Well everyone thought I'd give you a little midweek update. I leave for Rome tomorrow until Sunday night! I'm excited to see all the ancient Roman buildings cause I took a class on Ancient Roman culture. I'll try to use the little knowledge I've retained as I walk around. I will take plenty of pictures no worries Sis!Little sad because this is my last true trip! I go to Paris with my parents next week (but I'm not really counting places I've already been to haha). So check in either late (for me at least) Sunday night or sometime Monday to see the post.
Crazy to think that 2 weeks from Saturday will be my flight back home to the States. Little tear comes to my eye when I say that =(. But my parents come in Wednesday for a week and then 4 days after they leave it's my flight home! Slightly ruins the reunion factor when I go back to the States but it's ok haha. Wish I could stay a little longer but I've enjoyed my time here so much! So check back in at the end of the weekend to hear allllll about ROMA! But for right now it's time to go celebrate my last day of work with my co-workers at a pub around the corner! CHEERS!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Lords, Baguettes, Eiffel Tower and Relaxation: The life of a lucky kid in London
As promised all, I said I'd do have this post up on Sunday since I've been slacking! This actually comes at a nice breaking point for me from my paper (4,500/7,500 words). We'll start off with my trip to the Houses of Parliament!
So as my sort of going away/thank you present my boss set up a surprise for the entire office. Only she knew where we were going and basically gave them a half day in order to go along with. Last Tuesday I strolled into the office at 2:30 as I was instructed and everyone was there all dressed up and ready to go. Our boss led the way to the Tube station nearby work and had us all guess which stop we were getting off at. My co-worker and I both guessed Westminster (where Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey are). We turned out to be right. We got off the Tube and went in this side/private entrance into the House of Parliament to meet up with the Lord who would be showing us around and a friend of my boss. We start off by having to go through security and get a picture ID tag for the day (yes I kept the ID). Next Lord Tom (sorry that's all I got from anyone, don't know his full name. Know he is part of the Labour party though) showed us all around the Houses of Parliament, taking us through the sights that tourists can see to private areas where only Lords are allowed. I got to see the library within Parliament which had books reaching the top of a room that must have been 2 stories tall. We sat in both the House of Lords and House of Commons to listen to the topics up for discussion for the day. Lord Tom took us into where the Queen enters the Houses of Parliament for her ceremonies and where she stages and processes out from to talk to the Houses. In that room were gorgeous paintings and of course the Queen's throne (not the actual one though, sad I know).
So as my sort of going away/thank you present my boss set up a surprise for the entire office. Only she knew where we were going and basically gave them a half day in order to go along with. Last Tuesday I strolled into the office at 2:30 as I was instructed and everyone was there all dressed up and ready to go. Our boss led the way to the Tube station nearby work and had us all guess which stop we were getting off at. My co-worker and I both guessed Westminster (where Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey are). We turned out to be right. We got off the Tube and went in this side/private entrance into the House of Parliament to meet up with the Lord who would be showing us around and a friend of my boss. We start off by having to go through security and get a picture ID tag for the day (yes I kept the ID). Next Lord Tom (sorry that's all I got from anyone, don't know his full name. Know he is part of the Labour party though) showed us all around the Houses of Parliament, taking us through the sights that tourists can see to private areas where only Lords are allowed. I got to see the library within Parliament which had books reaching the top of a room that must have been 2 stories tall. We sat in both the House of Lords and House of Commons to listen to the topics up for discussion for the day. Lord Tom took us into where the Queen enters the Houses of Parliament for her ceremonies and where she stages and processes out from to talk to the Houses. In that room were gorgeous paintings and of course the Queen's throne (not the actual one though, sad I know).
The cherry on the top though was the fact that we got to have tea in the tea room reserved for Lords and MP's. This experience was surreal, it was my boss, 3 co-workers, me, Lord Tom, a friend of his and 2 other MP's who joined us. The table was laid out with gold and silver trays filled with finger sandwiches, delicious scones, and desserts! You could order any type of tea in the world (I went with earl grey) and they would surely have it and bring you your own kettle. A little later during tea the head fundraiser for Tony Blair stopped by and talked to my boss and Lord Tom. Also one of the MP's that was having tea with us talks to all the heads of states frequently and just returned from an 8 day long trip in NYC. After talking with him about my program, politics, and random topics I found out that his son goes to Vanderbilt. After tea we got to go into a choir room underneath the Houses which only people in the choir or Lords and their guests can get into. You weren't supposed to take pictures but since there were only 6 of us I sneaked a couple in! This entire experience was unbelievable and one that I'll remember for the rest of my life!
After experiencing Houses of Parliament in a way few others could it's hard to imagine anything topping it but Paris definitely did. This weekend (Thurs-Sat night) I was in Paris with a friend from the program. Our hotel was right across the river from Notre Dame so we wondered over there after we checked in and saw a spectacular light show on the face of Notre Dame!! The one we saw was a replay from an event earlier so it did not have the sound/commentary but it was behind words how amazing it was. I'll post pictures but trying to describe it would never do it justice. The event ran only Thursday, Friday night and luckily we got to catch the light show both nights!
Friday we decided to sleep in a little and then we headed out for the Louvre Museum in the gorgeous, sunny 65 degree weather. We spent a good three and a half hours in the Louvre and saw all the major things: Mona Lisa, Aphrodite, French Revolution painting, etc. afterwards we got some baguette sandwiches, which were delicious, and sat in the gardens right outside the Louvre. We then strolled around the area until night time where we went to eat at Cafe du Pont Neuf. Once we were done eating we went to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. A spectacular sight and a must do if anyone is every in Paris. It was farm more impressive than what I thought it was going to be and movies, pictures, and stories is nothing like seeing it with your own eyes. After that we went to catch the light show for the second time (but this time with sound) and it was even better than the first night. Once that ended we just hung around our Hotel area which was the Latin Quarter before going to bed.
Saturday we dedicated to relaxing so after sleeping in a little we went to the Eiffel tower to go allllll the way to the top observation deck. 669 stairs, 2 observation deck, and an elevator ride later we reached the top most observation deck. AMAZING sights on a sunny and slightly cloudy day of Paris. The view was impeccable and we spent our sweet time on every level. After we descended back to the ground we laid in the grass right next to the Eiffel tower for a good 45mins just enjoying the weather and the sights of the Eiffel Tower. Once we got up we decided to head to the Champs Elysees, buuutttt the weather decided to turn and started pouring rain! We saw the Champs Elysees from afar the day before so we decided to give up trying to make it over there since we were cutting it close to getting back in time for our train as it was. We went back to our Hotel to pick up our bags when we realized my friends passport was missing... After a frantic 30 mins she finally found it in her makeup bag, we still have no clue how it got there. After that we bought our last minute souvenirs and headed to the train station to return to London. I can't wait to return to Paris in 2 weeks with my parents as it is the best city I have been to by far! I'll put some pictures up so that you guys can see some of the things we did. Hope you guys enjoyed the read! Cheers!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Lords, MP's and PARIS!!!
So sorry all!!!! I know I have been slacking severely on this blog but things have started coming fast and furious to finish up this semester! I've had to write this 7500 dissertation and a couple other papers. But fear not I have plenty of stories to update everyone with after I get back from Paris this weekend. Yes that's right tonight I leave on a the Eurostar and get to go through the chunnel to Paris. Something to look forward to when I get back though is my experience of getting a private tour AND TEA with some Lord's and MP's of Parliament!! Exciting stuff but that is all for when I return, so check in again on Sunday and I'll try to have everything up from the past couple weeks! Cheers!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Beginning of the End
Good evening all! So it came to my realization the other day that I only have roughly 6 weeks left here in London town =(. What made this more frightening is that in two weekends I'll be in Paris, then in three weekends I'll be in Rome, then the weekend after that my parents will be back in town/back to Paris with them for a little. Man these next 6 weeks are going to fly by! Also in that time I have to write a 25 page paper, take some finals, and go to work. Before i know it I'll be back in the States!
This past weekend wasn't all the eventful for me only thing we really did was go out to celebrate one of our roommates 21st birthday. Other than that I stayed in and tried writing my papers which kinda worked out... Then today I went to the pub nearby to watch the Manchester United game which they ended up losing so that didn't help make the day too bright but for once we're getting a streak of decent weather here in London! Lately it has been clear skies, sunny, and about 50's. Forgot to mention if anyone does wind up making to London would definitely recommend spending a day around Hyde Park (depending on the time of year). A friend and I went down there and just hung around the water and people watched for a good chunk of the day. Was very relaxing and was a good chance to enjoy the cool but sunny weather! Just watch out for the swans they are the sizes of small children and will try chasing you if you don't give them bread. Also there were paddle boats you could rent out and take up the small lake that is in the middle of Hyde Park, seemed to be relaxing as long as it's nice out.
Not too much is on the schedule for this week but if anything exciting happens (which I do have one idea, we'll see if it happens) I'll let you guys know! Hope everyone has a good week!
This past weekend wasn't all the eventful for me only thing we really did was go out to celebrate one of our roommates 21st birthday. Other than that I stayed in and tried writing my papers which kinda worked out... Then today I went to the pub nearby to watch the Manchester United game which they ended up losing so that didn't help make the day too bright but for once we're getting a streak of decent weather here in London! Lately it has been clear skies, sunny, and about 50's. Forgot to mention if anyone does wind up making to London would definitely recommend spending a day around Hyde Park (depending on the time of year). A friend and I went down there and just hung around the water and people watched for a good chunk of the day. Was very relaxing and was a good chance to enjoy the cool but sunny weather! Just watch out for the swans they are the sizes of small children and will try chasing you if you don't give them bread. Also there were paddle boats you could rent out and take up the small lake that is in the middle of Hyde Park, seemed to be relaxing as long as it's nice out.
Not too much is on the schedule for this week but if anything exciting happens (which I do have one idea, we'll see if it happens) I'll let you guys know! Hope everyone has a good week!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Midterms and No Spring Break??
So tomorrow is the first mid term of this semester abroad. No clue how easy or hard it is going to be but studying for it none the less. Little sad to find out that we also get no Spring Break while we are abroad. The University we are studying at gets a Spring Break but our classes that run through a US college are still going on. Other than that not much is going on. I need some new ideas for easy/simple things to cook at my flat, I'm getting sick of pasta with chicken. So please if you have any suggestions leave a comment with how to make it and what I need to buy for it! Well this post was basically just a study break for me I guess I should get back to it! Hope everyone is doing well back in the States, sadly it's not too much longer til I'm back. 6 weeks! Until next time!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Visiting the Homeland!
Dia dhuit or Hello in Gaelic! I just got back from Dublin and it was AMAZING!!! The Irish are so friendly and helping. At the first glance of confusion there is someone that stops and asks what you're looking for or if you need some help. I went with one other girl that is on my program and we packed in a lot in 3 days. We left Thursday night and checked into our hostel. The hostel was actually really clean and nice for the price we paid. Sadly I did not get any pictures of our room the first night, but it was a very fun atmosphere with free breakfast every morning! After checking in we went down the street and found a bar and just hung out and talked to some locals. Sad part is that since Ireland is in a bad financial states drinks were a weeeee bit expensive this weekend!
On Friday we got up decently early to head over to the Guinness Brewery and did the tour. We also shelled out the extra 7 euro to learn the history about Guinness, get tastings of all their beers, and of course to become experts at pouring the Guinness draft from the tap! There were about 9 of us total learning from these 2 experts who talked about how Guinness was started, how the beer was made, and how you are supposed to drink Guinness. Yes there is a specific way you are supposed to drink the beer to get the full flavor of the beer. Fun fact, the Irish used to give those who gave blood a pint of Guinness after they donated blood because the Guinness draft helps the iron content in your blood is has natural vitamins! I would recommend if anyone is ever in Dublin to shell out and do the extra private session, especially you Pat. We got 3 sample tastings then a complimentary pint of Guinness draft that we poured on our own after learning the 6 step method of the proper way to pour it from the draft. After become experts on Guinness we did the self guided tour of the area and learned all about the brewing process (most of which I knew in a general basis thanks to Pat). The entire place was huge and best part of all with our admission we got to go up to the Gravity Bar atop the factory which has a 360 degree view of Dublin. Since it was a decent day out it was simply amazing to look out onto Dublin with no impeded views!! After Guinness we went back to the Hostel took a nap then headed out for the night.
Saturday we woke up and decided to have a relaxing day and went on a tour of Dublin castle, then walked along the river Liffey to the docklands area. It was simply gorgeous out, sun shining, small amount of clouds and warm! It was a wonderful break from the always gray and windy London. We learned a great deal about the origins of Dublin and how the name actually came from a series of cultures not understanding what the previous one was saying. The vikings who originally founded the city called it Dufflin which meant Black Pool, due to a pool of water that was black near their castle. When the English came they heard the name and thought the vikings were saying Dublin. Thus the name stuck and it has forever been called Dublin. After the tour of Dublin Castle we went into the gift shop and of course I found things all around the store with the McLaughlin family name on it. Best of all you could purchase certificates that gave the history of the name, motto, famous lineage in it (as in kings and etc.) and coat of arms. While it was quite expensive to buy that, the best part was that the example that was on display was of course the McLaughlin last name. It was like I was meant to go through the store. In the end I bought a shot glass with McLaughlin on it along with the family crest! Along our walk of the River Liffey, we saw Christchurch, St. Peter's, Temple Bar area, and monuments to the Famine.
On Friday we got up decently early to head over to the Guinness Brewery and did the tour. We also shelled out the extra 7 euro to learn the history about Guinness, get tastings of all their beers, and of course to become experts at pouring the Guinness draft from the tap! There were about 9 of us total learning from these 2 experts who talked about how Guinness was started, how the beer was made, and how you are supposed to drink Guinness. Yes there is a specific way you are supposed to drink the beer to get the full flavor of the beer. Fun fact, the Irish used to give those who gave blood a pint of Guinness after they donated blood because the Guinness draft helps the iron content in your blood is has natural vitamins! I would recommend if anyone is ever in Dublin to shell out and do the extra private session, especially you Pat. We got 3 sample tastings then a complimentary pint of Guinness draft that we poured on our own after learning the 6 step method of the proper way to pour it from the draft. After become experts on Guinness we did the self guided tour of the area and learned all about the brewing process (most of which I knew in a general basis thanks to Pat). The entire place was huge and best part of all with our admission we got to go up to the Gravity Bar atop the factory which has a 360 degree view of Dublin. Since it was a decent day out it was simply amazing to look out onto Dublin with no impeded views!! After Guinness we went back to the Hostel took a nap then headed out for the night.
Saturday we woke up and decided to have a relaxing day and went on a tour of Dublin castle, then walked along the river Liffey to the docklands area. It was simply gorgeous out, sun shining, small amount of clouds and warm! It was a wonderful break from the always gray and windy London. We learned a great deal about the origins of Dublin and how the name actually came from a series of cultures not understanding what the previous one was saying. The vikings who originally founded the city called it Dufflin which meant Black Pool, due to a pool of water that was black near their castle. When the English came they heard the name and thought the vikings were saying Dublin. Thus the name stuck and it has forever been called Dublin. After the tour of Dublin Castle we went into the gift shop and of course I found things all around the store with the McLaughlin family name on it. Best of all you could purchase certificates that gave the history of the name, motto, famous lineage in it (as in kings and etc.) and coat of arms. While it was quite expensive to buy that, the best part was that the example that was on display was of course the McLaughlin last name. It was like I was meant to go through the store. In the end I bought a shot glass with McLaughlin on it along with the family crest! Along our walk of the River Liffey, we saw Christchurch, St. Peter's, Temple Bar area, and monuments to the Famine.
St. James' Gate
Me pouring my perfect pint
The SURGE! The teacher was impressed with how well I did
Guinness buys/used 3/4 of the grain grown in Ireland
View of Dublin from the Gravity Bar
Couldn't believe that our family name was the one used for an example
Should have bought it!
Christchurch
View of Dublin down the River Liffey
Every street name was in English and Gaelic
Tribute to the Famine
All in all the trip was simply amazing and Dublin is one of my new favorite city. The atmosphere was just so relaxing and things never seemed to be in a rush! Hope you enjoy the pictures and until next time (which might be Windsor Castle) take care everyone!Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Long Weeks
'Ello again everyone! Not too much has happened since Scotland, mainly I've been working on doing a mass mailout to 5,000 UK postal addresses for work. We are including a flyer for our St. Patrick's Day event (which I designed and created), an invitation to a race day event in two months (which I didn't create), and a sheet talking about the company and what we do. Needless to say this means everyone has been in the conference room stuffing envelopes, putting on stamps (luckily they are self adhesive), and folding thousands of pages of paper. One little glitch though, printer broke and is being repaired as I type this. Brand new industrial sized copier/scanner/printer only two months old or something and the motor already broke. Freak accident claims the technician but who knows.
The main reason I'm putting up this post is to give everyone a heads up that I'll be in Dublin this weekend. I have to pack, print out my ryanair boarding pass, and charge my camera. For those of you who don't know Ryanair is by far the cheapest airline in Europe and the reason it's so cheap is because they just fly something that will get you there and don't spare much for comfort or pampering. So check back in for the post on Dublin which will be coming up probably on Sunday! Cheers!
The main reason I'm putting up this post is to give everyone a heads up that I'll be in Dublin this weekend. I have to pack, print out my ryanair boarding pass, and charge my camera. For those of you who don't know Ryanair is by far the cheapest airline in Europe and the reason it's so cheap is because they just fly something that will get you there and don't spare much for comfort or pampering. So check back in for the post on Dublin which will be coming up probably on Sunday! Cheers!
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