You're gonna have to drag me on to the plane out of London!

So of course as soon as I got home last night I met my new roommates who were just awesome....why could that gave happened a week ago!?! We hung out outside just chatting away....they were all American and very well travelled girls. Meeting all these people who make travelling their number one priority and working certain types of jobs or even quitting them just to get out and travel makes me very jealous. While I would love to travel several times a year, my personality would never allow me to do such a thing to my career...I guessiI'll have to find a nice middle ground! so I was planning on taking the tube to the airport this morning since its only £5 plus a small bus fare. I woke up at about 4 in the morning and realized,  crap! I don't think the tube opens that early...of course I couldn't get on the Internet to look it up and decided since I was already up I might as well get ready early since I had no idea what plan B should be. Luckily I made a huge ruckus coming down the stairs and the night watch guy came to see what was going on. He said it would be really tight to make it by tube since it opened at 6 and my flight us at 8:30....my other option was a cab and that was the safer route to take. And lucky me it cost $90 US dollars. Of course it was a really quick trip through security...anyway my first flight was to Toronto and  Air Canada seemed much more comfortable than United plus the food was much better...the flight took an hour and a hakf longer than going to the UK for whatever weird readon. When I got to Canada the US customs was so much more involved than the UK...of course because can't allow people to even bring in sealed bottles of water....annoying....but lucky you Michelle they didn't catch the Twirls, hehehe. I went to buy a sandwich at a small stand in the airport...$12 bucks! Insanity! I made it safely to Philly and from there a very turbulent ride safely home to Orlando. And I'm already missing London :(
.

So I made a top 10 list of the things that I loved about London/the UK in no particular order. These were just some things that really stuck out:
1 Despite getting lost and having issues with the public transportation,  it really wasnt that bad once you got the hang if, plus everything was really walkable
2 Free museums!
3 Some of the most beautiful churches ever
4 Incredible architecture and many wonderful oarks7
5 The concept of pubs and people drinking all the time like its no big deal but it doesn't make them any crazier than the states
6 The accents...duh...it works for everyone! The little kids and olds sound so cute, the women sound classy,  and the men just sound so sexy lol...I also love their use of words and slang.
7 I love the concept of the royals and how they kept up the tradition for hundreds of years
8 The beautiful countryside
9 How much there is to do...you're never bored.
10 Some of the nicest and friendliest people I've ever met

Pretty much this is the best trip I have taken thus far in my life and I'm glad I stepped outside of my comfort zone and did it on my own. While a couple of times it did get a bit lonely, I did have a blast. I got to do everything on my own time and didn't have to worry about anyone. At no point did I feel concerned for my safety and felt very comfortable roaming around the streets of London.  If anyone has ever debated about doing a solo trip, I say do it! It's a bit intimidating but you will find yourself stronger in the end.  I know I'm a different person from this experience. I also recommend staying in a hostel. The people I have met gave me a different view on life.  If we stay in one place our entire life what are we gaining? Nothing. You become an ignorant American and thus part of the reason why everyone else hates us. To travel is to experience what else this world has to offer. To see all the differences from our everyday life. And to also see what is the same; that many things are universal. I feel much stronger and wiser because of this trip and encourage anyone who has the financial means to do the same. It looks like the next adventure will be to France next year with my sister...until then!

£5 minimum at the pub? ill take 2!

Last day in England and I really don't want to leave. Today was my organized tour to Stonehenge, Bath abd the Roman baths, and Windsor castle. My original tour was supposed to be with an archeologist which I was so stoked about, but a couple weeks before my trip they cancelled due to an overbooked bus. He recommended the one I went on today and it was pretty good. The guide spoke about the sites on the bus before he let us off to explore on our own. Since it was an organized tour I was the youngest there by at least 30 years....hence why I decided to do the entire trip on my own and not on a tour. The first stop was Stonehenge and it was a beautiful drive through the country. We only stayed for about 30 mins since we were a bit behind but honestly that was the perfect amount of time. It was pretty cool to see, especially since ive taken a bunch of courses where I learned about it. Luckily it had stopped rainy and the sun was out so I got some pretty good pictures. Next was on to Bath which I actually did not know much about. it was 2 hours through the rolling hills of London and made for a much better drive than what I'm used to in Florida. I didnt know what to expect in Bath sbd I was pleasantly surprised. Being a Roman town originally, it had a strong European feel and I felt like I was in an Italian town. So nice! The buildings had to be built with the same type of stone as the baths were so everything had a really light and airy yet cozy feel. The baths were pretty cool...it was pretty much a nicer equivalent of what the YMCA is today. Hahaha....there was the main bath which was open to above and what you see in images of the roman baths, but there were a bunch of smaller pools in the complex. Seems like it would have been pretty posh back in the day. I got a pasty for lunch and it was incredible! Their sign of award winning pasties was definitely true. We continued on to Windsor which was another town I loved. This is the home of not only the castle which is one of many of the queen's residences, but one of the best private schools so it was not just a touristy town. Watching the show The Tudors, I was really excited to see the inside of the castle but the inside wad not nearly as medieval as the outside...it was very similar to Buckingham Palace. Still just as impressive though. I took a much needed coffee break....a little cup-a-teano mom....and just soaked in the scenes. I had been napping and so sleepy on the bus ride in between stops so I REALLY needed some caffeine. The bus ride home wasn't bad and it was interesting to see the 'burbs of London...kinda dodgy looking but that's how it goes in some cities I guess...im sure its not all like that. Made my last pub/beer stop on the way home and I'm currently on beer #2 since they have a £5 limit....how sad hehehe. I have an early flight which means I'll be up before even God so it will be a very chill and early night at the hostel...its live music night tonight, so hopefully it's better than last night. I'll post once more during my journey back. See you all soon!

Who wants to give me a foot massage when I get home?

My feet officially hate me. Now that I've done all the major things I've wanted to do, there was a lot of wandering. I decided to check out the Regents Park area and what a beautiful park. Walking around there were kids learning to play what believd was rugby and a dad with his young son running around. Just about the cutest thing. Since I was close by I walked down Baker street to see the home of Sherlock Holmes...being a huge fan of Sherlock I was disappointed to see it wasn't the same flat as the one in the show, but that was bound to happen right? After that was Abbey Road. The neighborhood that it was located in was so nice and cute, as was the whole Regents park area....obviously thats where the wealthy live. The London Zoo was close by so I went to check that out. Pretty expensive for a zoo but it was nice and had a lot of good animals. By at time my feet were killing me so walking around Camden was not gonna happen. I went to a part of Regents Park right near the zoo that had a lot of people hanging out. Well me just sitting and chilling in the shade turned into an awesome nap. It was so beautiful out, especially under the trees, and relaxing with all the park noises that I just fell asleep. I took a quick walk through Camden just to get to the bus to take to Trafalgar Square. I wanted to get a bit to eat before my show and went to this Italian tapas place. It was good but who ever heard of chicken parm without sauce or melted mozzarella? The fried zucchini sticks were awesome as was the tiramisu....that was probably the best I ever had. I went to pick up my ticket for Phantom of the Opera and apparently I bought a ticket for the matinée, not the evening show.....seriously!?! Ugh, I probably wont get a refund but I'll look into it in the states. I bought another ticket as I really wanted to see the show. Despite it bring a restricted view seat, I probably got a better seat than my previous one which looks so set back on the upper balcony that I have no idea how they can see the stage. The theater is magnificent...such elaborate detail! Despite the seats it really wasn't too bad if a view and I could still appreciate the awesomeness that was Phantom. Its amazing hiw strict they are in the theater though, couldn't eventake pictures if the theater eveh during intermission....and they were really on top of it with people on their phonesl though everyone had mych better etiquette than in the states.  Such a phenomenal show: the sets a costumes were beautiful and the singing! Incredible!  The Phantom had the most powerful voice I've ever heard and just gave me constant chills. So glad I finally got to see that show! As I was walking to the bus across Trafalgar Square I noticed the view looking at at Big Ben all lit up snd I just had to take a seat on the steps...its just so beautiful here and I'm going to be really sad to go. But no tears! I still gave 2 more days.

This food is profound!

Today I went to Westminster to actually go inside, and oh my goodness wasbit incredible. I absolutely love Gothic architecture so this is one of the things ive been dying to see. Once again no pictures were allowed so once again I snuck some. Im sorry, that church is just to beautiful to not have my own images of. Those vaulted ceilings are my favorite part of any old church and as amazing as the main one was the chapel in the back was what really amazed me. Its intricate fan vaulting is just mind blowing....for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, just wait for the pictures. Attached to the abbey is the Cloisters and if I'm correct its what was inspired for the Harry Potter courtyard (correct Michelle? ). Pretty cool. After that I went for tea time at The Crypt in the Field next to the National Gallery. Well, I mesed up that timing so it was just lunch with a pot of tea instead....gonna try again Thursday or Friday. I assume it used to be a crypt as it was under ground and the brick vaults and stone cokumns looked very old. I did dome serious wandering next while waiting for my 4:00 Eye ride. I went through Soho, Covent Gardens back down towards Trafalgar Square and across the river to the Eye. Very cool views on the Eye, but it was so sunny and bright and the sun was on the wrong side, so the pictures kind of suck. Some more wandering up to Covent Gardens followed as to finish up my souvenirs shopping. My legs have never been so sore in my life!

I picked up some Indian food on the way home to eat at the hostel....very delicious tikka masala. We decided to take it slow and hang out there for the night. Apparently it's the Jewish new year so I joined my Israeli friends in their traditional apples and honey to celebrate. They sang some traditional songs while one guy played the guitar....I swear its been so interesting to experience and learn from people from around the globe. We had a sing along with the guitar to songs that we all know. It seems that Israel has been extremely influenced by American culture so most of the music they listen to is ours. Tomorrow is going to be yet another busy day so its that time...Cheers!

"if you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!?"

So yesterday was so busy that I didnt have time to blog. I made friends with some Isaelis and they decided to join me at St. Pauls (aka the one that looks like the US capital Michelle) yesterday morning. Absolutely incredible architecture. They didn't want to pay to get in so we split ways. The church inside was so beautiful and even though we couldnt take pictures,  I sneaked some anyway. Bad girl, I know. Well the climb up to the dome had no line and no extra charge so I started the insanely grueling climb. this was one if the big things that I wanted to do so I endured. The first flight of steps were nice and shallow, though then wrapping up around in a tower was quite trippy to stare at while climbing. The first stop was overlooking the inside if the church from the base of the dome....awesome view! Well that was only halfway up! The second flight of steps was much tighter, and much higher steps. It certainly made up for the lack of lunges that I never do! The second stop over looked the city....it was an incredible 360 view. Up AGAIN this next flight were a series of tight metal circular staircases....those of you wh kniw my anxiety with  heights should know how I was feeling right about then. The final view was at the tip top of the dome and once again a 360 view of the city. Such a wonderful experience.

Next was the Tower of London.  Michelle,  you shoukd have coughed up the mobey, it was awesome!  I had always thought it was the prison but it also housed royalty,  a chapel, armory, you name it. We had the best tour guide ever showing us around...he actually works at the tower to help keep it up along with many others. He was absolutely hilarious and had a ton of stories about the grounds. The Crown jewels were insane...its enough to feed a small country! Hahaha, actually more like a big one....the gems were huge and everything was incrusted and covered with smaller ones. I went through a bunch of the other towers there and I must say,  they kept the torture tower pretty PG....didnt even skim the surface of the things they did there. There was a perfect view of the Tower Bridge; it was a nice view while eating some scones with cream and jam. I still have no idea how thats supposed to be eaten....too crumbly!

 I walked across the bridge to go to the Design Museum which was right in the river. While museum was ok (Too small), the river view was to die for. Theres s boardwalk all along the river so I walked all along til I got to The Globe.  It was closed for tours and the performance later that night was said to be sold out. I wanted to  see if they'd have extra or leftover tickets but it was too early. I stopped by a pub to grab a drink and dinner which consisted of a meat pie (so good!)and the best beer I've had so far. Cricket was on the telly which was interesting as some old Brit tried to explain it to me.

I headed home to meet up with my hostel friends for a night on the town. 3 Israelis, a German and an American in a Chinese restaurant....in England. Kind of funny concept.  We went to one if the few bars open past 12 in Soho and it was great! Such a nice atmosphere and nicely designed bar. Unlike those dark ones in the states that try to hide their ugliness. The first 2 floors were casual with people just hanging out and talking. We started there and just had some great conversation about our cultures.  So fascinating to see whats the same and the views that we all share. We were feeling like some dancing so we headed upstairs to the 3rd floor and thats where the real party was. After a nice array of current and 90s music from the dj a cover band played and they were brilliant! Such a range of music including 80s some Pink Floyd, 90s rock and more really brought some energy to everyone. It was such a blast. I'll write later about today's adventure, so chip chip cheerio!

"Where are you from in England? Your accent sounds a little muttled."

So right after my last post I started talking to the girl and her boyfriend who were sitting next to me at the show. It was nice to jam out to The Beatles with someone....such a good show too, i highly recommend it...unless you dont care too much for the Beatles, then youd be quite bored like a some audience membersdas seen on the screen caught by a camera. For some reason a lot of Brits, including my new friend,    are surprised to hear of someone travelling by themselves. Most of the girls in my hostel are so its not a rare thing. Speaking of which the girls in my room are so awkward....they mostly all Asian and even though they talk to each other, they're awkwardly quiet around me. And just awkward in general....whats with me and weird Asians??? Anyway back to what I was saying before....the girl immediately invited me to take a train one evening down to where she lives on the coast to show me around...so cool! This is exactly what I wanted from this trip; to meet some locals and see another side of the country.  When I got back myself and 2 other people went out to a pub on Chelsea. It was a cool little place....except for the fact that it closed at 12 so people were leaving early and it was just empty. C'mon England,  aren't you supposed to be alcoholics? I guess drinking at 11 am all the time like its no big deal means you stop early....thats a load of bollucks!! I will say ive certainly noticed myself thinking with British words....theres a couple of times I almost felt some words with a British accent come out but esshh! That could be bad.  Anyways back from another tangent...that particular area of chelsea was pretty dead so it took forever to find a cab home. For those of you who have seen Sherlock, our first cabbie looked abd spoke EXACTLY like the serial killer cabbie. However this one was hilarious and made for a good first London cab experience.

This morning was bright and early to go on my tour to see Buckingham Palace....all I can say is absolultely incredible and that doesnt even begin to describe it.....apparently they only open it during the summer and this year is the 60th anniversary of the qeen so there was an integrated exhibit in the palace.  i felt so emotional and feeling the need to cry while I was there, it was that beautiful and amazing. Im sure being a designer doesnt help my great appreciation for the design and architecture.  Just imagining all the history,  tradition, and all the work involved is so overwhelming.  I was never one to go crazy about the royals, with the wedding and baby d everythingl but after this trip and being to the palace that might change....or at least my appreciation. As a bit of a history buff and having the admiration of the hundreds of year old traditions that they still keep, I just cant help but being fascinated.
I also decided to check out the climbing gym today just to get a feel of a local activity.....on the way I checked out Kings Cross....very cool station but, uh, platefrom 9 3/4 is NOT located between platforms 9 and 10....sheesh! So the neighborhood the gym was in was definitely a suburb...and while it wasnt completely dodgy it surely wasnt like anywhere else I've been here. So the gym was called The Castle,  and guess what,  it looked like a castle! I just wish the routes and walls were as cool as the exterior. The top roping was cool looking but I was not a fan of the bouldering. Bit of a disappointment. On the way home I stopped a a pub to grab  quick drink...its interesting, they offer small and large beers here. Just taking a quiet rest of the night hanging out at the common area of the hostel....tomorrow is the Tower of London,  Tower Bridge,  and st. Pauls.....which I plan on climbing to the top of. :) Cheers!

Just let it be already

So last night was interesting....our pubbin night turned into a mad search to get back to the hostel afterwards. We started out at a pub near St. Pauls and went all over downtown. London transportation after midnight epically fails. Who ever thought it was smart to close the subways and reroute the buses thus confusing even the Brits was not very clever. Obviously we got back safe and sound.....over 2 hours later. Today my friend and I went to explore the markets at Brick Lane and Spitalfields. The first was crude and was pretty much a mix of a garage sale and flea market. Interesting group of locals there. The second had much more interesting stuff including vintage items, local art, clothing, you name it. I could get into some serious trouble there. Lunch was in a pub and the was a football match going on...a bunch of locals were there and contrary to what I would have thought it was dead silent.  We went down to Big Ben, Parliment,  and Westminster....absolutely amazing!! The amount of detail in those sites and the amount of time and skill that must have gone into them is unfathomable.  Unfortunately Westminster was closed so its going to be another place I have to go back and see. After some people watching in Trafalgar Square,  I headed over to see the musical, Let It Be, a Beatles tribute show. At intermission now and so far it is fantastic. Its pretty much just the music,  no plot, but it follows the chronological order of the Beatles and their music. They were showing clips of fans from their real shows and I decided I would have probably been one of them...not the hysterical crying or jumping the barrier to see them being chased by the police,  but definitely one of the screamers.....if you remember my Backstreet Boys phase it would make perfect sense. Not sure what the rest of the night will bring so well see! Cheerio!