The Past Few Weeks

Things have been so busy recently, I'm so sorry for not keeping up with my blog too well...but this is what I've been up to!!

After my long weekend in Ireland Dad came for a fun visit in London! We both got in on Friday night and had a nice dinner at the hotel and were so tired we just called it a night and got a good nights sleep. Then in the morning we took the train into the central London and started our morning off with Piccadilly Circus and some breakfast and then headed over to the changing of the guard.

We spent the rest of the day seeing all the sights like the British Museum, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben & Parliament, Harrods and just enjoying the city. We had a nice dinner of classic fish and chips and after our fun day of walking all over London we went back for a relaxing night at the hotel.

Long Weekend in Ireland

I love Ireland! I knew I would enjoy Ireland after my trip to Scotland, but it is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Again we were blessed with perfect weather of sunshine and clear skies for all of the very long journey.

We left after dinner on Wednesday and drove a few hours on the bus to get to the ferry, then boarded the ferry at around 2 am!!! Then after the 4 hour ferry ride we got back on the bus and ate a hot traditional Irish breakfast of beans, ham, & toast. Then we ,again, got back on the bus and headed to Blarney. Once there it was completely gorgeous!! We walked over to the Blarney Castle and then I kissed the Blarney Stone therefore receiving the lovely gift of eloquence. After that me and Anna & Shaylin walked around town and tried our first irish coffee, it was actually quite delicious :)

From Blarney we drove to the town of Killarney and ate dinner then called it a night. The next morning we had an early wake-up so we could get on the us for our Ring of Kerry paddy wagon tour. We started our drive of the Irish countryside with our very funny bus driver/tour guide Phil who took us first to Dingle Bay, which was amazing. I had no idea there were so many mountains and coves in Ireland!

Then we stopped at the Beach and various waterfalls and a beautiful mountain top with a statue of the Lady Madonna on top. It took all day, but it was worth it and offered some stunning views of the Irish countryside.

Later that night back in Killarney we went to a really nice Irish restaurant with local food where I had some delicious lasagna! Then we visited some small pubs for some great live Irish music!

The next day we got back on the bus and headed to Dublin! We didn't get to our hotel until around 3pm so we didn't have a whole lot of time since all the shops close up around 5 or 6 but it was still fun to see the city. We walked around the famous Temple Bar district where there were lots of great street performers and classic Irish pubs. It was pretty packed too because there was a big rugby match going on all day that people were rather pumped about.

Sadly the next morning we had to get back on the bus to head home and spent most of Valentine's Day en route back to school. We briefly stopped in Wales for lunch at the town that has the longest name in world "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch" which translates to "The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave". Hahaha and we had some great homemade Welsh food for lunch! All in all it was a great trip and definitely an excellent experience.

Beatiful Scotland

This past weekend (sorry for the delay) I spent in the beautiful city of Edinburgh in Scotland. I took a train and got in on Thursday night. We checked into our very cool hostel and then after some free sandwiches we went hit the streets in search of scotland nightlife. We ended up at a small intimate jazz club where a man who looked exactly like Jimi Hendrix played the electric guitar, accopanied by some skilled trumpeting and saxophone. Very interesting first night to say the least. The next morning me and some friends walked down the Royal Mile and climbed up Aurthur's Seat, which is a very beautiful extinct volcano. From the top it was very windy but had beautiful views of the city.


Later that afternoon I visited the Castle and saw the Scottish crown jewels along with the ancient stone of destiny! Then for dinner me and some friends treated ourselves to some traditional scottish food and had some haggis, which is sheep intestine. It actually was quite delicious! Then we all walked around and went into some of the local pubs which was quite fun as well.

the castle from my window at the hostel!

On Saturday we slept in a little bit and then walked around some more, just seeing the city. I went to the Scottish Parliament which was really interesting and in a new modern design. I got a really good feel for the city and saw a lot about an apparently famous forsyth clan!

forsyth's close

On Sunday we had to check out of the hostel by 10:30am but since our train didn't leave until 5:30pm they let us keep our luggage there all day so we wouldn't have to take it everywhere with us. We spent a few hours in the National Gallery looking at their rather extensive art collection which even some Monet's and Edward Degas. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and enjoying our last few hours in Scotland. All in all a very fun trip and a very beautiful country.

cafe where Harry Potter was started

my bed at the hostel

cathedral

me on some scottish rocks

Manchester weekend

I thought my first weekend in London would be hard to top, but this past weekend I went to Manchester with about 20 other kids from my school and had a blast! We started with a British Studies field trip to Lincoln and saw the roman ruins and the Lincoln Cathedral which was beautiful, but FREEZING cold. Not my favorite trip but it was very interesting and full of history.

Then we took a bus back to school and hopped on a train to Manchester! We stayed at a really cool hostel called Hatters which was actually really nice and had a lot of fun people staying in it. We were all pretty tired by the time we got to Manchester that night so we went to bed pretty early so we would be well rested for the game the next day. Our hostel was about a 1o min tram ride to the stadium and we got there about an hour before the game so we had time to walk around and checkout all the fans. It was packed and super exciting! We went into a pub before the game and you could barely move it was so packed with Manchester fans. We had really good seats on the east side of the stadium and got a great aerial view of the field. The game itself was really good and they played against Hull city with a winning score of 4 to 0. One player, Rooney got a hat trick and scored 3 of the 4 goals! All in all it was a very fun and exciting day followed by fun Manchester night life out on the town. Then we caught the 11 am train back to Gratham, exhausted but happy to have experienced such an authentic english weekend with a winning soccer match!

all the fans walking to the stadium

view of the field from our seats

me and anna

london weekendd

Just got back from London a few hours ago, and now am exhausted but had so much fun! We got there around noon on Friday and then had a 2 hour bus tour around the city which was actually really nice and informative. We stayed at the Royal National Hotel which was conveniently very centrally located right in the middle of London and was ideal for getting everywhere quick.
After getting checked in we just took to the streets and walked everywhere! We ended up walking all the way to Big Ben and back with lots of great people watching and fun sights. Then we had a big group dinner at a very strange chinese restaurant and enjoyed a fun evening out on the town!

Saturday got up just in time to catch the last 5 min of the continental breakfast and then walked around town some more looking for cafes and some locals. Then we bought a day pass and took the tube all over town. We walked around the Harods shopping center which was amazing and full of excellent window displays then headed back to big ben and parliament! After that we went to a a really fabulous store called Topman which was 3 stories and full of wonderfully stylish british people! It was a little cold and rainy so we got some hot chocolate and were ready for a quick nap before heading out to dinner. We ended up going to the London Pub and having some delicious hamburgers for only 5 pounds! After that we went dancing and had a really fun night out :)

Sunday we got up early and were on the buses headed to Hampton Court Palace by 10am. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine which was a nice change to the could rainy typical weather :) The palace was very interesting and there were some beautiful paintings and gorgeous gardens in the back. A rather relaxing afternoon after running around London for the past two days.

All in all a very successful and fun weekend with lots of great experiences and new friends!

First Impressions

I finally made it ! After a few hours of delays I safely arrived to London Heathrow tired, but with no missing luggage thank goodness. There was plenty of snow on the ground when we got here on Friday and it has continued snowing everyday, lending to a very beautiful english countryside. I live in the actual manor house in the blue corridor with 2 other roomates. Our room is spacious, but rather drafty especially at night. The food is somewhat blandas expected, which is perfectly alright with me! Lots of soups and potatoes have been on the menu so far with some rather good biscuits for desert :) They also conveniently have a free hot chocolate and coffee/espresso machine in the Rectory where we eat.
Classes started today with a 8:30am sharp lecture for the entire school, followed by my british studies seminar and then my U.S. foreign policy course. Then I have a nice 3 hour long break for lunch and lounging/napping and my philosophy of ethics course at 4pm. I have signed up to be on the social committee and am considering running for office in the upcoming student government elections. All in all everything is going rather wonderfully and I love it! I shall be heading to London this Friday for the weekend with the school so there are lots of fun plans to be made.


side view of the manor, including my window


some of the front of the manor


western girls at the high table dinner

packing

I have never been very good at packing or getting ready for things, such as 5 month long trips to another country, but packing for this trip has definitely proved to be rather challenging! Thankfully my mom has been extremely helpful regarding my endless laundry from school and Christmas, but it is so hard to decide what to bring. Its a good thing my dad will be visiting me in England periodically in case I forget anything. I am so excited to be leaving in only 4 days!