59ogz68hKrWvLWA3R1NRO7sQRJkTZvM4bRAxEQykZ_D3L1TBtmqpgoiZJBTiCmFZI5KMdVvPKYZCoBSdial3DMGFP3is1J4naY/s320/sean2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Thennnn I finally got to meet Sean Mackin, who is the incredible violinist and back-up singer. I've wanted to meet him ever since I saw them in March for the first time. He seemed like such a sweet and humble guy, and he didn't disappoint. He was quite funny too actually haha, he was running around screaming that they had left him lol (all the guys were getting ready to go out to a bar). They hadn't left him lol, so the other guys would come back and randomly talk for a minute and then wander off again. As they were walking away, I ordered Sean (nicely) to play ''Inside Out'' next time. He laughed and told me okay! Success!! <br />
Then after that we watched them get into a car after a chorus of thank yous and good nights from us, Beatriz, Steph and I made our way to the bus stop. It was a truly magical night and I won't forget it anytime soon. <br />
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Random pictures that I never included in my blog posts: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEp53syQ5dwISKhPzOJxjo3Q52HdYXHQjvGiOQCpLbJRsU0icoNcM8Af2-653WQE5Cl2i4z_ZFdeYPqOmgd8QDk9VyRf0NOcdSde4MkMYzR-qR3smJu25F_jX9yCPG_sM0P-_BLPm-LfQ/s1600/wohoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEp53syQ5dwISKhPzOJxjo3Q52HdYXHQjvGiOQCpLbJRsU0icoNcM8Af2-653WQE5Cl2i4z_ZFdeYPqOmgd8QDk9VyRf0NOcdSde4MkMYzR-qR3smJu25F_jX9yCPG_sM0P-_BLPm-LfQ/s320/wohoo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> When Chelsea's friends and MK's friend were here we ventured to Platform 9 and 3/4 to get onto the Hogwart's Express! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VgMy4RJJ2CD21kq8OZiQn40nNpY78vgq__UNHkAQjz2jLg31nJOsSA4rd70jeUFfhFeQTDpOHEAPpjueN1bDM41AKijDc5gsht7xB2q1c3qOvU0oLUMrtX_bob9n_LI9J3DVQnlS3UU/s1600/woohoo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VgMy4RJJ2CD21kq8OZiQn40nNpY78vgq__UNHkAQjz2jLg31nJOsSA4rd70jeUFfhFeQTDpOHEAPpjueN1bDM41AKijDc5gsht7xB2q1c3qOvU0oLUMrtX_bob9n_LI9J3DVQnlS3UU/s320/woohoo2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Gotta get back to Hogwart's! (Yes, that is <em>A Very Potter Musical</em> reference. I've become obsessed with it. But of course, it has Darren Criss in it, so who's really surprised??) <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZr4OQGMTfZlIvA5eLs_v2AiiNW9yiCagAb2L8EsTL0ETnC2mBqhG8Kr5aEKVYxvnbFGX3-P09cWkGj_qA-8Gz2AwrM0_Ur2ZFiwFVdDsDjyKjh36UGSlQYbq_QvcBg7TPfm9JmG2bLrI/s1600/litup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZr4OQGMTfZlIvA5eLs_v2AiiNW9yiCagAb2L8EsTL0ETnC2mBqhG8Kr5aEKVYxvnbFGX3-P09cWkGj_qA-8Gz2AwrM0_Ur2ZFiwFVdDsDjyKjh36UGSlQYbq_QvcBg7TPfm9JmG2bLrI/s320/litup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Thennn after a long Friday spent writing a paper about <em>Pippin</em>, Eve and I ventured to Covent Garden to hang out with some of my favorite people, Danielle and Heavens!! First on the agenda was petting/feeding reindeer!! Unfortunately when we got there, they were resting so we could only look at them, but they were adorable. One even started curling up into a ball to get comfy :) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu-aBHzO0jFPp8eWYZaBzz0DOAhQyGwfCyS9cAGj5e9CJwtGJArM2zkbhphexYS3hyaeTNFhXdcBEBCC9Y8UFcgfXeGTeO6wyiYmBLfxNFXS-uVVhYXfpS2QylSc_ZORqjBzS6PihIf8/s1600/reindeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu-aBHzO0jFPp8eWYZaBzz0DOAhQyGwfCyS9cAGj5e9CJwtGJArM2zkbhphexYS3hyaeTNFhXdcBEBCC9Y8UFcgfXeGTeO6wyiYmBLfxNFXS-uVVhYXfpS2QylSc_ZORqjBzS6PihIf8/s320/reindeer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SQcLstZLnmubH25QEm391EXPXNKsKiGOclzw1cvEoy-jKHECceHLLX-kgIlFKzVizvuKFY_sxh4kjSuJvjw19js63qzM_82Hb57wpL2Iobb2kKpQrSQlx4l_SyHvd016u3gL4b2LVCA/s1600/reindeer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SQcLstZLnmubH25QEm391EXPXNKsKiGOclzw1cvEoy-jKHECceHLLX-kgIlFKzVizvuKFY_sxh4kjSuJvjw19js63qzM_82Hb57wpL2Iobb2kKpQrSQlx4l_SyHvd016u3gL4b2LVCA/s320/reindeer2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Sooo cuteeee. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUOe-A5YHv-k6OEpJTk_hFEmhCgQlzYItovUSVT0XKU5avcmux4JneKpMs9481EXkfQv-co5uTcDU01wIFK7OPVl7PayHDR4gccqYWuGkukAxhH3XMFZtctR18hriROGEplcQ67n4o_o/s1600/balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUOe-A5YHv-k6OEpJTk_hFEmhCgQlzYItovUSVT0XKU5avcmux4JneKpMs9481EXkfQv-co5uTcDU01wIFK7OPVl7PayHDR4gccqYWuGkukAxhH3XMFZtctR18hriROGEplcQ67n4o_o/s320/balls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So after we saw the reindeer, we walked around Covent Garden Market for a bit before we got Ben's Cookies CHICKA CHICKA YEAH!! I got a dark chocolate chunk cookie and a chocolate milkshake as usual :D Gonna miss those little bites of heaven. They're lush! Then we made our way to Hyde Park to go the annual Winter Wonderland! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-n0zLwSGOarr24CkdKqg1rqJ55MVOkaOd0TOAA2Um7tdPfNijZJMQfBrqrjIev0i0xfhVv1P9dZ9AitfIrflNa_wN7ioXulan9g8-bYoD-pIbnr3X4pDZ6qjOYNCXFyvCPOr50o0bfk/s1600/val.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-n0zLwSGOarr24CkdKqg1rqJ55MVOkaOd0TOAA2Um7tdPfNijZJMQfBrqrjIev0i0xfhVv1P9dZ9AitfIrflNa_wN7ioXulan9g8-bYoD-pIbnr3X4pDZ6qjOYNCXFyvCPOr50o0bfk/s320/val.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">Genius name, except for the fact that it's spelled wrong... </div><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4vmjJT1t9jnZhJEnKBEQEkrU8N04elgrD3Z8bXWOeeD_s6VrV9siqL_S0MRQ2NT82eKyawyyBp0LbbpsXmNrEVw4jk6Lzm1mESzeExvs-_xo7Ou0bHQs4svcKXbd2n0wQqzmGHf3nuE/s1600/ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4vmjJT1t9jnZhJEnKBEQEkrU8N04elgrD3Z8bXWOeeD_s6VrV9siqL_S0MRQ2NT82eKyawyyBp0LbbpsXmNrEVw4jk6Lzm1mESzeExvs-_xo7Ou0bHQs4svcKXbd2n0wQqzmGHf3nuE/s320/ww.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vxmr5ZR0ADq9ge3LvBPPL90vbUUlJ161rMT_ez-gjFgo1RhaW5-Qvh_XXEP3nJaJKFiVCv0wneG6r-FSk_ZePXAG0e8MKR1SYKGtuEyrA4MGybzMnTJRuDXlTXq8szyIyV04yeR25Xk/s1600/cute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vxmr5ZR0ADq9ge3LvBPPL90vbUUlJ161rMT_ez-gjFgo1RhaW5-Qvh_XXEP3nJaJKFiVCv0wneG6r-FSk_ZePXAG0e8MKR1SYKGtuEyrA4MGybzMnTJRuDXlTXq8szyIyV04yeR25Xk/s320/cute.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcHeHQ3X1WEHOM3q8qgicRWcJWQWq9PHCN9bJTO7ZVpdhvnxgyB8Kf07ywid_6C4D51a0ojdmp1YQpbgOq4FG5fGlez66K2zaaJFJYJ6D1xUXnbNXm5ZbgHODawxyqL9E_SR4W8St7fI/s1600/216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcHeHQ3X1WEHOM3q8qgicRWcJWQWq9PHCN9bJTO7ZVpdhvnxgyB8Kf07ywid_6C4D51a0ojdmp1YQpbgOq4FG5fGlez66K2zaaJFJYJ6D1xUXnbNXm5ZbgHODawxyqL9E_SR4W8St7fI/s320/216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This ride had a 216ft free fall!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGe8b0BgjUskli2XwPtq8myEEVS5NOGtz_IOsNcF43oQEHZnM44A3zQoJzchmNC-pBLtgL8UST4jhnnVaJNryTks1v1wreJHirz1o7ugnSGCvp1_or83Gn-qbRzz6EraERi7AO8-BFeo8/s1600/fave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGe8b0BgjUskli2XwPtq8myEEVS5NOGtz_IOsNcF43oQEHZnM44A3zQoJzchmNC-pBLtgL8UST4jhnnVaJNryTks1v1wreJHirz1o7ugnSGCvp1_or83Gn-qbRzz6EraERi7AO8-BFeo8/s320/fave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Danielle and Heavens went on this, and Heavens said it was terrifying and that she used some choice words haha!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacBYBHReAFOs5N9zf6-whBI7q_S0qRrxvLFsQA0-tEbgZFW74mFk5u-XqejwgVYRTTZO-20W0IxSz9xtKEezjIanIVDquusiaGMh9khZldorwKKY6k9BpFl8V2m9BUejfK6RiaVJM790/s1600/frosty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacBYBHReAFOs5N9zf6-whBI7q_S0qRrxvLFsQA0-tEbgZFW74mFk5u-XqejwgVYRTTZO-20W0IxSz9xtKEezjIanIVDquusiaGMh9khZldorwKKY6k9BpFl8V2m9BUejfK6RiaVJM790/s320/frosty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Frosty the snowman... </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pvNVzOFaUtpZY6DO80gfEyd-lZmnnQNAPvpc-AAcXrstRDzjvs3CV_4u4IqmtCz10LyrgI-sZ1uurfbCTIK1fRmESsskl0CNZf99zZ-kbeDZW9aT-a5AeoNjltM_-ucwoz4hb7gfBrU/s1600/pari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pvNVzOFaUtpZY6DO80gfEyd-lZmnnQNAPvpc-AAcXrstRDzjvs3CV_4u4IqmtCz10LyrgI-sZ1uurfbCTIK1fRmESsskl0CNZf99zZ-kbeDZW9aT-a5AeoNjltM_-ucwoz4hb7gfBrU/s320/pari.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYDewuivx5WpNyF-V8YExtWxEIk22iKjTYN3BIjWH8SStNNGFHvN9XyBQ-vJNX0lNZ57k3YMw4P-aHaPItTuJonDWoIc06azM2pI-JME-ka9u02Qqp9x5RmP7M9rBzPoWetH8p0DX5OU/s1600/penguins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYDewuivx5WpNyF-V8YExtWxEIk22iKjTYN3BIjWH8SStNNGFHvN9XyBQ-vJNX0lNZ57k3YMw4P-aHaPItTuJonDWoIc06azM2pI-JME-ka9u02Qqp9x5RmP7M9rBzPoWetH8p0DX5OU/s320/penguins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's true. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIYBU-a74AhOfMA7fij7qMc_qpgzcu8wvQMkyzVha2p336CzT4h-jWwLHVT4fJ4m8mOHKGoSRTZVHHqei6eCEKrtCujdQ2J9sJLBDyCpdkjedzKDvybcAId3ScjiZj3h_CDTp8sWAeKI/s1600/rides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIYBU-a74AhOfMA7fij7qMc_qpgzcu8wvQMkyzVha2p336CzT4h-jWwLHVT4fJ4m8mOHKGoSRTZVHHqei6eCEKrtCujdQ2J9sJLBDyCpdkjedzKDvybcAId3ScjiZj3h_CDTp8sWAeKI/s320/rides.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0YVZ07-4FfyUaK9wawiNVzG1B6jay78uViChOtGB1KKQihSCYxhyphenhyphenHaltUiX4JmVqgUWHoypcfgRAA-4H9ZLUOcj4SbDFjOxG8UszSSP900HnadSpbAsIZD0p8DXyqJqWeYY74UFCg2g/s1600/rides2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0YVZ07-4FfyUaK9wawiNVzG1B6jay78uViChOtGB1KKQihSCYxhyphenhyphenHaltUiX4JmVqgUWHoypcfgRAA-4H9ZLUOcj4SbDFjOxG8UszSSP900HnadSpbAsIZD0p8DXyqJqWeYY74UFCg2g/s320/rides2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl68GsbFDpfM6XoOkvhs4YRkdyfGKU96J9M_EJc6f6Cj-2Gqhpw5xUdV2VNbmpkIzYI3AONjBsyeLJOf03u9gRoHjj-qSggxqz4067knAIM4ztwvAMrf9BYXHCv0aRmAoCH8IHTm53yw/s1600/wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl68GsbFDpfM6XoOkvhs4YRkdyfGKU96J9M_EJc6f6Cj-2Gqhpw5xUdV2VNbmpkIzYI3AONjBsyeLJOf03u9gRoHjj-qSggxqz4067knAIM4ztwvAMrf9BYXHCv0aRmAoCH8IHTm53yw/s320/wheel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgmWUY7J9AiUkQHksxTMb2IaP9CQxf_xvcsvAxhtrvjBjytN_Vkpui2mt90nXWM3FBew2z7SHp2BHv0czr8e5w0jVhDTEMEnCTYeQqL74zGLhl_FTTAu6tXUQMGv5K0Yxf5DmPbJTzBE/s1600/beautiful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgmWUY7J9AiUkQHksxTMb2IaP9CQxf_xvcsvAxhtrvjBjytN_Vkpui2mt90nXWM3FBew2z7SHp2BHv0czr8e5w0jVhDTEMEnCTYeQqL74zGLhl_FTTAu6tXUQMGv5K0Yxf5DmPbJTzBE/s320/beautiful.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The spectacular view from the Ferris Wheel!! (If you look realllly closely, you can see the London Eye and Big Ben in the distance!!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_YftuQtlKDC9XQUHMvTb1kKTcnIXcPw7L7wvxH13SZbR78gH8aUoaGwym_1ei2WwlZxSv8YzBvK_Ojeh4d6U56MkXhp3yUU4AlYLUN_DUA-YoCfJtZtGCCRZeaYTpSIuWTJ24-DLZAg/s1600/fantastic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_YftuQtlKDC9XQUHMvTb1kKTcnIXcPw7L7wvxH13SZbR78gH8aUoaGwym_1ei2WwlZxSv8YzBvK_Ojeh4d6U56MkXhp3yUU4AlYLUN_DUA-YoCfJtZtGCCRZeaYTpSIuWTJ24-DLZAg/s320/fantastic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> One of the wonderful ladies we shared our car with :) She was hilarious. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwPi_JFdOjhp6_j73TW8aSx0V22rMRU1UuLhd2a1aZgSqDCcSQauvsGfXfFLUe8z_VdrNoyyRXwiVFAaB54h0cn93v8ETIvy4GZhyuJREkGyGPfFH7iBt747zv6PVRCsF7Y01fnBWSN8/s1600/aww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwPi_JFdOjhp6_j73TW8aSx0V22rMRU1UuLhd2a1aZgSqDCcSQauvsGfXfFLUe8z_VdrNoyyRXwiVFAaB54h0cn93v8ETIvy4GZhyuJREkGyGPfFH7iBt747zv6PVRCsF7Y01fnBWSN8/s320/aww.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Aww :) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW7jiy4uZc0UbLDjxOcgSRHlyQ07i1VNBQqIAzrC5K7g4zmBBd9_sJA0ZYAFarwfWNHwPtymEkA41B2oYMW_uxIw6IX2_gK10Af57n4B1BUj5X3GDy31gGOan7mBcenif7M745Q_6XfU/s1600/artsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW7jiy4uZc0UbLDjxOcgSRHlyQ07i1VNBQqIAzrC5K7g4zmBBd9_sJA0ZYAFarwfWNHwPtymEkA41B2oYMW_uxIw6IX2_gK10Af57n4B1BUj5X3GDy31gGOan7mBcenif7M745Q_6XfU/s320/artsy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This effect was totally unintentional but I'm in love with how this picture came out!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG9aA1uBzxw8_SsmxkFBzMEXo0Wqh1J6bAvuRly2Afg-lDI78Cb5_kVMvYbml4NaxU9Bw9XOA1LBuykFhB6BRr06absKLUMQ86VcZlGSKFV7wnrDKBp7fGq-5hG7nwU51nELEv61g5hw/s1600/pretty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG9aA1uBzxw8_SsmxkFBzMEXo0Wqh1J6bAvuRly2Afg-lDI78Cb5_kVMvYbml4NaxU9Bw9XOA1LBuykFhB6BRr06absKLUMQ86VcZlGSKFV7wnrDKBp7fGq-5hG7nwU51nELEv61g5hw/s320/pretty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I absolutely loved Winter Wonderland! It was a lovely way to spend the Saturday and I spent it with some lovely company. <br />
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Tonight is Billy Elliot, tomorrow I'm going to Oxford, Thursday I'm going to Abbey Road and maybe going on the Eye that night, Friday me and a couple friends are taking a trip to a small, (as of yet undecided) charming little English town, and Saturday I'm going to a Chocolate Lover's Festival, to see The Woman in Black and to have a Tex-Mex dinner with Eve, Danielle and Heavens so expect another few posts in the next few days!! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-53054306982965537172011-12-06T05:47:00.000-08:002011-12-06T07:31:39.809-08:00Perfect Weekends: Part 1These past couple of weekends have been so perfect. The weekend before last, I had a lazy Friday and just watched movies in bed and ordered pizza. But then that Saturday, Eve, Mo and I took a day trip to Cardiff, Wales. To be honest, I didn't really know too much about Cardiff or Wales in general, but wanted to make it to every country in the UK, and Wales was last on the list. Our day started off early, and to our dismay, we had to take a later bus than we hoped, and since it was a 3.5 hour ride, we didn't get there til almost 2. But it all worked out, rest assured. We started out by strolling through the Royal Arcade (an old Victorian shopping centre).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlQxXff24wEqAUHD2IZRvD2RhVCvuK6Dy5PtggFWJzQl-xBPmXHA2YW3W1N86sNky6ZREXqUlToWDAeAqnH4gi0dlNRQWzo92Rms38IZfnzF9MeOKhNcP5qn73UJPNd-OY-oObvH9urs/s1600/wales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlQxXff24wEqAUHD2IZRvD2RhVCvuK6Dy5PtggFWJzQl-xBPmXHA2YW3W1N86sNky6ZREXqUlToWDAeAqnH4gi0dlNRQWzo92Rms38IZfnzF9MeOKhNcP5qn73UJPNd-OY-oObvH9urs/s320/wales.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Then we went to this cool little shop for a quick bite to eat. I knew it was going to be good as they had theatre posters on the wall, including a <em>Hairspray</em> poster! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAav8BSwV7H27g_A-iuY8jr0GRXYr6uV-pyZOXw9rfPzw9c7jqbD1d1yz4o_gJLqVrBCM937dvdKy14yUY4rV70rbwP2xJdIj7GOwSXR75TVohVNHvOS1z8QxE37Kmpvw88IzQg-lI80/s1600/wales2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAav8BSwV7H27g_A-iuY8jr0GRXYr6uV-pyZOXw9rfPzw9c7jqbD1d1yz4o_gJLqVrBCM937dvdKy14yUY4rV70rbwP2xJdIj7GOwSXR75TVohVNHvOS1z8QxE37Kmpvw88IzQg-lI80/s320/wales2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTZctrziJ5R-2Sh5LIk7SOFxGWQkVW5jzRNXKpOokaH4wauQsmYbTCUefz5P0C7x_0AGiiEI3gLIGRj_9a3JuRKh8NaRRd7fji3MnI-AV_YmwmQhZfKBV4ZSjw1Q0pKqY066eABCB3tY/s1600/wales3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTZctrziJ5R-2Sh5LIk7SOFxGWQkVW5jzRNXKpOokaH4wauQsmYbTCUefz5P0C7x_0AGiiEI3gLIGRj_9a3JuRKh8NaRRd7fji3MnI-AV_YmwmQhZfKBV4ZSjw1Q0pKqY066eABCB3tY/s320/wales3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbiF7kTn_lNzHiU5zDdOeyDmXC6KdC2l3eNuFeh5ofFcewudTnxFoB9i-k1R4XGGvSIE3N4vffnQrkuuGURKoQ3Vg8EDItYWJ9zzfmiVYGzNHy8oVTW5lqLpJUxB2wBmWfh1g3VqLtLQ/s1600/wales4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbiF7kTn_lNzHiU5zDdOeyDmXC6KdC2l3eNuFeh5ofFcewudTnxFoB9i-k1R4XGGvSIE3N4vffnQrkuuGURKoQ3Vg8EDItYWJ9zzfmiVYGzNHy8oVTW5lqLpJUxB2wBmWfh1g3VqLtLQ/s320/wales4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dO35KvI9PBRK5vkey_M579qvQ9X0cETExEtKtlH1qBhQPjp-qG6OE-nAOSjkrutwcyuNhjrAxvZ05LYdBPNMHrppEW7aLlnVCqktrrR3Jrs-r_-03VIWPYv8PEThv17B5zQzKmEByOg/s1600/wales5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dO35KvI9PBRK5vkey_M579qvQ9X0cETExEtKtlH1qBhQPjp-qG6OE-nAOSjkrutwcyuNhjrAxvZ05LYdBPNMHrppEW7aLlnVCqktrrR3Jrs-r_-03VIWPYv8PEThv17B5zQzKmEByOg/s320/wales5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Welsh is such a fascinating language; especially to look at. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4EY0H5fvCeWMjDzInbJRjVbWNuquFPA2UjT8FKM7y9CZrulHssum9jV7pW8AsPpvFsXbLwXmlXblub7fbUGp3bLwo-nmIXioNPT-8WoGoOd97YvJQYbYbka5WCBlyl4wFlyKmTtIz3E/s1600/wales6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4EY0H5fvCeWMjDzInbJRjVbWNuquFPA2UjT8FKM7y9CZrulHssum9jV7pW8AsPpvFsXbLwXmlXblub7fbUGp3bLwo-nmIXioNPT-8WoGoOd97YvJQYbYbka5WCBlyl4wFlyKmTtIz3E/s320/wales6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">We saw the oldest record store in the world!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHl_mUx6bUH9Zvhv1ZfONeHRyt1TEY_YBwUcw8q8uwNGhJ4gf2J31phzEI-HP9ctFxuJTXutxhLCJAE9zWcpkSWvRWNVf5NNn38y6B9pwS7zdV69y2NsBePJVzbApwFcxRjc4HgJbcVM/s1600/wales7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHl_mUx6bUH9Zvhv1ZfONeHRyt1TEY_YBwUcw8q8uwNGhJ4gf2J31phzEI-HP9ctFxuJTXutxhLCJAE9zWcpkSWvRWNVf5NNn38y6B9pwS7zdV69y2NsBePJVzbApwFcxRjc4HgJbcVM/s320/wales7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_zgjtEhiKkax2NV7kP4VIYNhPgqrsVEXYtJZU-mQ7Kmdy7xEpop5d8MsRnjBaZ3JgbHLnme8uwGELVpwk7ku3wPF4Xq3dxjxPGGXtluwhzGWqVRAWzF6C2-wL3VKMVDvszoCuISxrRI/s1600/wales8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_zgjtEhiKkax2NV7kP4VIYNhPgqrsVEXYtJZU-mQ7Kmdy7xEpop5d8MsRnjBaZ3JgbHLnme8uwGELVpwk7ku3wPF4Xq3dxjxPGGXtluwhzGWqVRAWzF6C2-wL3VKMVDvszoCuISxrRI/s320/wales8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then we decided to visit Cardiff Castle. There was one other <em>beautifulll</em> looking castle outside the city in an ancient forest, but unfortunately, it would have taken about an hour to get there, and we had limited time. This castle was still cool though! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQt9txrxTYo5eu6Nu9dUAJsKnb92Jn14iolcSyNQLlo6RuleJahFR1iJL3Pcl5c-HVNu2P4rs_M0D-qybI7heF8fWc58EL5MoyFT9T76s2PdIeNoGOQTU377qFqWVLMp3j8-20hXm8WlU/s1600/wales9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQt9txrxTYo5eu6Nu9dUAJsKnb92Jn14iolcSyNQLlo6RuleJahFR1iJL3Pcl5c-HVNu2P4rs_M0D-qybI7heF8fWc58EL5MoyFT9T76s2PdIeNoGOQTU377qFqWVLMp3j8-20hXm8WlU/s320/wales9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsqMVW-3C4glV9cCsUbyiWjofijJAKZYAYvcQdsOkzulWG8bXD4ovgpb7NKTwZOLbpbrfzVeBLfzUv706AL0RRhI8hsE-OfKJMmxQI_jrMJL922XtA5m9fUmGTzMf3euwkdTIPpG9gL8/s1600/wales10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsqMVW-3C4glV9cCsUbyiWjofijJAKZYAYvcQdsOkzulWG8bXD4ovgpb7NKTwZOLbpbrfzVeBLfzUv706AL0RRhI8hsE-OfKJMmxQI_jrMJL922XtA5m9fUmGTzMf3euwkdTIPpG9gL8/s320/wales10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Their mascot is a dragon for God's sake. That alone should have been an indicator to how awesome this city was going to be! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1HmKJsCCHorZBql6CcUQh0JFaYo7VQMtjL46YBY0yEMbHWhqWBUCTDoV_xlZB_Esc7HBUXACbQ9hTpFWrOjkEXidVUsdawaCjBIhGnIwqE-_dGxlzaiHgTDIIbCg5BtyHJQFhxk9WVg/s1600/wales11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1HmKJsCCHorZBql6CcUQh0JFaYo7VQMtjL46YBY0yEMbHWhqWBUCTDoV_xlZB_Esc7HBUXACbQ9hTpFWrOjkEXidVUsdawaCjBIhGnIwqE-_dGxlzaiHgTDIIbCg5BtyHJQFhxk9WVg/s320/wales11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Guess all my rebelling and back-talking caught up with me... </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI35kXELpxX_6hVCHESveq7OfZP4JgEeroRRM5WdPy0Wdd191B6E94Wtk2kM2QpmhyphenhyphengQrPPXy735rbPH4nCZr69KLo7qxsQ2fZ6JpHyTqUZWacz8l5_vcR6AwnrWIyRP7lP1VdbNWC8h8/s1600/wales12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI35kXELpxX_6hVCHESveq7OfZP4JgEeroRRM5WdPy0Wdd191B6E94Wtk2kM2QpmhyphenhyphengQrPPXy735rbPH4nCZr69KLo7qxsQ2fZ6JpHyTqUZWacz8l5_vcR6AwnrWIyRP7lP1VdbNWC8h8/s320/wales12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Why yes I am that girl who wears flip-flops in November. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PHndpx4ZVPZMJv64HzpXEJLGd9Bcfx8mK6RdI0qtStj1JLRzr6iPOSPrkIDokjXt71WAOTJ4_ptLguODU5ZDdUnhFa3-0HpG9C9bccZ4q5w1hYzBRk0Gsh46WRnUIQiR2Ha26ydKeHA/s1600/wales13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PHndpx4ZVPZMJv64HzpXEJLGd9Bcfx8mK6RdI0qtStj1JLRzr6iPOSPrkIDokjXt71WAOTJ4_ptLguODU5ZDdUnhFa3-0HpG9C9bccZ4q5w1hYzBRk0Gsh46WRnUIQiR2Ha26ydKeHA/s320/wales13.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7COZ3Op-zMQB2UXXFmOa2zqf5sgnwLxyL0eKwSwHhPMIzqv4USLfbcqhxELvSOjQWA-Ez8xBlPyEim8jNBqo_QrT4p1MQnXhVM232Hl0FkAxgAC-i4pKr2FAZVoo2j0yOVHXpqY2J0iA/s1600/wales14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7COZ3Op-zMQB2UXXFmOa2zqf5sgnwLxyL0eKwSwHhPMIzqv4USLfbcqhxELvSOjQWA-Ez8xBlPyEim8jNBqo_QrT4p1MQnXhVM232Hl0FkAxgAC-i4pKr2FAZVoo2j0yOVHXpqY2J0iA/s320/wales14.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU47NyslNCSGqe0brBFHkvEKpkqbp55bkPdctHzFrhpBWU4srWW30bbY424g3ETcufZBM4MBYCqxi-HuoJGZrQpH3w8g5reCQ4Q1KafSwbom8KZH9dqQBGuOPUuYF1dE0kH0YgZjja8w/s1600/wales15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU47NyslNCSGqe0brBFHkvEKpkqbp55bkPdctHzFrhpBWU4srWW30bbY424g3ETcufZBM4MBYCqxi-HuoJGZrQpH3w8g5reCQ4Q1KafSwbom8KZH9dqQBGuOPUuYF1dE0kH0YgZjja8w/s320/wales15.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSo33FqpnwpsQlXXKdrGP6zurJQO-YUAzl_DA6nzLfb82y9oa1cmh-_PNJqtc4P_zFRwPtldIRM5xfV-HYQn02fzd-wpUfAz82XUIb9vxlTVeFrN-IB1HwE4GKX4E2ZPIWZxikBqwOJY/s1600/wales16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSo33FqpnwpsQlXXKdrGP6zurJQO-YUAzl_DA6nzLfb82y9oa1cmh-_PNJqtc4P_zFRwPtldIRM5xfV-HYQn02fzd-wpUfAz82XUIb9vxlTVeFrN-IB1HwE4GKX4E2ZPIWZxikBqwOJY/s320/wales16.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MzAClEa6ArMTj_XA2arfmE07_uxQlQa7t2LsVtBdE8tFYSX9jfJL7W2bkgHMXr76zjpZEKrh05ozyffG8v0eoA6Zik8zswGSnPi5zm_UePMxRdgZK1qTh9PQWs9EOO0atPIzkakZViI/s1600/wales17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MzAClEa6ArMTj_XA2arfmE07_uxQlQa7t2LsVtBdE8tFYSX9jfJL7W2bkgHMXr76zjpZEKrh05ozyffG8v0eoA6Zik8zswGSnPi5zm_UePMxRdgZK1qTh9PQWs9EOO0atPIzkakZViI/s320/wales17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuwxDbbfot1IrPqFePiGvTAQygYSE7bKO2NVMLuPf1XqhfX4NvGpXJCDQCTec4mRHQETp9WbEdZxM0afgRnFJca-KUumPQNwmQr3njjO1U60t7rFCaSfU9xw4bFCZKnRZGr1KVMLGojI/s1600/wales18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuwxDbbfot1IrPqFePiGvTAQygYSE7bKO2NVMLuPf1XqhfX4NvGpXJCDQCTec4mRHQETp9WbEdZxM0afgRnFJca-KUumPQNwmQr3njjO1U60t7rFCaSfU9xw4bFCZKnRZGr1KVMLGojI/s320/wales18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The detail in this place was incredible. The pictures don't do it justice. (That is true for pretty much all of Cardiff btw).<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgety6bEsaGU95_YHujUEQDXieOwRGZ2HeDQK0uL-whC1tCDMxbjru3a6X-fI6XJH2Sv67zfTvbfkhvQ1QjyQn0JO14ZNeQSqJ-_ZnabyMiLfAkteoNaqT8E7JFdftuvvlvNWPCzr-RGiY/s1600/wales20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgety6bEsaGU95_YHujUEQDXieOwRGZ2HeDQK0uL-whC1tCDMxbjru3a6X-fI6XJH2Sv67zfTvbfkhvQ1QjyQn0JO14ZNeQSqJ-_ZnabyMiLfAkteoNaqT8E7JFdftuvvlvNWPCzr-RGiY/s320/wales20.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwkvjLJD-mEj6HDvhB_IRWmIGjvgU75aIYpLVNQtUIh3gMVGZt8VrfJk5mgQrlTnBIXRSCQJuUTaYiZmeqJnkR2u1CPX_j7WWXksuOFaR3JxOfMrktdHnUXjlkYJ7G3HLxkERTpNJ79g/s1600/wales19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwkvjLJD-mEj6HDvhB_IRWmIGjvgU75aIYpLVNQtUIh3gMVGZt8VrfJk5mgQrlTnBIXRSCQJuUTaYiZmeqJnkR2u1CPX_j7WWXksuOFaR3JxOfMrktdHnUXjlkYJ7G3HLxkERTpNJ79g/s320/wales19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_RJu93BPoJaCuJ1IdDM5iQay4xlmTRmi3hSOjSt9PeXLA88YqDIjvGx3cjTjvkboFp9jAvvLRX0gYFCRnjNN9kYt7iHMccLPy8N2J8YmZobElu5j6-rJMkB7Kgsr6pCUB6yTAXx-mDc/s1600/wales23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_RJu93BPoJaCuJ1IdDM5iQay4xlmTRmi3hSOjSt9PeXLA88YqDIjvGx3cjTjvkboFp9jAvvLRX0gYFCRnjNN9kYt7iHMccLPy8N2J8YmZobElu5j6-rJMkB7Kgsr6pCUB6yTAXx-mDc/s320/wales23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Me standing in front of the death stairs. Going up wasn't so bad because you couldn't see behind you, going down however, was another matter...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Then we took the bus down to Cardiff Bay, which was the perfect way to end the day. There were Torchwood and Dr. Who monuments (which excited Mo and Eve to no end) and some <em>really</em> pretty scenery! </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsJuh11Fo5A3NBjv-8WEkswxvIUK64PIQhopwIfeuzCmNHe1hVmZFLeuPiXhZR6vzgGV1THZMlKxuGv7z8CWDjp19KjsewVnPo11bb2xHMl6fhPfl9Th0iVLWxOzH4wRgXU-shhJJ0qk/s1600/wales21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsJuh11Fo5A3NBjv-8WEkswxvIUK64PIQhopwIfeuzCmNHe1hVmZFLeuPiXhZR6vzgGV1THZMlKxuGv7z8CWDjp19KjsewVnPo11bb2xHMl6fhPfl9Th0iVLWxOzH4wRgXU-shhJJ0qk/s320/wales21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We got a really sweet Welsh man to take our picture! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGohexIfRmNvkIiWmJdCRP5a8K61yOgbaewchWz8mQqU75RSD_acUwXJ-aLJIIXCMQSIqypbJ0ipcUbbgo7EIy9yZtMqxYZfXShxiY2aSjLbuABI6V3OKrF7_qmba9U4ZiL2IdXpz1Ik/s1600/wales22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGohexIfRmNvkIiWmJdCRP5a8K61yOgbaewchWz8mQqU75RSD_acUwXJ-aLJIIXCMQSIqypbJ0ipcUbbgo7EIy9yZtMqxYZfXShxiY2aSjLbuABI6V3OKrF7_qmba9U4ZiL2IdXpz1Ik/s320/wales22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7CxRkPy59nizXauReidob_9oGMUDXs46UPFeEw9EuqkKYwr5ZAjY4BF70Cg3i1KNoKNslYwF5voY4N8SYaPTCpQfkTDG_FyTCSn3dcqOpm87xame5igliijKlUstF8Xas7ZTWHidJMI/s1600/wales24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7CxRkPy59nizXauReidob_9oGMUDXs46UPFeEw9EuqkKYwr5ZAjY4BF70Cg3i1KNoKNslYwF5voY4N8SYaPTCpQfkTDG_FyTCSn3dcqOpm87xame5igliijKlUstF8Xas7ZTWHidJMI/s320/wales24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">The Millennium Centre where they hold concerts and art performances. Truly magical. And, it has the world's largest poem inscribed on it a couple different languages. ''In these stones, horizons sing.'' </div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cardiff was so cool! I'm so glad I can say I've been there! I'd definitely be interested in going back and exploring more of Wales! </div>Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-9010728553551454402011-12-06T05:23:00.000-08:002011-12-06T07:29:37.389-08:00Scotland!!!So sorry blogosphere, as it's been about 3 weeks since my last post, but I've been pretty busy!! Let's see, a few weeks ago me, MK and Nicole took of to Scotland for the weekend! (Can I just say, I still find it hard to believe that while studying here I'm entitled to go to a different country over the weekend instead of just a different city or state!) <br />
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SCOTLAND WAS AMAZING! Let me repeat myself: I LOVE SCOTLAND!! We had a later flight there on a Friday night and got to our hostel around 8PM. After laying in our beds at our hostel for an hour and realizing we hadn't eaten dinner (I was snacking on M&Ms the whole time), we realized we were too lazy to get out of our beds and walk to get food, so we didn't lol. The next morning we had to wake up earlier than any human should have to to walk up to the Royal Mile and catch our bus to the Highlands and Loch Ness! This was actually kind of nice though because we got to see Edinburgh at sunrise and had some really pretty views! We even walked by Elephant House Cafe (for all you who don't know, this is where J.K. Rowling wrote part of Harry Potter!!) and since we are all such big fans, it was a really big deal. But we caught our bus and were on our way. It was a beautifullll scenic drive on the way there, mountains and valleys galore. Our tour guide was really quite fantastic too, and he told us lots about how the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson was basically all lies haha. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSUh3Uo_ShWvIY3EgbyyFJsqQejoU_Gg2VP52dOrXarR-9caagFJUQgs2SnXttZw_lFoTO5RLA6v3zV-I7SuwGWLUwAxxIEant4bZKkFUkT3n7CfNZFZ9D1WpsGCA287PGO5mBCvDeUk/s1600/real.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSUh3Uo_ShWvIY3EgbyyFJsqQejoU_Gg2VP52dOrXarR-9caagFJUQgs2SnXttZw_lFoTO5RLA6v3zV-I7SuwGWLUwAxxIEant4bZKkFUkT3n7CfNZFZ9D1WpsGCA287PGO5mBCvDeUk/s320/real.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHn_ZFYAMM0svMprG_jT3pG7h_lbsg__5LsBKIEGpMzStxii8Zm7HQ0sLXWpyWEEV5ZW9VlefQRINne1nvctrklrBdrKTsDN4b1IOgPfcVru5XKuAwZv209Vp53JEqzWM1pIe8nWCcvI/s1600/glencoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHn_ZFYAMM0svMprG_jT3pG7h_lbsg__5LsBKIEGpMzStxii8Zm7HQ0sLXWpyWEEV5ZW9VlefQRINne1nvctrklrBdrKTsDN4b1IOgPfcVru5XKuAwZv209Vp53JEqzWM1pIe8nWCcvI/s320/glencoe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Glencoe, it means 'the weeping valley'</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmnooyfd9eCIhU1zPqlr3o1kAac7FGnjgLYGdRUMOutlJX1QONbs92203NNJW5p-7xweEvkgbvRSPMH52_8sPC0GA5GPLUl_A795SwBn_4iIDKynWcNceQpdIrDny-HV1n7aTC-klOaw/s1600/glencoe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmnooyfd9eCIhU1zPqlr3o1kAac7FGnjgLYGdRUMOutlJX1QONbs92203NNJW5p-7xweEvkgbvRSPMH52_8sPC0GA5GPLUl_A795SwBn_4iIDKynWcNceQpdIrDny-HV1n7aTC-klOaw/s320/glencoe2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is where the Glencoe Massacre happened in 1692. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6srgfveCJb_aP4R7XhzowOm5dy_6u_OhHYg3_uTWfDKMyAiGyi7ONCUC8axNFw4OHCGCMkDlos9qRkb1y8W837dI1k1d8EkK2YWYhYGUAzddoyJVlIOe0sNdRXu3LFRE7kkm1okYf6w/s1600/cool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6srgfveCJb_aP4R7XhzowOm5dy_6u_OhHYg3_uTWfDKMyAiGyi7ONCUC8axNFw4OHCGCMkDlos9qRkb1y8W837dI1k1d8EkK2YWYhYGUAzddoyJVlIOe0sNdRXu3LFRE7kkm1okYf6w/s320/cool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rjwT0FksQMDe2VfopYdvF6L-5gw9kOZDze39SnVAqQsdz0FkRXfSEjAGy-gmo1Q-lr955LME-0bRlrTRxSgAH3z16ZQNCB5ZdY-9DZdlQy0XdcfRDCKLqAWmVC-86549zEQbMZ1oF5A/s1600/loch+ness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rjwT0FksQMDe2VfopYdvF6L-5gw9kOZDze39SnVAqQsdz0FkRXfSEjAGy-gmo1Q-lr955LME-0bRlrTRxSgAH3z16ZQNCB5ZdY-9DZdlQy0XdcfRDCKLqAWmVC-86549zEQbMZ1oF5A/s320/loch+ness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> First picture from a boat on LOCH NESS!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguE8uWN8ZwSrUG8kLMeMvCa-OaoJcRhqILPejS2uFEF9g9icstuloCJrDYYVeUytqbbSyjC5CPG8J5wumHaUvdPyangO0oteew3zNfmdRzfc5lGO-2tvWbuZUOkhkdpCkiKHdNdj2mbU/s1600/loch+ness3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguE8uWN8ZwSrUG8kLMeMvCa-OaoJcRhqILPejS2uFEF9g9icstuloCJrDYYVeUytqbbSyjC5CPG8J5wumHaUvdPyangO0oteew3zNfmdRzfc5lGO-2tvWbuZUOkhkdpCkiKHdNdj2mbU/s320/loch+ness3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpL65nPaMdX2ooZ8Kcu92ZUg2d7JeWr2ujbhvG08nsX3xVCjV8MHsm-ZbT-OAaWo0BXYBHnlQd7w0NmHNaG8CTxH4goDywAdlpRhTQDSDXv6UrzS5XQkDY5aGj2gl62KbWc8CBgxJ7oE/s1600/glee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpL65nPaMdX2ooZ8Kcu92ZUg2d7JeWr2ujbhvG08nsX3xVCjV8MHsm-ZbT-OAaWo0BXYBHnlQd7w0NmHNaG8CTxH4goDywAdlpRhTQDSDXv6UrzS5XQkDY5aGj2gl62KbWc8CBgxJ7oE/s320/glee.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Couldn't believe I was actually there!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR4jS4Ijh0PlJncJyKJPeqiOfTyigBhAuQ0n3xXnEEbRTcurhDS0SW9XY7SGCaPPeOYlHqqaUf_0hzJcr4l4QnAKoasko50LIg06p-5z-iL2WaHPT_c8KZ6-BzTxcf8cwgItj93vnZRI/s1600/sheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR4jS4Ijh0PlJncJyKJPeqiOfTyigBhAuQ0n3xXnEEbRTcurhDS0SW9XY7SGCaPPeOYlHqqaUf_0hzJcr4l4QnAKoasko50LIg06p-5z-iL2WaHPT_c8KZ6-BzTxcf8cwgItj93vnZRI/s320/sheep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> SHEEP!! And Mountains!! Most beautiful country ever! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgKIocWlJQRXSQQf0skzAQoj3TBMKbch5xeV8tQ3QK4R_CFzGaee8HrTaVijXEg07tjRtBK2yYOKEO8AVXBpm-2sUQb0XLDHM0E9cdLEuex1WA5MFuxrL5wvo8Hp_lM-u-355Oe3xyVM/s1600/scenery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgKIocWlJQRXSQQf0skzAQoj3TBMKbch5xeV8tQ3QK4R_CFzGaee8HrTaVijXEg07tjRtBK2yYOKEO8AVXBpm-2sUQb0XLDHM0E9cdLEuex1WA5MFuxrL5wvo8Hp_lM-u-355Oe3xyVM/s320/scenery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"> I give you more proof. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVTn-T-x5l3oq_1b7uyFepMUgV_42TrMNBg97QvGb8NaiodNKObVYgAWNScu5pLOQiVpbl8spBE5I3QWpN7UWpJx08oupwP1UOoJErIIE6ZBAcSb_X_oCRpUWvW_Zxbv3ZCyX4VCP6DA/s1600/cow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVTn-T-x5l3oq_1b7uyFepMUgV_42TrMNBg97QvGb8NaiodNKObVYgAWNScu5pLOQiVpbl8spBE5I3QWpN7UWpJx08oupwP1UOoJErIIE6ZBAcSb_X_oCRpUWvW_Zxbv3ZCyX4VCP6DA/s320/cow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Highland Cows!! So adorable. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOpQeRmV_MXQQaunzTYp8PVD79t6ZuUjjG5x16WhroJn3e6vA-cBorP_hDP_3mNzzSi_iSM7dKKRJ9LUvmOO2smS9-YZz9K7m93kcUH-tsBszzLkVxAv9yo5_KQsIZQk3mARqnSl5wt8/s1600/magical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOpQeRmV_MXQQaunzTYp8PVD79t6ZuUjjG5x16WhroJn3e6vA-cBorP_hDP_3mNzzSi_iSM7dKKRJ9LUvmOO2smS9-YZz9K7m93kcUH-tsBszzLkVxAv9yo5_KQsIZQk3mARqnSl5wt8/s320/magical.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So after a truly magical day in the Highlands, we went back to Edinburgh for the night and had the entire next day there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Xbn1ELWG_Pb21pcCuS8Zdj-UfzqfHZLLNRDSC6W4pcGOSzt7oTUDzhJI41QUCJZGpuVWXHShkP2VfF0kkOuV7_Xa1NMfhwS0MRyxXbfJFGif9xYTAvdNtR-WITVQsFmV8rv4pzIWEQ/s1600/eerie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Xbn1ELWG_Pb21pcCuS8Zdj-UfzqfHZLLNRDSC6W4pcGOSzt7oTUDzhJI41QUCJZGpuVWXHShkP2VfF0kkOuV7_Xa1NMfhwS0MRyxXbfJFGif9xYTAvdNtR-WITVQsFmV8rv4pzIWEQ/s320/eerie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdX2fbK62sh9XAP7dtWtic9gpM6v9AWJzPL9_n6VOsFCV0dyPWs92YyEB-UqEARpM8v7wxA6LWpxUlRgf6BgyGaCpHpTHyRR4b-4Sms4mLknm2qk9UDX4dbojoureBkXkVoXdyiWQP7w/s1600/dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdX2fbK62sh9XAP7dtWtic9gpM6v9AWJzPL9_n6VOsFCV0dyPWs92YyEB-UqEARpM8v7wxA6LWpxUlRgf6BgyGaCpHpTHyRR4b-4Sms4mLknm2qk9UDX4dbojoureBkXkVoXdyiWQP7w/s320/dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We wandered around that night once we were back in the city for somewhere to eat, and ended up eating at Deacon Brodies' Tavern. Unknowingly to us, Deacon Brodie was actually the real life inspiration for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. How cool is that?? We went back to our hostel for the night and decided to let ourselves sleep in a bit t next morning. <br />
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We woke up and ended up having to ask the guy working at our hostel's front desk a couple questions. (He was adorableee and very nice; although apparently I made him feel like a bad receptionist because he didn't know the answers to my questions hahaha.) <br />
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<div align="center">Below are some pictures of the walk through the Meadows towards the Royal Mile: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tTPrDhSIJtmPG3e-F_IvSu8YU-XVtd1s2PH768uelaP7rOogokuU08hyn5C65Ya9gP6pCYjgSq12HP-a7EzVjP0QkSooWpTg63evG-hep2PI8TcAn4zpDtIZam37MRH9h5CNPw4BsPM/s1600/view%2523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tTPrDhSIJtmPG3e-F_IvSu8YU-XVtd1s2PH768uelaP7rOogokuU08hyn5C65Ya9gP6pCYjgSq12HP-a7EzVjP0QkSooWpTg63evG-hep2PI8TcAn4zpDtIZam37MRH9h5CNPw4BsPM/s320/view%2523.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAT0JhspBcliKUB7bFUrbwS0XCzMJG-AzmZIEMvdnpqIjMWPOXPxEcU8edgE7GdqGMbtC37lzNiBe9qdTYAonuSvpDTsYfJFE8fn7D3GnGn-aZo7hjObOq70uE4Y2TxjmFWqHlG__H8aY/s1600/cutestdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAT0JhspBcliKUB7bFUrbwS0XCzMJG-AzmZIEMvdnpqIjMWPOXPxEcU8edgE7GdqGMbtC37lzNiBe9qdTYAonuSvpDTsYfJFE8fn7D3GnGn-aZo7hjObOq70uE4Y2TxjmFWqHlG__H8aY/s320/cutestdog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs6xl0__sAXeD6gl4Jy4iWIb2CtHDDAgR0hvmrIB-BCDHaJuxSuCjQWRGwXXN2yqAhfR7NhxSCU_28amhLdPlAoDKb3TzoafEWyedXy4sySaxfI4dk4Q4lcyxEkXRbwqwjq3gv3WLWLs/s1600/lucky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs6xl0__sAXeD6gl4Jy4iWIb2CtHDDAgR0hvmrIB-BCDHaJuxSuCjQWRGwXXN2yqAhfR7NhxSCU_28amhLdPlAoDKb3TzoafEWyedXy4sySaxfI4dk4Q4lcyxEkXRbwqwjq3gv3WLWLs/s320/lucky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A four leaf clover!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before we started the tour, we decided to check out the graveyard where it is said that J.K. Rowling got the inspiration for some of her character names, such as McGonagall, Harry and his parents and Tom Riddle. Unfortunately, it was bigger than we realized and only Nicole ended up seeing McGonagall's grave. It was still a nice walk though, albeit haunting. Apparently the church in front of the graveyard, (which houses Greyfriars Bobby's grave) has a mausoleum at the top which is haunted. I believe it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRoyyWiO1Mr0b8ytsAT32hJ7sPZAy4SRoOOdN_AKllBBrzeTAmxogReHkPHhlBzDBdDUaYrdDOwtG3B40W6xyKdy0AK9GraTCDTqHgn_iuFIN0UBMblAfDbIwW7YbFGlSZbI9_iwuiyI/s1600/reallife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRoyyWiO1Mr0b8ytsAT32hJ7sPZAy4SRoOOdN_AKllBBrzeTAmxogReHkPHhlBzDBdDUaYrdDOwtG3B40W6xyKdy0AK9GraTCDTqHgn_iuFIN0UBMblAfDbIwW7YbFGlSZbI9_iwuiyI/s320/reallife.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSGlgTRZ1qahdnrA8p47Kjcbzmk22wvfmnzJuNiqNssYzizNsdSg-C4YwXI_FAFKSRDk4YlJ7K-r0hplSupo9M_VcYUTS7zBD3ibdPKG5D_cIwWP-jFbH7hyqvcDgoEEXVDzItnGlRLs/s1600/old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSGlgTRZ1qahdnrA8p47Kjcbzmk22wvfmnzJuNiqNssYzizNsdSg-C4YwXI_FAFKSRDk4YlJ7K-r0hplSupo9M_VcYUTS7zBD3ibdPKG5D_cIwWP-jFbH7hyqvcDgoEEXVDzItnGlRLs/s320/old.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX3rJX8TkXI8V4wkBh_mxN4_a712o08rjHa4PzJ6YzDL2TOS0tYuauZE-qdrX3b-LZAWAT_9zI8gVOkmwQKHWhyphenhyphenWButWpoHkGwAfHgXeV0aILv3o1N-X39TSlZi_K-3KHH_U2OGQPu0o/s1600/frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX3rJX8TkXI8V4wkBh_mxN4_a712o08rjHa4PzJ6YzDL2TOS0tYuauZE-qdrX3b-LZAWAT_9zI8gVOkmwQKHWhyphenhyphenWButWpoHkGwAfHgXeV0aILv3o1N-X39TSlZi_K-3KHH_U2OGQPu0o/s320/frame.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmH2hOxcEH5ZSM6GmrFFdk6BEZgHmHqIUt0rfLUaUTa883dL4hnpyWal0DNTVRNhcaJLkzW7wt3zKnC1mbSY97u_17xAKtw3JjwZZ7kzuatl9OCHdjO6ICuBel4BQ0MzgbBwAXpNsGX8/s1600/freaky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmH2hOxcEH5ZSM6GmrFFdk6BEZgHmHqIUt0rfLUaUTa883dL4hnpyWal0DNTVRNhcaJLkzW7wt3zKnC1mbSY97u_17xAKtw3JjwZZ7kzuatl9OCHdjO6ICuBel4BQ0MzgbBwAXpNsGX8/s320/freaky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpQLYZE9pTF1vcO5vhhu-gwiGvgwEHGnkcUf0Z1TDTga7cioe-tqbiqrbkPxwq3YxhusSkd8-HRhL8sMw4k3Ch0pQTnf7ZP1DmtmcWDK81yFBsqWwD9gbBAXEaMblzaU5GYfSCr6Whxs/s1600/grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpQLYZE9pTF1vcO5vhhu-gwiGvgwEHGnkcUf0Z1TDTga7cioe-tqbiqrbkPxwq3YxhusSkd8-HRhL8sMw4k3Ch0pQTnf7ZP1DmtmcWDK81yFBsqWwD9gbBAXEaMblzaU5GYfSCr6Whxs/s320/grave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Across the street from the graveyard, there is a memorial for Greyfriars Bobby. In case you don't know the story, Bobby is a dog that after his master died, slept on his grave every night for 14 years, until he died. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5FRhWroV17Y_XiZ6F32ou8bZ8eCJWb-dmjUD5-Sonn76Oa3nRLL4EHm0lESCkpEDDLiVXfGi-Ol5FCZ9qEelpCeYkNlec-TQ0JTKrkIpxR5mAV8qx5o5qEOiXDezGAOVRUsEl7o2-MY/s1600/bobby2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5FRhWroV17Y_XiZ6F32ou8bZ8eCJWb-dmjUD5-Sonn76Oa3nRLL4EHm0lESCkpEDDLiVXfGi-Ol5FCZ9qEelpCeYkNlec-TQ0JTKrkIpxR5mAV8qx5o5qEOiXDezGAOVRUsEl7o2-MY/s320/bobby2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOl8LmuHZOnCaDYosBCJ3bVFBjPGO2EzD7aE0F5pTfSTOHBO5_TfX7F-ZAqNzNaIYNpBwn-Ve9SsUVqnUafiXsF0618aIi1qsgL7LHYMZ-iZM4rvDlakVM_1XGuC4i-d9e-JXLBS3keM/s1600/bobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOl8LmuHZOnCaDYosBCJ3bVFBjPGO2EzD7aE0F5pTfSTOHBO5_TfX7F-ZAqNzNaIYNpBwn-Ve9SsUVqnUafiXsF0618aIi1qsgL7LHYMZ-iZM4rvDlakVM_1XGuC4i-d9e-JXLBS3keM/s320/bobby.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>We walked up towards the Royal Mile and decided to do a bus tour of Edinburgh first, so as to maximize our time there. It was a pretty short tour, but still a nice way to see the city in a short amount of time. We learned about the Scott Monument, the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh Castle (as well as a lot of other stuff)! And most importantly, I got to re-create one of my favorite moments from Simple Plan's DVD, <em>A Big Package for You</em>, when Seb is riding on the bus with no top! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFCrvIIgkggsY1Rv60Jh00H2ZIIFVCjO85gepngv1o9jXQ_F2nbObwJ4JHKJgJjU9YUugw0zA4sb-7cK52_k2qC-oyyvEdZ6ippOJfkLX5OcLHDWp4keZnls-Snx4cDiB0N2fxKJmTgI/s1600/bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFCrvIIgkggsY1Rv60Jh00H2ZIIFVCjO85gepngv1o9jXQ_F2nbObwJ4JHKJgJjU9YUugw0zA4sb-7cK52_k2qC-oyyvEdZ6ippOJfkLX5OcLHDWp4keZnls-Snx4cDiB0N2fxKJmTgI/s320/bus.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">''When there's no top on the bus, it's windy!'' -Seb Lefebvre</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left">So then we decided to head to lunch and where else would we go but the Elephant House Cafe?? </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEA6208CevOpnfjUguh3E21Rlb0cW6KxZiPtyb6Qno5kihV2KvffbMZma0KIFCdZznZ2CdssX0FSjY6PdOGh-_wmbkoHwieZOrz_luyS_sWE4WPnIWhZqhHB1F-JSX_oAbttkg-HcWP-0/s1600/eh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEA6208CevOpnfjUguh3E21Rlb0cW6KxZiPtyb6Qno5kihV2KvffbMZma0KIFCdZznZ2CdssX0FSjY6PdOGh-_wmbkoHwieZOrz_luyS_sWE4WPnIWhZqhHB1F-JSX_oAbttkg-HcWP-0/s320/eh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXnGdlebPWoRQ7dh5pt_bfRkpkyQMwYi8LLzM9NFtpdBRkct-jFoRJd1nAtxl9xA3__To0ZcVARqm-jIDgHdnLgnqx0ff7d2iGhh77BPKzrv-paskVyrZX2pyZmew7ybrhqBUbz7bIiA/s1600/plaque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXnGdlebPWoRQ7dh5pt_bfRkpkyQMwYi8LLzM9NFtpdBRkct-jFoRJd1nAtxl9xA3__To0ZcVARqm-jIDgHdnLgnqx0ff7d2iGhh77BPKzrv-paskVyrZX2pyZmew7ybrhqBUbz7bIiA/s320/plaque.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIJUpDA7DDSbERTMlPjNyME0m27-4SDN8jvPK9SzMe0JH39bwgS_3Uw2R-Ka-Vu7XgZi9Xv8bA4BAu_KEutkZZgZVGXvvluuaBhM_3WHCw8zoPtwH7T6nznMPDLC_OTVPZEHQA25ZaUo/s1600/dreamcometrue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIJUpDA7DDSbERTMlPjNyME0m27-4SDN8jvPK9SzMe0JH39bwgS_3Uw2R-Ka-Vu7XgZi9Xv8bA4BAu_KEutkZZgZVGXvvluuaBhM_3WHCw8zoPtwH7T6nznMPDLC_OTVPZEHQA25ZaUo/s320/dreamcometrue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4q8K96P1bE0KD6qiz6owzKrfeuhgKc5CgzAUYHMRoqo6LCbdOO7s56H4FdG2QHYNQBlr0BV8tYMRuGUlaaDd-wKD8RZQ74asaDn1ZcLNepEccPCaGd9w-8493lk57HgEef7krpyzCuQ/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4q8K96P1bE0KD6qiz6owzKrfeuhgKc5CgzAUYHMRoqo6LCbdOO7s56H4FdG2QHYNQBlr0BV8tYMRuGUlaaDd-wKD8RZQ74asaDn1ZcLNepEccPCaGd9w-8493lk57HgEef7krpyzCuQ/s320/writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hoping some of J.K.'s inspiration will rub off on me. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOivI8SLTMAgXABKu3CJ4FYrd-nefJS94yVZ7FE80_dkwMhmPt_xO8aWIwE-eP8YJInhrXqAQqggxcYd4XTNdytqUCgWJruCCs-eIHeJGC8bavvyldALG2dq_CAb4my2q21RpKqGFDN6E/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOivI8SLTMAgXABKu3CJ4FYrd-nefJS94yVZ7FE80_dkwMhmPt_xO8aWIwE-eP8YJInhrXqAQqggxcYd4XTNdytqUCgWJruCCs-eIHeJGC8bavvyldALG2dq_CAb4my2q21RpKqGFDN6E/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I am now officially part of Dumbledore's Army! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s31kWihEzw969GHa0an0dOg1WtS2C4k_mWWp_NHkLtg3Jpde32SNpVAzAc_atGXkkfLdHRxo6JOKgSQLRu5V5w3sNUHaSP-0IZzjMO8sSa7lxVyRbYF82k1VTjXjAOWXRBdUba1R1xk/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s31kWihEzw969GHa0an0dOg1WtS2C4k_mWWp_NHkLtg3Jpde32SNpVAzAc_atGXkkfLdHRxo6JOKgSQLRu5V5w3sNUHaSP-0IZzjMO8sSa7lxVyRbYF82k1VTjXjAOWXRBdUba1R1xk/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">''I solemnly swear I am up to no good.'' And the Deathly Hallows sign! People leave HP messages on the bathroom for J.K. in case she stops by! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JGaAqDir6oiCgmaaTSsXYbTA_LCYLrSo_TDUHlobZ34MIgn03vRgyUYksLJbF4UchkHyTu9C7awG_7neiXOU_zJeatL3WNZ_RPSQH0DNe9L5Qm8qDDNjBzZuUvdwDwCisGN3dCbOM8c/s1600/hogwarts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JGaAqDir6oiCgmaaTSsXYbTA_LCYLrSo_TDUHlobZ34MIgn03vRgyUYksLJbF4UchkHyTu9C7awG_7neiXOU_zJeatL3WNZ_RPSQH0DNe9L5Qm8qDDNjBzZuUvdwDwCisGN3dCbOM8c/s320/hogwarts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">No big, just the view that inspired Hogwart's and probably the same spot where J.K. used to sit herself and write. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Then we went to Edinburgh Castle to end the day! The views were spectacular and worth the horrible uphill walk. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1XHG6T4V1bNDZmDw23TC-sclglOd4e153QU5k7kQ2kVPxuQLL_3aFzIVu8TU0PD8h4bbW5PMKFxbeVfZzfco5AKAa2klMIrNHLclYw5AQqkwxjBdVmjZdYTX48Kn5Ps5iDMjsxCND_M/s1600/view10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1XHG6T4V1bNDZmDw23TC-sclglOd4e153QU5k7kQ2kVPxuQLL_3aFzIVu8TU0PD8h4bbW5PMKFxbeVfZzfco5AKAa2klMIrNHLclYw5AQqkwxjBdVmjZdYTX48Kn5Ps5iDMjsxCND_M/s320/view10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSF7_lx-_5A6knhvmKpnkdiFLffZ_oLwPgu5_ao68_lDLgEdq_3Kzxg6hgqnYrDzO3GKOgXuxsuXl57rCG_ovuW8dkhxtlP_kHwJowjf3wJjNwrpIHbMhMZ9Gyck72yUWvE133gZDIFUQ/s1600/plaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSF7_lx-_5A6knhvmKpnkdiFLffZ_oLwPgu5_ao68_lDLgEdq_3Kzxg6hgqnYrDzO3GKOgXuxsuXl57rCG_ovuW8dkhxtlP_kHwJowjf3wJjNwrpIHbMhMZ9Gyck72yUWvE133gZDIFUQ/s320/plaid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Haddd to get a picture of my plaid shoes on a cobblestone street in <em>Scotland</em>. Had to. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLSnClJpRvCyTEPy1NtdU7qqHewxcm4DolQq5HHv83Xn354okygDuiKj9JyLkrhVI6RnHPsvijKkZIFrUviOHBynlWtsnzzGnuOl__-xP_bgrONUwujTUD_LRGVahrsqhJ1WImAj0aws/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLSnClJpRvCyTEPy1NtdU7qqHewxcm4DolQq5HHv83Xn354okygDuiKj9JyLkrhVI6RnHPsvijKkZIFrUviOHBynlWtsnzzGnuOl__-xP_bgrONUwujTUD_LRGVahrsqhJ1WImAj0aws/s320/group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One last group picture before we got some quick dinner and made our way back to the hostel early. We happily stayed in bed and watched the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air marathon that was on TV. The Scottish have good taste!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all, I had the most AMAZING time in Scotland, and I adore it! It's certainly now one of my most favorite places that I've ever been. We didn't have nearly enough time there, and I <u>will</u> be going back!! </div>Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-50702573238745822382011-11-17T05:30:00.000-08:002011-11-17T05:34:06.698-08:00Lions, Tigers and ToadsSo I totally forgot to mention that the other week, I went to the London Zoo with Jen and Nicole! I was super excited because I love going to zoos and I've wanted to go since I've been here but just hadn't gotten around to it. So we went. It was kind of expensive, but then I found out that all of the ticket money goes towards the animals, so that made my wallet feel a bit better. So we went to the Reptile House first and saw the coolest thing! We saw a sign that told us that in the first Harry Potter movie, the scene where he speaks to the snake in Parseltongue unknowingly, was shot right there! It was such a cool surprise because I had totally forgotten that that scene was shot there. Wonderful way to start the day. <br />
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</div>Then we meandered around a bit and went to try to see my babies, aka the tigers but they weren't out. We figured we'd come back later to see them. We saw some kind of boring lions, who were just lazing about. We saw some really cute penguins though! They would just walk right up to the glass, and it was neat to see a penguin up close like that! <br />
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</div>We also saw the weirdest birds ever! They were Eastern White Pelicans and they were ginormous and kinda terrifying! It felt as if any moment they could jump over the fence and eat you/attack you. <br />
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</div>Then we saw some neat camels! Their heads were huge!! This kind can be found in Mongolia, apparently. <br />
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We went to see some really cute giraffes, and we actually got to see one of them standing up which was cool! It was such a graceful maneuver, surprisingly. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusetryVm3Xky1JeR36AaKO_8ZpcVkpivc6DeoARjZzYFvA0gGhlYAwZrP_gpcAxbyxsv-9U-d4l8YoPeFToggpp7mk1kho4MoXv1bXFWUbyHWWCipqNZFpwyYXoduEPoRNHvR1Do34gc/s1600/giraffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusetryVm3Xky1JeR36AaKO_8ZpcVkpivc6DeoARjZzYFvA0gGhlYAwZrP_gpcAxbyxsv-9U-d4l8YoPeFToggpp7mk1kho4MoXv1bXFWUbyHWWCipqNZFpwyYXoduEPoRNHvR1Do34gc/s320/giraffe.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Then we went to see some nocturnal animals and saw this whole glass case full of bats! It was realllly creepy. We ran away squealing. Then we saw an adorable lemur, some cute otters (who we unfortunately saw getting fed dead mice :/ ) and some beautiful butterflies on the loose. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrlauAPYKS583rzJrXtotxZDdTRJPuFqcPaS1JAKHjIFmvEstedv8uZuggtYaxmf1z5NzV9Ey5G8dzNi-but6A3luhnzsrUBFW3J-OMygDXCEBOEmf2DJNcwWlS2G9M_GnQawkIRhQDs/s1600/lemur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrlauAPYKS583rzJrXtotxZDdTRJPuFqcPaS1JAKHjIFmvEstedv8uZuggtYaxmf1z5NzV9Ey5G8dzNi-but6A3luhnzsrUBFW3J-OMygDXCEBOEmf2DJNcwWlS2G9M_GnQawkIRhQDs/s320/lemur.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig85_Xjs55hgEhV8x65fYJyHbBm_7V2LJc_B37SVuJeGw0vUVR9F2vykfGMPKTI5DoBDkRVIv7MZy4j0dWB-43TomFMRO2SFqdkV3qGsGVrjsBDs9NkayvFsGQT-7BCYj2QjgFWvR6RpA/s1600/lovebutterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig85_Xjs55hgEhV8x65fYJyHbBm_7V2LJc_B37SVuJeGw0vUVR9F2vykfGMPKTI5DoBDkRVIv7MZy4j0dWB-43TomFMRO2SFqdkV3qGsGVrjsBDs9NkayvFsGQT-7BCYj2QjgFWvR6RpA/s320/lovebutterfly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Then last but DEFINITELY not least, we went back to to the tiger enclosure and luckily they were out! They were taking little cat naps (haha, cat naps, you get it? Tigers are cats...) Anyways, but it was actually kind of awesome to see them off their guard. One of the kitties was just rolling around and starting to knead and stretch just like my house cats would. It was soo cool!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5pCOcgkIuCpcjuZlk7G4E_92iXSCVpOcmS3TP7NMBZqtQYVcyqMSo9kcC8hv-BB95Tsvm36xZMtE_qdfJvG_sLaNLjBOGElju8mkO8hMFrzxE7jKDWxVzd6AbLkRjs2oJyNWlAIXkdg/s1600/tiger1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5pCOcgkIuCpcjuZlk7G4E_92iXSCVpOcmS3TP7NMBZqtQYVcyqMSo9kcC8hv-BB95Tsvm36xZMtE_qdfJvG_sLaNLjBOGElju8mkO8hMFrzxE7jKDWxVzd6AbLkRjs2oJyNWlAIXkdg/s320/tiger1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDyvk-ODdCE3feHpli78iTIuniYJJ4woVrSiLfgLZXUCAQ8-Ggpe5RFZ_Mwk4rpX29FsXdBlFS4prjZI_Dbf6DOeGazV9lVKV6uNZcEUvb1cqeXU6rWFk2oW_VPDd0jBQee_FV6yx_HU/s1600/tiger2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDyvk-ODdCE3feHpli78iTIuniYJJ4woVrSiLfgLZXUCAQ8-Ggpe5RFZ_Mwk4rpX29FsXdBlFS4prjZI_Dbf6DOeGazV9lVKV6uNZcEUvb1cqeXU6rWFk2oW_VPDd0jBQee_FV6yx_HU/s320/tiger2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EGIJut0dWmGkucBGMYcwbrdR_0XHPssFCMz_bdw2ZoucEbfnTPpvlsN24QsTo_X8NxT_GHnEUwVm7lhZVtC1cDrq9Qd7ogp1nWio1Hb5QNwLbNKazFg94lxY02iaUvafgfb20aukAn4/s1600/tiger3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EGIJut0dWmGkucBGMYcwbrdR_0XHPssFCMz_bdw2ZoucEbfnTPpvlsN24QsTo_X8NxT_GHnEUwVm7lhZVtC1cDrq9Qd7ogp1nWio1Hb5QNwLbNKazFg94lxY02iaUvafgfb20aukAn4/s320/tiger3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Then we went to the gift shop, and of course I had to get some tiger stuffed animals. I got two little tiger cubs, one white and one orange. Appropriately, they are named Harry and Ron :D <br />
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Then on Tuesday night, I went to the West End once again to see Matilda: The Musical. Wow, I definitely had high expectations of this, because I adore the movie. I knew it would be good, and I was definitely not mistaken. The cast was INCREDIBLE! The kids were beyond talented and they were just amazing. The music was so catchy. Do yourself a favor and go listen to 'When I Grow Up.' Also, the choreography was probably some of the best I've ever seen! They did all kinds of interesting things with their set, for instance Matilda climbed up her bedroom wall, they used swings for 'When I Grow Up,' and at one point, everyone, including Miss Trunchbill, was jumping on a trampoline and doing flips in the air. My only criticism is that it might have been too good. It was so high energy and dramatic and incredible all the time, that it started to be too much. I would have liked it a bit better if there had been points where they scaled it back a bit, so that the really over-the-top parts would have stood out even more. Also, there was even one part where the whole audience of 'toads' was in the Chokey. It was genius. Also, interesting side note, apparently Regina George (aka Rachel McAdams) was at the show! I guess she was standing outside after and we walked right past her :/ Oh well. <br />
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<a href="http://www.matildathemusical.com/">http://www.matildathemusical.com/</a>Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-57892691517000183812011-11-09T06:42:00.000-08:002011-11-09T07:09:21.458-08:00Theatre JunkieSo I have definitely been slacking when it comes to talking about the shows I have been going to! A few weeks ago, I went to see The Baker's Wife at a tiny little theatre in London. It was a very cosy theatre and the show was beautiful. The whole show is set around this tiny French village whose baker died suddenly and they were forced to go without bread for a while. You can imagine some of the songs that were included, and yes there was one whole song dedicated to how delicious and amazing bread is. A new baker arrives with his pretty young wife, which changes everything. The choreography was amazing! At one point, when they were all dancing with their bread, the music ended and you see the teacher laying on the table with all his limbs up and him clutching the bread. And another high point was when the baker got drunk out of stress and began walking and dancing on the tables of the cafe and all the village people surrounded him to catch him if he fell. The theatre was so tiny that since I had an aisle seat, and the actors were often venturing into the audience (which helped us all feel like we were a part of the village too) the Baker stood right next to me for a bit and I even bumped shoulders with him. It was cool! One of my favorite additions had to be the Baker's Wife's (Genieve's) 'cat' which we only heard, through only the most life-like of sound effects. It was just overall a very charming show and I'm definitely glad I got to see it! The only part that made me mad was (sorry if you ever plan on seeing it because I'm going to spoil it for you now) was that after Genieve cheated on her husband with Dominique because she 'has to fly away' and realizes she does love her husband or is happy enough with him that he'll do, she goes back to him and he takes her back!! He does freak out on her once (and I'd been waiting for it the whole time, because he was so calm and accepting and almost naive that it was alarming), but then he gets over it. Oh well. <br />
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In case you're curious: <a href="http://www.thebakerswife.co.uk/index.html">http://www.thebakerswife.co.uk/index.html</a><br />
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Then I saw The Phantom of the Opera with Danielle, Heavens and Rachel! I mean of course it was amazing because it's a fantastic show, and the theatre was beautiful and quite big! We had to go down these scary death stairs to get to our seats and a couple of our seats had a bit of a restricted view, but hey, the tickets were a good price and I've already seen the show so I'm not complaining! This show is larger than life and therefore so was all the cast. The actors who played Christine and the Phantom were phenomonal, as expected. And apparently we saw the understudy playing the Phantom. If the understudy was that good, I can't imagine how amazing the regular actor is! My favorite part of this show was the special effects they used. If you've never seen the show, the Phantom makes the gigantic chandelier crash down and it looks like it's going to hit the audience, which is awesome. And then there were all these rather creepy cherub and angel decorations that we all thought were a part of the theatre decoration, but they were actually part of the show. At more than one point, the Phantom appeared suddenly (as he does so well) on one of the decorations and it was scary. He also appeared at the top of the theatre, and they used vocal recordings to make it feel like he was all around you and that he could pop out at any moment, which was a nice touch. Then of course when the dramatic first piano notes of the theme song are played, I never wanted it to end. Definitely fun seeing it again and being able to compare it to when I saw it on Broadway years ago! <br />
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The Phantom of the Opera is here! <a href="http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/london">http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/london</a><br />
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The most recent show I saw was The Woman in Black, which I saw yesterday at the Fortune Theatre. I had pretty high expectations and I was definitely not disappointed. I had heard how scary and creepy this show was supposed to be and it totally lived up to that. The story is set around Arthur Kipps and an actor he hires to help him figure out a way to tell his friends and family about the Woman in Black, his own true ghost story. He has been having nightmares in the 60 years since this happened, and he hopes that by finally telling it properly, he will be able to free himself. The production gets really interesting when the actors in the show become actors as well. The actor who plays the Actor, portrays the young Arthur Kipps, who has to go to Eel Marsh (in Northeast England, near Scotland), a very sparse town, and to a deserted and very creepy house that used to belong to Alice Drablow. It is the now the source of local legend. He has heard the rumors and is skeptical, but he shouldn't have been. Arthur Kipps ends up filling in for the other people in the story, and he is practicing his performance skills. It starts out with a lot of humor, as he is truely rubbish at it, but he significantly improves. Their dynamic is fanstastic, and within a few minutes, I was already in love with the characters and the people who played them. The special effects in this were great too! They used smoke to create the eery feel in the Marsh, and to Kipps' amazement, tons of great sound effects. The rest was just imagination, as explained by the Actor. A favorite example of this for me was when they were going in a horse and buggy, and to portray that, they used an old box to sit on, and they bounced around on it and pretended they were really riding around in a buggy. It was comic gold. Then it got really un-nerving and creepy. You never knew when the Woman in Black would make an appearance, and she appeared so quietly and suddenly. Also, they used tons of super-high pitched screams and loud sound effects that came out of nowhere, so it was really startling! I won't spoil the ending, but it is twisted and quite sad. There were only three people in the whole cast and that amazes me. I just can't get over how good their performances were. I might even go see it again! <br />
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Interesting side note: Notice they don't list anyone as playing the Woman because she is a ghost of course. Creepy yet appropriate!<br />
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<a href="http://www.thewomaninblack.com/">http://www.thewomaninblack.com/</a><br />
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I'm seeing Matilda next Tuesday, so maybe I'll just edit this post with my thoughts! <br />
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On an unrelated note, I finally finalized all of our Scotland plans (we leave a week from this Friday and I am beyonddd excited! I cannot WAIT to see Loch Ness and the place where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the graveyard where she got inspiration for her characters names. I simply can't wait.) I also go to Oxford University this weekend, which is one of the oldest English-speaking universities in all of Europe. Some parts of the college have been open since the 12th century. It's going to be beautiful. Then hopefully, the weekend after I get back from Scotland, I will be going to Cardiff, Wales. So lots in the future. Expect many more post from me :)Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-27927331166302041302011-10-24T04:54:00.000-07:002011-12-09T12:10:08.106-08:00Níl agam ach beagáinín Gaeilge. (I only speak a little Irish.)WARNING: Extremely long blog with <strong>LOTS</strong> of pictures!!<br />
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Okay so I don't really speak any Irish at all, and I totally wouldn't be able to tell you how to pronounce it. I just find Gaelic fascinating; also the fact that even though I was in another country, and that I knew they still spoke English, I was surprised to find out that many of the signs still had Gaelic above the English. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu-XTvw1EO3NiFtA-I04VFu5eFsMlmJVJfLVInIE4BPaGIMx9bqHuLwN1FAr-0vJFraqzti1_av6C9om6-71JqZdwRyFLsTGKZk42JNB__pm9_gxP4s3YCVrJK1aSVyNeuHNOEh7SZWI/s1600/gaelic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu-XTvw1EO3NiFtA-I04VFu5eFsMlmJVJfLVInIE4BPaGIMx9bqHuLwN1FAr-0vJFraqzti1_av6C9om6-71JqZdwRyFLsTGKZk42JNB__pm9_gxP4s3YCVrJK1aSVyNeuHNOEh7SZWI/s320/gaelic.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div>Anyway, so we started out in Cork, which was so beautiful and charming!! All throughout the streets, there were these cute little houses that were all different colors and there were iron gates surrounding all of them. It was amazing. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoalh6MgVlNiWq8GLgzb0jv7pqYobz0RD6rgNsSF9F2tYDdOaTVJD_txz9MhofAUIrcksXb286iPBZ05yTuIq4acKbINahWJyZzLfMgaNViAJXG8WVP1axLwNfXQk8o4R7pG2iFoMuUNE/s1600/gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoalh6MgVlNiWq8GLgzb0jv7pqYobz0RD6rgNsSF9F2tYDdOaTVJD_txz9MhofAUIrcksXb286iPBZ05yTuIq4acKbINahWJyZzLfMgaNViAJXG8WVP1axLwNfXQk8o4R7pG2iFoMuUNE/s320/gate.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><br />
The first day we got there, we just lazily sat on our beds in our hostel before exploring a bit and finding somewhere to eat dinner. Ironically enough, we found an American-style diner to eat at on our first night in Ireland hahaha. That's my life. Then the next day, after basically running to catch the next bus to Blarney Castle (yes, the infamous Blarney Stone is here), we made it! Blarney Castle was so beautiful and too much to explain in words, but I will still try. There was so much more to see besides the castle, even though that was gorgeous! Parts of it date back from the 1200s. There was a huge garden, with a waterfall and tons of flowers and bridges. There was a dungeon, caves, a witches' altar, a sacrificial altar, the witches' kitchen, and so much more. We took a nice leisurely stroll all around the grounds, before actually heading to the castle, which was in surprisingly good condition for being around 800 years old! I didn't kiss the stone because for one, the steps leading to it were extremely numerous and narrow, and two, to do so, you had to be held in mid-air to kiss it. No me gusta. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBEG7554WOUw1hJa_zwWvgMhjPxBI2SnTgQ02FgbCIZS_jp0zG6fQ9ja3pi9N7owaaD73WsWcd_hBYnI93Ntz5mRg3qv7ceFaAqsxoTHPii-q_xgxY_LMNoA47GG4uBwxrzEuPXMTXOg/s1600/castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBEG7554WOUw1hJa_zwWvgMhjPxBI2SnTgQ02FgbCIZS_jp0zG6fQ9ja3pi9N7owaaD73WsWcd_hBYnI93Ntz5mRg3qv7ceFaAqsxoTHPii-q_xgxY_LMNoA47GG4uBwxrzEuPXMTXOg/s320/castle.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB8Re8ZCjENruH8_1c86R9lkU56sumlb1RIAB5JGPTddp4pRmf8Yhpb1XbAG8Ac5gE_gK15ir4h2V-kYWfgjE0BQTr6Zrpy3YL6oz1_kSl8jtzrPGNSo6Hj3gipAk1oOE3-Sg701-qgo/s1600/sitting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB8Re8ZCjENruH8_1c86R9lkU56sumlb1RIAB5JGPTddp4pRmf8Yhpb1XbAG8Ac5gE_gK15ir4h2V-kYWfgjE0BQTr6Zrpy3YL6oz1_kSl8jtzrPGNSo6Hj3gipAk1oOE3-Sg701-qgo/s320/sitting.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh I'm just sitting in part of a castle that's over 800 years old, no big</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Then we took the train to Dublin from Cork, and I adored the train ride. We got to see tons of beautiful scenery, and it was a great way to see the country. Once we got to Dublin, and our hostel (which was AWESOME), we decided against the ghost tour we had planned for because it was just too cold. We decided instead that we'd explore a bit for somewhere to eat and call it a night, as we were all tired and knew we'd have a full day of walking the next day; we were right. We left around 11am and ended up being gone until after 7pm, and it was FREEZING! That kind of spoiled that day for me, but it was still nice to see the sights. We visited Trinity College where the Book of Kells is, but I really didn't feel like paying to see it, so Chelsea (aka Mama) and I waited outside while everyone went in to look at it. The campus was pretty. Then we walked to see O'Connell St which is the widest and busiest shopping street in Europe. It's home to a bunch of statues, including the Spire (aka the Monument of Light), which is the tallest statue in the world, being 398 ft tall! It was built to symbolize Ireland moving into the new millenium. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts_MUPvx1cgBxaB6LXfzt8hvKcvxtAk4mqzN0SaiCifvsqgfym_BscnfVOk_BCtmbTYnPZtisVzVGOa6xGSLqyBh7q0FMzdlNCev9pajgAl0o50rnVW4M7tHNX3EkXKvLebJkQ-runSg/s1600/spire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts_MUPvx1cgBxaB6LXfzt8hvKcvxtAk4mqzN0SaiCifvsqgfym_BscnfVOk_BCtmbTYnPZtisVzVGOa6xGSLqyBh7q0FMzdlNCev9pajgAl0o50rnVW4M7tHNX3EkXKvLebJkQ-runSg/s320/spire.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The next day we ended up splitting up and half of us decided to take a warm bus tour, which was <u>such</u> a good choice. We saw Oscar Wilde's childhood home, the Archaeology Museum (which was super interesting), Dublin Castle and St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was beyond gorgeous. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqL_k-ajcK9KJod2PGiN3dTjFfnKcg9Lj2auwduvKOMaeDjrJ-ldT1NP8Tk7AAJIQXXrT3hXIWFnNCrxIckyfBWBHzPRx44SS0lmQEogxWcjPi1Pctw8OhjajxTxDmZK4LqRb2rRTuJhQ/s1600/inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqL_k-ajcK9KJod2PGiN3dTjFfnKcg9Lj2auwduvKOMaeDjrJ-ldT1NP8Tk7AAJIQXXrT3hXIWFnNCrxIckyfBWBHzPRx44SS0lmQEogxWcjPi1Pctw8OhjajxTxDmZK4LqRb2rRTuJhQ/s320/inside.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUJRC8FqpWh54uo1Z2ZK6KLXR-ga53-9oZHCiJIJ8HrR340-wMvdt8rJf-YHfduCYol32esKSNTxvLvr-7bPl5znMe-fPzguw-85lgG4u_tIN-RrlBsNgxxTxtbLkSy5oPUoScryULKM/s1600/stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUJRC8FqpWh54uo1Z2ZK6KLXR-ga53-9oZHCiJIJ8HrR340-wMvdt8rJf-YHfduCYol32esKSNTxvLvr-7bPl5znMe-fPzguw-85lgG4u_tIN-RrlBsNgxxTxtbLkSy5oPUoScryULKM/s320/stairs.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I think these lead up to Dumbledore's office </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IGnOtdXT0ubX6zJn2HEAGR2l8JExc0_8E7-mTpCjtSIn1u3FJETOauwCSuSwQnXkEzy5hVuF2A2Osijo-zTFxHAmYNjIlPI-SYqeWD1qqCZajkq3cGKLSe3wdkUaELTaet6l_8OU8xw/s1600/view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IGnOtdXT0ubX6zJn2HEAGR2l8JExc0_8E7-mTpCjtSIn1u3FJETOauwCSuSwQnXkEzy5hVuF2A2Osijo-zTFxHAmYNjIlPI-SYqeWD1qqCZajkq3cGKLSe3wdkUaELTaet6l_8OU8xw/s320/view.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5l4VJgPRwI-myorJTm6bqhFrJym0NjbyIah-iOPGjCCmqjWIH3N7DM3AqVbrQrVBfMbgb3IYJ91vR4tMIoksiZzC-l_bbenuHD4vgCQN0a6nlfD4GPtvjg2vkgiDIaty-Jj7POaUglE/s1600/castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5l4VJgPRwI-myorJTm6bqhFrJym0NjbyIah-iOPGjCCmqjWIH3N7DM3AqVbrQrVBfMbgb3IYJ91vR4tMIoksiZzC-l_bbenuHD4vgCQN0a6nlfD4GPtvjg2vkgiDIaty-Jj7POaUglE/s320/castle.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The only remaining wall of Dublin Castle since the rest burnt down<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pxV_Z1CDZ9g-XCIPFDC1xdADJosIsPbARv16KJSBM7C1XwKYKAOCGtILAj-VvQh97PLDvvCVrXuUeLJ0BMcVaJ2cI5jUOZ-232tFYpJOKq4xAyL7M0l-l0s8ARk3xAUxFNpJBOVqkdw/s1600/outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pxV_Z1CDZ9g-XCIPFDC1xdADJosIsPbARv16KJSBM7C1XwKYKAOCGtILAj-VvQh97PLDvvCVrXuUeLJ0BMcVaJ2cI5jUOZ-232tFYpJOKq4xAyL7M0l-l0s8ARk3xAUxFNpJBOVqkdw/s320/outside.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKt4XFvXqy1Ry-xdK2c_BYofyOn0dBNlGkea8i3scEKmAYbC7wWQOqg5Zt9yY-A9XXIXLZl4r1Sk12ymQWmg4-_zK_WvpKp7bIYOOqnqmi2vA4A1B2D6H1V6RmNxrWCYG-QsZ9ljVjMo/s1600/cutest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKt4XFvXqy1Ry-xdK2c_BYofyOn0dBNlGkea8i3scEKmAYbC7wWQOqg5Zt9yY-A9XXIXLZl4r1Sk12ymQWmg4-_zK_WvpKp7bIYOOqnqmi2vA4A1B2D6H1V6RmNxrWCYG-QsZ9ljVjMo/s320/cutest.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We saw this man and a his daughter walking in the park behind St Patrick's. Cutest thing ever.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We took one last stroll over the River Liffey to find somewhere to eat on our last night in Dublin. We ran across some awesome grafitti. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7-7_stDd-lguXerlLK5WTiWY-nCtslsozbfLk7TXTaRIVAdSjSrI7YvhUXyqPTZKZ3wW0DUyq8VcWoIyzqt-0Vg0hSpuwrcKVqH9qRErzmDZZ0R6YTivpQMVolxg3gjfIC7ca858gEQ/s1600/bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7-7_stDd-lguXerlLK5WTiWY-nCtslsozbfLk7TXTaRIVAdSjSrI7YvhUXyqPTZKZ3wW0DUyq8VcWoIyzqt-0Vg0hSpuwrcKVqH9qRErzmDZZ0R6YTivpQMVolxg3gjfIC7ca858gEQ/s320/bridge.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhqxs0Tzmo3DzDvVW0vZ5o1f7No3weSWWO5qK4yO9YP6AIj4nc9zM0RcO5zIapk-Ehuz-fSphXuqfj__Yk7BNAeXYe03qM9EfPFvfV-b4h5PuB49LAmuQVXFfcUk1CoD5SCLbMR_xeJo/s1600/troll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhqxs0Tzmo3DzDvVW0vZ5o1f7No3weSWWO5qK4yO9YP6AIj4nc9zM0RcO5zIapk-Ehuz-fSphXuqfj__Yk7BNAeXYe03qM9EfPFvfV-b4h5PuB49LAmuQVXFfcUk1CoD5SCLbMR_xeJo/s320/troll.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Then the next day we were off to Belfast! We had another train ride with some time to kill and we had gummies to play with.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bnx7tne8CF0OTvLUH_nTY_RDlUfai33XwmOgooUkyUHFA1wZsns4Qty4Xb_oa0cW88fG1ZrUChCbkegMHmnPFCEPS7zsjxEebiTA76XR92VzUuy16wlzvQ-q9HZuu2CpctkunjzCACI/s1600/moustache+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bnx7tne8CF0OTvLUH_nTY_RDlUfai33XwmOgooUkyUHFA1wZsns4Qty4Xb_oa0cW88fG1ZrUChCbkegMHmnPFCEPS7zsjxEebiTA76XR92VzUuy16wlzvQ-q9HZuu2CpctkunjzCACI/s320/moustache+1.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkE4p0WcEF1rKANbQp67C1G8V8KNOjvnaq3FPUZ_fNj_A-A3jmYj6PkvMoOVzZEAEqIpg000WsJwMHpHQuLMDgGqItoKt95rmUJduVaYCbjSByktQJoO2jYhlIdtvuSjOzY2FMN-3igc/s1600/moustache+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkE4p0WcEF1rKANbQp67C1G8V8KNOjvnaq3FPUZ_fNj_A-A3jmYj6PkvMoOVzZEAEqIpg000WsJwMHpHQuLMDgGqItoKt95rmUJduVaYCbjSByktQJoO2jYhlIdtvuSjOzY2FMN-3igc/s320/moustache+2.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmxZIUpct628cl06Ada5jVUfr3Bb4eo2Scj-aqWmmukaizbEA8ZzS44I9ewA3qKpMmrAMd2C5lFqvXXgr6xcXWjfAqERqxPla_T7DiA2hGfUDOnYZnCP2oMndXoFq32i4cCBiKPZ_G_I/s1600/silly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmxZIUpct628cl06Ada5jVUfr3Bb4eo2Scj-aqWmmukaizbEA8ZzS44I9ewA3qKpMmrAMd2C5lFqvXXgr6xcXWjfAqERqxPla_T7DiA2hGfUDOnYZnCP2oMndXoFq32i4cCBiKPZ_G_I/s320/silly.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>And once we finally got to Belfast, we realized there wasn't too much there. But we did a small walking tour and saw Queen's University, which is absolutely beautiful! Then we saw the botancial gardens and the Ulster Museum (I just took the opportunity to rest because my attention span for museums at that point was shot lol.) Then we found this cute little restaurant to eat and I had a delicious pepper steak sandwich on toasted ciabatta bread. It was amazing. The next day we decided to do a tour of Giant's Causeway, which is a peculiar formation of slow-cooling lava rocks. The legend has it that a Scottish giant named Bennandonor and an Irish giant named Finn McCool were fighting over Oonagh, their shared love interest. Bennandonor was coming to fight Finn and needed a way to get from Scotland to Ireland, so he built the causeway. (At the smallest gap, Scotland is only 12 miles away from Ireland.) Don't worry, Finn won in the end, using the ever-popular and faithful technique of scaring the crap out of Bennandonor. On the way back to Scotland, he destroyed the Causeway and that is why it looks the way it does. The Causeway was beautiful, but rather difficult and slightly terrifying to walk on, because it was hard to balance and it was really windy. It's the fourth greatest natural wonder in the entire UK and it's also a world heritage sight! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCyYc0mliLr3wRvodBDWoVJwgvCzUTwHNw7B13xY5UTSj2piSJbbv_Qx6WG6CY3LqCav1ORkJD6LcJptlV32CuQStVHdXOY8WvWvDByCw4HtzaAQC8SfOtx21kkF3S3SqA4i9UiSSiOw/s1600/uni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCyYc0mliLr3wRvodBDWoVJwgvCzUTwHNw7B13xY5UTSj2piSJbbv_Qx6WG6CY3LqCav1ORkJD6LcJptlV32CuQStVHdXOY8WvWvDByCw4HtzaAQC8SfOtx21kkF3S3SqA4i9UiSSiOw/s320/uni.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me in front of Queen's University</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg7-5T18qrxreQN7z0yaiRKXuzv2ZvJwYRMxN55nRSJ700SOV4PRjGkvFGMyLQUnmZFzyeSuUUKok9RsQPIODgH15HLPMp-AJnlUTg0LVStAh1gQBDvrGicJwKbsaZYzKRC6Hnrvw8LQ/s320/gc1.jpg" width="320px" /></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BMRGOC3wB2MZG53PhKzGJ3IpDWNvwF7vq9Sykg-9Md4NkllvMe53a_JYePi-VgKH0XAo1IVpB2iy3x-Nud58E5CqcPl99eOUQKqvg7beTqe52R-mdPnsffavTQxBwMCz69nH8rbHFSQ/s1600/gc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BMRGOC3wB2MZG53PhKzGJ3IpDWNvwF7vq9Sykg-9Md4NkllvMe53a_JYePi-VgKH0XAo1IVpB2iy3x-Nud58E5CqcPl99eOUQKqvg7beTqe52R-mdPnsffavTQxBwMCz69nH8rbHFSQ/s320/gc2.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPIJ0sA0ZqrfI0ow8ibURy0g7vFm1FsNhayuJtY-DfprI2zZnkhd9lThBikgoZpjV4A0gHvi6mH-R2UxZ18f3uUJCcCrzWGcaZlOO071ctDwGuQ2YUKPuiy8XqB7muzSdBcOOHehj3BQ/s1600/gc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPIJ0sA0ZqrfI0ow8ibURy0g7vFm1FsNhayuJtY-DfprI2zZnkhd9lThBikgoZpjV4A0gHvi6mH-R2UxZ18f3uUJCcCrzWGcaZlOO071ctDwGuQ2YUKPuiy8XqB7muzSdBcOOHehj3BQ/s320/gc3.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Chels braved these rocks in her heels. I was impressed!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Our tour guide/bus driver Troy was fantastic by the way! He was rather intimidating at first, but once I got to know him a bit, I realized that he's honestly one of the nicest people I've ever met. He's super friendly, funny and outgoing and you can tell he's definitely passionate about his job and about making sure we all had a good time. According to him, he does it for the 'craic' ('crack' in gaelic, but it's Irish slang that means 'fun'.) He jokingly claims to be a great driver, an even better sleep driver, and an even better driver once he's had some of his favorite drink, Bushmills Whiskey. He took the time that he could of chosen to rest, while we were out seeing the rocks, to make sure our lunch was being made, and then even went so far as to bring our drinks and cutlery. He was a sweetheart. He even later reccomended us an amazing restaurant to eat at later where I had probably the best brownie sundae of my life. I miss him already. On the way back, we saw some amazing countryside, the ruins of Dunluce Castle, and most importantly, lots of sheep! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWXRCr0cIy_6ZA2Uc7m04bfeSBORAvP76JopnNo1LdUqfilPAUN9MM-twyGdDOD_zGSO3sW4iiO2lb28FsWJa__9BBoBT2Lg9bTY15kU0XI4l5C6J7VTPeg_Fk7rYGV5GHo_vk4PzUWo/s1600/dunluce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWXRCr0cIy_6ZA2Uc7m04bfeSBORAvP76JopnNo1LdUqfilPAUN9MM-twyGdDOD_zGSO3sW4iiO2lb28FsWJa__9BBoBT2Lg9bTY15kU0XI4l5C6J7VTPeg_Fk7rYGV5GHo_vk4PzUWo/s320/dunluce.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD1bBOCiZmBYDHYlcqB1Cpro87DsEbrxQ6_pdRWAqZTzOA12U9znDIbSCoioq4BxiqL-bQICT1SJqSewv0U5p0xYDXHZfBw7tKu_VinybVRVsYJURbYlJzzB6Ca4J-9MGAkqdIZsdVuw/s1600/country+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD1bBOCiZmBYDHYlcqB1Cpro87DsEbrxQ6_pdRWAqZTzOA12U9znDIbSCoioq4BxiqL-bQICT1SJqSewv0U5p0xYDXHZfBw7tKu_VinybVRVsYJURbYlJzzB6Ca4J-9MGAkqdIZsdVuw/s320/country+1.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AcEmawgE2NojcBRGpaKeffPA030M645pUaDpEuwioPkXTtNMwlhXbWpG0WniQo95yjZ-fA8swbaELolUpCaTkjNBvJz149j4Iqu3411-otAU84liRAccJwTb1EsJ5xlGbEEPQ4KcuZI/s1600/country+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AcEmawgE2NojcBRGpaKeffPA030M645pUaDpEuwioPkXTtNMwlhXbWpG0WniQo95yjZ-fA8swbaELolUpCaTkjNBvJz149j4Iqu3411-otAU84liRAccJwTb1EsJ5xlGbEEPQ4KcuZI/s320/country+2.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OqJjS8KJyOXMP7R74VNR14-E-WgIE_nGwJM7_sgz3ex7oE7x_LubyGQNqY4RXASwz58csnYFEqpKadCr7oKE-PgzG2dCM8IgPIS_4aHV2QGaH2x8BjurxIEpMuICdXBlqQdMOqG0K2Y/s1600/sheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OqJjS8KJyOXMP7R74VNR14-E-WgIE_nGwJM7_sgz3ex7oE7x_LubyGQNqY4RXASwz58csnYFEqpKadCr7oKE-PgzG2dCM8IgPIS_4aHV2QGaH2x8BjurxIEpMuICdXBlqQdMOqG0K2Y/s320/sheep.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
Then on our last day in Ireland, we decided to take a black cab taxi tour of Belfast that took us around the city as well as showed us West Belfast, where all the religious problems and tensions still exist between the Protestants and Catholics. According to Troy, it's about 90% safe now, as opposed to when it used to be 100% dangerous, but it's still scary to think about. We also got to see what was once the most bombed hotel in the world, Hotel Europa. (Luckily, it hasn't been bombed since the early 90s, and they have taken precautions to make it a lot safer, but it was still surreal to think about.) Our taxi driver/tour guide's name was Walter and he was so sweet and friendly. He even shook our hands before he left us at the airport. I learned so much on that day, and it was probably my favorite part of the entire trip, besides Blarney Castle. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe0WCgfQAsLkprcvKyS3kt_4ZwaUmLs-ehvM8p3h9MMWVnGhEGDnk3RRwNJj8ZUDq6AXUkqnK2C8wQwqk1HBCqYeHB3_Z2ieMMZtHxrnqdS3Z4PfnfIwm1lv7NLM55DdxWrhG1EtfTTA/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe0WCgfQAsLkprcvKyS3kt_4ZwaUmLs-ehvM8p3h9MMWVnGhEGDnk3RRwNJj8ZUDq6AXUkqnK2C8wQwqk1HBCqYeHB3_Z2ieMMZtHxrnqdS3Z4PfnfIwm1lv7NLM55DdxWrhG1EtfTTA/s320/writing.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>We got to see what is disturbingly known as the 'Belfast Mona Lisa' because the gun follows you everywhere you look. It really does and it's scary to think about the real-life meaning of the mural. Then we went to the famous Belfast Peace Wall, which acts as a peaceful barrier between the Protestants and the Catholics. The decorated side is the Protestant side and we actually got the chance to write on it! I added to the 'blackbird' message someone else had left as well as a couple other things. I think it's safe to say that's one of the coolest things I've ever gotten the chance to do. I'm now a part of history and thousands of other people will see my messages and we will be connected in that way. It's amazing. <br />
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We also saw some of the incredible murals and memorials that line the city, before a quick stop to Milltown Cemetery (we weren't supposed to go in there on Saturdays or Sundays, but our driver just did a quick drive through, after ignoring the dirty look the guy at the entrance gave us.) This cemetery is where lots of IRA (the Irish Republic Army) members are buried, and it's a very controversial area. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Overall, I learned and was surprised over and over again how truely lovely and wonderful Irish people can be. Just to give you one more example, our taxi driver during our tour got a call from the hostel we had been at, saying that one of us had left their iphone there and he went back, without charging us extra, and ran in to get it for her. <br />
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The country was beautiful, I saw tons of amazing sights and met lots of wonderful people. Definitely a successful trip! I'll leave you with some fun, random pictures. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUHeRVUThpvo_yYcsDZ23U06LQIq03FOtMUhx8peKQcf9S606hj4WASJvxlho1Ehvm20dSLZLuNg13KZGFjmLhdASk-6sI43Luw29dy61zLRIIfFh4DI9yIMErc0M5rB4uj8-B6xkVAo/s1600/mk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUHeRVUThpvo_yYcsDZ23U06LQIq03FOtMUhx8peKQcf9S606hj4WASJvxlho1Ehvm20dSLZLuNg13KZGFjmLhdASk-6sI43Luw29dy61zLRIIfFh4DI9yIMErc0M5rB4uj8-B6xkVAo/s320/mk.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-y0TzD-AxniOWNmivK1ERBSzSZkAiTCoL8RCO2P20WDDm9lJUPcimIfl_ikeptn7mAekTj8BNK3IXFboSD1AOZvg4PkqUwQbjgg9H5B5l-oBav0lCssg7kigZqllpW26UgBe8z6Nsl10/s1600/generator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-y0TzD-AxniOWNmivK1ERBSzSZkAiTCoL8RCO2P20WDDm9lJUPcimIfl_ikeptn7mAekTj8BNK3IXFboSD1AOZvg4PkqUwQbjgg9H5B5l-oBav0lCssg7kigZqllpW26UgBe8z6Nsl10/s320/generator.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtRVt7rWjqioDOi1wRLqTPWcKZGV8CV6VFA5s5Op3pUjozwv2OjLXBJSAs6bnOW2VKoFxfI54YBKyKoM8LQECrlYQRxhO1CKTHAYepxbhxn0AiZinIRDDVlRoz9UGapFdMZ-IImvUodg/s1600/eve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtRVt7rWjqioDOi1wRLqTPWcKZGV8CV6VFA5s5Op3pUjozwv2OjLXBJSAs6bnOW2VKoFxfI54YBKyKoM8LQECrlYQRxhO1CKTHAYepxbhxn0AiZinIRDDVlRoz9UGapFdMZ-IImvUodg/s1600/eve.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-82615562087985806242011-10-11T08:26:00.000-07:002011-12-09T11:59:25.363-08:00I've Been BusyI'm sorry it's taken so long for an update but I've been busy! <br />
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So first and foremost, we've been busy finalizing plans to go to Ireland for our fall break. We are starting out in Cork and then taking a train to Dublin and later on a train to Belfast. I'm really excited, I've heard Ireland is beautiful! We want to see the Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle, and Giant's Causeway just to list a few things. I especially would love to take a ghost walking tour in Dublin too and possibly go whale watching in Dublin, since it's on the coast. <br />
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I went to another show for my Musical Theatre class, called Ragtime. It was pretty fabulous. The theatre was the tiniest one I've ever been in (not that I've been in too many though). There were 45 seats and we were sitting so close to the ''stage'' and the actors that when one of the characters died, I could see her breathing and it ruined it for me a bit haha. Also, interestingly enough, the governor/journalist from the show we saw previously, Parade, was in the audience. If we'd been at a bigger theatre, I probably never would have noticed him. I love it when cool little coincidences like that happen. The story itself was overall very depressing but the music was great! Lots of soul and lots of great dancing. Two out of my three favorite characters died, but what are ya gonna do? We go to another show tonight called The Baker's Wife which my prof said isn't as depressing as Parade and Ragtime have been, so yay! I'll let you know what I think. <br />
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<a href="http://www.thepublicreviews.com/ragtime-landor-theatre-london/">http://www.thepublicreviews.com/ragtime-landor-theatre-london/</a><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Then I met up with Danielle, Sarah and Rachel and we went to Portobello Market, which is AWESOME! Never thought I'd say it but Portobello Market > Camden Market. Shocking, I know. The market is in Notting Hill, which is this adorable little section of London on well, a hill. It's apparently where a lot of celebrities who live in London reside. Gwyneth Paltrow is rumored to live there, but no sightings yet. The buildings are all very colorful and unique and the market is the same. There's a much more diverse mix of stuff and I got some really nice jewellery, and lots of good food! I got a sausage roll (big here in the UK), a dark chocolate crepe (!!!) and chocolate covered strawberries. Yummy scrumboes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yeXt23a4LSKaCwZnuKse_nO-dq0hAVgAZfNn23QXC4G4hG6j6A1u1jU3342G_nuaea3lcC1uAOtYExeolDZH1NjLg8sxMDDMEs95K4pHWilEJ5o6o6MHHIyAKzbLgdFN4FiRz_6XiTk/s1600/portobello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yeXt23a4LSKaCwZnuKse_nO-dq0hAVgAZfNn23QXC4G4hG6j6A1u1jU3342G_nuaea3lcC1uAOtYExeolDZH1NjLg8sxMDDMEs95K4pHWilEJ5o6o6MHHIyAKzbLgdFN4FiRz_6XiTk/s320/portobello.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The weekend before last me, Eve and Lizzie decided to take a day trip to Brighton, which is a beach resort town on the southern coast of England. It lays right on the English Channel and it was beautiful. There were all kinds of cool places to eat (a lot overlooking the water) and tons of neat shops. I learned a couple things though: 1) rocky beach fronts HURT your feet. No me gusta. 2) With regards to the English Channel (aka eater of Converse shoes), never take off your shoes and leave them on the rocks to put your feet in the water thinking that the tide won't get them, because it will. Or in my case, it will take one and leave you in an awkward position. Eve ended up running to get me a cheap pair of flip-flops and all was mostly well. (I sadly had to throw away the other shoe, but hey I guess now I have an excuse to buy a different color when I get home!) We then ventured over to Brighton Pier which is super cool. There's all kinds of old-timey rides (such as the Waltzer which spins you around in a cup thing, while the whole thing itself is spinning and it only had a bar that you had to hold down to keep you in. Scaryyy but fun.) I also went on the bumper cars (I miss driving) and one other ride that spins you in circles. Dizzy day. We also took some time to chill in some of the super comfy chairs right on the pier and admire the water. It was lovely. Also, I got made fun of for how I say 'water' lol. I went up and got a bottle and the guy said ''You Americans sure do love your waaahhhter don't you?'' Haha okayyy. Then we walked to the Royal Pavilion, which is indescribably gorgeous. It was a former royal residence and I can see why. Before we left, we found a delicious little Mexican restaurant, aptly named El Mexicano, and I got a super spicy chicken dish; pollo al chipotle. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91Hu4aUZShBXUD7jiV8XV58tqQ2i8NC1l4Dhu8nXdpAgeyFp2Gya7CrWHpJf2COeuYVcLuNS6e2b8aVKe9mo8T0BW8mxoItYJzB_aUBBMJCxjhNlrM_rblwR0IWDcmB7F3u8SKKpobiU/s1600/70s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91Hu4aUZShBXUD7jiV8XV58tqQ2i8NC1l4Dhu8nXdpAgeyFp2Gya7CrWHpJf2COeuYVcLuNS6e2b8aVKe9mo8T0BW8mxoItYJzB_aUBBMJCxjhNlrM_rblwR0IWDcmB7F3u8SKKpobiU/s320/70s.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Mystery Machine?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLOpZaQWJpQxfG6QzILk_5tx6m5sSiiIjpIrcq4AsMSeKa89jB3SWSvKoxxc7SD-c4vcndoby1dMkwVD3fZ-7Ne7XO0_QMEYa38_ti4c18Yg_slNCHt_Xq-ZwX2Ow1P_Wn0uERjgPlN4/s1600/feet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLOpZaQWJpQxfG6QzILk_5tx6m5sSiiIjpIrcq4AsMSeKa89jB3SWSvKoxxc7SD-c4vcndoby1dMkwVD3fZ-7Ne7XO0_QMEYa38_ti4c18Yg_slNCHt_Xq-ZwX2Ow1P_Wn0uERjgPlN4/s320/feet.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Me standing in the English Channel</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG3bq3YTycU3qHm_vHZbIKGfK6c1Rw3tjn06vKafY8RkUL-dlthNp8BThpdY86mJuzC_sGu7JxozUzOg9FZ4deXux5J1dW6VLvNtNHi5E-8VgiBNRhVWEG5ys287gt-2XHBaYtKOQR6I/s1600/shoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG3bq3YTycU3qHm_vHZbIKGfK6c1Rw3tjn06vKafY8RkUL-dlthNp8BThpdY86mJuzC_sGu7JxozUzOg9FZ4deXux5J1dW6VLvNtNHi5E-8VgiBNRhVWEG5ys287gt-2XHBaYtKOQR6I/s320/shoe.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The shoe is lonely<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz97Kn2KjA1Fe3g90nfkzxGRyTDOkiXrRET3VfyrdcspeRyDE9eXzCjmIl2uOqj-cNcG6ZQJf_U8SnNYBLwiEz6iwN9thNuK_BKMaaIxWACZaqt3R8XEz-gDafQq5m3qp6yGQghOmVywo/s1600/bumper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz97Kn2KjA1Fe3g90nfkzxGRyTDOkiXrRET3VfyrdcspeRyDE9eXzCjmIl2uOqj-cNcG6ZQJf_U8SnNYBLwiEz6iwN9thNuK_BKMaaIxWACZaqt3R8XEz-gDafQq5m3qp6yGQghOmVywo/s320/bumper.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGukXVoD-0AzTmU0RFU2m5A3J8C7XEnuSk4G21lzSBLa3y6cyjnXtSmJjS4xSAhaiXky1vhjIeiL-infnj8SR9rMfnpLKAZrCOFMqlx1BFJoj1hUZ_VM8odMJKh9UBx5qrzxjqFb3Md0/s1600/grateful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGukXVoD-0AzTmU0RFU2m5A3J8C7XEnuSk4G21lzSBLa3y6cyjnXtSmJjS4xSAhaiXky1vhjIeiL-infnj8SR9rMfnpLKAZrCOFMqlx1BFJoj1hUZ_VM8odMJKh9UBx5qrzxjqFb3Md0/s320/grateful.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me saving Eve's life </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl-ezJOc5SJsHtPXpvf8rkcHN1mwbnLfCrra4Zd8MHmev2VssWebYUslHjkD3Ti5y0zQqzl-jxmMGy8_iCzJjd0IjNP9mPp8P1yO3ROtMT-AkYMVOGEDD_Bvze5cu8ojEoz0uV6z3fZs/s1600/layers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl-ezJOc5SJsHtPXpvf8rkcHN1mwbnLfCrra4Zd8MHmev2VssWebYUslHjkD3Ti5y0zQqzl-jxmMGy8_iCzJjd0IjNP9mPp8P1yO3ROtMT-AkYMVOGEDD_Bvze5cu8ojEoz0uV6z3fZs/s320/layers.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Royal Pavilion<br />
</div>The next day, Jill and I decided to go see the changing of the guards. Definitely different then I thought it was going to be. Buckingham Palace isn't as pretty as I would have expected but those guards mean business! There were even like five extra policemen on horseback (one of which was being pet by the public and LOVING it!; (the horse not the policemen)) The ceremony was actually in three sections, because the new guards had to come in to relieve the old guards and then the old guards had to leave. The crowd was nuts though, but we ended up getting a pretty good spot to watch. We decided though that we're going to try to go again so that we can actually see what's going on inside the palace grounds. Then we sat down under ''our tree'' in Green Park (which is beautiful), people watched and just talked. I then got a ''NY'' hot dog which was actually really good! I'm impressed London. <br />
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I did a little bit of solo shopping on this past Saturday and I am still addicted to Primark. I spent about £20 for like 6 or 7 things! I love Oxford Street. <br />
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So like I said, Ireland is next week so my next post will definitely talk about that! (I will definitely try not to go three weeks without posting again!)Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-30711595299471774172011-09-18T11:45:00.000-07:002011-12-09T11:55:06.025-08:00Caught in the rain without an umbrellaIt's hard to believe that I've been here almost a month! Time is flying! <br />
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The last week has definitely been a good one! On Monday for my Musical Theatre class, me and a couple friends went to see Parade at the Southwark Playhouse. After we FINALLY found it about 10 minutes before showtime, everything went perfect. The place was sooo cool. There were maybe 200 seats, and in the middle was the stage, i.e. the floor. It was so intimate and just perfect. The show was amazing as well. It was set in the early 1900s in Atlanta, Georgia. It was about this Jewish man, Leo, who gets wrongfully convicted and hung for the murder/rape of a young girl who works at his factory. It was so sad and frustrating, but yet I left with a huge smile on my face. It was so well done, the music/dancing/performances were fantastic. I actually still had one of the songs stuck in my head this afternoon, if that tells you anything. I'm gonna love this class!<br />
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<a href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/review-23980065-parade-southwark-playhouse---review.do">http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/review-23980065-parade-southwark-playhouse---review.do</a><br />
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On Thursday, me and my friends went out to a karaoke lounge! We had been talking about doing karaoke for a while and finally found a place. It was fun, although I ended up leaving early with one of my other friends so I didn't get to sing any songs. Oh well, I'm pretty sure we'll definitely be going back. The highlight of the night was someone singing Don't Stop Believin' by Journey and literally everyone in the entire place was singing along at the top of their lungs. It was so cool. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2KcoZPAi2qJjYdQxL0Bu1L8Q6EZC-cWEFeoCcRHkr59s6wxF375wq1eZLbXU8a_lQIxvYGIJDbYaPR5RDz2qRLyTZehq_e-C26FXNc-5bvOr1pC4cH0gYxw4oH-ZhBEaMlrIoiCubNg/s1600/karaoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2KcoZPAi2qJjYdQxL0Bu1L8Q6EZC-cWEFeoCcRHkr59s6wxF375wq1eZLbXU8a_lQIxvYGIJDbYaPR5RDz2qRLyTZehq_e-C26FXNc-5bvOr1pC4cH0gYxw4oH-ZhBEaMlrIoiCubNg/s320/karaoke.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">L-R Me, Eve, Lizzy, Mariah, Chels and MK </div>Then yesterday my friends and I got together and ordered some pizza (yes it was Domino's, but I lasted a whole month here without it so it's okay) and hashed out our details for all the trips we want to take, as well as the plans for our upcoming fall break that last a week and a half. We decided that we're going to spend it in Ireland. This makes me want to watch Leap Year. If the men in Ireland are really as charming as Declan in Leap Year, then this will be an enjoyable trip lol. We plan to fly into Cork, and hit Belfast, Galway, and Dublin as well. We also planned a plethora of other day/weekend trips. We're going to Brighton (which I am beyond excited for), the Scottish Highlands (Loch Ness!!), and I might go along to Cardiff, Wales. I am also planning a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland which is a quaint town right in the middle of the Swiss Alps. All this planning made me realize how little time we truly have here!<br />
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Today I made plans to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, mostly because I thought it would be awesome to see the film in London. My plans didn't go accordingly, but it worked out in its own way. I took the tube to Leicester Square, and was running late as it was and couldn't find the theatre! I wandered around a bit, after asking a lovely girl for directions and she didn't know, so I decided to get dinner and head back early. I must have took the wrong direction out of the tube station because I somehow managed to end up in Trafalgar Square, which is lovely. It's huge, with ornate fountains, a huge towering monument and many other monuments in the shapes of lions and a glass bottle. Of course by this point it was pouring and as it had been nice out when I left I didn't bring my umbrella. So I was caught in the rain without an umbrella, literally. But it was kind of nice, I have to say. At one point I looked to my left and had a perfect view of Big Ben. It was gorgeous and made up for me not making it to the movie. I ended up going to Spaghetti House for some well deserved pizza, looking wonderful I'm sure. I went in and the waiter asked me house I was, and answered 'Wet?' for me because I must have looked like a drowned rat. Then on my way back to the tube station, I stopped and got a delicious chocolate gelato milkshake. Now I plan to relax for the night, maybe just watch the 2nd HP online, watch some <em>Glee </em>and talk to my parents!<br />
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Next weekend I might be going to Stonehenge so I'll keep you posted!<br />
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Cheers!Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-76068464395437119252011-09-12T02:14:00.000-07:002011-12-09T11:52:13.058-08:00Catching Up Sorry it's been so long without a post! <br />
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My friends and I decided to check out this cool place called Edgar & Swan. It was a really neat little restaurant, because all the walls were made out of stacks of every kind of book you could imagine. And then the bathroom floor was made out of Scrabble pieces. It was super cozy and I know it'd be the perfect place to go to on a rainy day. And apparently I had bangers and mash? (Sausage and mashed potatoes, oh they were very delicious!)<br />
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Then recently during the weekend, my friends and I decided to take a visit to Westminster. I went on the Eye while the rest of the group toured Buckingham Palace. The Eye was soooo worth it since it was such a nice view, but the queue was RIDICULOUS! It was about an hour long wait for a 25 minute ride, and it was super expensive but whatevs. I also stood behind the most <u>adorable</u> little kids, so that made the wait a bit more bearable. The only thing that is rather terrifying about the Eye is that you have to get on and off the ride while it is moving, yeah no me gusta. Then that Sunday we went to Camden Market, and it was pretty nice. It was a gloomy day to start off with though as it was raining steadily during our 15 minute walk there, which was kind of a bummer. But I got tons of cool stuff, including a couple sweet posters, a leopard scarf!!, a cute cropped tee, an awesome lime green chunky knit beret and a beautiful locket clock necklace which I have been obsessed with and wearing pretty much every day. Thennn I stayed for dinner and got a delicious spicy chicken and cheese quesadilla and got to sit on an old motorbike and people watch over the Camden Lock. I adore that place. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aQR0gs06NDTjl08yK6ML4T0Zxy6I9cGx43lKS4__x4gVw6pYxpDsprxH7R0n8jKnubOH_a0Vzet0DU7XttbECliiSunPEBmaUbdCiFUz2G7Lsrvxdy9Vg_LCoMgILicHJjMW3VG0eY8/s1600/oneye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aQR0gs06NDTjl08yK6ML4T0Zxy6I9cGx43lKS4__x4gVw6pYxpDsprxH7R0n8jKnubOH_a0Vzet0DU7XttbECliiSunPEBmaUbdCiFUz2G7Lsrvxdy9Vg_LCoMgILicHJjMW3VG0eY8/s320/oneye.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me on the Eye<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGguw-ewhHOaAf8E9YA9yk6isMyVxtlVvQvg3c8fBkQ-_c8gR0i983_k6syxRzA61syKEIoY-MIGjADFGDuUTIBsk5UsRQBFJk8v1zWffP16eEm1xqhd9DCcNn3AbtUe4Cyt1Xvaaja2g/s1600/wow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGguw-ewhHOaAf8E9YA9yk6isMyVxtlVvQvg3c8fBkQ-_c8gR0i983_k6syxRzA61syKEIoY-MIGjADFGDuUTIBsk5UsRQBFJk8v1zWffP16eEm1xqhd9DCcNn3AbtUe4Cyt1Xvaaja2g/s320/wow.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from the Eye </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSinxPkUpPceotMz3i_llscIShlkC0JhkrfmCbKmOe-NT3Pg-PAGHlQk8ocgOKMFDVUbtaGYYkKPLfLlyxt8j_cZDAo3RdkdlBtq89g8pLXjxCaoBcWneRjTlBQaUEmsJk8qTbx1AqSGk/s1600/beatles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSinxPkUpPceotMz3i_llscIShlkC0JhkrfmCbKmOe-NT3Pg-PAGHlQk8ocgOKMFDVUbtaGYYkKPLfLlyxt8j_cZDAo3RdkdlBtq89g8pLXjxCaoBcWneRjTlBQaUEmsJk8qTbx1AqSGk/s320/beatles.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7K5jyGck_dMTooKjApEBq55jGUuILh47_lNzoLVlylLaPXiTAPq-xpnX09XmeTeQX1iRA2HZqyAUo0FlvuitzSmsK7eqXMVjU3bBNueAWEJsYk-qg7pm-WU8CFpt4O9zl1nJjEaoGiw/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7K5jyGck_dMTooKjApEBq55jGUuILh47_lNzoLVlylLaPXiTAPq-xpnX09XmeTeQX1iRA2HZqyAUo0FlvuitzSmsK7eqXMVjU3bBNueAWEJsYk-qg7pm-WU8CFpt4O9zl1nJjEaoGiw/s320/flowers.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Tcayz50GdhOl6oIaCKYCIqSA3fuxtf4mFlEKXq9rkZb0F99U0KIWK9fViNQ6krKpauICv1dh_oHP3DTzLjoUkABEHBfeREgwq3MSYev5IPQH5ZgZRWz7HMjHoI4zJJydkACKkblNGu4/s1600/market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Tcayz50GdhOl6oIaCKYCIqSA3fuxtf4mFlEKXq9rkZb0F99U0KIWK9fViNQ6krKpauICv1dh_oHP3DTzLjoUkABEHBfeREgwq3MSYev5IPQH5ZgZRWz7HMjHoI4zJJydkACKkblNGu4/s320/market.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAiCOtpLq0igHuxBAWNu-5VbTaQLv5LkiNezw48Wn-axKBasWCl4DFN1Hgr1jxAt5wOZfBvnxhvTYVZXZCWgWAL-kdOYl4Z1s1vV8zvl0ecygzMuafYZl52Tn1Lqd-cFl7aDqvTZmIvo/s1600/sit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAiCOtpLq0igHuxBAWNu-5VbTaQLv5LkiNezw48Wn-axKBasWCl4DFN1Hgr1jxAt5wOZfBvnxhvTYVZXZCWgWAL-kdOYl4Z1s1vV8zvl0ecygzMuafYZl52Tn1Lqd-cFl7aDqvTZmIvo/s320/sit.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The awesome seating area in Camden Lock at Camden Market</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCZVqUc78AjaY99u9KKtcrbe7nQzL9GRS4l1kGqq7Uuf-HsEnZNS7HoGCUqUvWgDzYunQsRuAUQBtf7ppyhw4GZkm-jV1-xKYGGC-DOjKBkJSp7ILDs_lHaJ7733yDzvjQE1nCK6faq0/s1600/street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCZVqUc78AjaY99u9KKtcrbe7nQzL9GRS4l1kGqq7Uuf-HsEnZNS7HoGCUqUvWgDzYunQsRuAUQBtf7ppyhw4GZkm-jV1-xKYGGC-DOjKBkJSp7ILDs_lHaJ7733yDzvjQE1nCK6faq0/s320/street.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
Anyway, I've had a really good past week and a half. My friends and I have been frequenting Oxford Street quite a lot, which is always fun. We took a night walk just to check things out about a week and a half ago. It's really pretty when it's all lit up at night. Then the following Wednesday, me and a couple friends decided to go shopping on Oxford Street because we didn't have enough ______ (fill in the blank). Haha I decided that I needed another cardigan and of course came home with a shirt as well as a sweater. Oh well, it's Primark's fault for being so cheap and cute. Then we went out to dinner at this nice place called Spaghetti House (where they do actually serve other things besides spaghetti. Shocking I know!) I got some yummy pizza (what's new?) Thennn we went to Ben's Cookies, WHICH IS THE BEST PLACE EVER! I got a chocolate milkshake and a dark chocolate chunk cookie, oh boy, so good. And we tried to go into Forever 21, which was lush as they say here, but we got kicked out (rather rudely) cuz we had drinks *eye roll*<br />
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</div> Then this weekend I went to Dagenham (about a hour outside of central London) to visit my cousin! It was so much fun! After a bit of confusion on the trains, I finally made it there and we decided to take the (double-decker!!) bus into Romford to do a little browsing and go to dinner. We went to Ciao Bella (which means Hello/Goodbye Beautiful in Italian) and it was SO good! I had pizza again lol. Then we went bowling with my cousin, her girlfriend, and a couple of her friends, it was a good time. I didn't break 100 either game even though we had the bumpers up but I am okay with this fact. On Saturday we just chilled and stayed inside to watch some movies as it was kind of gross outside. We watched Bridesmaids which was amazing! (''No one can get anywhere in 3 seconds!'') Then we later watched Buried (with Ryan Reynolds, which was very good but really heartbreaking). Then yesterday we decided to check out the Thames Festival. On our way we passed the Tower of London (which was amazing) and even more amazing was the Tower Bridge!! (And later on we even saw the Millennium Bridge which was the bridge they used in Harry Potter, and I was super excited about that.) The festival itself was pretty cool, there was live music, and a bunch of tents with lots of different food and crafts. I got a sausage sandwich, the best chips I've ever had, and later on some churros and chocolate. I however wanted to buy most of the stuff we passed. We originally were going to stay late to watch the fireworks, but it started raining and we just didn't feel like getting soaked so we called it a night. I had a great weekend though. And Danielle's friend even said they were thinking of going to visit Portabello Market in London in the next couple weeks, so I'll probably end up meeting up with them again soon! :) I surprised myself with how easy it was for me to be thrown into a new group of people and only knowing one person, and I fit in surprisingly well! I was really proud of myself. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbWmnCWsDVeXSSQXTMw5RPjAMe8QHYVXW5GLP4rs_tKOvLQRRh4B6CT-0NqYmZIezm-j6aMad41BUd79LvJwIQMeB8I8B9hHwXiWWXDf8tLAieZ2HO17k9KBAO_11lN2YjERIslQjMG4/s320/excited.jpg" width="320px" /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">It's the bridge that the Dementors destroyed in the Harry Potter films!!!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5iPZWoWI2j1HZ0spRgGcQ5Q1Ro3p9evCOgxEy9C3H8jpN4A6c7_Is9cIBnAM9JcyBv2Id1UJQhXm9SHKi2XZkK5er7THyk4uEGKQGNl6uv2md9SbI5xHzI7_n6P5E6tHPzI094jmeTI/s1600/tower2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5iPZWoWI2j1HZ0spRgGcQ5Q1Ro3p9evCOgxEy9C3H8jpN4A6c7_Is9cIBnAM9JcyBv2Id1UJQhXm9SHKi2XZkK5er7THyk4uEGKQGNl6uv2md9SbI5xHzI7_n6P5E6tHPzI094jmeTI/s320/tower2.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">No big deal or anything, just walking on the Tower Bridge... </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5vs8WuiI38fnC2XeeFlmIY0RsYPprM9BUChMe7DO7lK1UtkbmJqGK7NIGw6PDehQtIQmLMzoe1hW9yGlZpl5UTcMFoRsWZtzM1XSoFmNfCjUdZvPnkzbFXdjlFk0cIXtf8wkYxtjYO8/s1600/tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5vs8WuiI38fnC2XeeFlmIY0RsYPprM9BUChMe7DO7lK1UtkbmJqGK7NIGw6PDehQtIQmLMzoe1hW9yGlZpl5UTcMFoRsWZtzM1XSoFmNfCjUdZvPnkzbFXdjlFk0cIXtf8wkYxtjYO8/s320/tower.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYy4MgCNuPoT_-RIx3rNmAx-w7Nvc6GWGXXLPw_Z3CrJUwbIF2NT8dgadEBLI8jtNX0SJr6nCL-tqsDoOw0IO_XnPSResYmAceoZEkHFXWkeiHwzX0MBSS5aZ2oYfM5POgdJ4MXrzfPo/s1600/aw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYy4MgCNuPoT_-RIx3rNmAx-w7Nvc6GWGXXLPw_Z3CrJUwbIF2NT8dgadEBLI8jtNX0SJr6nCL-tqsDoOw0IO_XnPSResYmAceoZEkHFXWkeiHwzX0MBSS5aZ2oYfM5POgdJ4MXrzfPo/s320/aw.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My classes are going really well! I'm in love with my acting class, it has us doing the silliest assignments, but it's wonderful. The other day I was a nerd who was bullied on the way home from school lol. And I'm also really excited about my Creative Writing class! We had to do a cool assignment where we sat in a public place and wrote about our sensory experience and then made up stories about two of the people we saw. I love people-watching (that makes me sound creepy) so it was fun anyway. And then tomorrow for my Musical Theatre class we're going to our first show, Parade. So I'll let you know how good or bad it was. </div><br />
And lastly, my friends and I are planning to go to a karaoke place sometime this week, which will be lots of fun!Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-12558118376505015492011-08-30T02:45:00.000-07:002011-12-09T11:47:44.017-08:00The Beginning I've been in London for about 5 days now (even though I'm hesitant to count the first day as I was exhausted and it was a complete blur lol). Things have been really good for the most part so far, albeit extremely rainy. But hey you can't win 'em all. I've actually been adjusting to living in such a big city quite well, considering how small my hometown is. I've been forcing myself to wander around and explore by myself, and I've also now ridden/navigated the tube successfully by myself multiple times, and I'm very proud of myself. <br />
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On Friday I explored Primark on Oxford Street with Jen and Nicole, some fellow SU goers. Primark is fabulous, I adore it. Although since Oxford Street is pretty much the 5th Avenue of London, the store was HUGE and absolutely packed. I can tell I'm going to be spending lots of my money there though. I went back there on Saturday by myself with the intention of getting just a couple things and came out with about ten haha. (It was all cheap okay!) It was super cool because I took a different way to Oxford Street and was just wandering in that general direction and stumbled upon John Lennon's old apartment! It was totally on accident and that made it even better! But I learned that Oxford Street is the perfect place to just sit and people watch. You see so many different kinds of people, it's awesome. Oddly enough, at the tube station I ran into some nice boys who go to Regent's as well. Small world in a big city. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mvvmS7Ujaiq1gUXDvJHyUfiUpo2QDjrYIuZE8yW3RxMNxZG7SadDHtqJQfcxrgxZhgv0I9y_TNSs2MTPhY8auS5Vr_WgIfkmOJadYVMSuVZJZogE6jlxNiorIe52UI6HlDG2UG-ShCU/s1600/john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mvvmS7Ujaiq1gUXDvJHyUfiUpo2QDjrYIuZE8yW3RxMNxZG7SadDHtqJQfcxrgxZhgv0I9y_TNSs2MTPhY8auS5Vr_WgIfkmOJadYVMSuVZJZogE6jlxNiorIe52UI6HlDG2UG-ShCU/s320/john.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
On Sunday, the school hosted a walking tour of Camden, which is this quaint little section of London about 15 minutes away from our school. It's so cool there. Then of course we visited Camden Market, which I've been dying to visit for a long time. It was amazing, there were stalls and stalls and stalls, and then some more stalls of clothes, jewellery, shoes and pretty much anything else you can imagine. And you can actually get some pretty good deals if you're willing to haggle! Then the market is surrounded by a bunch more little shops and restaurants. We definitely saw some quintissential Londoners and their crazy fashion. I <strong>love</strong> it there and will <u>definitely</u> be going back again!<br />
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Then yesterday I didn't really have any concrete plans so I decided to make the most of my last free day before classes started and go venture into Westminster. For those of you who don't know, Westminster is where Big Ben, the London Eye, and of course Westminster Abbey is. I can't even begin to explain the feeling I got when I walked out of the tube station (which by the way is <em><u>right</u></em> next to Big Ben) and saw the Parliament buildings and how beautiful they are. They are something you just have to experience for yourself to understand their true beauty. I also finally saw one of the red telephone booths that London is so famous for, and this sounds corny, but I wanted to cry because I was so happy. I <em>finally</em> felt like I was really in London. (I of course took the predictable picture of me smiling and hanging out the door of one of the booths). On the tube ride home I ran into some friendly boys from Boston and we chatted for a bit. Apparently I look like a native Londoner, because they asked me for directions and that's the second time that's happened already. But hey, I'm okay with that. Then later on that night I had made some plans to hang out with some new friends who go to uni (that's how the Brits say college) in St. Louis and we watched the cutest British movie called Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. It was exactly what I needed. We even made plans to watch another favorite British movie of mine, Driving Lessons, so I can't wait for that! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qBoH7QEtBOEsnkL7_0vz-DRjhM_9tkF7971Xakj2ASsNBdRhe8VaROiPYn5gCvQLjWh0rNTZY8x63b5Xf3zqX-50Ggs78gwQMhJzHjj_vI1417H6_S46CH_jpjrN0x6f7ua2RWyJFFg/s1600/ben.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qBoH7QEtBOEsnkL7_0vz-DRjhM_9tkF7971Xakj2ASsNBdRhe8VaROiPYn5gCvQLjWh0rNTZY8x63b5Xf3zqX-50Ggs78gwQMhJzHjj_vI1417H6_S46CH_jpjrN0x6f7ua2RWyJFFg/s320/ben.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The view right out of the tube station!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXa-7cp_GDBKz2KRsewLOzo5PRUqvGmF8r-bbOqBZp_cO9HgtjmlLFIlv3F_H5WHhDngcXqVOheAHYt9LAUkhGLSpWPncZFb83IYC2pNCVMDksjhs8nGAD_UOC638W4frA5N9K9Lm5Zo/s1600/photo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXa-7cp_GDBKz2KRsewLOzo5PRUqvGmF8r-bbOqBZp_cO9HgtjmlLFIlv3F_H5WHhDngcXqVOheAHYt9LAUkhGLSpWPncZFb83IYC2pNCVMDksjhs8nGAD_UOC638W4frA5N9K9Lm5Zo/s320/photo+1.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCW55lxXyQO-NUfxu30CwAfmITqSawpdQlZmjpS1VDGjc45Wj8DCLFdtOKiwhgtXLxSTZe04a-Lb5q57IEb8Lec4HSwkuxR-5cpX7sqtfQwizlhVU2j5yDr6ud1i0sxLH6LVjcDgN72Y/s1600/eye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCW55lxXyQO-NUfxu30CwAfmITqSawpdQlZmjpS1VDGjc45Wj8DCLFdtOKiwhgtXLxSTZe04a-Lb5q57IEb8Lec4HSwkuxR-5cpX7sqtfQwizlhVU2j5yDr6ud1i0sxLH6LVjcDgN72Y/s320/eye.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> Today is my first day of classes, so I'll keep you posted! I start off with Acting for Non-Majors (but I've already met my prof and she seems super cool) and Child Psych. <br />
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Some random pictures:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt4CvNyDUkarWGhl0uyE4Qoc5KDUvJM3LxMJI431e-yLU81nYWbbz8tHz8phIWrl1shzP6HrQ2E0_scPhyphenhyphenqV1xLC1aB5VOqKpkWXa1XBWqH6swyGLYlNMPt3ptLdWo0lQ9V_CH1Y5vyI/s1600/reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt4CvNyDUkarWGhl0uyE4Qoc5KDUvJM3LxMJI431e-yLU81nYWbbz8tHz8phIWrl1shzP6HrQ2E0_scPhyphenhyphenqV1xLC1aB5VOqKpkWXa1XBWqH6swyGLYlNMPt3ptLdWo0lQ9V_CH1Y5vyI/s320/reid.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> My dorm building!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisr6W04gKzxbAPRbdPtdhq0kQ8mH_HsAj_ZMwSKUXO0CsVKGXXhCMsC_Y23ImxCYK-NZP_9B-W3vPWAAxlTV7KBhEXZuismsbE2M52TTzTu1nxgvAsXjC5PoXnCSkK5cCSg5JU7neOEWM/s1600/hogwarts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisr6W04gKzxbAPRbdPtdhq0kQ8mH_HsAj_ZMwSKUXO0CsVKGXXhCMsC_Y23ImxCYK-NZP_9B-W3vPWAAxlTV7KBhEXZuismsbE2M52TTzTu1nxgvAsXjC5PoXnCSkK5cCSg5JU7neOEWM/s320/hogwarts.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> King's Cross/aka Hogwart's<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipu73Ret_yWqqz1ciFxyp2oB-08jyuRQAmwXZYIOI1GYkdbhDREPBBlRHxWSjeTkOi7pzwgh67GcqwONHYm9NN6sG-fBiUtwl_0ee8J-ns0NBdOzowwEW6kywF6yzszXVf6Bh5k070M-I/s1600/view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipu73Ret_yWqqz1ciFxyp2oB-08jyuRQAmwXZYIOI1GYkdbhDREPBBlRHxWSjeTkOi7pzwgh67GcqwONHYm9NN6sG-fBiUtwl_0ee8J-ns0NBdOzowwEW6kywF6yzszXVf6Bh5k070M-I/s320/view.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLamhXfLs4mSKn8dLKS7HFxLCqB7ENizShz-_os8r2lEriJfiYACTxqKckpBDGEp0p8trkKT2hQx3IW0t-LIC4ZGxSvLVdpSHhvRLsQohsLeEYBo4HcK848urT51hfC0YZ6GYpup4heLs/s1600/park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLamhXfLs4mSKn8dLKS7HFxLCqB7ENizShz-_os8r2lEriJfiYACTxqKckpBDGEp0p8trkKT2hQx3IW0t-LIC4ZGxSvLVdpSHhvRLsQohsLeEYBo4HcK848urT51hfC0YZ6GYpup4heLs/s320/park.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Regent's Park, the park right next to my school<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8yNHXA5s71805z-GukhgOd9a4Tpde_dE4ipF98TcSb0jbc7kV1BMIFHGzjz97hyHHro0U3wJ52Hjf1qt_4MPsz-i7J6DFpsPe1gfP2GQ3qSQ47U96WL9xH8WwVP_DEErhIVISEFk4RA/s1600/swan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8yNHXA5s71805z-GukhgOd9a4Tpde_dE4ipF98TcSb0jbc7kV1BMIFHGzjz97hyHHro0U3wJ52Hjf1qt_4MPsz-i7J6DFpsPe1gfP2GQ3qSQ47U96WL9xH8WwVP_DEErhIVISEFk4RA/s320/swan.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJVv7nYmsZWX6t34dkuk1IwWWZ6QrdOBDSMHJp737sfK1ByMWr7xCNZUfAsxuS9bIP0zqsp0NECPL2lt_HaqSf_BH1JA70jz2y6tYN1rJ8EEUOFEQPP60GRxzIIv_vDlFnE0RMpilPjM/s1600/tuke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJVv7nYmsZWX6t34dkuk1IwWWZ6QrdOBDSMHJp737sfK1ByMWr7xCNZUfAsxuS9bIP0zqsp0NECPL2lt_HaqSf_BH1JA70jz2y6tYN1rJ8EEUOFEQPP60GRxzIIv_vDlFnE0RMpilPjM/s320/tuke.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Tuke Hall<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufZzvR1MF1MYP9kkBdxCgaJOmCHXEVdPnprLxfN8LAMvS4X2fSeX414xYv9JtSNoXLcquOiwpVlsfoG2txsa1pHWgmYtx29m93VwrnJ7M7KppTaU5HtA2XPjyEjVbsfwy1fsxrMVDIxQ/s1600/view2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufZzvR1MF1MYP9kkBdxCgaJOmCHXEVdPnprLxfN8LAMvS4X2fSeX414xYv9JtSNoXLcquOiwpVlsfoG2txsa1pHWgmYtx29m93VwrnJ7M7KppTaU5HtA2XPjyEjVbsfwy1fsxrMVDIxQ/s320/view2.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Could this city get any prettier? This is the view from near the eye and across the Thames</div>Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-14768964924202039982011-08-25T09:13:00.000-07:002011-08-25T09:13:56.517-07:00I made it!!Well I finally made it, after about 8 and a half hours of flying! Saying I'm tired is an understatement! My flight was actually pretty nice though as I met a really sweet boy my age from Algeria (which is next to Morocco) and we ended up chatting pretty much the whole flight, which was nice. Everyone I've met so far has been really nice and really helpful, I hope it keeps up! <br />
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I still can't get over British accents even though I've been hearing them all day now! They're quite lovely to tell you the truth. My dorm room is pretty small but manageable, although I brought the wrong things to plug my electronics in so I am in trouble... <br />
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No pictures yet but that is only because I fear if I raise my arms any more they will promptly fall off. Definitely plan on taking a stroll through at least Regent's Park tomorrow during my free time and then on Sunday they've planned a trip to Camden Market, which I am super excited for. Expect many pictures. <br />
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Currently, I am listening to an adorable Chinese girl lose very badly at ping pong against her British friend. I'm off to get some dinner at the Refectory (caf), check out the bookstore and then we have a floor meeting and a social event planned for us later on tonight. Not that I'll be staying up much past about 9 or 10, then I plan to sleep forever...Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981391609979152978.post-65097768460993372312011-08-09T12:58:00.000-07:002011-08-09T12:58:05.085-07:00ChaosSo, it's about two weeks before I'm supposed to leave for London. But as you've all probably heard by now, there are mass riots and just tons of horrible things going on England right now. I'm trying to stay calm and just have faith that it will be all sorted out by the time I get there, but it's really freaking me out to tell you the truth. I mean, I want to go very, very badly and have for a long time. But if my personal safety's going to be compromised once I'm there, or if I'm just going to be forced to just stay on campus all day while I'm there, then what's the point? I want to really experience London while I'm there, as I'm only there for a few months, and I'm afraid now that my chance to do so might be being ripped away from me prematurely. I'm just hoping beyond hope that I will get a normal study abroad experience while I'm there. <br />
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In other news, I am completely dreading packing. :/ I have sooo many clothes and with all the bagging restrictions, I'm looking at one free checked bag and the next one being $70. And if I go over the weight restrictions, it could be between $100-$200. Sooo yeah, I'm going to attempt to cram all of my clothes in my small suitcase and my one carry on bag. This shall be interesting lol. Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03123578318752240492noreply@blogger.com0