Off to see the Pope

Today we went to the Vatican, it was really cool but there were a lot of people there. I had to wear pants because you can't show knees so it was very very hot. The highlight of the trip was the museum that also housed the Sistine Chapel. We had to wait in a really long line and all these illegal venders kept trying to sell us things it was ridiculous. But once we got in it was really cool! After that we went and saw St. Peters it was a huge church and gorgeous on the inside! By that time me and Sarah were wore out so we came and took a three hour nap. Which was good because the trip is really starting to catch up to me. That night we just got dinner and then came back and watched a movie on the computer

Ten miles for Acquaducks? You have got to be kidding me!!

So today was beat up on Sarah and Sadie day. We thought setting out it was going to be a good, but we were oh so wrong. Our plan was to hit up this park that has a lot of Roman ruins in it and aqua ducks, the invention of running water. So this was going to be a pretty good day. It started off with us being the only two people in a almost fully together Roman city center with the famous baths and that was pretty cool! But that was the last high point in the day. After that we got on a bus (we had to wait for this bus for an hour!) and headed to a park, but we thought we missed our stop so we got off at te next stop and waited for the next bus. After waiting for like thirty minutes a bus shows up and it ended up being the bus we got off of, so on reality we could have just set on the air conditioned bus and circled back around instead of sitting in the heat. Once we got off at the 'right' stop the place was closed down for siesta. So we had to wait until two which was like a hour away. Once it became two we then realized our tickets wouldn't get us in! So we went back to the bus stop but decided that we would rather walk. That's what we did at the hottest part of the day after a bad few hours. And for the next three hours we walked and walked to find these aqua ducks. It was sooooo hot and I was tired and almost out of water, and what water I did have could have made coffee lol. We eventually found the aquaducks but they weren't ten mile hike impressive, but it did make the journey a little worth it. After that we waited and waited for a bus but they all just kept driving by so we decided to walk anothe mile or two to the metro station. But finally we made it back to our air conditioned hotel room! So in short Rome kicked our butts yesterday. But we were bound to have one bad day so it could have been much worse. That's it for now goodnight!

Bad Italian food? Who knew there was such a thing

Today we went to the colosseum, it was sooo cool. It was amazing to think how long it has been standing and then look at the great shape it is in. The Romans must have known what they were doing. It was extremely hot here too, hotter than it has been anywhere else. It takes some getting use to, we drank lots and lots of water today, they have places where you can fill your water bottle up for free which is nice. After the colosseum we went to Palentine Hill, which is where there are a lot of roman ruins also. The Roman Forum stands here and you can still see the roads and quite a few parts of buildings are still standing. The most impressive thing was the columns that were standing, they were soo tall! After all that we went back to the hotel room to cool off and rest because the sun takes a lot out of you. And later on we went back out to see the city at night and to get dinner. We actually found a cheap place for dinner, six euros for pasta and a drink so we got it. But t was horrible and we ended up eating of the dollar menu. But on the plus side we got to see the high end shopping street and the Trivi Fountain lit up at night which was super cool. After all that we were exhausted so we came back and shower and went bed. I think that I am losing momentum because I get tired faster than at the beginning of the trip. It all must be catching up with me. That's it for now goodnight!

Oops we got on the wrong train...

Today was not very exciting we just took the train to Rome. It actually took about four more hours than it should have because we accidently got on the slow train and not the fast train haha. Once we got here there wasn't much to do othe than get settled in an eat dinner. And that is exactly what we did! Our hotel is super nice, we even have air condition! We had dinner at a local place that was a four course meal it was so good!I had spaghetti, potatoes, roasted chicken, an ice cream! That's all for today, goodnight!

Its my birthday!

Monday July 16 Today is my birthday! I am finally not a teenager anymore! I was a great way to spend a birthday here in Tuscany. We just kind of chilled around Certaldo, an I finally got to do laundry. I was out of socks! For lunch we went to an family owned restaurant, I got a penne dish that was excellent! Sarah actually bought lunch for my birthday, it was very nice of her! We were going to go to Florence, but we missed the early train and we decided it wouldn't be worth to only spend about three hours there. So we came back to the hostel and hung out. We looked up the hostel we were suppose to stay at in Rome. But all the reviews for the past few months were things like "worst place ever" and "so dirty, do not stay here!" so we cancelled that booking  after we found another place to stay. We are actually staying in a nice hotel with our own room for just about five dollars more than what we would have paid for the hostel. Plus we were thinking it will be nice to have our own room the last few days because we are starting to get tired, and being able to sleep or have the light on as long or short as you want will be nice. Tomorrow we leave for Rome. That will be exciting! That's it for now. Have a good day everyone! 

Welcome to paradise!

Sunday July 15  Today was soo awesome! We went to Cinque Terra, which is on the cost of Italy. It wasn't originally in our plans, but nothing about Certaldo  has been in our plans so far. At first we thought we were going to spend the day in Pisa, but we were told the only thing in Pisa was the tower. So our new friends, Frrydis and Abegathis (no clue on the spelling-they are from Norway), told us we should tag along with the group to Cinque Terra. It is the best place in Italy but it is not advertise much so a lot of people don't know about it. It i a group if five cliff villages that are all within a mile of each other. It's about a three hour train ride to the villages. It is so worth it though. You really get a feel for the culture and the views are gorgeous! The houses are all do pretty with different colors and the tile roofs. In the first village called Manorolla we went swimming in the Meditrainian Sea. The water was so blue! It's the most  beautiful water I have ever seen! Also in that first village we climbed up the mountain to see the village from above, best idea all trip! After that we move on to the last village and there we actually got to sit on the beach since the last one you had to jump in from the rocks. It was such a nice day! We even got Geiloto. It is the best ice cream ever! One the way home we did a lot of running to catch our connecting trains because we always arrived like three minutes before departure, it was so funny. When we got home we all crashed because the day was so exciting! After we got back from Certaldo inmet a girl who's family is the Fulks of Ashland. It is so crazy, it is such a small world. From the train station we walked around the festival again, and at mid night our new friends sang me happy birthday in Swedish! It was so neat! That's it for now! Chow! 

Milan 1/ Sarah & Sadie 0 but Tuscany takes the gold!

Saturday July 14  Last night in the hostel wasn't the greatest. I maybe got like twenty minutes of sleep. It was really hot and loud and there was water dripping on my bed! So instead of pretending to sleep I just got up and played on the Internet. The plus side though was that I was able to Skype my mom at like four thirty in the morning. Me and Sarah left the hostel at five thirty to go to the train station to go to Certaldo. Which is a small town in the Tuscan country side. At the bus stop a lady who we think was trying to get to the airport was trying to ask what time the bus came, but she was speaking Italian. Neither party understood the other but some how we managed to figure it out with lots and lots of hand motions. I slept on the two and a half hour train ride which was nice because by then it was around twenty four hours with no sleep. Once we got to Certaldo I could already tell I was going to like it better than Milan. The hostel we are staying in is more like a bed and breakfast and was once a moneserty that catered to travels about 800 years ago. It is run by an Italian, an Australian, and a girl from South Carolina. As soon as we got there we met a kit of cool people from all over the world. We hiked down the hill to the town and explored with them. We stopped at this cute pizzeria and got a slice and a pop for only two euros! All of us decided it would be better if we all cooked dinner together do we went shopping. We picked up some excellent fruit from the farmers market, most of it was gone before we got to the supermarket. We ended up getting stuff to make a hearty pasta sauce. After shopping we made the twenty five minutes journey back up the hill to the hostel and went swimming in the pool because it is sooo HOT here compared to the other places we have been! After all of us chipped in to help with dinner and we ate we went down to the festival that is happening in the town. It had a huge merchant market, they had a lot of really cool things. I bought a few things and we spent a long time in there. After the market we went up the hill to the castle/courtyard that is where the festival was being held. It was really cool there was a lot of street performers doing things like singing, dancing, acrobats, actors, and so much more. One of the bands actually is staying at our hostel, try were really cool they are a swing jazz band. The festival was nice because we were some of the only tourist there so we got immersed into the culture. Everyone was so happy they were all singing and dance no matter how old or young. By the ended of the night I was going close to thirty plus hours with no sleep so I was ready for bed! 

Friday the 13th...

Friday the 13th lived up to its name. It was the first bad day we have really had since we got here. But before you get worried mom, since I know you are reading, it all turns out good in the end. Haha anyways today we had to get up super early to fly to Italy and everything was fine until we landed in Milan, that's when it Starts to go down hill. First thing is Sarah'a bank card won't let her take out any money. And we have no phone to call anyone and the pay phone didn't work at first. Then to make things worse there was a charge on her card she didn't make. But she got ahold of her dad and it all worked out. But not until we had spent two extra hour in the airport making it almost two thirty before we boarded a bus to go to our hostel. This leaves us with less than twenty four hours to explore Milan. While one the bus we couldn't understand how it worked so we got off like five stops to early and had to walk all the way to our hostel with a map that had only like six streets labeled on it. But we found it! Then we had to carry our luggage up five flights of stairs that each had thirteen stairs, how ironic. From there though everything started to look up and we for to explore the city some. It is prett here and smells better than Paris! All in all today has made us travelers like Mitch, the study abroad guy at ONU, said we should be and not tourist. One other thing I forgot to mention, Sarah used the men's bathroom in the hostel twice today! This Australian guy was looking at us funny and then was like um this is the guys bathroom. It was so funny especially everything we have been through today. And on the plus side he was super cute! That's all for today, I might not be able to blog the next couple of days because we might not have wifi in Tuscany. But you will hear all about in a few days!

Lots and lots of walking!

Today was our last day before flying out to Italy tomorrow. We took a day trip to Versailles, to see the palace where the treaty of versailles was signed and also Marie Antoinette,s state rooms. It was so awesome! The palace had the most beautiful ceiling paintings I have seen since I have been over here. An The Room of Mirrors, the place where the treaty was signed, was so magnificent! After taking a tour through the place we walked the grounds and gardens and they were just as awesome! We went through a hedge maze that was kind of cool. And then walked soo far out to Marie Antoinette,s apartment/house. It was pretty. I just can't believe how big the grounds were! We probably walked close to seven or eighh miles today in the time we were in versailles! Before we headed back to the hostel to pack we ate dinner out. The restraint we picked we thought was French but it ended up being Spanish food, but it was really good! After that we came back and packed all of our stud up since we have to leave for an early flight tomorrow. Goodnight!

"How do the French have war museums? Haha"

Today was a complete success! We finished seeing all the must sees since tomorrow is our last day in Paris and it will be spent in Versailles. The first thing we did today was go to Napoleon's tomb. It was in this huge, gorgeous dome building. Also included in the ticket was entrance to the Paris war museum. It was really cool, except all the labels and explanations were in French. But it was kind of cool it let me use all my world wars knowledge from my classes because Sarah was asking questions about it. From there we went to the Champs-de-alssie (or something like that) it is the biggest shopping street! We saw stores like Hugo Boss and Armani. An also the arch, which at the moment I forget the name of, but it is huge and we used it as an "n" so me and Sarah could spell out ONU. After that we just walked around because there is so much to take in. We had pastries and hot chocolate since it was cool today. We also souvenir shopped. After we had dinner back at the hostel we went on boat tour down the river. It was so cool! The sun was setting while we were on the boat and so the sky was pretty with all the old buildings. That's it for now, goodnight everyone!

"Bur?!"

Today we went to a church called Sacred Heart, it was so beautiful! It was up on this hill and you had to climb all the way up just to get in, but once you go to the top of the hill the view was amazing! We went in and they were having a catholic service it was neat to see and hear it in French. We decided we would pay to climb the three hundred steps to the top of the dome. The steps were crazy; they were very narrow, steep, and a little dark. But once you got to the top you could see all of Paris including the Eiffel Tower. On the way back down there were guys selling Paris souvenirs, teu were selling them illegal all over Paris. But I decided to buy something from them because it was super cheap and they were very open about it unlike in the streets around the Eiffel Tower plus there were lot of people buying from them. After that church we went to Notre Dame, it was so cool! The inside was breathe taking! Outside the church were these little birds that would land in your hand if you had bread. It was really fun, at one point I had three in my hand! By the time we were done there it was about dinner time so we decided to head back to our hostel to cook dinner. But when we got to our room our card keys to get in wouldn't let us in. When we got to the front desk he said we had to move rooms because a "bur" had happened in our room. We still have no clue what that means, but that's ok because it upgraded us to a private room with our own bathroom! So that was awesome! Other than that nothing else exciting has happened today. Good night everyone!

Forget sunset on the beach; sunset atop the Eiffel Tower is better!

Bonjour! Today was our first full day in Paris and it was awesome! We met up with Sarah and Jennae this morning at the Louvre. The building itself was just awesome! But the stuff inside was even cooler! We saw the Mona Lisa, the first written law, don't know the name at the moment, and Greek statues. The line to the Mona Lisa was crazy, there were so many people! We got lost a couple times trying to navigate the louvre, it's just so big. After that we decided to have lunch at a cafe. It was cool we sat outside and everything, only thing is we forgot to say tap water when we ordered sober ended up paying like four euros for a water! But we learned our lesson. From there we ventured back to our hostel to charge cameras or get new batteries. Then at six we met back up again to go to the Eiffel Tower. On the way there we saw a double decker train! It was so strange. Once we got to the Eiffel Tower the wait in line for the lift up was about four hours. We stood in line for about a half hour, in which Sarah got pooped on by a bird! It was the funniest thing! But after the half hour we decided to walk to the second floor and catch the lift there. It was a long hike! There were 669 steps total on just the way up! But it was so worth it! The view from the second floor was amazing! Then we waited about an hour in line to get all the way to the top. Once we got there it was sunset. So we got to watch the sun set from atop the Eiffel Tower! It was beautiful! On the way back down the Eiffel Tower it started to light up and that was super cool! By that time is was like ten and we were all starving because we hadn't ate since two. So we went to a hotdog/sandwich stand and had some pretty good food. We crossed the river and looked at the Eiffel Tower from there and it started to sparkle! It was sooo pretty! After that we headed home. At the tube station we had to say our final goodbyes to Sarah and Jennae which was sad, but hopefully we will see them again someday! Ok that's it for now, time for bed since its almost two am here!

Goodbye London, hello Paris!

Today was our last official day in London. We didn't do much other than plan some deeper details of ou trip around the rest of Europe. We are hitting up Paris, Milan, the Tuscan country side, Pisa, Florence, and Rome. There is about two more weeks of travel for me and Sarah; we will be back stateside July 23. But anyways today we sent the day travelling to Paris. Which takes only an hour by plane, but I feel like we have been travelling all day! We got to the airport at like three and our plane didn't fly out until six and then it got delayed until six forty. Once we finally made it to Paris we had to take an hour train ride into the city, and let me tell you Paris people need to invest in some deodorant! They all smell really bad, and I'm not even trying to be mean. Then once we got off the train we had to find our hostel. That was a chore because everything is in French! And do I speak French? Don't think so, I can't even speak Spanish and I took three years of it. But we found it after walking half way there, second guessing ourselves turning around and then turning back around to go in the right direction. Our hostel is extremely nice! We have a four person all girl room, with our own bathroom. And there is wifi within the rooms! No where else has ha that except my dorm in London. It is really nice that's way you don't have to go all the way downstairs to Skype or email or even write this blog. That's it for now! I'm going to bed because we are getting up early to meet Sarah, Jennae, and Melissa at the louvre.

It's raining, its pouring, the old man is snoring

Today we have official started our independent travels! It's a little scary not having some one to guide you around but I think we are gonna do just fine. We took the train to Salisbury today and from there a bus to Stonehenge. Seeing Stonehenge was awesome! But it sucked to because it was rain and cold! From there we went to Old Serum and say the remains of a castle, we even got to go in it!!! I was so pretty out in the country side, and it smelled like home!! We were about two hour out of the city. After we got back to the city I had to go buy a new suitcase because my broke last night. But I have one and all my stuff fits so much better! Right now we just got to our hostel and it's super nice! Much better than the one in Ireland! Ok that's all I'm going to shower and sleep!

I'm on a boat!

Sorry I missed blogging yesterday, it was a crazy day/night, but so much fun. Yesterday was the last day of class and I had to give my presentation, which I think went well, the professor said he felt confident no one would get below a B. Which is good, I could have gotten a C and still been okay since my just transfers in as pass/fail. After class I came back to the dorm and did laundry since this weekend we will be heading out on our traveling adventures with just me and Sarah. And plus fresh clean clothes is always nice! Then yesterday evening was the farewell boat party! It was so much fun, they served us dinner and then had a bar and a dance floor. The bartender actually gave me a free drink which was funny, but hey I'll take it. We danced to very American music which was a nice change of pace. The boat part lasted for about three hours up and down the Thames River. It was great way to say goodbye to everyone. Except the dancing didn't start there! We decided we hadn't had enough dancing so we went out to the club Tiger Tiger, it was a lot of fun. It had several different rooms all playing different types of music. The main room was playing newer music. Then we ended up in a 70's and 80's room with sweet dance floor that changed colors!! Then the white room which had strobe lights, I always like the strobe lights. Tiger Tiger was the first big club we had been to, it was interesting and fun, but I have decided that I like smaller bars or even better bonfires better. There was just too many people there and it smelled like BO haha. But it was a good way to ended the three weeks here in London! Tonight is the ISA farewell dinner, it's supposed to be a nice dinner. It'll be an early night tonight too because I have to pack all my things up. hopefully it all fits in my suitcase and backpack! And then tomorrow we are heading to Stonehenge! Hope everyone has a great day back in the states! See you all in two weeks or so!

We Will, We Will Rock You!!

First off Happy 4th of July!! We celebrated a little over here by eating American food and we listened to some very American songs! Today was our second to last day of class and we just watched the other students give presentations. I don't go until tomorrow, my presentation is how I could make the Harry Potter tour better. So it's super easy! After class we went to the first ever Hard Rock Cafe. It was sooo cool I got the legendary burger it was amazing and I also got a Bahama Mama it was fantastic. But the trip there was not fun because there were major delays on the tube system so a trip that should have taken twenty minutes took an hour and a half! It was a little frustrating, but I'm just glad I don't have to travel all the time on tubes back home! After dinner we went to the musical We Will Rock You! It was so fun! It was set in the future when rock and roll had died and two teenagers had to save it, and they song all Queen songs. It was funny too because they did a lot of cultural references in a funny way, like one of the lead parts, who was a guy, was named Brittany Spears. After the play I had to come home and finish my presentation. It's done now though! Ok, good night everyone!

Walking like The Beatles

Today in class we pretty much went to the ghetto part of London. It was a little sketchy and was definitely not my favorite walking tour haha. But I did get this really cool book mark at the art gallery, it is a whole bunch of people doing random things but when you tilt it they move! It is so awesome, it was totally worth the two pounds I spent on it. After class I met up with Melissa because Sarah went to a play that started before my class was over. Me am Melissa had lunch and on the way back from lunch I jumped at a pigeon, but instead of it flying away it flew right at me! It was crazy! Me and Melissa went back to the school to wait around for everyone else to go to Abbey Road. We were suppose to be doing home work but that didn't happen haha. But finally once everyone got done we went to Abbey Road, which was pretty cool. We took the same picture that the Beatles took crossing the road. Only thing is, is that it is a functioning road so you have to watch out for cars, it only took us like fifteen tries to get the picture right. Although later on when we walked back by some one had got hit by a car! But it was ok because she was ok just a sprained ankle. It kind of sucks now though for us to because they took the video down off the website that had us crossing the road because she got hit. But I would rather her be ok and us not be able to see the video and not the other way around! After that I just came home and worked on my paper. Ok good night everyone!

You might be a history buff if you spend four hours in one museum...

Today we had class in a real class room, so that means I caught up on my journal and wrote some post cards. I know you're thinking I'm a bad student but I am really not he just repeats everything in his lectures that he has already told us. But afterwards me and Sarah met Sarah and Jennae at the imperial war museum. It was awesome! We spent a solid four hours in there. One of the better parts was the holocaust exhibit, they made it a personal journey through someone's life with videos and personal items. They did a really nice job of setting it up. Another cool part was that they set up a trench warfare experience and a blitz bomb shelter experience. They were both super cool! In the trench it actually looked, smelled, and felt like you were there. They even had 'bombs' going off and the whole trench would rattle. In the bomb shelter you walk in like they would and it was like you were spending the night in the bomb shelter for safety. It also sounded like bombs and rattled. Then ultou walk out and you saw the aftermath of the bombing it even smelled like it would. I just thought that was an awesome way to make someone really understand what it was like. That museum was probably my favorite one we have been too. Even after spending four hours there I could probably go back and look around again. After that we continued our normal Monday night tradition since we have been there and went to have five British pound burgers and fries at Bar. We spent almost two and half hours in there just hanging out. That's it for now now. Have a good night everyone!

Do not feed the birds! You will get arrested!

Today I got to sleep in! Which was wonderful especially after the crazy busy weekend we had. Then we went to Canada day in Trafalgar Square it was packed with people and I accidently broke the law. Don't worry it's not what you think: in Trafalgar Square it is illegal to feed the pigeons and I fed them one of my chips (French fries). Luckily no one saw me! From there we went to meet the ISA group to tour Buckingham Palace. It was soo pretty and awesome in the inside! We got to see the balcony where Will and Kate kissed and the room where they took their official wedding pictures. To bad we couldn't take pictures. Other than that it was a slow day which was alright because I needed to work on homework. Good night love and miss every one!

We conquered Ireland in thirty three hours!

Today we started out in Ireland but now I am back sleeping in my dorm room in London. Ireland was sooo awesome! I think I may like it a little bit better than London. We spent the day in Malahide which is a coastal town close to Dublin. The first thing we did was walk around the park that surrounded Malahide castle. It was so nice to get out the city and to a small town. We walked past a cricket game being played and I still have no clue how the game works. We couldn't get into the castle because it is under construction. But we did get to hike a little and while we were hiking it started to pour the rain. So I had to walk around Ireland with a British flag umbrella. Actually as we were walking two old men said we all need to have matching umbrellas because the ones we had were not Irish enough. They were funny and laughed at us for comeing to their little town as tourist haha after the park we had lunch. Also while walking through the park we saw lots of dogs and we got to pet most of them and talk a few minutes to their owners. We have decided that the people in Ireland are so much nicer than people in London. We weren't sure what we wanted so we just wondered around town until we decided on something. The town was just like I pictured an small town in Ireland to be like. It was so awesome! Then after lunch we went to the beach dispite the rain clouds. The beach was soo beautiful! It is hard to discribe in words how it was but it was so different than any beach in America. After the beach it was time to head back to the airport. It was so nice today to be able to just wonder around and stop when you felt like it compared to living in the big city of London. I have decided that I will never live in a big city haha. That's it for tonight I am exhausted from the awesome trip this weekend.

The Luck of the Irish

Today we flew to Dublin! Although it was a very early start, we ha to leave at 6:00 for the airport with a little over four hours of sleep, it has been an awesome day! We have pretty miched tried to conquer the city in one day since tomorrow will be spent in the country and then flying back to London. Despite the time crunch we got a lot in today. The first thing we did was go to the Guiness brewery which was really cool and something you have to do while in Dublin. Then from there we went to a castle and trinity college and just wondered through the streets. But at Trinty College there was a graduation so we got to see everyone all dressed up. I have decided Ireland is better than London in someways, first off the accents are sooo much cooler! I just love listening to them! And secondly the map is so much user friendly! It is a lot more easier to navigate. And also I like that there is a lot less people here than in London. The people here are so much nicer too! While on the bus we made some new friends and they were nice and helped us figure out what bus to take. For dinner today we went to an Irish pub and there were two guys in the bar playing Irish music it was so awesome! Right now we are back at the hostel and going to be soon because we have to get up early so we can make it to Malahide coast and be back in time for our 7:40pm flight. Cheers!

It's Friday!! Well for me anyways!

Today is my Friday! It was the last class for the week! We went to the Museum of London in the Docklands, we were given a section of the museum and had to analyze it. My partner and I were given the Blitz section. It was a cool section they just didn't put it together very well. We actually finished way early since our section was so small, we just chilled in the cafe with these really comfortable chairs and amazing blueberry muffins! After class I came back to the apartment and attempted to work on my paper but that didn't go so well, I ended up doing other things. It was super hot here today compared to normal it was almost eighty degrees out! Tonight we are going to Ellen's and Melissa's to hang and then get in earlier than normal since we have to leave for the airport at like 5:30am tomorrow for Dublin! I am so stoked for that. I might not get to blog tomorrow because I don't know of we will have wifi at the hostel. But if I can't you will hear all about Dublin Saturday night when we get back!

Who said you couldn't be two places at once?!

Today we had class in Greenwhich, just not the one in Ohio haha actually the one here is pronounced "Gren-which" It was really cool though it is where the time is based off of for the whole world, because the Prime Meridian is there. I actually stood on both sides at the same time so it was like I was in two places at one time! We also got to see the Olympic venue there, it is for some sort of jumping not sure what kind though it had a funny name. While we were there I also got to try on a knights helmet and glove it was really heavy! It was also like seventy five degrees here today which is hot compared to the fifty and sixty degree weather we have been having. So i can only imagine how its going to feel once i get home! After class i took a little nap because I was extremely tired because we had to leave almost an hour and a half earlier than normal because Greenwhich is so far out. Then I worked on my paper for the class a little. I'm doing it on the Harry Potter museum, it is going to be a super easy paper and also kind of fun! That's about all, we ate dinner tonight at home but we we had pasta yet again haha just because it is really easy to cook. The stove in pur kitchen is a gas stove so me and sarah have been having problems lighting it with the dinky little lighter we have. We have been using a piece of paper and just dropping it over the place where you light it in the oven haha. Anyways today was the midway point for our time here in London and I can't believe how fast it has gone! I miss home some but I am definitely not ready to leave so soon, so it's a good thing we have two more weeks after London touring France and Italy! That's all for today, hope all is well at home!

On the London Eye way up in the sky!

Today was a good day! Well I guess they all have been good. I had class but most importantly I rewashed my clothes and I remembered to put soap in the machine! There is nothing better than having flash clothes, which gives you more of a variety to choose from. After class and washing clothes we went to the London Eye. We had planned to meet in waterloo tube station, but the problem is it's a pretty big station and we forgot to say where to meet. No worries though all the groups thought alike and met at in front of Boots like we have been doing for the ISA sponsored programs. It was the normal six to go on the London Eye. It was soo awesome! You could see the whole city from up there! When were done it was only like six o'clock so we decided to have a movie night in Ellen and Melissa's apartment. Their apartment is Super nice and awesome! Except the main cord for the DVD player was missing so we had to use a laptop. It was funny we had this huge tv but we were stuck watching a movie on this tiny screen. But it was a lot of fun like always. That's all for today! Good might!

Where's Ellen?

Today was probably one of the least exciting days I've been here because we actually ha to sit in a class room. It was a big change from being out and about the city everyday. After class Sarah, Sarah, Jennae, Ellen, Melissa, and I all went shopping for family and us. I got a mind the gap tshirt for myself then the rest of the things I bought was for everyone back home. Every time the six of us are together we have a lot of fun! We normally play the where's Ellen game because she always just disappears. We said we were going to make a book called where's Ellen just like where's Waldo except it would just be set in London haha. After shopping we went to five dollar burger night at "Bar" it was a good time! Then after dinner me and Sarah took our laundry to Jennae and Sarah's since it is way cheaper there, but I had a fail moment and forgot to put laundry soap in so my clothes just got washed in cold water. So now I have to get up early and go rewash them :( I feel like I am conforming to the fast past of city life because I got impatient when I had to wait five minutes for the tube because we normally only have to wait like one minute. I can't believe how fast this trip is going! We were talking today how next week is our last week here and it feels like we just got here! But we still have lots of fun things planned! Like Dublin! We just printed our tickets for the plane I am soo excited! Ok I'm hitting the hay! Night everyone love and miss you!

The London Bridge is falling down!

Last night was a lot of fun! We went to this bar right up the road from where I am living, it was set back in the eighties and nineties which was pretty cool. Me and the group of girls I was with actually got the dance floor started which makes us pretty awesome! Going out gave us a chance to meet locals and that was a lot of fun! There were these two guys that hung out with us off and on for most of the night it was funny because we asked them to do their best American accent and they did a thirteen year old girl. It was just an awesome night to top off an awesome day! Today we got to sleep in! That was good because you don't get much sleep here because we are always doing some thing. We went to the Tate Modern Art Museum which was really cool even if I didn't understand some of the prices in the there. We decided to get lunch at the little stand right out side the museum but it started to down pour so we had to run for cover! All day it would be sunny then start pouring the rain all of a sudden without any warning. So we got really good at whipping our umbrellas out on an split second. After that we went to the Tower of London it was really cool. We got to see the Crown Jewels! It was so sparkly in the room! They said that each side of the vault doors weigh 2000 pounds! After the museum we came home and ate a dinner of pasta like we do every night because it's cheap and easy haha. Then we just kind of relaxed around the room to get ready for another exciting week of classes. That's it for now, hope all is well state side!

I spy the Queen!!

This is going to be a quick blog today because I am getting ready to head out for a night out. But it was an exciting day today! We went to Windsor Castle which is the Queens summer home and we saw the royal guards I actually got my picture with them. And almost got ran over by them! But the best thing is we got to see the Queen! And Kate! And we think William! They were heading out to the Ascot Derby. But it was so cool she even waved to us! That's all I'm heading out now!

Mind the cliffs please! It's a tid bit windy!

Today we didn't have class so we had an ISA day trip to Dorset which is on the coast line. It was a two hour train ride to Dorset. But it was pretty fun we finished up planning our Dublin trip with the other Sarah and Jennae and we also tried out our British accents with the phrase "mind the gap" which you here all the time on the tube and the trains. Once we got to the train station we boarded coach coach buses and four of us were in the back four seats squished when we realized there was only six people on a sixteen person bus. So needless to say we moved! The first stop was Corfe Castle, which is in ruins because it was destroyed during Normandy and the Blitz. But it was still very cool to see! At the foot of the hill was a mid-evil village and we ate lunch here, the village was awesome to walk through but all the doors were shorter than me! From there we went to the Jurassic Coastline which was awesome!!! We were up on this really high cliff and the shore was below it was just awesome! It was very windy, windier than Ohio so you had to be very careful around the edge. We saw Dorfle Door which was awesome to, it is the picture I hope will post to the blog after I'm done writing. (I have been having a hard time getting the pictures to post, so we will see) We walked down these really narrow steps to the beach which was pebbles instead of sand. And me and Jennae were trying to touch the water without getting our shoes wet when a big wave came in and as we were running away we both fell, it was funny haha. Then when it was time to head back me Sarah and Sarah decided to be one of the few to hike a mile and a half over this really steep hill. It was crazy because I wasn't even wearing tennis shoes just Sperry's which aren't made for hiking, I didn't think we were ever going to stop heading up. But the hike was worth it! The view was spectacular from the top! But the walk down was almost worse because it was gravel, I may or may not have almost fell several times. After that we headed home and relaxed because the hiking wears you out! That's it for now because it's time for me to hit the hay!

"We can only be heros for one day"

Ok so today was kind of a quiet day which was alright by me because we have been going a hundred miles an hour since we got here. Today my class took another walking tour around the city. We started out at Postman's Park which had this really neat memorial for heroes who died saving someone. It was interesting to see how young they were, most fell between the ages of eight and twenty. It is amazing how selfless people can be! There was some wall art that I wouldn't have notice if my professor wouldn't have pointed it out, it was done in chalk and has been there since the eighties it says: "We can only be herod for a day." I think that it fits the memorial so well and it is amazing that the chalk it is written in has stayed around this long. It was probably my favorite thing of the day and we were only there for ten minutes tops. After that we went to St Bartholomew's Church which has been standing for over nine hundre years! The building was so beautiful! At one time it was a monaserty. Although I think they have commercialized it way to much; you had to pay to get in and then pay more to take pictures, they also had a gift shop and a cafe which sold beer. Actually in the cafe I bought a coke and they served it to me in a wine glass which I thought was kind of funny. But I still don't think it is right to commercialize the church like that and I dont even attend church regularly, I think that it takes away from the meaning behind it. They have done the same thing with St Paul's cathedral, which was the next stop on our tour. I didn't go in though because me and Sarah will do that later. After class I went and got lunch at subway ( which is easy to find now because I have discovered there is wifi in the city and I can google map everything now! So much easier!) but when they didn't have the cheese I wanted the guy just assumed i would want American haha he must have picked up on my accent. Right after lunch it started to pour the rain an as soon as I found a shop I could get an umbrella at on the way home it stopped rain the second I bought it haha just my luck. This afternoon me and Sarah went to the museum of London which I have already been to but Sarah wanted to go so we went it was cool to get to show Sarah around I felt like I really knew what I was doing! On our way home we stopped at a book store up the street from us and it was a store that the owner had created all the books in there some by hand, it was more like art. It was so cool! Sarah didnt really like it but I could have spent hours in there. Then by seven we were home and had eaten dinner and I was able to just relax and unwind. And it is looking like I will get in bed before one in the morning! In the words of Porky the Pig: That's all folks!

"Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home"

So today was very exciting! First off my class went on a walking tour of The City of London, which the actually city is only about on square mile because it only consist of the financial part of London. I travelled to class with few people who also live the same place I do, we accidently took the wrong exit so we had to walk the rest of the way. We had to meet our class at 10am at the the Duke of Wellingto, it wa good thing we left early because we couldn't find it but when we asked a local he laughed and pointed us around the corner...we just hadn't walked far enough. It seems to be we think we are always lost but normally we just haven't travelled far enough. The tour started at the royal buissness exchange and continued to a church where they did have stained glass windows because the catholic churches had them and they wanted clarity from the Catholics. But probably by far the coolest part of the tour was the center off the City of London it was where the St Lawerance church is and where the Roman Amiptheater use to be. Cool story about the church is that St Lawerence was told to bring the wealth of the city to these evil guys but instead he brout the poor so they roasted him to try and find the wealth. At one point he said he thought he was done on that side and they should flip the grill he was on over so he would cook evenly. So the wind direction tool at the top of the steeple is a not an arrow but a grill rack with an arrow. Then after the church we went to the Guild Gallery which was awesome because on the basement they had uncovered the walls of the Roman Ampitheater and ultou actually saw where they stood thousands of years ago! It was sooo cool! After class me and Sarah headed to the Harry Potter Studio Tour! We had to take a train about twenty minutes out to Watford Junction but it was cool though because it was like we were off to Hogwarts! At the tour we saw a lot of the costumes that the cast actually wore! We saw the great hall, Hagrid's hit, the Griffindor common room, Dumbldore's office, the Weasley house, so much more! The coolest was Diagon Ally! It looked so real it was unreal. Felt like I was actually there! I loved being able to see all of the props and sets! I'm so glad we went it was worth every penny! That's about all I did today. I feel like I am settling and have gotten over the culture shock of everything, the people says everyone goes through it, but I'm so excited to be here and it's still hard to believe I am here! That's it for now! Cheers! It felt like people said 'cheers' to me a lot today haha

Class without a classroom

Today was the first day of real class if that's what you want to call the class i'm taking, it's more of a three week guided tour around London. Which is awesome! Today was also the first day I had to navigate the tube system (aka the subway) by myself, I did surprisely well I didnt get lost nor did I end up at the wrong tube station. I also had to navigate to the British museum to by my self and I made it just fine. The reason I had to navigate alone was because my class no longer meets at the campus like everyone else we meet at the museums. Today was the British Museum, it is a huge building and so pretty. My professor took us on a guided tour, we saw so many things: the Greek statues of gods and a few of their buildings, the Easter Island Statue, Mummies, and very early London artifacts. One thing that sticks out is we looked at a journal from 2000 years ago when the Romans were in London and at war, but instead of talking about the battles and such he talked about how the army had ran out of beer. I just found that funny he more worried about that then dying haha. After 'class' we booked our trip to Dublin for the second weekend we are here! We are going with these two other girls we have been hanging out with and it also turns out that they are going to Paris afterwards so we are going hangout there too. In the later afternoon we went to the National Portrait Museum in Trafalgar Square, it was pretty cool but it was huge building with A LOT of rooms but me and Sarah conquered it! After that we just sat in Trafalgar Square and watched it was cool to see all the different people. That's it for now!

The Sandwich Guessing Game

First off sorry for the horrible grammar in my last post; it was really late and it is hard to proof read on my iPhone. Now to the good stuff, today was rather uneventful we had orientation for the University of Westminster. It consisted of a Information session, lunch, and a introductory class. The lunch was a little strange we had finger sandwiches; except it was like playing the guessing game with your food because they weren't labeled and all looked funny. I had a strange wrap with I what I think was sausage it was actually pretty good! But then I had what looked like a plain ham sandwich that lit my mouth on fire! After the unusual lunch we had class it was awesome to learn that half the class was actually from Ohio! It's a small world after all! The class seems like it is going to be pretty ease we only spend two days in the class room the rest of the time we are visiting museums! And also an A+ is a 70 percent out of 100 percent! We have to write a paper on something modern and describe how we would present it in a museum. After that we came back to the room and I accidentally took a nap for an hour then it was dinner time. We went to this pub called Bar. We were hoping for traditional English food, but it ended up being a Belgium bar...so no traditional English food lol. I need up with a really good different type of burger and I thought I would try the beer called Leifmens which is fruit and actually really good. Our whole table got the same kind. While we were at the bar the Euro 2012 soccer match was on so it was cool to see the locals so in to it. That's it for now hope all is well at home and I miss you guys!

Oxford Circus, Double Decker Buses, 2000 Year Old Walls, Pubs, and so much more!

Just so you all know jet lag sucks! I went to bed last night at 8:30pm but woke up at midnight and didn't go back to sleep until 2am...stupid time zones! But despite that the jet lag has finally wore off and I think I am back on a decent sleep schedule, well I guess if still being up at 1am is decent haha. Today we rode the tube for the first time it was interestingn; I didn't think I was ever going to be able to understand how to read and figure out how to get places. No worries though by the end of the day I think I have it figure out! The first thing we did today was have an ISA orientation and then took a double decker bus tour of London. In between the orientation and the tour we had an hour to explore Oxford Circus, which is like the main shopping area, it is almost like Times Square but with cooler old buildings. While walking around I fell like I should be in a movie or something, it is just awesome! We aren't suppose to look touristy but I feel like if I don't take a picture of everything no one will believe all the awesome things I saw! On the double decker bus tour we got to see the Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, the London Bridge, A 2000 year old wall built by Romans. A major exciting thing we got to see was the Olympic Park! It was so cool! They actually build the venues and villages in the ghetto part of London so that way it will stimulate the broken economy. I never knew that but that is so cool that do that I'm sure it helps out so much! After ther tour we got to explore some more in Oxford Circus, we went to the m&m world shop that was pretty sweet! Then we wonder around and stumbled onto a very popular market, it was kind of like a farmers market in the states but not. I was so amazed by all the different people and cultures and activities there. It seemed like every corner we turned there was a free show whether it be music a mime or a juggler. I actually bought this really cool hand made leather journal there. It was one of my first times dealing with the British Pound it is so weird to do but I am getting the hang of it. After exploring we went to a pun were the program bought us free drinks. It was awesome to be legal and able to go up to the bar and order. Only thing I that we only had the choice of beer, hard cider, or wine I'm not a fan of any but I got white house wine it wasnt my thing I think I will just stick with fruity drinks haha. On the way home tonight we went through King's Cross Station and I got my picture taken at Platform 9 3/4! To bad Hogwarts isn't real! That's it for now, stayed tune for more adventures!

Houston we have landed!

We made it!! After a very long day and a half of traveling we are in London and it is awesome! My first time on the airplane went pretty good. We were up in the air 380000 feet and were going 550 miles per hour it was crazy! When were flying over london to land we saw the London Eye and other landmarks. Once we got to london me and Sarah trekked what seemed like two miles around the London heathrow airport. But once we met up with the group we got on a bus to go to our flats. It was strange thing driving on the opposite side of the road. Despite our horrible jet lag (let me tell you it SUCKS!) Sarah and I showered (the shower is like a foot wide and the shower curtain attacks you!) then we went exploring and we may or may not have gotten a little turned around trying to get back to our dorm haha. Well that's it for now because I'm going to sleep!

Today's the big day!!! I leave for London in about sixteen hours!! I know, I know I should probably be sleeping but I am WAY to excited! While in London I am going to be taking a three week course called London's History through its Museums, once that is over Sarah (A friend from ONU that I'll be travelling with) and I are jetting off to Paris, Tuscany, Milan, and Rome.While I am in London and traipsing around France and Italy I will try to keep everyone updated here at home. That's it for now, but stayed tuned for my adventure of a lifetime!!