end of London..back to reality...

Here I am writing my last post almost a month after my semester in London ended. I can't believe it. That it happened. That now it's over. That it's been that long already. That tomorrow I'm starting my last semester as a college student at JMU. WHERE DOES THE TIME GO.!? but really. I guess this is the end of my travel blog for now, as it is the end of my traveling..for now..but that's okay. This post is for me. The last thursday and friday spent in London passed in an absolute blur and whirlwind of activities and cramming in packing up my entire life..I went to Food for Thought a few last times, and bought a cookbook :) spent my last lunch alone enjoying Neal's Yard one last time. Watched a couple more episodes of the inbetweeners...finished the book Renee lent me- called "Saturday," realllly good.! Finished up my essay on the early years of Monet's life...went to Eve's cafe by the school one last time for a chocolate peanut butter bar...bought some more chocolate digestives to give to friends at home..Friday afternoon I met up with Mira to take our Abbey Road picture. It was a huge hassle because I didn't have a phone anymore, but it ended up working out. Julie was sick and Carolina couldn't come, and Lindsay was writing her essays.. so it was just us and Marvin...I figured we would see people at the crossing because there's always tons of people there..wrong. Hah. Mira kept being like Ooh what about them?! I said they were gonna think we were getting ready to mug them..finally Marvin went up to a couple and asked if they would take our picture..the man said sure right away, but his girlfriend took some convincing to be our John Lennon...hahahaa..I'm sure we have the most original international version :P We headed back to Occupy one last time since that was near where I needed to be for our end of the semester banquet. It was really upsetting knowing that I wouldn't get to see Mira again, at least not for a really long time..and Marvin and her were just hanging all over each other..then Sara walked up..got free tea from the tea tent..we said bye..then walked to the banquet. The banquet was really nice and everyone was dressed up and most of the professors were there to talk with. I got pictures with Nick, Sheila, and Rachel, we gave thank you presents to Charlotte and Renee..it was really nice but sad in a few different ways..not just because it meant that London was over, but there was a sense of closeness yet distinct distance between groups of people. There was a three course meal (I got a cheese appetizer, a mushroom dish, and then Christmas pudding). Georgia kept getting Sara & I to write notes to Dan from her. It was absolutely adorable, but after awhile we started making things interesting. They went from "I love you Dan. Love, Georgia" to "Dear Dan, I only like you when you wear your crown. Also, please stop picking your nose. Love, Georgia" as we added our own comments :P Soooo cute though.! After the banquet everyone tried to go out together..and I wanted to at first since it was our last night..but it wasn't very exciting and from past experience Sara & I decided to avoid the drama and peaced out then headed for O'Neill's one last time. (and from what I hear that was an excellent call..because app there was TONS of drama that we missed...O_o) It was a really memorable last night, we went out with a bang. Met & talked to so many different people, danced, had a blast...Didn't get back to the apartment til after 5..and I think I may have gotten 45 minutes of sleep because you could hear people carrying luggage down the stairs all night as they had to leave. I was sharing a taxi to the airport with Danielle and Erin, and all 3 of us had been pickpocketed at some point in the trip..It was so incredibly strange to come home from an experience like London..and now I'm expected to just carry on and live life as before..I need to keep the bigger picture in mind..to maintain the feeling I had when I returned of the pettiness of unnecessary day to day personal drama and remember that there's a huge world out there and so much more to care about and spend time and energy on.

last tuesday & wednesday in london :(

Early tuesday morning I hadta find my way outta Mira's gated in dorm and then to the tube, change incredibly crowded trains about 4 times, and had just enough time to run back to the flat, change clothes, grab my paper and go to Media & Society. I randomly ran into the UNC girl that I'd met on my way back from Barcelona, so that was neat. Mo's class was so sad..we all went around and said what our London experience has meant to us..then he took us all to the British Museum cafe and bought us drinks. Then Sara, Hannah & I went to get one last hummus bros for lunch..it was sad because I was one punch away from a free hummus and my favorite worker was less than amused at us begging..but I did end up getting a free hummus..watched a bunch of the inbetweeners..then went to my last class. Turned in my clockwork orange paper and we watched the movie Adaptations in class. I don't usually care much for Nicholas Cage but I did like it a lot. Hannah & I went to Westminster Abbey after class for the 5 PM Evensong. One of those things we'd talked about doing all semester but hadn't. It was a neat experience..a beautiful setting and great acoustics..didn't feel anything spiritual but I'm glad we went. After that Sara & I went to see the play that my film professor wrote, "Maddening Rain". I really liked it a lot- the entire play was just one man talking to the audience and the set was just a bunch of blinds hanging up behind him and lights..so it was an extremely talented actor to pull that off and make it work, but it really did..very thought provoking and interesting. Then Sara got thai food and I got egg fried rice, then we went to O'Neills for a last night of free music. The abbreviated version of events: creepy Canadian guy with a bleeding eyebrow piercing wouldn't leave me alone, creepy married man wouldn't leave me alone and tried to start fights, creepy dancing guy wouldn't leave me alone, spanish guy saved me, talked to 3 lithuanians who were convinced that America's much better than any part of Europe, carolers tried to pickpocket me, Sara & I hung out with an actor and his girlfriend and friend who buys chinese food when he gets upset (the actor said his name was John Lowe..not sure of his real name..trying to figure out..)...and that's basically it. Wednesday, our entire group met in the graffiti tunnel to take our group picture and spray paint.! :D Afterwards I took Sara to Food for Thought (my london version of the little grill!!) and it was so amazing.! again :) We browsed around a neat bookstore for awhile, then I tried to pack a bit (O_o), we had our group meeting, then everyone went to Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park and we all went iceskating.! :D It was so much fun and beautiful with all of the lights and Christmas decorations up.! After that, Sara, Hannah & I went on this awesome ride that spun you around crazily in the air flipping and circling super fast.! We walked around for a long time after just enjoying everything.

PAUL MCCARTNEY....!!!!! :D

Amsterdam..what an experience. It really was an artsy, lovely city architecturally. I enjoyed the Van gogh museum a lot, and it was beautiful just walking around with all the Christmas lights and graffiti and decorated buildings and makeshift Christmas villages. It was rainy and cold the entire weekend though and I'm sad I didn't get to experience all of the tulips since I went there in december...Sara & I had fun trying all the free samples of homemade cheese and chocolate too.! Then as soon as we got back on Sunday I had to spend the rest of the night finishing up two papers. Monday morning was Tancred's politics final that I didn't study for at all..I don't feel too bad about it but I feel like no one learned anything in that class..I worked more on my papers, and then at 4 had a theater final that I also didn't study for at all..I don't really know how you could though, because she just took quotes from reviews of different shows we've been to and asked us to discuss our thoughts on the quote in depth and whether we agree or disagree with the statement and why..so it wasn't too bad..I finished early though and didn't want to be the first to turn in my papers but was so anxious and excited for PAUL MCCARTNEY.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so I turned in my final and rushed to Pret, grabbed a takeaway falafel sandwich and salt & vinegar chips, and hurried onto the tube to the O2 arena.! It's a pretty long ride but I made it to the arena before the doors were even opened. I bought a tshirt, a poster & a tour guide book.! :D OHMYGOSH. I found my seat, then Renee texted me and I sat by her and we talked and chilled until right before the show started. I went back to my seat and was prepared to be AMAZED. and AMAZED I was, OH MY BROTHERs.! I still can't believe it was real and that it happened and even as it was happening..OHMYGOSH.! Paul rushed out on stage singing Hello Goodbye.! his family was app in the audience. There were flashing lights, strobe lights, fireworks..! Paul played Here Today dedicated to John Lennon, and then later on ukulele dedicated Something to George Harrison.! He played paperback writer, drive my car, back in the USSR, band on the run, live and let die, jet, daytripper, the long and winding road, i've got a feeling, helter skelter, blackbird, a day in the life, in my life, I've just seen a face, hey jude, let it be and MORE! it was the quickest 3 hours of my life. He came back on stage for two encores, the first of which he was joined on stage with Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones to play Get Back :) the show finally ended with golden slumbers and an outpour of confetti rained from the ceiling..and it was SO GREAT.! It just felt so surreal dancing the entire time and knowing that I was witnessing a beatle, a musician great, sir paul mccartney, literally a piece of history..and at the same time, he's just a guy..who's still doing what he loves at his age and loving it- dancing and all..and good for him.! It was such an AMAZING unforgettable show :D afterwards I met up with Mira and her friend from Denmark, Julie. We had to queue for forever to get on the tube leaving the O2, and a creepy man followed us for a bit O_o. We eventually had to run to get away from him, and then just headed to their dorms and watched some of the George Harrison documentary "Living in the Material World".!

last week..

On Monday morning, I had a Media & Politics presentation with Hannah on the Leveson Inquiry, dealing with phone tapping and other unethical, intrusive methods of the press to gain information. Fun times. That night our theater class went to see War Horse. It was AMAZING..they've spent two years intensely studying horses' movements and mannerisms and even though you could clearly see the people handling the vaguely horse shaped bamboo structures, you believed in the portrayal and the story itself. It was incredibly moving and wonderful. On Tuesday in class we watched a Black Adder film, then in film class we saw We Need to talk about Kevin..it was incredibly twisted and dark and strange and I'm still not sure how I feel about it..I don't know if it's right to say that I enjoyed it but I'm glad that I saw it..the cinema itself was really interesting too- there were pictures from the film and the walls were decorated like one of the scenes. Wednesday morning Sara and I went to the Stephen Wiltshire gallery that Hannah had told us about. It was so INCREDIBLE..he's an amazing artist..he's autistic, but so gifted and can look at a cityscape for 20 minutes and completely recreate it. For art class we tried to go to different galleries that were closed because of the protesting going on, but got to see more of the National Portrait Gallery. I'm glad we got to go back because we saw a lot more than what Sara and I saw the week before. Then Rachel took the whole class to the cafe for tea and scones :) Thursday I finally made it to Food for Thought..the vegetarian restaurant that I've wanted to go to all semester..and I wish I'd gone sooner..it was SOOOOO GOOD.!! I got a portabella bake and a salad mix that the worker suggested and sat outside enjoying it watching people put up Christmas lights around Neal's Yard. :) Then Sara & I were on our way to Heathrow airport for a weekend in Amsterdam.

Barcelona with devonteon.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

I know this is outta order and as always, way abbreviated but LAST WEEKEND.! It's always always an adventure with me..never a dull moment.! First off, I headed off into the night in a taxi at 3:45 AM Friday morning after a restful hour and a half of sleep. After paying the taxi I realized he'd dropped me off at Victoria..which is not where I asked to be dropped off at. Completely lost with barely any money and only 20 minutes to find out how to catch my bus and running around everywhere following random people's conflicting instructions...anyways. A nice busdriver told me if I caught a taxi I might still be able to make it there so he hailed me one and ended up where I needed to be with an entire minute to spare.! The view from the plane window was so gorgeous- flying over snow capped mountains to beautifully sunny Barcelona! A short wait in the airport and was then reunited con mi Devonito for a weekend jaunt! no big deal you know, just country hopping. We checked into our fancy adorable bed and breakfast that most assuredly thought we were a prude confused couple, and that's when it happened. When I fell in love...with...Francisco! Of course that's his name..it had to be. *Sigh. What an incredibly sexy charming man. Actually he just worked there..but my Spanish true love..oh Pacoito..*sigh. EVERYONE was so gorgeous it was insane. Devon and I headed out in search of tapas, walked down las ramblas, and checked out the mercat de la boqueria, which was AWESOME. Full of fresh fruit, vegetables, chocolate, cuts of meat, and seafood that upon closer inspection was still twitching in the ice O_o. We got a chirimoya to share later- so good.! & insanely good gelato..! We walked around a lot enjoying the weather, sights, and sounds (foster the people & creepy annoying vendors with distortedly squeaky mouth whistles) of Spain- saw the Christopher Columbus statue (where he supposedly reported his trip to the Americas to Queen Isabella & King Ferdinand), the port vell, the Arc de Triomf and more.! We almost saw a spanish concert in Santa Maria del Mar- turns our they were rehearsing 3 hours early.? Saw breakdancers, walked by the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, then met up with Devon's friend from W&M Amanda, and walked around a lot more before ending up at a delicious tapas place projecting freakeh images on the walls with delicious food (patatas bravas.!) and a unique server to say the least. Then we ended up at an Australian themed bar with angry bartenders and a tiny pitcher of sangria and then an accidental free glass of sangria that kept spilling on the table. Saturday, after a lovely free breakfast complete with Magdalenas, we met up with Amanda and had an AMAZING time looking at so much of Gaudi's architecture- all of it was so fantastically beautiful and different and I loved it.! reminded me a bit of hundertwasser in Austria. We saw Casa Batllo, La Pedrera, and La Sagrada Familia. At La Sagrada Familia, we realized that we had been looking at the wrong side of the building trying to find the images talked about in Devon's guide to Barcelona book, but we were then able to fully appreciate the architecture and symbolism of the structure once we walked around the building. Park Guell was SO beautiful too once we hiked and escalatored all the way up there- such a view, and mosaics and designs everywhere in the curved benches of the outlook. And we were serenaded by beautiful dancing dredlocked hippie spainards playing bongos, guitar, bass, and a digeridoo.! We stopped for a late lunch and I got a delicious queso manchego bocadillo, then we kept exploring and walked on the beach right at sunset. I splashed in the cold Mediterranean Sea & Devon and Amanda did not. A creepy fat completely naked man walked by..yes. Late november on the beach. O_o. We took awhile finding 'the magic fountain' in Montjuic but when we found it it was SO worth it.! (http://www.dotting.me/en/photo-8291.html) There were SO many gorgeous fountains everywhere with an amazing light show and oddly enough obscure 80's American music..then opera..then slightly spanish sounding ballads..It was so wonderful though and incredibly beautiful, sitting on the steps enjoying the colorful streams of water with friends in Spain..*sigh. I keep thinking about the weekend and what was my favorite part and so much of it was..Then we went to get a late dinner- another highlight, AMAZING fresh seafood Paella right by the coast itself (it was so much seafood but I had to, and it was well worth it, I wish I could have swam in the deliciousness of it all. Devon named his shrimp with head still intact Francisco) and sangria and then we split a crema catalona- typical catalon dessert. Then we walked around for FOREVER trying to find the fabled crazy nightlife of Barcelona. Everywhere we found was full of creepy old people or extremely expensive..Devon & I ended up going into a literal garage and what we think quite possibly may have been an Anti-American party. There was music, people dancing, red white and blue lights and it was the sketchiest of settings but I enjoyed that a lot..random half closed garage door hole in the wall. Sunday we walked around the markets more, and spent most of the day in the Parc de la ciutadella- which was gorgeous, like the rest of Barcelona.! The park had lots of interesting buildings, including the parliament de catallunya. As we walked further in, there was a gigantic pond surrounded by palm trees where you could rent boats out to paddle around in. There was an adorable girl yelling "Hola pato! hola pato! hola patito!" at the ducks swimming by. Then we discovered the cascada- yet another gorgeous fountain hidden away in the park, featuring a statue of Venus and a golden horse drawn chariot on top. We spent a lot of time watching little kids freak out about the gigantic bubbles people were making, which was adorable :) There was a pavilion full of people salsa-ing nearby, and then later, we were entertained by a man doing the most intensely thorough pre-stretching I've ever seen. I don't think he ever did any kind of exercise..he made a show out of it all and there's no way he wasn't aware of his captive audience as he squatted, hopped, and boxed his way around. There was also an adorable dog who kept fetching out of water nearby that was 54x's more active than that athlete could ever hope to be. Amanda & I got gofres amb xocolata amb gelat for lunch (insanely delicious waffles topped with chocolate and icecream-I got tiramisu gelat) what a messily wonderful experience.! All too soon..barcelona was over..but it was an amazing time :) I feel so inadequate compared to so many different people I've met that are fluent in several different languages, and to Devon and Sara who are at least nearly fluent in other languages despite their protests that they aren't quite. Well I was super impressed with Devon even though Barcelona speaks Castilian rather than Spanish.

Check this out.! -> (http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/maps/barcelona-map.html)

Paris.!

We made it to Paris at 11PM thursday evening after a long train ride full of paper writing and an episode of the inbetweeners.! We were staying in a nice albeit slightly out of the way international hostel..they had left us all dinner but Lindsay grabbed the only vegetarian one..so I ate a lot of bread. Hannah Sara and I shared a room, and I got a top bunk, so that was exciting.! Friday morning we had a lovely breakfast of croissants, nutella, rolls, jam, and cereal, then headed off to Sainte Chapelle.! Walking over there, our group ran into the JMU Salamanca group- so I got to see Olivia for a few minutes :) Sainte Chapelle was an absolutely gorgeous church- it has the most extensive collection of 13th century stained glass in the world. Definitely yet another example where pictures can't even begin to do justice. Then there was a break for lunch and Hannah, Sara & I found a cute cafe to get delicious fresh sandwiches at. Then it was off to the Musee D'Orsay where we spent a long time looking around- at interesting intricate ball rooms, statues, (my favorite being a speared man fending off a crocodile with a baby wielding woman standing nearby), and an impressionist gallery including Monet, Vangough, and soo much more.! I really enjoyed it a lot. After awhile we headed to the Louvre! The pyramid building itself is gorgeous and it was unreal seeing a quick tour of so many famous artworks- the Mona Lisa (.!!!), Michelangelo's the slave statue, venus de milo, cupid and psyche...! Hannah, Sara & I ended up at a nice french restaurant after following conflicting directions from 3 different frenchmen..Sara kept calling the waiter Dominique "mon ami!" and I think they really got a kick out of her french- we got a picture with Dominique too, and Hannah & I got nutella crepes.! :D Hannah's french soulmate sat by her on the metro (he had glasses, a nerdy look to him, and even a book in his right hand so he fit her qualifications to a tee) and she kept frantically asking me how to say things in french..she butchered the delivery so he was confused and then she said in English he was cute right when she was getting off the metro..it was cute. :) Sara & I went out that night down a street that college students had suggested to us. I pulled a Simon from the Inbetweeners because they definitely wouldn't let me into a club because I had chucks on. It was fun walking in and out of places and around though. On Saturday after a croissant, nutella, and hot chocolate breakfast of french champions, we toured Notre Dame which was really interesting. Really more because of all we've heard of it than anything else, but it was neat. We walked up to the Eiffel Tower which was a beautiful view, and also a surreal object to be viewing in real life. It's as if you weren't really seeing it, it's been hyped up so much in your mind and then there it is. Then we explored the Musee du Quai Branly which was incredible and a very different kind of museum..really awesome..We got tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower, and the view up there was incredible and beautiful and the sun was just setting, and the lights turned on while we were still up there..and then right before we were ready to head down I realized that all my IDs were missing..so that was a huge mess..Sara talked to everyone in french, who were all apathetic and told us over 10 ppl a day get their wallet stolen and told us to go to other ppl who told us to go to other ppl.. O_o then we missed our free dinner because of all that ordeal so we snuck bread, cheese & wine into our room..then my computer kept bluescreening when I tried to turn it on..so I just decided not to really mentally deal with any of that. Then Sara and Hannah fell asleep at 10..and I sat there for forever..Sunday Hannah, Sara & I walked around a lot, down Champs-Elysees- one of the most famous streets in Paris, Hannah and Sara bought french fries in France, went to the Palais de Tokyo which was an amazing art exhibit, and the Musee d'Art Moderne too, right beside it. We went back to the Eiffel Tower and they sent us to a ridiculously far away police station in the sketchiest of garages where policemen were playing tag with each other but wouldn't file a report for my missing wallet because I'd have to come back tomorrow to do that...we were near a gorgeous green park though, Les Invalides, and just that view made the trip more than worth it. People were playing soccer, and it was near sunset and so green and amazingly beautiful..We walked down by the Seine and reveled in the beauty of it all- definitely very easy to see how so many artists were inspired by it's sight. It really was an artistically gorgeous trip.!

week before Barcelona.!

So this is wayyy abbreviated and out of order like normal..but this was from the week before last week..before Barcelona.! Monday we went to the Imperial War Museum with class and then that night we saw the play One Man, Two Guvnors. It was SO funny- the actors were all excellent caricatures and there were lots of physical comedy and improv. They brought out a woman from the audience who was so incredibly convincing as a reluctant nervous participant- the actors sprayed her with a fire extinguisher..turns out she was an actress herself but we didn't know til the end. Tuesday we went to the Saatchi Gallery which I really enjoyed a lot- esp. Dirk Bell's work. Lots of more modern work. For film class we saw One Day with Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway. I LOVE jim sturgess but not so much anne hathaway..at all..and she had about 7 different accents throughout the film. I did enjoy it though, and it was neat recognizing different places we've recently been in Europe- like Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh.!
Wednesday Sara and I went to the National Portrait Gallery. We looked around and had a good time and enjoyed browsing through the bookstore too- looked through Paul's daughter Mary McCartney's photography book. Then Sara and I went to O'Neills for a delicious butternut squash and pumpkin risotto lunch. We went to the Tate Modern for art class- enjoyed looking at the Gerhard Richter exhibit...so incredible. After our weekly meeting, Sara and I rushed off to the Roundhouse to see La Soiree. It was HILARIOUS and well worth the money. Everyone in the show was so incredibly talented, circus-like and since it's a small venue we were really close to everything. Thursday morning Hannah and I went to Primark and went on a crazy shopping spree..it's gigantic and cheap and amazing london clothes everywhere.! Then I bought some food for our flat's lovely Thanksgiving dinner and peeled 2 gigantic bags of potatoes and made a VAT of homemade mashed potatoes, brown sugar glazed carrots, and corn. I skyped with my family- the first 10 minutes of which Mom, Uncle Henry, Kathy & Chris were perplexedly staring at the screen with no sound..hah. There ended up being about 15 of us- Karlyn brought a tiny turkey, Lexi and her friend brought salad and bread, June brought chocolate cake and different vegetables, Briton brought cookies, Mira & Carolina came too and brought wine, Hannah brought chicken, Sara's friend Ahmina made apple crisp, Seana made stuffing, Kat brought wine too..and I put out the decorations, plates and napkins that Rhonda sent me- it was a fun time.! :) Then after a lovely full hour and a half of sleep it was into a taxi and onto Barcelona.!!!