Valentines Day at the Royal Ballet

On the bus in Scotland, we started watching the BBC series "North & South" to get us into the spirit of cotton mills before going to New Lanark. I used to watch it while mopping floors at Candace's house, so I already loved it, but they got the other girls here hooked. So of course we had a movie night on Sunday night in the classroom with our professors and finished the series with them. I love our professors and their families! And that movie was a perfect prelude to Valentines Day- it seriously steals your heart.

Monday. Valentines Day. In my Creative Writing class we had so much fun trying to write bad poetry themed around Valentines. But then the cutest thing happened ever. I was laying in my bunk bed trying to conquer some of my homework, when I hear my roommates running up the stairs panting my name. They flooded in carrying this massive box with my name on it. We open it up, and inside were stunning flowers from the most perfect guy on the planet. I couldn't contain my explosive grin the rest of the day (and every time I walk into our room, I see them and the grin reappears!)

But we continued our Valentines Day by going to the Royal Opera House to see the Royal Ballet Company perform Swan Lake. Wow, those ballerinas and ballet-men were so talented! I have never been to a legit ballet before (other than my cute friends Lindsay and Amy's high school performances) so it was an eye-opening experience for me. I sat by cute Paige and we sat there nibbling on Conversation Hearts and Hershey's Kisses that Mom sent me a few weeks ago. At first, we had no clue what was happening, but after our friend Emily explained the plot line to us, it made sense and was fun to watch. Mostly, it was fun to dress up all cute and go out for Valentines Day with so many beautiful girls and go to one of the more romantic areas of the city.

On my way home, Paige and I decided to take a detour and walk along the river to the London Eye. They lit it up red for V-Day!! The city is gorgeous at night, and I had not walked over there at night before, so I loved it. I can't wait to take Mom and Dad there!

SCOTLAND- the land of kilts and shortbread

I need to come back and put subtitles on these pictures and put them in order.... but there's never been enough time!

If I were to start a bucket-list, backpacking or camping in Scotland would be on the top of the page. Scotland was incredible. Scottish people are friendlier than English, without any exception. The buildings are still ancient and historic, but they are clean and fresh-looking. Yes, the tap water may be brown, but who needs water anyway?

We started our Scottish adventure by exploring the Edinburgh Castle. It was so nice to visit a historically significant building that wasn't an Cathedral (Cathedral's are great and all, but let's be real, you've seen one and you've seen them all...) It's up at the top of a hill and has a gorgeous view. And of course, for dinner we asked some locals where their favorite pub food was nearby. This led us to The Mitre. This surpassed any pub food I have had up to this point. We had 7 girls in a 6 girl room at our hostel that night, and it was so much fun. Too much laughter over magazines and silliness from shortbread/sugar-overload that night.

In the morning, we got to see the Scottish Parliament building- it has modern architecture which was so crazy to see. Some of the girls went inside and watched Parliament in session, but that's not really something that interests me. We also got to see the Palace Hollyrood where the Queen of Scotland stays when she's in town. If it had been spring, I definitely would have paid to go view the gardens.

Our professors had originally planned on having us hike to Arthur's Seat in Scotland that morning, but due to the muddy conditions cancelled the event. Well, we weren't going to let a little mud stop us, so a group of us went on the hike anyways. Of course we started by reaching the top of the wrong peak, so we just kept summiting peaks until we finally reached the correct one. Boy, were our boots muddy! The many views we saw were definitely worth it. The green raced into the distance into the highlands beyond us. And our view of the city was gorgeous, because we could see the ocean in the distance, the river running through the city, and of course we could see the Castle and a crazy cemetery and other city ruins. Mom, you are going to love my friends here: they suggested we stop and sing primary songs and hymns at the top of a mountain since it was so pretty up there. Basically spontaneous three-part harmony. Lovely :)

That night we had an exciting night out on the town. We went to some crazy Italian restaurant, then went to this massive and grand theatre to see "Annie." I love being able to see so many shows over here. Wow, that girl had some serious pipes; yes, she may have been an obnoxious actress at first, but her singing talent made up for the difference.

The following day, we went to New Lanark, and old cotton mill and entire community built around it. We got to go in their old living quarters, and in the mills themselves to see the machinery at work. Haha, and we had to go on this dreadful "Disney-esque ride" called the Annie McCloud Experience. Don't be fooled- it is nothing like Disney. These little creepy children talk to you about ghosts while you sit in a little cart that slowly inches forward in the dark. the old houses and the Annie mccloud experience. But in New Lanark, we were able to hike up the river and see the Clyde Falls and they were stunning.

We then drove to Stirling, where we toured another castle. Funniest experience of my Life! My friend Kaylee and I were having the most entertaining conversation, and some random guy appears from nowhere, laughs at our comment, and checks us out multiple times. I turned to Kaylee and mouthed that we had to get out of there, like NOW! So we scurried quickly and quietly from that building in the castle, and ran to the first exhibit we could find so we could escape this creep. Well, we thought we were running into a museum, but when we rounded the corner we saw six sinks and corresponding urinals, and not a museum. We were immediately trying to hold in more laughter, and tried to quickly leave inconspicuously. Failure. There were like five men walking into the bathroom as we were trying to get out.

Following the Stirling Castle, we decided to have an American night out. We found a restaurant that was comparable to TGIFridays to grab dinner, then went to the Movie Theatre and saw Gnomeo and Juliet. That little animated gnome was a stud.

The next morning, we went to the William Wallace monument. You know, William Wallace: Braveheart? The monument stands on the top of this massive hill and then has like 246 stairs to the top. No big deal. The view from the top was amazing. We were seriously in clouds for part of it!

Conclusions of Scotland-

It's beautiful. The people are the best. (We even found Waldo and met these crazy old men from Wales who want us to send them postcards. Oh, boy, Tony from Wales. And don't forget Stephanie, our favorite friend who owns a Kilt store.) Oh, and kilts are sexy; who would have ever guessed? Seriously, though, we saw some attractive men in kilts and it worked!

So these pictures are not in chronological order... sorry!

Marilyn Monroe moment at Edinburgh Castle!

Liz & I at Clyde Falls

My friends before our "Hike" to Arthur's Seat..

Falling off the Outer Wall at Edinburgh Castle

Liz & I are King & Queen at Stirling Castle

Kaylee, Elise & I at some random castle ruins

I had way too much energy on that hike!

The beginning of our muddy walk. GORGEOUS!

Love these girls!

Outside Edinburgh Castle

Some of the cute London girls by New Lanark at Clyde Falls.

This is me blowing my love to any hot men in kilts..

I had waaaayyyy too much energy that morning!

Our train-ride back to London. Man, I was pooped!

Sitting on two kilted men's knees. Loved it and love those two!

This is Wallace's real sword!!

The sign was like five feet away from the door,

so we had no clue that we were walking into the men's restroom!

Sharon & I outisde the Palace Hollyrood.

Where's Waldo? We found two of them in Edinburgh on King's Street.

And yes, we had a "Fanta" party that night...

Scotland & London? My future roomie Elise & I have proof!

The pose was inspired by some cute little Asians taking there picture hahahaha.

(Edinburgh Castle)

My bunk-mate Sharon and I on the train heading to Edinburgh... She's incredible!

the Wonders of Waterloo Bridge

Here are a few of my beloved Primary children here in London..

I got to go for a marvelous run yesterday through Kensington Gardens. Liz and I went together and it was perfect. We ran by the circle pond and by some strange mirror-art they have and this picturesque little gazebo. I love my life!

And today we did a walk through a more touristy part of London. I went by the London Eye for the first time. It was absolutely gorgeous today; we got to squint our eyes and see the sun, it was warm enough to shed our coats, I saw my first flowers, and I had the most beautiful view of the most popular touristy sites from Waterloo Bridge.

And Andy, I saw a skate park and thought of you. Of course I took a picture :)

And since we leave for Scotland early tomorrow morning, a group of us are watching Braveheart to get us in the proper Scottish mood! Of course we all love their accents and are uber excited!

Party in the FRA

When I woke up this morning, I could not fathom that it was already morning. I thought Kaylee was somehow deranged and had mixed up the time somehow! Yesterday must have really taken a toll on me (and understandably so--we got up at 3 and once we arrived, we only sat down for a collective 15 minutes, because we walked everywhere and ate standing...)

We went down to our hostel's gourmet French breakfast buffet. Yummy cereal, a baguette, hot chocolate with real milk, and orange juice. Le Regent Montmartre took care of us. It may have had interesting scents in the building, and questionable stickers on the walls and stairs, but it was fabulous. Our two little sets of bunk beds felt just like home! Plus, we loved our red carpet with clashing magenta curtains and burnt orange checked blankets. Sick! Yet so perfect.

We walked out of the hostel and looked straight up to the Sacre Coeur. We were legitimately three streets away from the base of the staircases leading upwards. Stairs do not fear us, and we made it up. There were hundreds of Scottish men in kilts playing their bagpipes up there and men painted white acting like statues. It was amazing! And inside the actual basilica, the mosaic ceilings and the architecture was such a cool review from my college humanities classes.

It was then that I realized how close we were standing from the apartment my Mom and I stayed at when we came to Paris two years ago. I somehow led us straight to the front door of the apartment, then showed the girls around the surrounding area. It was an exact replica from two years ago, minus leaves. It was so cool to see the carousel, then buy fresh strawberries at a fruit stand, and get a "banula" crepe. (Banana nutella. Heaven.) It's the best creperie I have ever been to, and my Mom is the one who gets the credit for discovering it.

Then we rushed to meet our friends who stayed at a hotel under the Half of us flew up the stairs and enjoyed the breathtaking view from the top. After two Paris trips, I can still call that my favorite part of Paris. Then we walked down the Champs Elysees and saw all of the elaborate shops on our way to the Eiffel Tower.

We were almost at the Eiffel when we decided to hop on a boat and do a Seine River boat tour! I love spontaneity! We sat outside and socialized so we couldn't really hear the tour-guide recording, but I've already heard it twice so I didn't care one bit. Oh, and two OLD men in kilts mooned us from the top of one of the bridges. Don't worry, they each mooned us twice. That was not the first time on the trip, either, which made it even funnier!

After our boat-tour, we went to the Eiffel Tower. Last night when we went, the top floor was closed to the public and the man said it would be closed for a week. We were shocked when we got there and there were lines for the top. We crossed everything else off of our agendas for the day and got onto that elevator. It was freezing up top and very windy but it was gorgeous and so much fun! It made the L'arch de Triomphe look absolutely tiny. We got split between two elevators, and my friends' elevator actually got stuck half way down! They say that only happens once a year!! Scary! One of the girls is claustrophobic, too, so I'm glad they weren't stuck forever. But we did not know they got stuck, so we thought they left us and were way worried the group would never reunite. As we were leaving, they lit it up, and as we started walking away, the twinkling lights turned on. It was stunning. Oh I just love Paris!

And of course we went to get more crepes; some of these girls here haven't been eating sugar and decided to eat sugar while we were in Paris, so they may or may not have been living that up fully. But we walked like 50 miles this week, so who cares?! Then we went to find them a Monoprix so they could get chocolate. We found Milka with hazelnuts inside, and it's incredible. Thanks for the tip, family!

When we got back to London, it felt like we were returning home. I love London! London is so much cleaner than Paris!!!! And it was so fun to walk with the young, drunken Scottish men in kilts in the train station. They were so wasted, and it was entirely entertaining. I loved Paris, but boy does it feel good to be back in my little bunk bed with zero privacy!

So posting pictures to Blogger is too frustrating for me and I do not have enough time to mess with more pictures and getting them put in the right place. Sorry! I'll put them all on Facebook in the next week, hopefully!

Ashley and I by the Seine and the Eiffel

Notre Dame is gorgeous at night!

It was a little windy and chilly at the top of the Eiffel tower... We got inventive ;)

Look at the gorgeous view of the city and my gorgeous Liz!

This is my future room-mate Elise for Fall Semester. We possibly went in this small porta-potty together to save time and skip the sanitation step! Hehe too funny! When we walked out together, there was a guy in his mid-twenties first in line and just looking at us completely confused. We just kept on walking and never looked back! She'll be a perfect roommate for me!!

Bonjour from Paris

(Let the BACKPACKING weekend begin!!)

Our weekend to Paris was amazing and definitely eventful. From the very beginning we had crazy stories and memories. I thought I almost got left behind because I am a zombie in the morning and didn't hear them say they were leaving. I nearly had a heart attack. And since it was three in the morning and tubes dont run that early, we were taking a bus to the train station. When we got to the bus, Sharon's bus pass was out of money. Luckily the bus driver helped us out. And as we were sitting on the bus, another bus was driving alongside us and one of the passengers straight up pulled down his pants and mooned us! And then we all laughed our heads off, and the bus drove by again and he mooned us yet again! When we arrived at what we thought was the station, it was closed.

We eventually found the real station and it was open, but we were there so early that we had to wait in an empty hallway before we could go through customs. And then of course we finally made it through when Kaylee's bag got fully investigated. And then we were split up on the train. Luckily I was placed by Liz. I couldn't sleep so I did homework, listened to music and wrote letters and postcards. When I woke up I had a panic attack thinking we were already a the station and I didn't have my stuff put back in my bag and that they were going to leave me. Morning is not quite my forte. But through all of this, I was still on cloud nine, since we were on our way to PARIS!!

(Liz and I on the EuroStar... under-water train??)

From there I took over as group leader. We got metro tickets, then we wandered the streets for fun, and headed to the louvre then wandered and got a little lost but we made it there thanks to kind french pedestrians and maps. On our way we got les pains au chocolate. After the louvre we meant to go to the notre dame bur went the wrong way and instead walked through les jardins DES Tuileries them back along the seine. We discovered some crazy government building which was cool. Then we made it to st chapelle which was gorgeous. The stained glass was spectacular. Thanks Liz for the suggestion! Then we got ham and cheese crepes and went into he notre fame cathedral. We were inspired to take fun pictures outside then head up the 400 stairs to the top of the notre dame bell Tower. We saw the bell and went through a tiny door then made it all the way down the door.

(Group shot outside of the Louvre)

(Ashley and I by the Notre Dame Bell) (She's my Spring/Summer roomie)

Then we went to these old Paris crypts. We thought they would be the catacombs, but we were wrong. It was still cool though, and there were some gentle heaters. Praise the Lord. From there we made it over to the Eiffel tower, got some pictures then grabbed us some dinner. Some got baguettes with geese and I got a ham sandwich with Annie and an evion. Wow I love evion. Best water ever. Then we met with Allison brown and raced to keep up with her and her friends as we ran to a young single adults crepe night and institute activity. They stopped on the way so Ashley could get chocolate. I found hazelnut milka. Heaven. And the crepes at the crepe night were so Yummy! So cool being with the locals f our age and Sein how the church works over here. Same church. Same hymns. Different language. Craziness. Apparently if a woman can flip a crepe six times then she will get married in the next year. Liz is doomed. I'm obviously too little for that so I didn't even try. Haha or I was just shy and couldn't speak good enough french to talk to the people there and felt a little nervous.

Oh, and the funniest thing happened to me. A stranger freaking slapped my face on the metro!! I was just minding my own business waiting for the next metro-train to arrive; we were all so tired that we were sitting there like sleeping bunnies. The train starts pulling up and this guy just turned, walked 1-2 feet up to me, then did a back-hand slap on my left cheek. It wasn't that hard or anything, but I don't know why he felt compelled to do that. It happened so fast that my only reaction was surprised/shocked/confused/entertained. Then he just turned and disappeared in the crowd. I hopped on the train so I wouldn't miss it, turned back around to hold on, and saw the tall black man just looking at me from outside the train door. He was so close to the door that I worried his nose would get stuck when the door closed. Liz thought it looked like he freaking kissed me, so I guess I'm lucky! Who knows? It may have been some strange Parisian curse or something. Hahaha, oh the strangeness of my life sometimes! Too much fun!

Then we made it home to our hostel. It smells awful and is loud, but it's perfect.

Basically, this day was crazy. We smashed in a weeks worth of sites and activities in one day, and somehow survived. Some of our troop struggled near the end, but we all survived it and are happy and healthy and are definitely well-used.

So let's be honest here. I am dreadful at making Blogger put my pictures where I want them to be. These pictures below are a little out of order, but you get the idea :)

(Allison Brown from my French class @ Olympus High & I)

(London Crew)

(A couple from Prague took this picture for us. They gave us their email and are going to give us Prague travel ideas for our travel week in Prague. Victory!!)

(We are so elegant!)

(We love jumping pictures! This is Elise, my future roommate for Fall/Winter next year!

She's adorable)

(We were exhausted in the Crypts so we took a two-minute sit-down break hehehe. Look at us both try to smile, but we're entirely exhausted!!)

(Look at the tiny bell-tower door.)

Now we know why he was called the "Hunchback" of Notre Dame.

(Outside of the Notre Dame)

(Getting our first crepes avec fromage et jambon)

(Saint Chapelle. So beautiful!)

(The stained glass windows in St. Chapelle were incredible)