carnivals and cotton candy

today we got lost. we get lost a lot here in London. but, today we didn't care...because we ran into a little something called a carnival. we loved it too much. i've never made so many impulse decisions, and yes they were all worth it. mainly because of the bumper cars, i have a feeling i'll be sore in the morning.

three reasons i loved this weekend.

1. i enjoyed four crepes in three days.

2. mona was good to me...even though i wish she was bigger and i could get closer, eiffel i love you, monte marre you are paris' best kept secret, and champs elysees i love strolling in your shops while staring at the arc de triomphe

3. i've never been so tired or exhausted and loved every second as much as i did.

paris...I will be back...soon

au revoir!

I'm off to Paris for the weekend! Can't wait...I'll be there in exactly 4 hours. Lots of posts when I get home! 

The Best Day

I had the best day...I'm sad it's over! I have no pictures of it whatsoever but I thought I'd post it anyway. After class I headed a few blocks over from our place and decided to take a second, third, or maybe it's my fourth look at some of the shops! There is so much to see there and I've found a new favorite place each time I've gone. This time I went on a Tuesday so there was 1% as many people as there are on Saturday's. While there I ran into the cutest cupcake shop called "hummingbird" it was ridiculously tasty! I indulged in a RED VELVET cupcake mmmm. To top it off, I headed outside and it was pouring rain, which sounds miserable...but I LOVE the rain! So I opened my cutest pink umbrella and enjoyed my cupcake, and shopped a little more. 

For class I needed to go to the British Museum...before Thursday. Since we would be gone Wednesday I decided to make my way there. I was trying to boycott the tube but decided I needed to use it to go to the museum considering I had no clue how to get there. The British Museum is amazing. Just the building itself is so incredible! I spent a few hours strolling around and marveling at the different artifacts. It made me so excited to go to Greece, it made me want to go to Egypt, and it made me SO happy to be in London. I feel like I'm living the dream! 

I then continued my day by walking around Bloomsbury, then to Leicester Square, then through SoHo, around Picadilly Square, then to Trafalgar Square...took a pit stop at the National Portrait Gallery, and then walked down Regent Street and Oxford St, and then home! It was a lot of walking but I loved every second of it! I love my group and love spending time with new friends, but I also love the days where I venture off by myself and explore! Total hours: 6 h 35 min. I couldn't believe how much I got to see in that amount of time! I came home, took a quick run in beautiful Hyde Park and then home for a delicious dinner! 

Quickly after dinner I ran to Covent Gardens to check out the dance studio "Pineapple!" I was so nervous, and unfortunately got there too late to take a class but I checked it out and decided which classes I want to take next week. I headed back to Palace Court and had the best night hanging out with the girls in dorm 3 and having some great wholesome conversations. It was the best day.

Cornwall

On Wednesday at 7 am we hopped onto what would be the "never-ending bus ride" to the Cornwall...south of London. It took us the entire day to get there. We took a few stops on the way there, which made it nice! Fortunately for us we stayed in a very nice hotel that was equipped with pools, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, the works! We felt like we were in a modern day version of "bath!" This is what the schedule looked like-

Day 1: first stop Porthcurno, cutest small fishing village and Truro cathedral

Day 2: Tintagel...supposedly where King Arthur lived. It was SO beautiful, I loved every minute of it. Some of the most breathtaking views I've ever witnessed. I wish I could take everyone there to know what I'm talking about but these pictures will have to suffice! We also toured theold post office built there, I think build in the 14th century, but I took no pictures. 

This was my favorite, sitting on the edge of this cliff looking out to the ocean and down to the cliffs. I could've stayed there for hours! 

After Tintagel we quickly visited St. Michael's Mount and Landsend

Day 3: first stop Exeter to visit the cathedral and Chawton, where Jane Austin resided for a portion of here life. 

The excursion to Cornwall was fabulous. We loved it! It was definitely exhausting and I was ready to be home. I do miss our suite that had 3 beds for 2 girls, hot cocoa and tea nightly, our pool and the sauna, fun bus rides with HP, and just good times being with the entire group! Cornwall is beautiful, it honestly is. Its quaint and some of the most beautiful countryside. Lots of history and much to see and we definitely saw a lot! 

.Bath.

Ok warning: there are a lot of pictures coming up...but, they are all worth looking at! On Saturday we took a day trip to Bath, England. After going to the train station three times the day before to get the right tickets (no thanks to Boop our ticket salesman) and an hour and a half train ride, we made it! It was cold when we first got there, but we quickly began our adventure. Bath is a very old city...it is most famous for the Roman Baths that were created when the Romans took over England. They wanted to make the place feel more like home. When we went on the tour I couldn't believe what I was looking at! The fact that they were able to construct something such as the Baths was so intriguing. I just don't know how they had the tools and the knowledge to figure out there was a hot springs below...and then turn it into the worlds first country club! It was so magical, and I felt like I could picture what it must've been like! 

It really looks this magical!!

After our the Bath's we visited the Bath Abbey, another Beautiful Cathedral. 

Bath is also known as the home of Jane Austin...we stopped by her home and saw some of the monumental Jane Austin sites as well! 

We spent much of the time strolling around the town and walking into every pastry, chocolate, candy, and cafe. It was dangerous! We ate good food, saw beautiful historical sites, and had a fabulous time! 

Sammy Boy!

I wanted to give a little shout out to Sammy on his Birthday!! He is 15 today! AH I can't believe it, my little brother is 15...and in a year he will be 16. He already isn't my little brother...he is double my height and size and is turning into my BIG brother. I love him so much...for his fun personality and his constant harassing...anyone who knows him would agree! Love you sammy xo

TayTay

Ok...so I didn't think that life in London could get any better, but it DID!!! On Wednesday night I was sitting at dinner and my friend Sydney came up to me while on the phone and asked if I wanted to go to Taylor Swift. Uh hello?? Is that even a question!!! Well obviously you know what I said...YES!!! Can I just tell you I absolutely love her?! Well I do. We got our tickets...rushed in and sat FRONT row! Don't ask...because we don't know how we got so lucky. I didn't take my camera so I stole these pictures...but Taylor was great, and we had the BEST time! Thanks Sydney I loved it all too much...if you couldn't tell :)

hairspray!

Tuesday couldn't have come faster! I had been waiting for it to arrive since the Monday before...because we were going to see HAIRSPRAY!! Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely LOVE this movie and story. Jordan and Alexis can just verify how much I adore it. So when I heard it was in London I knew I had to go! All I will say is that it was UH-MAZE-ING...seriously. I was on the edge of my seat, wide eyed, and grinning...oh and singing! If I could've been on stage, I would've! I recommend it to anyone!

Mother Dear

Happy Mother's Day from the Motherland! I love you and

miss you terribly! xo

Hehe I knew you'd love this one!

Stonehenge, Stourhead, and Wells

At 5:30 AM we woke up to make our way to the famous Stonehenge. It was early, but luckily

we got to sleep on the bus. We finally arrived at 8 and were able to go inside and touch the rocks!

Not only is going to Stonehenge a once in a lifetime opportunity, but being able to go inside of

the is very very rare. We had a blast, and besides me putting my hand in bird poop...it was a

great experience!

Group Picture!

After going to Stonehenge we made our way to Wells...not Wales. It is the smallest town in

England, and its only a town because it has a Cathedral. The Cathedral was beautiful, much

different then Westminster, but I love them both.

Neatest steps...you can't quite tell here, but they were so neat. Its crazy to think that these

cathedral are older then our entire country!

Bishops Palace...located right behind the cathedral. It is so pretty, and is rented out for weddings! Can you say perfect?!

One of my favorite places yet, has been Stourhead. It was beautiful, despite the cold! It 

was terribly cold. AND this is where the notorious romance scene from Pride and Prejudice

was filmed!

This is the spot!

Soo beautiful!

I'm terrible, I know, but I can't remember what this tower is called...all I know is that it's over 200 steps to the top, and is freezing up top!