September 28th, 2014

Hello everyone!

I apologize for the gap between my last post, I'm trying to settle into a new school routine and it hasn't worked out very well!

My summer was short and uneventful, mainly doing projects around my parents home for extra income. I am now back at the University of Lethbridge in my fourth year and things are going surprisingly well for how busy I am. Loring and I are still happily together even though he's still in Medicine Hat and I in Lethbridge.

I am taking a full course load in school and I'm still involved in Delta Eta Iota. In other news, I now have a part-time job on weekends! I am a bridal consultant at Once Upon A Bride here in Lethbridge which is super exciting! I adore wedding gowns and I can't believe I get to be such a big part of a someone's special day!

I'll try and post regularly but I make no promises. Life is really gearing up as I'm in the home stretch of my post-secondary.

July 13th, 2014

Well, I've been home a few weeks now and I'm finally starting to settle back into my routine. I had an incredible semester plus I got to travel and I passed all my classes!! I'll update what I've been doing the last month or so when I get the chance but right now I'm relaxing and trying to get back into some sort of schedule. Have a wonderful summer everyone!

June 5th, 2014

So my mom and my younger sister came to visit me here in Liege for the past 10 days. I was so much fun having them here!! We traveled to Luxembourg, Brugge, and Maastricht. On June 1st they went to Paris and Brussels for a few days so I could study for my exams. I loved having them here and I can't wait to return home to see them!

May 22nd, 2014

So I have FINALLY been to Germany!

Today Camille and I went to Cologne, Germany for the day. It was kinda an early start as we took the 8:14 am train. This train was different from the others I have taken as we had assigned seats and assigned trains (whereas all the others you could take any train you wanted really, at an time).

It was a gorgeous day in Cologne. Mom told me that I had to see the Cathedral as St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Stony Plain is modeled somewhat after it. Well as soon as you get out of the train station it is literally right in front of you. You couldn't miss it if you tried, it also helps that its the tallest building in Europe. And I can definitely see the resemblance to St. Matthew's.

Once we arrived in Cologne, we toured the Cathedral and it was gorgeous! Absolutely spectacular, from the stained glass windows to the sheer size of the Cathedral. If you ever have the option to go, definitely see the Cologne Cathedral! Plus there was a choir touring it as well and they sang a few songs, The acoustics were spectacular!

After the Cathedral we walked across the square and got a map from the Visitor Information Centre. When we walked out there was this little green train nearby. It was a tour of the city going to the Chocolate factory and back for 6 euros.

So off to the Chocolate Factory we went! That was incredible too! So much chocolate! Mmmm and I bought lots of Lindt Chocolate to try, like cookies and cream, strawberry cheesecake, and cherry ice cream! Mmmmm!

For lunch we went to a small Italian bistro off the main area (all traditional German food such as bratwurst was WAY too expensive). Camille had pizza and I had spaghetti.

After that we just meandered our way around the city, finding cool shops, handmade candy stores and churches. We even found our way into a circus if you can believe it! It wasn't open but all the tents were set up.

At one point we found our way into a park by the river and it started to rain a little bit so we took shelter under a building overhang... Boy that was a mistake! This group of guys, probably our age, takes shelter there too and they start hitting on us, asking where we were from, if we were single, etc. THEN they started selling/exchanging drugs! It was so scary! This one guy wouldn't leave Camille alone! The instant the rain let up Camille and I got out of there!

Aside from that, the day was a lot of fun. I had Subway for supper, and about two hours before our scheduled departing train, it starts pouring! It gets grey and extremely windy (this coming from someone who lives in Lethbridge) and it rains cats and dogs! So we run into the train station and sit on the platform until our train.

Getting back to Liege was uneventful, but I arrived, put my stuff down, and Franny texts me asking if I want to go out. So instead of studying like I should be, I go out for drinks with her and some other friends until 11:30. Full, fun eventful day. And like I said, Cologne is BEAUTIFUL! and if you ever get the chance to visit, don't pass it up!

May 17th, 2014

So today I had to say my first goodbye of the semester. My friend Emil from Sweden had to return home today after his first semester here in Liege. So last night, Camille, Franny and I went out and celebrated with him his last night here.

We had no-bake chocolate coconut cookies (a Swedish recipe), they tasted almost like mom's Haystacks. Then it was off to the city centre to Le Carre for some bar and club time. We met up with some of Emil's friends and all decided to go on Jams which is a dance club on a boat. No word of a lie! This is a dance club:

It was so much fun, I had this fruit punch stuff (it was a lot stronger than I thought), and we all danced the night away. After the boat, we went back to Le Carre to L'Orange Givree, had some more drinks, then to Bar Carlsberg for more drinks and dancing. By then it was two thirty in the morning so I gave Emil a big hug, told him to let me know when his train was in the morning, and I went back to my apartment.

Today I met up with Emil and Camille at the train station. When we got here, we were all given these red tote bags that say "Mon Erasmus a Liege" (My Erasmus in Liege) so I decided that I want all my new friends so sign it, so I made sure I got Emil to before he left. It was very emotional and tear-filled. It's always hard saying goodbye, especially when you know its the first of many. Before he left, Emil gave me one of his Swedish coins, 5 crowns, for my coin collection, and made me promise to visit him in Stockholm. After Emil's train left, Camille and I went back to the centre to get ice cream before I returned home to finish my paper. Overall, a very sad day.

May 15th, 2014

Hey all, sorry for no blog posts recently, I've basically been doing nothing but studying the past couple of weeks getting ready for exams. I'll post when something happens, other than studying that is!

April 26th, 2014

Happy King’s day everyone! Today some friends and I took the train to Amsterdam to celebrate King’s Day. We took the 9 am train, transferring in Maastricht and Utrecht Centraal, before arriving in Amsterdam. In Maastricht, I bought an orange t-shirt with a crown on it, a headband with a crown on it, and a ribbon to wear in honour of King’s Day (all in orange of course as that’s the colour everyone wears today). 

We basically enjoyed the day, taking part in all the festivities we could. We went on one of the fair rides (a giant swing with an amazing view of the city) and just walked around and took in all the sights, including the “Iamsterdam” sign. 

My favorite part was when we stopped to use the washroom, I went into an “American foods” store and what did I find? Sour Patch Kids, Hamburger Helper, and Kraft Mac’n Cheese! Three of my biggest cravings since coming to Belgium! So of course I bought a package of all of them! I also got a Henna tattoo on my arm.

King’s Day was such a cool experience and they had events and activities for people of all ages. 

April 22nd, 2014

Today was my friend Elena’s birthday. I also received an Easter card from Mom & Dad today with 10 euros to spend on an Easter treat for me. With the money I went and bought myself a bouquet of carnations and I bought Elena a bouquet of roses for her birthday. I caught the bus the Sart Tilman where we drank and ate crepes and had tons of fun before catching the last bus back to the Centre where we went to Le Carré for an hour or so before I went home. Lots of fun

April 21st, 2014

So today was mine and Loring’s first anniversary. I can’t believe a year has passed by so fast! It sucks tha we have to spend it apart but we’ve managed this far. I’m crazy about him.

We agreed that we should do something special for our anniversary so we both sent each other a gift. I haven’t received mine yet, but his arrived a week ago and he’s been sitting on it waiting for me to give him permission to open it. I packed his full of gifts from Europe; a flag, chocolate from Belgium and Luxembourg, candy, a Belgian waffle, a tie & cufflink set, and a cardigan.

Another way we wanted to celebrate what to start a tradition. Every year on our anniversary, we will get dressed up and take a photo together, holding last year’s photo. Since this is our first anniversary, we are using the photo from my sorority formal last year, the photo closest to when we started dating.

Here’s the photo we are both holding: 

Here’s my photo: 

Here’s his photo:

Next year, we will take a photo together, holding both of this years photos.

When he woke up, we skyped for a good three hours, then we played a few computer games together and watched a movie. If we had to spend our anniversary apart, it wasn’t that bad of a way to spend it.

April 17th, 2014

Today I had to return to Liege and it sucked. I was up at 4:30 to catch a taxi to the airport. Everyone woke up to say goodbye which was really sweet, Franny’s dad even walked me down to catch a taxi. I was glad for it because being alone in a strange city at 4:30 in the morning is not very comforting, even though La Rambla was still busy at that time.

I arrived a good two hours before my flight so that I could have breakfast in the airport, just a salami sandwich and some juice. To get to my plane we actually had to go downstairs and onto the tarmac again, and from there we took a shuttle bus to the airplane. Strange but I think I’ve done it all now for getting onto planes. My flight back was uneventful. Caught the bus back to Charleroi train station and the train to Liege, bus to my apartment, it was all very uneventful. I’m just tired now so I’m going to nap and tomorrow I will sleep until I’m finished! That was my amazing journey through

April 16th, 2014

Woke up a bit earlier this morning at 10 am as opposed to 11. Breakfast was really good, tea, yoghurt, eggs & toast, very filling! I decided to wear my white tank top and my black skirt as it was very hot out.

After breakfast, we all walked down to La Pedrera, one of Gouvy’s most famous private constructions. We toured the building and learned about Gouvy himself. His style of architecture is so intricate and mesmerising! His use of shapes and colours was way before his time and it’s all beautiful. Stopping in the gift shop on the way out, I bought Gouvy themed lamp shades that you put over wine glasses with candles in them, very simple yet pretty.

We stopped at a little café for a light lunch. I had these potato ball things that were very good but very spicy. We all sat in the sun as the shade got pretty chilly!

After lunch, Franny’s parents went home while Franny and I went shopping! I bought a couple of flowery shirts, a scarf, a fan, and two beautiful dresses. I probably spent way too much but I’m on vacation!

When we got back to the apartment we had snacks (cheeses and crackers and wine) and watched pimp my ride and other shows like that (mainly because that’s the only thing playing in English).

Around 10 pm we went to a restaurant called 4 Cats for supper but we didn’t have a reservation so they couldn’t accommodate us. Franny’s family made reservations for tomorrow night but since this is my last night I unfortunately won’t be able to go. So we walked around the block to an Italian pizzeria for supper instead. I had a wonderful Bolognese Lasagna. Then it was back to pack for my early flight. 

April 15th, 2014

I woke up at 11 am with everyone else, it seems we all got up way too early and stayed up way too late and just needed a good rest. I had yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast and it was very good.

I decided to wear my blue flowy dress today. It’s really hot plus it feels appropriate being in Barcelona. We walked up La Rambla to wear the CitySightseeing tours started. The lineup was huge so I grabbed a place in line while Franny’s parents went and bought us tickets. I had barely moved when they came back. We stood there for a moment and noticed that the tour buses were leaving with only the top floor full, not the bottom. So Franny walked up to the guide in charge of loading the buses and asks if we could go onto the bottom of the double-decker and he brought us to the front of the line. So we skipped the entire line. We sat on the bottom deck for one stop, then climbed to the upper deck at the next stop. It was probably not a nice thing to do but its’ not our fault no one else thought of that, and at least we got on the bus.

The tour took us everywhere in the city, up to where the Olympic stadium was, down to the port. 

At the port we got off and walked along the beach a bit, dipped our feet into the Mediterranean sea, and enjoyed the sun and sand. It was a little awkward at points as there were plenty of women on the beach who were topless, not us though so don’t worry! 

For lunch we stopped at a seafood restaurant. They all shared the Paella while I had a greek-type salad. Then we continued on the bus tour up past La Sagrada Familia. We were going to get off and go in but it was closed for a specific renovation at the time. It’s Gouvy’s masterpiece and it has been under construction for the past 100 years, funded by private donations and the entrance fee to see it. 

Instead we stayed on the bus and it took us up near the top of the mountain overlooking the city (the amusement park is up there, but that’s not where we were headed). One of Franny’s friends here in Liege is from Barcelona and she told us of a small café up the mountain with breathtaking panoramic views of Barcelona, and it was not touristy at all. It is called MiraBlau and it lived up to everything she told us.

We had tapas there and enjoyed watching the shadows decend over the city (the sunset was behind us). We caught the last tour bus back to the city centre and walked back down La Rambla to our apartment. Where we had snacks in the livingroom and watched “The Lincoln Lawyer” starring Matthew McConaughey. We didn’t get to bed until 1 am.

April 14th, 2014

It was difficult getting up at 5 to wait for the shuttle to pick us up to take us to the Paris Bauvais airport. And that’s where our troubles began… First of all, the shuttle didn’t want to pick us up. The driver told Franny’s parents that he wasn’t told of a second pick up and didn’t want to do it, but they somehow managed to convince him thank goodness! On top of that, the stupid shuttle cost 200 euros because the stupid airport is two hours outside of Paris. NEVER fly in or out of Bauvais unless you are ONLY going to Disneyland. That is the only thing you can get to from there.

So we finally arrive at the airport and we are two hours early for our flight (which turns out to be a blessing in disguise). So I have my boarding pass printed, check in, get my Visa checked, etc. and I’m good to go!

The Delaney’s on the other hand… oh my goodness! So the first lady they talk to is not a very amicable person, she’s kinda rude and indifferent, saying that Franny’s parents were good to go but Franny hadn't actually checked in and she needed to pay 70 euros and go print off her boarding pass at the kiosk (which cost her 7 euros to use and print) and she gets back only to be told she has the wrong paper. So they all go to the kiosk and its not working, and her flights not coming up and she’s put in probably 30 euros so she gives up and they go to where I checked in to figure out if they could print it. That little girl (she seemed to be 18 tops) was so rude I was actually shocked. She said that Franny was checked in, but her parents weren't! And she kept repeating “you have to pay, you have to pay” and she was no help at all.

So they asked her to talk to the first woman and see who had made a mistake. She was having nothing of it! She was just being so rude and obnoxious, and when we asked for her name she covered her name tag and became even more hostile. So we asked to speak to her supervisor and she pointed him out. We walked over to him and explained our situation. So he took the passports and started looking up their flights, while Franny’s mom explained how rude the little girl had been. Which is when he became hostile, saying the same as the second girl. We asked if he could talk to the first girl about the conflicting stories and he was becoming so rude as well, also hiding his name tag when we asked his name. Then he started saying things like “I know you’re trying to intimidate me and it’s not going to work, blah, blah, blah.” He even threatened not to let us on the plane, and all we wanted was for him to talk to the first girl and get things straight. The Delaney’s finally give up and ask him to just get them on the stupid flight because time is whittling away and we don’t want to miss our flight. And he just keeps talking about how he doesn't have to do anything and being a complete asshole!

So we have to go print off Franny’s ticket (15 euros) and purchase her parents (70 euros each) so we go to the ticket kiosk to do that, then we have to go back to that guy and have him print off tickets before we can go through security. And he’s still being an asshole. We've been talking to him in English the whole time and when we return he mutters under his breath in French “Stupid tourists shouldn't be allowed to travel here, go back to your own damn country” (or something to that extent) not realizing that Franny and I can speak French. Luckily, all four of us keep quiet and we get to security without another incident. Franny’s dad is going to write a very angry letter to Ryanair because of that, and I don’t blame him. Working in the service industry, you can’t talk to customers like that! Head my warnings readers, NEVER EVER EVER fly Ryanair. And if you can’t avoid it NEVER fly with them in France. They do everything on the cheap and their customer service skills are non-existent!

By now, it’s 45 minutes until our flight so we’re panicking we’re not going to get through security fast enough (good thing we were there early). So we’re pulled out of the security line and put to the front along with 50 other passengers on our airline, go through security and go straight out onto the tarmac to our flight. Now Bauvais airport is a shit hole, it really is, there is a small coffee shop and a Relay store on the other side of security, and from the looks of it before security I was surprised there was even that.

I slept the whole flight to Barcelona, and when we landed it was not the end of our troubles. We arrived only to find out that Franny’s parents had mislaid the reservation for the apartment we were to be staying in. So we’re sitting in the airport, trying to figure out what to do, internet isn't working properly, so we say screw it and we decided to just show up and see what happens. Good thing Franny’s dad has a good memory because he remembered the address. So we caught a cab to La Ramblas where our apartment was (its also the main tourist street in all of Barcelona). And that’s when our luck changed. We arrived only to find that they had an office, so they let us in, got all the paperwork done and we were home free! They still needed to clean the apartment from the last guests who checked out an hour before we arrived so we got to leave our things in the office and we walked around for a bit to kill time and to go have lunch.

We walked to Cathedral Barcelona and found a small tapas bar across the square from it. We had no clue what we wanted so we let the waiter order for us. I had a water to drink and Franny had a gin and tonic and they poured it in front of her! It was really cool. The waiter brought us various tapas which is basically small samplings of random foods. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!! I am in love with tapas, or at least the kinds we had. Especially this toasted bread with olive oil and tomato rubbed onto it. It was so good that I order it everywhere now.

After lunch we checked out a small street flea/antique market in the square, and walked up the steps of the Cathedral. 

And we stopped for gelato on the way back to the apartment. The gelato was delicious, and he put it on the cone in the shape of a flower. After checking into the apartment, we went to buy groceries at Carrefour, then out for supper at a place called Taher’n Tapas I believe, it was literally next door to our apartment building. There was really only one thing on the menu I could order and that was “Kate’s burger” (the wife of the owner is named Kate but I took it as a sign that that was what I needed to order). After supper Franny and I went to buy her cough drops as she has a wicked cold and has been coughing non-stop for most of our trip.

We got to bed early (especially by Barcelona standards) at 11 pm because we were all exhausted. I say especially in Barcelona because normally they have breakfast at 7 am, second breakfast at 10 am, lunch at 1 pm, tapas at 5, and supper at 9 or later. Usually not finishing eating until 1 am… I find that absolutely insane!

April 13th, 2014

By this morning I was desperate for laundry so I woke up at 7 and walked down the street to do laundry, took a shower while they were washing, met a guy from New York who just moved here for work, and got dressed up nice to go out to breakfast with Franny’s parents and their friends, all before Franny woke up.

We had to meet her parents at 10 in order to meet their friends by 10:30 so we could take the metro to the restaurant for breakfast. I really didn’t know much about this restaurant only that it was some place not well known to tourists and it was a really cool place to go. So Franny and I arrived at the hotel at 10 only to find that they were still asleep! They had received an email that the reservation was at 11:30 instead of 11 so they thought they could sleep a little while longer but they over slept. So we waited in lobby until they were ready to go and their friends met us in the lobby at 11.

Before heading to the metro, we stopped at their apartment just to see it. They were one building over from the hotel and we had to walk past it anyways to get to the metro station. The elevator was only big enough for 4 people! Her apartment was gorgeous, a lot bigger than I expected considering it’s only two blocks from the Eiffel Tower. After seeing her apartment, we caught metro up town to a cool jazz club with a buffet style breakfast; fantastic food and live jazz music in a very indie restaurant, with a very Parisian style look to the place.

We left there around 1:30, and took metro to the Louvre, because you can’t be in Paris for a few days without seeing the Louvre! Franny and I even got in for free because we were students in the EU! We visited Napoleon’s apartments then walked to the other side and saw Mona Lisa.

It was about this time that my knee started really acting up. It was extremely painful to bend and it slowed me down a bit but Franny’s dad’s an orthopedic surgeon and didn’t think there’s anything seriously wrong with it, just overuse.

After the Louvre, Franny’s parents went back to hotel while Franny and I walked to Notre Dame. It was one of the places I had to see here in Paris. On the way we saw the love bridge. I don’t believe there’s anything special about the bridge itself, except that there are thousands and thousands of locks on it, left by couples over the years as a symbol of their love to each other. You take a padlock, write both your names on it, lock it to the bridge and throw the key into the river. It was incredible to see. People do that all over Europe here (even on bridges in Liege) but you couldn't see through this bridge because of all the locks! 

Notre Dame was beautiful, just like I’d always pictured it! The line-up for the tour was way too long (plus my knee was really hurting) so we took some photos then headed to the nearest metro station, stopping to buy a souvenir Eiffel Tower on the way.

We met her parents and their friends again at the hotel and walked over to a small French café for supper. I had a meat platter which wasn’t as tasty as I thought it would be but the meat-load part of it was good. For dessert I had grapefruit ice cream! Yum!

Back at her parents hotel, Franny checked into her Ryanair flights for tomorrow morning and her parents arranged for a Shuttle to pick us all up and take us to the airport, which was 2 hours away because Ryanair only flies out of Paris-Bauvais airport (it really can’t even be called Paris since it’s two hours outside of the city but we didn’t know that when we booked. Since we had an 8 am flight, we had to be picked up by the shuttle at 5 am the next morning! So Franny and I called it an early night and we walked back to the hostel to pack so we could sleep as much as we could. 

April 12th, 2014

Not a terribly early start today; up at 7:30, had breakfast at hostel bagel & creme cheese with jam and a tea. Then we grabbed our stuff, checked out, and went out to meet the bus in order to catch our flight. The stop was right outside the hostel so we took bus 149 to London Bridge station where we could catch a train to Gatwick Airport.

When we arrived at London Bridge station the ticket office for the trains wasn’t open so we tried the underground station, he told us they should be open but I think he took pity on us and printed us tickets anyways. To get to the platform we had to go through a special gate (because our tickets were printed from the underground and not the train station) but we caught the train with plenty of time to spare. We arrived at the airport and took a shuttle to the North terminal where EasyJet (our airline) flew out of. Since we didn’t have luggage to check and we had already printed our boarding passes so we walked straight to security (such a better process than Ryanair). Once past security we went shopping a little bit, bought some tins of tea, and I wanted to find a Big Ben figurine (which I was unable to find. I found every other icon for London except Big Ben!) and we went for lunch at the Santa Fe café in the airport, hearty American style food!

Our flight from London to Paris was uneventful as well but I definitely like EasyJet better than Ryanair. Comfier seats, more leg room, they don’t talk at you the whole time, and overall, much pleasanter staff. Franny and I played cards the entire way but it wasn’t a very long flight, under an hour.

We arrived in Paris safe and sound, and took the directions given to us in the hostel description, taking the Metro and walking. Our hostel really isn't located in a very nice part of the city… definitely wouldn't want to walk around there alone at 1 am, that’s for sure! Our hostel was not the best either. We had to put a down payment on our key cards, we had to rent sheets, the staff wasn’t very helpful and the place wasn’t very nice looking, but it was SUPER cheap and really close to the Eiffel Tower (like a 15 minute walk). Paris was also where we were meeting Franny’s parents. They had arrived at 8 am that morning so after checking into the hostel we dropped our stuff and walked to their hotel, Jardin Eiffel, passing the Eiffel Tower on the way. It was absolutely beautiful! Everything I imagined it to be!

When we arrived at her parents hotel room, they had wine, grapes, cheese and crackers waiting for us. Franny showered and we both changed into dresses to go out to dinner. A family friend of theirs suggested a restaurant called Reed and it turns out it was right across the road from their hotel. Supper was fantastic! There were only 4 items under each section of the menu, and it was all on the expensive side, but the food was amazing! As an appetizer I had a tomato pastry and as a main course I had Beouf Bourguignon. Unfortunately there is no website for the restaurant but it was ranked #86 out of ALL of the restaurants in Paris and the address is 11 Bis Rue Amelie, 7th Arrondissement, Paris, France. Telephone: 01.45.55.88.40. The very cool part about Reed (aside from the food that is to die for) is that it is run by one woman, and one woman only. She cooks, cleans, serves, everything! Not only that, but she’s from Quebec as well! Supper was absolutely incredible and Franny’s parents insisted on paying for me, boy am I spoiled!

After supper Franny and I walked back to our hostel for the night, stopping quickly at the Eiffel Tower to take some photos. 

April 11th, 2014

Up again at 5:30 to walk to Doubletree by Hilton to catch the shuttle for our Day Tour  by PremiumTours. We arrived early to we walked to Prête au Manger for breakfast. I had a cheese and meat filled pastry, a cup of fruit & a latte.

We got back to the hotel before the scheduled meeting time and we waited and waited and waited. We waited at the hotel a lot longer than expected, but the bus was late (we didn’t miss it) because the driver got lost. He missed a couple of pick ups and was late to others but he picked us up at least so I couldn't really worry about anyone else. The shuttle then took us to Victoria Coach Station where we all met or respective tours.

Us and a family were the last to arrive but we still all managed to get seats on the upper deck of the open air tour. Turns out, we were on all the same tours as this family, originally from the USA, now in Germany as the dad is in the military. They were so nice and their 7 year old daughter was so cute!

So our morning started off with an open-air bus tour of London. At first we were upset because with the noise of the traffic and the fact that they didn’t turn the sound up all the way, we couldn't hear a thing. They did have a recorded track that you could plug into but I was a little upset. Our first stop was at Westminster Abbey. While getting off the bus, we told the guide about the sound and she promised to fix it.

It was really cool to see Westminster Abbey without the fences up (last time I was in London they were preparing for the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton). We snapped a few photos of the Abbey, snapped a few of Big Ben, then hopped back on the bus to continue our tour. 

Our next stop was the Tower of London! I wish we could’ve had more time there but it was so cool! Definitely an impressive medieval structure, I definitely need to come back and see it all. We didn’t get to go in but that’s because we had a bunch of other things to see before Stonehenge.

After the Tower we walked down to the pier for our boat tour! I've now taken two of them and I think it’s an amazing way to see the city. The tour bus met us at the end of the tour and drove us up near Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard!!!! This was the highlight of my morning! We stopped to watch them walk out with the band, then headed up to in front of the palace to watch them march past on their way into the compound. It was so cool to see, the boulevard was also lined with Union Jacks (the tour guides weren't sure why the flags were flying but their best guess was that the London Marathon was later that week). Overall an amazing experience and I’m so happy I got to see it this time in London!  If you don’t have long in London, definitely try and see the changing of the guard! 

After the Changing of the Guard, us and the German family separated from the rest of the group with one of the tour guides who walked us back to Victoria Coach station. Once there, he gave us about two hours of free time before we had to meet the bus to Stonehenge. Before leaving us to our free time, the family asked him where the Krispy Kreme donuts were. Now, I haven’t seen a Krispy Kreme in like 10 years and I thought they were just being American and asking for something familiar, and the tour guide had no idea where to find one, he thought they were strictly in North America. Turns out, they did research and found a Krispy Kreme donuts stand in the nearby Victoria metro and train station so we all walked over there together before going our separate ways.

Franny and didn’t want to ruin our lunch so we agreed to go get food and come back for a donut afterwards. For lunch we went to a pub across the street called the Shakespeare. I had the “Big Ben” burger, and it was as big as it sounds. A thick patty with all the toppings, including an egg! It was delicious!!

From the window where we were seated, we could see the train station and behind that, the glittery green image of the Apollo Theatre where the Broadway Musical Wicked is performed! I think the best part of being in London was seeing places I recognized!

After lunch we still had over an hour so we walked around a little, and I got another photo in front of the Apollo Theatre. It wasn't ideal because basically all of London is under construction and there are fences up EVERYWHERE, but I still got my photo.

   

We meandered our way back to the Coach station, stopping to buy Krispy Kreme donuts on the way (they were okay but they weren't as stupendously amazing as I remember, mainly because they weren't baked fresh in front of us).

There was a bit of a mix-up at the coach station. We arrived at the gate but our names weren't on the list, and we had already given our confirmation to the previous tour guide so we had no confirmation either. It was the same with the German/US family. Once the bus driver realized we had been on the previous tour he told us we were fine and to get on the coach. It was worrisome though at the beginning when the woman checking the list told us that we weren't there!

Our driver Micheal was really funny and he told us stories all the way there and back and he gave us a brief description of what we’d be seeing at the stones. I tried to stay awake but I was just so exhausted (and Franny was too) that we slept basically the entire way. Only waking up when he make an announcement that we’d be taking a detour to the Henge. Apparently since it was a long weekend, all the main motorways running past Stonehenge were basically at a stand-still so we took a detour through a military base instead.

Some of the things he talked to us about were the various theories surrounding Stonehenge, why it was built and what it was used for. Well, they still have no idea on what the exact truth is, but they now have proof that at some point in its history, Stonehenge was used as a memorial/burial site.

This theory he described by pointing out to us on the way the mounds of earth that could be seen dotting the countryside, called Barrows. He told us that these were burial sites, where they’ve found human bones; ritually buried as well, with each barrow holding a different bone, one for the left leg, one for the right, etc. Around Stonehenge is a raised ring of earth as well, the theory there is that it marks the barrier between the living world and the dead. 

Another theory was that it was once used as a place of healing. This theory was because of a body they discovered while construct was taking place in Amesbury; they nicknamed this man the Amesbury Archer, archer because of the many arrowheads that were among the artefacts buried with him. After running tests, they found that this archer was thousands of years old, and originated in central Europe. The theory that this was a place of healing was that this man walked from his home in central Europe to Stonehenge while in immense pain. All of his teeth were abscessed, and he had a painful bone infection in his knee. He walked here in order to be healed.

Stonehenge itself was absolutely incredible. Words cannot describe how stunningly beautiful it is. Set in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but fields for miles around. Being there gave me a sense of connectedness to the past; a kind of mystical feeling that I was part of something greater than myself. And although we really couldn’t get very close to the stones, I felt blessed to be in their presence. I hope one day we can learn what they were truly built for, but at the same time, the mystery of it all is half of its draw. 

We went to the gift shop for a bit before heading back to the bus. I bought a souvenir coin as well as a postcard for myself, and Franny bought a deck of circular cards that were really cool. We also grabbed sandwiches and cookies for supper to eat as we walked back to the bus (there was a rule of no food on the bus).

On the way back, Micheal told us his two best (and my two favorite) stories. So a little bit of context, when we arrived at Stonehenge, Michael gave a long speech about how we were on a magic bus. That this bus left at 5 o’clock and we should be back to it by then. At 5:02 the bus would disappear! Moral of the story: don’t be late! So, the first story is of the vanishing tourists! I believe he told us this couple was from Australia or something (they were foreign to say the least) and they didn’t get back to the bus by the time to leave. Now, his “magic bus” story is really not true, he doesn’t leave. So he and the rest of the tour waited for an hour, he asked security to check the place, nothing. They were nowhere. And to this day, neither he nor the tour company have heard of them. They just disappeared…. What he believes is they got on the wrong bus. The irony is, the only other bus there at the time, was a tour bus from Paris that was heading straight back to Paris after leaving Stonehenge. All he’s been able to picture is these two tourists falling asleep on the wrong bus and being woken up when they get to the border and are asked for their passports! Isn’t that insane!

The second story is about the Queen Mother (the mother of Queen Elizabeth II) and a supermarket we passed along the way. Just after the grand opening of this supermarket, the queen mother was sitting with her entourage, stuck in traffic, outside. he asks her ladies-in-waiting what this building is and they tell her it’s a supermarket. “Oh okay”. She then asks what a supermarket is (she’d never been in one you see), and they tell her its where people buy their food and other supplies on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. “Oh okay”. Then, she gets this glint in her eyes (I’m telling you this just like the Michael did) and asks, “Can we go in?” Obviously, you can’t say no to the Queen Mother, so they pull out of traffic and around the back where one of her security guards goes in and asks for the manager, who ironically is at a meeting in central London that day and not in the store. So the assistant manager closes the store, asking all the shoppers to leave. And the Queen Mother goes shopping, one of her security guards pushing the cart of course. She even had to ask her ladies-in-waiting for some money because the Royal family doesn’t carry cash with them! So she leaves, and the store re-opens and the manager returns. The assistant manager tells his story, that the Queen Mother was shopping in their store that day, and of course, the manager doesn’t believe him, thinking its just a practical joke. But the funny thing was that a week later, the manager received a letter from Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II thanking the store and staff for the wonderful treatment of her mother’s unannounced visit! Our bus driver knows this story because he is friends with the manager of the store at the time, and he had that letter framed on the wall as long as he was manager there!

Once we arrived back at Victoria Coach Station, we decided to take a walk and go see Big Ben. The family was walking that way as well so we walked with them, leaving them when we arrived at the Houses of Parliament. We took some photos and then my camera started acting up, not wanting to turn off. We took the underground back to Liverpool street, and we tried to go up to viewing deck in this one restaurant (its as high as the London Eye but it’s free to go up and look) but we were stopped at the door by the bouncer because we were dressed too casual for the restaurant. 

So we walked back to the hostel but we got back too late for me to do laundry so we just packed up because we had to leave early again the next morning.

April 10th, 2014

We had to get up painfully early this morning because we had to be at the airport by 6 am. We checked out and walked to the nearest airport shuttle stop. While waiting a taxi pulled up and the driver said he’d take us to the airport for the same price as what the bus would've cost us.

We got our passports checked and got through security no problem. By then we were starving and we had over an hour until our flight, so we went to a lounge for breakfast. Best breakfast so far! Bacon, eggs, toast, yum! Our flight was pretty boring, not much going on and it was a short flight.

We flew into Luton Airport, which is about an hour from London centre (where our hostel was) so we caught a shuttle into the city. It dropped us off on Baker Street of all places, just down from the Sherlock Holmes museum, so we decided to check it out. We couldn't take our luggage into the museum itself but we saw the gift shop. On the way out I asked one of the interpreters if he knew where they filmed the TV show Sherlock, one of my favorite BBC shows. He told us to take the underground one stop over, to Eaton Square, and it’s right there.

Franny said she didn’t mind dragging her suitcase (by this point I’m really thankful I didn’t bring a suitcase as well as a backpack), so we followed the instructions… We probably walked around that area for an hour and a half. All of the buildings looked like they could be it, but in the show there’s a specific café beside their home that we couldn't find for the life of me. It probably didn’t help that Franny had never seen the show so she really couldn't help me.

We stumbled across a small farmers market, near the university campus so we decided to stop for lunch. I had a sausage, and like everything else we've eaten so far, it was fantastic! It was around then that we decided to give up and just go to the hostel. We were both tired, it was hot out, and we wanted to drop our stuff. As we are returning to the underground station… there is it. Literally right beside the metro station. I was so mad at myself, but hey, I found it after all! 

From there we followed the directions the hostel gave us to get there. We took underground to Liverpool Street where we were supposed to catch a bus to the hostel. We tried to get on the bus but they wouldn't accept Scottish pounds (even though that is a legal form of currency). The driver of that particular bus as a witch! She was so mean! She “attempted” to call head office (I don’t really think she did as she didn’t press any buttons) then told us to get off. So we dig through our change and find enough to take the next bus… turns out we got on in the wrong direction. It was going to London Bridge instead of Shoreditch. So we got off, crossed the street and tried to catch the next bus. And who is our driver but the mean one from before! We asked if she’d take pounds yet and she said that dispatched still hadn't replied to her. So off we get and we decide to go into the Gap store to exchange the Scottish pounds for British ones, and we get onto the next one.

By now, I’m stressed and pissed off, and I feel bad because this is Franny’s first time in London and it’s not going so well so far! But we finally arrived at The Dictionary hostel. The people at the hostel were absolutely fantastic. They gave us information on where to go, what to do, where to eat, etc. What was also cool was the bar attached to the hostel was called "Translate". So we dropped off our stuff and decided to walk around London.

We hit all the major spots; London bridge (we saw Tower Bridge from it), Millennium Bridge (the bridge the Death Eaters destroy in Harry Potter), the Globe Theater. In one of the underground stations we stopped for some fantastic cupcakes! I had a delicious red velvet cupcake, it was so good it should be illegal! It was about this time that my legs really started killing me. Just from overuse but I was actually in a lot of pain. But that wasn't going to stop me from enjoying London! 

We had supper at café rouge, a French café near Trafalgar square. After supper we checked out the square then walked up to Piccadilly Circus. Unfortunately, lots of the city was under construction so we couldn't get many good photos but it was still nice to return to the city. I was only there for a few days, three years ago, but it all seems so familiar.

From Piccadilly, we took the underground to Kings Cross station, because you can’t do to London and not try to find Platform 9 ¾ !! And we found it! It made me so happy! They had props and a professional photographer, even a specialized gift shop (really cashing in on the Harry Potter craze). It was so cool!

We caught the underground back to our hostel where I showered and washed some clothes in the sink before heading off to bed.