Oh The Places You'll Go!! Riga, Latvia

In between final exams, Bailey and I traveled to Riga, Latvia, for our last study abroad adventure. Yes, we do actually attend the university here abroad. It is not all fun and games. Last Friday I had a two hour exam for my Global Inequality and Development class, this past Wednesday I turned in a group crisis communications plan for my Sports PR and Marketing class, and this past Friday I had another two hour exam for my Sports Media and Sponsorship class.

Riga was a recommended destination from our advisor here at Coventry University. We were looking for a nice and relaxing time different from the normal study abroad experiences. We had absolutely no expectation! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Latvia. It was incredibly stunning in Old Riga! Also, many of our experiences there were very lucky and unique. This year, Riga has been named the Culture Capital of the world. Therefore, many interesting events have been occurring. This brought a very different aspect to our time in Riga. Furthermore, Latvia's Scandinavian influence, weather, traditional meals, and friendly people reminded me a bit of home in a way. It definetly made me excited to return to Minnesota. Wow was the food and beer incredible!! and inexpensive!!! My favorite Latvian traditional meals were grey peas and bacon (a soup mixture in a bread bowl), boiled potatoes, traditional meat balls, and a personal hot dish that included potatoes, steak, carrots, and more.

Day 1: Touring Old Riga ~ On my flight to Latvia I ended up sitting next to an American FBI agent working at the U.S. Embassy in Latvia. He gave me great advice and key attractions for traveling within Riga. He also informed me of the rising tension between Latvia and Russia. I had no idea that the tensions were traveling beyond the Ukraine situation. By the end of flight he generously gave me his contact information if I would have any questions while traveling or in case of an emergency. He also extended an invitation to my friend and I to meet up with his family at their home near the beach. This offer was extremely nice, but as young women traveling in an unknown country, we didn't exactly want to be a part of the next Taken movie... We never ended up taking him up on his offer, but I wish we would have! Later in the trip we met another american woman whose husband worked at the Embassy as well. She reassured us about his credentials and spoke extremely highly of him and his family. We also learned that his beach home was incredible!! Dang! I guess next time I am in Latvia I'll have to get in touch with him again.

After landing and checking into our hotel, Bailey and I set off to tour Old Riga. Walking through the small cobblestone streets surrounded by colorful architecture, I instantly knew this trip was going to be great! Shortly after beginning our adventure we found a street market. It was amazing how many various markets and street vendors there were! Of course Bailey and I couldn't resist! Handmade silver and amber jewelry, knitted apparel, leather goods, carved wooden goods, and ceramics were popular traditional items being sold. I ended up purchasing a beautiful green amber ring:) We then made our way to St. Peter's Church, Musicians of Bremen Statue, Riga Dome Church, the Doma Laukums, Three Brothers, the Parliament Building, the Castle of Riga, and finally the River Daugava. That evening we returned to our hotel for a nice dinner and early night.

Day 2: Latvian Freedom Day ~ Our first full day in Latvia ended up being the Latvian Freedom Day. There were people everywhere within the city and many had Latvian flags. After a little while of touring the outer rim of Old Riga, we stumbled upon a flower laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument after following the music of a large band. It seems like a very formal event with very high ranked officials and members of society attending. The rest of the public crowded around as well. As the ceremony came to a close, we decided to follow a man that seemed extremely important. After only standing a few feet away to take a picture, I found out he was the Latvian president. How neat!! We then made our way back to St. Peter's Church in Old Riga. We made our way to the panoramic view of the city atop the church's tower. It was incredible!! Yet, extremely cold and windy that high up!! After warming up in the church while listening to a choir recital, we made our way to Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs traditional Latvian pub. It was so old and just the perfect find!! We arrived just in time for Lucky Hour (happy hour). For Freedom Day, we were recommended to attend a concert in Vermanes Garden. So, after dinner we decided to check it out. It was a very strange experience! Half of the songs were in a different language, the atmosphere was very hippy/boho, the singer's hands were painted red, and I heard way too many high pitched screams for me to understand... Very different than anything I had heard or seen before.

Casually stumbled upon a flower laying ceremony for Latvian Freedom Day and the President..

Day 3: The Real Riga Walking Tour and the Riga Zoo ~

The next day we ventured deeper into Maskavas Forstate and Central Riga during a free Real Riga Walking Tour. During this time, we learned a great deal of history about Riga that I knew absolutely nothing about! It was so interesting! Our tour guide also spoke about the similarities between previous years of tension with the Soviet Union and now with Russia. It is amazing how much more you learn about the world by actually visiting areas and learning from the locals! Many of the locals that we spoke to about the issue felt completely safe, but unsure of what was to come. Beyond learning the history and current status of Latvia on this tour, we saw an incredible about of statues. Who knew a city could have a statue everywhere you turn!

The Riga Zoo was our afternoon activity. This zoo is one of the oldest in Europe founded in 1912. While many of the animals that we saw can be found in a zoo in Minnesota due to the similar climate, there were many new species that I had never seen or heard of before. Also, I was amazed by the amount of baby animals I saw. Oh they were so cute!!

Day 4: Majori ~ Jamala, Latvia ~ It was finally beach day!! We found ourselves at the beautiful beach town of Majori as part of the well-known Jamala Beaches along the Baltic Sea. It was the just the perfect relaxing day that we needed! We walked along the white sand beach and managed to find a place out of the wind to relax on our beach towels. Over the hours that we enjoyed the beach i had my fair share of quality people watching, closing my eyes, playing in the sand, and reading an amazing book. Even though it was not exactly bikini or swimming weather, we still were able to soak in some rays. When the wind didn't pick up, it was very warm! Back in town we cuddled up with some blankets outside a coffee shop before our traditional Latvian dinner. Traveling to and from Majori was extremely easy and inexpensive! I would love to come back to this beach town or another beach town along the Baltic sea some day!! Maybe when it's nicer weather though!

Day 5 - 6: Last Day ~

Our final full day in Riga was filled with the remaining attractions. We first found the KGB Building, which was the main location of the violence and genocide against the Latvian nation during the Soviet occupation. This was an extremely eye opening historical layout. The unlawful torture of countless people until 1991 within this building was extremely haunting. Everything that occurred during the Soviet reign of Latvia has striking correlations with what is currently occurring in Ukraine. I have definitely grown a stronger interest in this issue!

After we finished the KGB Building, we made a quick stop at Muffins & More then to the famous Centraltirgus Market. This market is by far the largest market I have ever seen or heard of. There were enormous indoor facilities that were sectioned off for food along with an entire outdoor area sectioned off for fresh produce and random goods. We ventured throughout the market besides the giant fish market building. The smell was repulsing!!!!! 

For dinner, we returned to Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs. This was the perfect ending to our trip! There was traditional dancing occurring just a few feet from our table and the atmosphere was fantastic. Also, this was the night that we met a woman and her husband that knew the FBI agent I met on the plane. There were countless pilots that had accompanied her and her husband to dinner as well. We talked with her for a long time and it was so enjoyable! We talked further of the Latvian~Russian tension. She informed us that the United States, as part of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Latvia, is flying in troops and important figures into Latvia to make our presence and influence known to Russia. I will definitely be following this issue and checking in with my new contacts.

The next day we returned to Coventry to begin studying. Woohoo!! 

Great last trip!

Oh the Places You'll Go!! Royal Leamington Spa

Spring has officially sprung in England! The weather was absolutely gorgeous this weekend!

Saturday morning, Bailey and I began our girls weekend by hopping on the train for Royal Leamington Spa. The trip only took about 10 minutes! For the next few hours, we roamed the Jephson's Garden and streets of Royal Leamington Spa. We even made our way to the historical Royal Pump Rooms where people visited the various spa baths during the 18th and 19th century for leisure or medical purposes. After a little bit of shopping, we sat down at the Fat Birds Cafe for a late lunch. We then decided to take a little break in our hotel room and drop off bags after a full afternoon or walking, shopping, and eating.

Bailey and I on our paddle boat adventure

Bailey and I then had the opportunity to connect with my father's co-workers's daughter and her friends from the area. They were extremely friendly and they were able to point us in the right direction for a great dinner spot.

Sunday brunch at the BandStand Tea Room

After a quick stop at a Caribbean restaurant for a Margarita on the rocks, we made our way to a pub to watch the championship game of Ireland vs. France in Rugby 6 Nations. Can't say I knew what was going on, but it was a great atmosphere to watch the game! I was amazed how physical the game got and the injuries looked so awful! Yet, I can say I actually enjoyed the game!

For dinner, we ate at Copper Pot. I enjoyed a delicious Steak & Ale pie with mashed potatoes and peas. Yum! The place became very packed with locals celebrating St. Patty's weekend. We were able to stay and enjoy some of the night before heading back to our hotel exhausted.



Sunday morning, we awoke early and helped ourselves to a free breakfast at our hotel. We then made our way to a boat hire on the river where we hired a paddle boat out. It was the perfect morning to soak in some sun and get a little workout in.

Once our time was up we made our way to an American shop that held a variety of food and sweets that aren't normally available here in England. It was expensive though, so I only treated myself to a blue gatorade.

To end our wonderful weekend, we met up with Tony and Sue, my fathers coworker and wife, for a Sunday Brunch at the BandStand Team Room. Here I had my first traditional English tea and scone. It was great to catch up with them!

The Perfect Getaway to York

York was beautiful and had an abundance amount of history! One aspect that I was disappointed with was that it cost money to tour almost all historical locations and museums. The York City Art Gallery was the only free exhibition that I was actually really excited for. Yet, when we arrived, we found out that it was closed until 2015... How inconvenient!

Despite these discrepancies, I had the most wonderful day!

At 8am Saturday morning, I hopped on a bus with the Let's Go program through Coventry University for a 2 1/2 hour ride to York. Zane, Joey, Chris and I all joined in on this trip, but we all had different plans for the day. It was the perfect day for an adventure on my own.

I began by touring the Museum Gardens with various ruins, the York Observatory, and much more. I then found my way to one of the three old city walls for a wonderful walk. These walls have defended the city since the Roman times. After finding my way to the end of the first city walls, I found my way to the Eye of York and Clifford's Tower. Upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised by an enormous crowd of protesters, college students, policemen monitoring. I grabbed some free tea and pea soup from one of the protest groups and learned about what was happening. They informed me that they will often have peaceful political protests about government budget cuts on social reform.

Next, I made my way through all of the shopping streets including the famous area, The Shambles. Being without the boys, I had my fair share of window shopping and dreaming about shopping sprees with my mom:) Being a college exchange student, I don't exactly have the extra cash to shop as I please. Oh well, I will take these adventures and memories over shopping anytime!! Yet, I did find myself at a chocolate shop at an outdoor market and couldn't resist. I bought truffles of all flavors!! Yummy!

After finding the York Minster, I came across the cutest cupcakery! It was a great opportunity to relax and enjoy an amazing red velvet cupcake. I also had the opportunity to talk to a few locals enjoying cupcakes of their own. I received great advice on where locals enjoy eating dinner and the best vintage shops. After lots of rummaging through vintage shops and even ripping my jeans in the process, I found the perfect brown leather vintage satchel!!! Greatest day ever!! Only 4.75!! To celebrate my great victory I helped myself to some incredible local pizza to end my trip.

View of Eye of York and political protests from the Clifford's Tower

The York Minster 

Crumbs Cupcakery

View of York Minster from City Walls

The Lake District ~ Windermere, United Kingdom

Traveling around the world has become one of my passions in life and I am so thankful for all of the places I have already traveled with family and friends within the United States and beyond! Of the many places I have traveled, there are only a few places that I have absolutely fallen in love with. A few of these places include the Amalfi Coast in Italy, Toledo in Spain and the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. The beauty of these locations are insatiable!! You simply have to be quite and take in the view because no photo will ever capture the real essence of the moment. The Lake District has just joined this list as one of my favorite places on earth!

The Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England with many fresh water lakes. This region is highly regarded by vacationers with incredible hiking and mountain biking paths, variety of boutiques and outdoor shopping, water sports, and thrill seeking adventures. Since being in England, I have heard so many amazing stories about trips to The Lake District and have been itching to experience it first hand. 

Yesterday, Bailey and I had that opportunity to travel to Windermere in the southern part of the Lake District. It exceeded all expectations! Bailey and I hoped on a coach full of international students from Coventry University for a four hour bus ride to Windermere. I had never felt like the complete minority until then. We were traveling with students predominantly from Asian or Arab countries. When I wasn't sleeping, I had the chance to meet a few of the other students and hear their stories.

Arriving in Windermere, we had absolutely no plan. We just knew that we wanted to go on an adventure. Windermere was the perfect old fishing village filled with cafes, boutiques, outdoor stores, and lots of ice cream and chocolate shops!! Everything was so tempting!! We began by walking just over a mile down to the water. At Bowness Bay we ate our packed lunches staying clear of the many birds, ducks, and massive swans. After a few pictures, we decided to take a tour boat to two other small villages on the northern side of the 10 mile long and 1 mile wide lake. The buildings, castles, homes, and hotels along the lake were incredible!! People have money here!! Bailey and I got off at the second stop in Ambleside. What we didn't realize was that the city centre was a mile away! By the time we got into town and look around a bit, we had to turn around in order to make the boat back to Windermere. Thankfully we had beautiful weather, but we missed a huge hail storm by just a few minutes!

Our next destination was Post Knott Viewpoint. The hike up to the top was filled with sweat, lots of mud, and even more laughter. The rain and hail made the pathway to the top a little tricky. No one fell, but there were way too many close calls! Getting to the top of Post Knott Viewpoint was such a reward in every direction. We could see the entire lake, rolling hills, Windermere village, the English countryside, and snowy mountains in the distance. It was absolutely gorgeous! We didn't want to leave!

The trek down the hill was far worse than the trek up... So much mud!! After safely getting back to our meeting point in town, we were able to treat ourselves to a nice meal at Lazy Daisy Lakeland Kitchen before returning home. I'd say it was a successful day! Can't wait to return someday!!

Center Parcs Elveden Forest

Today I returned back home to Coventry from a week at Center Parcs Elveden Forest. It was a wonderful week, but I am exhausted!

Elveden Forest is set in over 400 acres of forest in Suffolk, England. Being at Center Parcs was a wonderful glimpse of home, Minnesota. We even saw a baby dear! Beyond the beautiful outdoor landscape, Center Parcs included a Village Square, Subtropical Swimming Paradise, Sports Plaza, Golf Course, Adventure High Ropes Course, and much more!

This trip was run through the SEM (sport & event management) department as a requirement for third year students. The five of us American exchange students had the opportunity to join in on the fun! There were about 70 students on the trip. Each morning the students received tasks to be completed and on the last day there were presentations summarising the weeks results. There was also a career development aspect of the trip.

But don't worry, it wasn't all school work! In our free time we enjoyed the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, exploring the hiking trails, and meeting new friends within the SEM department. Bailey and I even took on the challenge of the high ropes course and zip line. There were also a few planned events as a large group including a badminton tournament, a 3 course meal at Cafe Rouge, and bowling. It was a blast!

As the SEM department intern I had the opportunity to help plan for the week. I designed a ten page booklet for all of the students and faculty that included information about the week including accommodations, the weeks schedule, and much more. Also, during the week I didn't complete the tasks, but instead I graded them. That was a nice perk!

Edinburgh Excursion

A weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland was more than I could have imagined!! We were able to travel on a coach bus full of international students from Coventry University to Edinburgh through a program called "Let's Go!" This program offered us travel and accommodations but let us tour on our own. So glad we found this opportunity!! They will also be having day trips to York and Cardiff that I look forward to attending:)

Below are my favorite memories from the trip. If you ever go to Edinburgh, these are a must!!

1. On the first day we found our way up Calton Hill. The National Monument of Scotland was one of the sites on Calton Hill. We had our fair share of climbing and pictures on this.

2.  Calton Hill was by no means strenuous. The hill was not huge, but the view was incredible!! We went around Sunset, so the lights within the city began to light up and the sky was incredible! None of my pictures do this view justice.

3. On our second day we woke up at the crack of dawn to hike up Arthur's Seat mountain to watch the sun rise. This was by far the most incredible experience I have had in a long time! It was simply breathtaking! But seriously, it was a tough hike so it was actually breathtaking!! The path that we took was very uphill and we were moving very fast in order to make in time for the sunrise. It took us only about a half an hour, but there were many other paths that could have been taken for a more leisure morning. At the top of the mountain you could see the entire city of Edinburgh, the ocean and St. Andrews. Again, my pictures did not do the view justice.

4. After our long hike up and down Arthur's Seat, we made our way to The Elephant House. This gourmet tea and coffee shop has become famous as the place of inspiration to many writers over the years. J.K. Rowling sat and wrote much of her early novels looking out to the Edinburgh Castle similar to this image below. The bathrooms were like a shrine to Harry Potter haha. It was a magical experience being here, but the mocha and pastry was incredible as well!! 

5. After a museum, more sight seeing and a little shopping, we made our way to Princes Street Gardens where we saw this incredible view of the Edinburgh Castle!

The Oxford Experience

The view from the top of the Oxford Castle

Oxford, The City of Dreaming Spires, is famous around the world for it's history and prestigious University. Oxford is rich with historical stories of royalty, wars, scholars, and much more. The city nowadays has a bustling cosmopolitan high tech community, but the ancient University is still a main tourist attraction.

Our group had the opportunity to visit Oxford for the weekend and it was an incredible experience. Walking around the city we were surrounded by extremely intelligent human beings. I like to think that I became increasingly more intelligent just by being surrounded by these individuals at Oxford University:)

Shortly after arriving in Oxford we joined a free walking tour. Our tour guide led us through some of the most historical and well-known areas around the Oxford campus including the Sheldonian Theatre, Radcliffe Camera, Divinity School, The Bear, The Turf Tavern, Bodleian Library, University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the Carfax, the oldest building in Oxford, and the many colleges of Oxford. After the tour we were able to break off on our own to tour the Oxford Ashmolean Museum and The Museum of History of Science. At the Museum of History and Science we got to see a chalkboard that was from one of Albert Einstein's lectures at Oxford. After getting a quick bite to eat and warming up from the cold weather we decided to find our hostel to check in. That evening we found our way to The Eagle and The Child Pub. This was a very unique experience! This pub is where C. S. Lewis and The Inklings met for their creative writing society way back when. There were quotes and pictures around the bar, but it was not overdone. I had an amazing plate of fish & chips then our group though it was appropriate to play some scrabble:) After we ate and relaxed, we found our way to GandD's cafe that is famous for their ice cream. I ordered the Cookie Monster: a carmel cookie on bottom, a Bailey's Irish Cream ice cream in the middle, and a double chocolate cookie on top. WOW!! That night a few of us decided to roam the city.

Part of Harry Potter was filmed in this building!! The main floor was the hospital wing and the upper floor is where part of the library shots were taken including the restricted section

The Turf Tavern is one of the oldest pubs in Oxford and many celebrities have made their way here. Bill Clinton allegedly was caught here smoking illegal substances.

The Eagle and Child Pub

My incredible Monster Cookie and DandG's

Monday morning we awoke early to head to Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum. Unfortunately, the Natural History museum was closed and the Pitt River Museum wasn't open yet. Whoops. So we made our way to the University of Oxford Botanical Gardens. This was a very pretty area! Due to major flooding in the UK, we were not able to see everything because part of it was under water! We could see an entire football field nearby completely under water! If the water wasn't so high, it would have been really fun to rent a canoe thing to take throughout their rivers. After the gardens we made our way back to the Pitt Rivers Museum where we were able to see shrunken heads! We also got a little glimpse into the Natural History Museum to see a few dinosaur skeletons including the dodo bird! Next we made our way to Christ Church. Beautiful!! We then found our way to a covered market for lunch. In the afternoon we made our way to Oxford Castle for a cheesy tour. It was fun, a little creepy, and we got an amazing view of the entire city from the top of one of the tours. I'd say it was a successful few days!!!

 The Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum

Christ Church

The Bear - oldest pub in Oxford

 An amazing view of Oxford city from the top of the Oxford Castle

A Month of Memories

Had to include a C. S. Lewis quote after returning from a weekend in Oxford!!

It has officially been a month since arriving here in Coventry, United Kingdom. My pre-travel in Ireland and Wales was incredible, but actually living in the same place abroad for an extended amount of time is a whole different experience! My day to day life isn't always something spectacular, but there are constantly memories to cherish. My weekdays include attending lectures and seminars, putting in internship hours, blogging, doing a little homework, cooking, roaming Coventry, and occasional day trip and much much more. My weekends have tended to drain my bank account with the traveling and hanging out with friends. It is amazing the amount of memories I have captured within this last month! I can't wait to see what these next 3 months have in store for me!!

My Month of Memories:

Touring Coventry

A day trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon with the French

An evening in Birmingham

Kazbah and Hush

The Phoenix & Quids Pub

Starting school at Coventry University

Getting placed as Marketing Intern in the Sport & Event Management department

A weekend in London (staying with Kaitlin)

A day trip to Liverpool with the French

An evening at the Bucher's Arms Restaurant in Priors Hardwick with Tony and Sue

Joined the Coventry Women's Basketball team

Getting my ear pierced

Attending the Aston Villa v. West Ham United football match (stay tuned for a blog post)

A weekend in Oxford (stay tuned for a blog post)

and more...

Oh The Places You'll Go!! Liverpool

Bailey, Chris, Zane, Joey, and I hoped on a bus with the 17 French international students and a Greek MBA student from Coventry University again this morning. This time, our adventure brought us to Liverpool in the United Kingdom. 

Our first stop in Liverpool was Anfield Stadium. Here we had the opportunity to go through their museum and go through a group tour. Within the group tour we explored the press room, various press boxes, as well as the home and away team rooms. We then had the opportunity to sit in various areas of the stadium learning about the history of the team and the stadium. I've seen a few Liverpool games on the television, but I can't imagine what a game in real life would be like!!

Our next stop was The Beatles Story Exhibition, Beatles Mania. It was amazing to learn more about each member of the band and their history! Now I need to go to Abbey Road and take the legendary picture walking across!! That will be another London trip.

My new French friend, Peter, and our coloring of the Yellow Submarine

10 Things I Learned in London

1. There's always another train. Thankfully I never missed a train, but I was seconds away from missing my train from Coventry to London. Trains are constantly going in every which direction. Make sure to purchase flexible tickets, stay calm, and arrive early. You'll get there, don't worry.

2. The Tube, London Underground, is so much more confusing and difficult than I thought it would be. I am so glad that I had someone with me that knew what they were doing! Get a tube map and study it!

3. Mind the Gap - enough said.

4. Maps are your friend. Like any friend, you are supposed to get lost together in order to eventually find exactly where you are supposed to be.

5. Americans live a much faster paced life that Europeans. I need to embrace this way of life: walk slower to enjoy the view, eat slower to enjoy my company, and slow time down to take it all in.

6. The people of London are my kind of fashionistas!!! Minus the infamous bad teeth...

7. Only having cellular access in WiFi is extremely difficult!!! I actually really enjoy not being attached to my phone so that I can enjoy my time, but meeting up with or contacting people is extremely difficult. I'm gonna buy a pay-as-you-go phone this week.

8. You don't have to break the bank to explore what London has to offer. Granted my housing was covered because I stayed with a friend, but I only spent around 60 British Pounds for the weekend. This included train tickets to and from Coventry, an all-day tube ticket, 4 meals, free sight-seeing and 2 nights of drinking.

9. Don't obsess about the currency rates. It's horrible. You can't do anything about it! Enjoy every moment. Save when you can. Splurge to make once in a lifetime memories.

10. Any tourist in London needs a good pair of walking shoes! Thank heavens I bought a pair of comfortable and stylish boots the day before my study abroad experience. They have saved my life!

Oh The Places You'll Go!! A Weekend in London

My weekend in London surpassed all of my wildest dreams! I think that our group could all agree that we owe much of the experience we had to the many bumps in the road, heart stoppers, and soar feet along the way...

Our trip began with a major heart stopper!! As Americans living in the United Kingdom, we have found that we tend to live a much more fast paced life when it comes to walking, getting work done, and even dining. We have been extremely impressed with their fast and efficient train systems though! After our Friday class, we packed our bags and made our way to the train station. We got to the train station in, what we thought was, plenty of time due to our fast walking... As we arrived at the station we realised how wrong we were... Turns out that rush hour exists all over the world... The station was packed! We were so happy that we pre-booked our tickets, but we still had to wait in line to pick them up. As we stood in line the minutes began to pass and the departure time was creeping up on us. We frantically reached the ticket station, put in our information, and received our tickets with under 2 minutes to spare. We bolted out of line and towards the train. We made the train by just a few seconds!! Ooops... I guess next time we will make sure to arrive earlier, especially during rush hour.

Just under two hours later, we arrived in London! Upon arrival, our plan was to meet up with our friends and head separate ways for the night. The boys' plan was to stay with Johnnies near Kensington, while Bailey and I would be staying near University College with my dear friend from home, Kaitlin. We were so excited to being staying with friends and not having to pay extra fees for a place to stay. Unfortunately, finding our friends did not go as smoothly as planned. Turns out there is a Euston Station and a Euston Square Station. Eventually we were able to find our way after borrowing a phone and walking around aimlessly in the rain. 

Our night out in London was fantastic! Even though we didn't go to a fancy rooftop bar or an expensive club, we had an amazing time at a university pub near Kaitlin's university. We went with a few of her friends and we met many wonderful people from all over Europe. 

Saturday was our jam-packed day of sightseeing and walking around London. I am not sure if I want to know how many miles we covered... My feet were not happy with me. Thank heavens I bought some really comfortable and cute walking shoes the day before I left America ha. Our plan was to meet the boys at St. George's Cathedral near the Waterloo station. Even though it did not go as planned, we somehow found each other after both being about a half an hour late and not in our planned location. Then the sightseeing began. Our eventful day included The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, St. James' Palace, Trafalgar Square, M&M World, Leicester Square, The Globe Theatre, Tate Modern Art Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, and much more. We then met up with my friend Kaitlin and others for a wonderful dinner. Bailey and I both ate a Steak & Ale Pie. Delicious!!! Our night was spent with the ladies drinking wine and gossiping:)

We awoke Sunday morning to a rainy, rainy day! After a wonderful breakfast, Bailey and I found our way to the British Museum. We spent a few hours there and then grabbed our bags to head to the station. Here we made a more swift entrance onto the train with everyone accounted for and time to spare. It was wonderful going over our weekend together on the train ride home. We were amazed how much we saw on a small budget.

London, I will be back for more. Ta ta for now!

The London Eye

Classic Touristy Picture :)

Hanging out at Buckingham Palace with the Queen

We may or may not have found ourselves in the middle of a protest..

Trafalgar Square

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