tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117961475105669352024-03-12T15:49:14.192-07:00Sara's Travels 2014Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-77516762269785309402015-01-15T17:00:00.000-08:002015-01-15T17:00:22.827-08:00Hola BCN<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Barcelona</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
December 15-19</div>
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Day One: I finished my final early
so I was able to get to the bus with no problems! I traveled with Carlene and
Kerry, and they went out on an earlier bus. We flew out of this tiny airport
called Glasgow Prestwick, which is where the budget airlines are sometimes
located. It’s also out of the way with one bus line and one train going to
Glasgow every hour or so. When we arrived in Girona Airport, which is another
out of the way budget airline airport, we took a bus to Barcelona and actually
successfully got to the hostel. We were staying in a mixed room, so for once
there were guys around, which was inconvenient just because we couldn’t change
in the room, although they were really friendly. There was this gay Brazilian
couple that were pretty cute together. And FYI- Barcelona is in the province of
Catalan, so they speak Catalan here, but there are lots of signs in Spanish,
and basically everyone can speak Spanish as well. And everyone in the tourism industry speaks
English, so I honestly didn’t use my Spanish that much. Oh well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Day Two: Our first full day. We had
actually already planned this out pretty well, and we bought our tickets
online, with time brackets too. Our first stop was La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s
famous church, and probably one of the biggest landmarks in Barcelona, for good
reason. The outside is decorated in this ornate style, with such attention to
detail, and the inside is slightly more modern feeling. The building was
started by another architect, in 1882, but Gaudi picked it up soon after, and
it has been a work in progress since then. There’s always cranes surrounding
it, and we actually saw people hand painting gold when we were in the tower.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MaB2_FGJp9Y/VJ2qW_5mkqI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/7TFNwVTQ7cI/s1600/IMG_20141216_090928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MaB2_FGJp9Y/VJ2qW_5mkqI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/7TFNwVTQ7cI/s1600/IMG_20141216_090928.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;">Due to be completed around 2036-2040!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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We headed inside first, and the
stained glass combined with the soaring, high ceilings were amazing. They
actually only put in the stained glass in the last couple of years, so I was
really glad we were able to see it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n72zNiSWIVw/VJ2qtbbEUmI/AAAAAAAAA_g/iSCeGyJzWLE/s1600/IMG_20141216_091322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n72zNiSWIVw/VJ2qtbbEUmI/AAAAAAAAA_g/iSCeGyJzWLE/s1600/IMG_20141216_091322.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X7-TrgGzflk/VJ2rJK9vBWI/AAAAAAAAA_w/zTuGdWiGIdM/s1600/IMG_20141216_091638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X7-TrgGzflk/VJ2rJK9vBWI/AAAAAAAAA_w/zTuGdWiGIdM/s1600/IMG_20141216_091638.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EiQMkXq7mFk/VJ2q04bFWDI/AAAAAAAAA_o/gnlWphuVqMM/s1600/IMG_20141216_091306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EiQMkXq7mFk/VJ2q04bFWDI/AAAAAAAAA_o/gnlWphuVqMM/s1600/IMG_20141216_091306.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside is so modern!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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We also got a ticket to go up to
the towers, and there’s a great view from there, and you can appreciate the
towers and spires and decoration up close.
We went up the Nativity towers, which are decorated with statues
depicting the nativity story. ( There
was a lot of religion on this trip)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a81JwFBmGxo/VJ2rgYlOU3I/AAAAAAAABAA/ampqsNoHi6s/s1600/IMG_20141216_100655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a81JwFBmGxo/VJ2rgYlOU3I/AAAAAAAABAA/ampqsNoHi6s/s1600/IMG_20141216_100655.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse the phone camera and the finger, but they're actually painting over there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was very very impressed. Gaudi
was, in their words, a master of his craft. He developed a new way of making
models by hanging them upside down using string and different materials to
represent different architectural methods. They had a small museum about the
making of the Sagrada Familia that had some original sketches as well as remade
models.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We slowly made our way to our next
stop, getting lost on the way. We took the subway eventually to Park Guell,
another Gaudi design. It was on a hill, and thankfully there was escalators
going up it. We went to the free part first for a nice lookout point, and
stopped to pet cat #2 we saw.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsc5Iz4CkeA/VJ2t3tTe5pI/AAAAAAAABAc/W_Cla2ENGdw/s1600/IMG_20141216_132740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsc5Iz4CkeA/VJ2t3tTe5pI/AAAAAAAABAc/W_Cla2ENGdw/s1600/IMG_20141216_132740.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Barcelona, and bald man</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<br />
Then we entered the more spectacular parts (which
of course you have to pay for). Gaudi’s
work is really interesting, and we saw a ton of it on this trip, but I didn’t
get tired of it, because each one is very very different. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQV5YHf-3zY/VJ2yJKuHwUI/AAAAAAAABCA/YFjIjDhYgQ4/s1600/IMG_20141216_142305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQV5YHf-3zY/VJ2yJKuHwUI/AAAAAAAABCA/YFjIjDhYgQ4/s1600/IMG_20141216_142305.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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We also saw more cats- this guy was
jumping straight into the air to try to pounce on something in the bushes.
Carlene has a greattt video of it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Next was a wander down La Rambla,
the famous boulevard. Also where the Cheetah Girls filmed “Strut”. I had
cheetah print lining in my boots btw, although it wasn’t quite like that. It
was pretty busy, and there were souvenir stands on the sides of the roads,
along with florists and cacti stores with the cutest mini cacti. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SagiHiuS0PA/VJ2yfTLNNAI/AAAAAAAABCI/SFYTdF4p_8Q/s1600/IMG_20141216_164732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SagiHiuS0PA/VJ2yfTLNNAI/AAAAAAAABCI/SFYTdF4p_8Q/s1600/IMG_20141216_164732.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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La Boqueria Market was along this
street, and this was our first stop out of three. We didn’t know any better and
bought fruit juice for 2 euros from the first fruit stand- but everyone else
farther down sold it for 1 euro. Oh well, I had pineapple and coconut, and it
was DELISH. Everything looked so enticing and so fresh. There were also small
restaurant stands, delis, and fish counters in addition to all this stuff. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ChmaV6Wvrg/VJ2ztdGOZaI/AAAAAAAABDA/WQfwemyUfbc/s1600/IMG_20141216_164010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ChmaV6Wvrg/VJ2ztdGOZaI/AAAAAAAABDA/WQfwemyUfbc/s1600/IMG_20141216_164010.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w684fcyOT9w/VJ2z0oXKEXI/AAAAAAAABDI/lYNJ8A_OM5I/s1600/IMG_20141216_164112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w684fcyOT9w/VJ2z0oXKEXI/AAAAAAAABDI/lYNJ8A_OM5I/s1600/IMG_20141216_164112.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And every kind of chili you would want</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We also got a little lost trying to
get back to the hostel, but thank god for data (and for O2 for deciding to
work). We rested a bit, then went to a 1
euro tapas place, which was okay. It didn’t feel very Spanish to me, and kinda had
stuff I could get as appetizers at home, but it was a fun experience. We headed
back to the hostel on the subway (which is super cheap here, only €1.05!)
and knocked out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Day three:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another early day, because we took
an hour train out to Montserrat. Montserrat is a monastery and a mountain with incredible rocks. You
go up on either a cable car or a funicular, and we went up on the cable car.
Not something my dad would like, but I enjoyed the views!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s a working monastery, so there are monks
doing their thing as well. It’s famous for being the place where they found the
Black Madonna, a statue of the Virgin Mary, as well as a great boys choir. We
were able to line up to touch the Virgin Mary, although I was much more
impressed with the gorgeous backdrop she was put against. It was tiled with
gold, as well as with silver decoration. Then we sat down for a pretty short
performance by the boys choir, who did Gregorian chant, which was cool because
it’s one of the first forms of music. I only know that from my Intro to Music
class, and I kinda wish I remember more about it. Apparently they sang something extra
religious too, because we all stood up at the last chant, and there was no
clapping at the end. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Clarifying real quick: they
generally call the ones that hang from a cable, cable cars, and funiculars are
ones that move up a slope usually, on the ground. But not always, and that
definitely caused us confusion on this trip.
We took the funicular up to Sant Joan, where there are walks you can do.
We also saw 7 more cats up there, which made all our days, and especially
Kerry’s. Two were very friendly, and they were obviously well fed, by the monks
probably, and very shiny and sleek. It made me miss Dima even more. We
clambered up some rocks, through archways, and went out to a peaceful view. I
loved the rock formations up there. If you go on the right trails, you can also
see the Pyrenees, although we didn’t have time for that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then we went down to the other
funicular, Santa Cova, to where they originally found the Virgin Mary statue.
That was a little underwhelming, but my knees were also starting to get
strained from the downhill walking. I do like the story about her though. When
the peasants and priest saw the light shining from the cave, they found the
statue, and wanted to bring it down the mountain to the town so everyone could
see her. But she got heavier to carry after a bit, so they decided that it was
her not wanting to be moved from the mountain- and there she stays. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We got paella for dinner- which
actually isn’t typical to Catalan, it’s more of a Spanish thing, but because
all the tourists expect it, there’s a lot of it in Barcelona. It was really
good though!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day Four:<o:p></o:p></div>
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This was another Barcelona day, and
also contained two more stops to La Boqueria, hehe. We decided to look at more
Gaudi architecture, and we went to Casa Batllo right when it opened, which was
nice because it was really quiet. It was so so pretty. The inside is inspired
by the ocean, which is right up my alley, and there was beautiful stained glass
as well. Most of the walls were curved, and Gaudi also had more inventions to use natural light to brighten the house, as well as ventilation ideas and new
ways to use building materials. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kaeg_3OQ8Zw/VLhc35oMREI/AAAAAAAABE0/WpV3MaIVM2c/s1600/DSCF9522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kaeg_3OQ8Zw/VLhc35oMREI/AAAAAAAABE0/WpV3MaIVM2c/s1600/DSCF9522.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The house was inspired by the ocean-so many curved walls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vxU76Tw9rco/VLhc4tClJKI/AAAAAAAABE4/M__i6GQTUeY/s1600/DSCF9533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vxU76Tw9rco/VLhc4tClJKI/AAAAAAAABE4/M__i6GQTUeY/s1600/DSCF9533.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super light and airy attic ventilation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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We also could go to the top, to the
dragon roof, and the whimsical chimneys that looked like they were from Dr.
Seuss books. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-epiuoRzE8GM/VLhc60K-Y9I/AAAAAAAABFE/-9zmFYfC8qI/s1600/DSCF9538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-epiuoRzE8GM/VLhc60K-Y9I/AAAAAAAABFE/-9zmFYfC8qI/s1600/DSCF9538.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The roof- and the edge of the dragon that is said to be represented</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And here’s what it looks like from
the outside. It was a pricey visit, but it came with really interesting audio
guides, and I definitely thought it was worth it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YjT-Z4U2ap8/VLhdCHzjkVI/AAAAAAAABFM/Pa5Iw9Go54s/s1600/DSCF9541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YjT-Z4U2ap8/VLhdCHzjkVI/AAAAAAAABFM/Pa5Iw9Go54s/s1600/DSCF9541.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top is the outside view of the dragon roof, and the windows are said to look like bones!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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We also saw La Pedrera, another of
Gaudi’s works that you could go in. Then
it was back to La Rambla and La Boqueria to pick up more fruit and juice, and
we headed over to Barceloneta, the beach right off of Barcelona. It was a
gorgeous day, and I think I almost forgot what that kind of sunlight felt like.
We laid on the sand, and ate our fresh fruit on the beach. I was in heaven. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then we wandered around the Gothic
Quarter a bit. We stumbled upon another, unique Christmas market below the
cathedral. (That makes my 6<sup>th</sup>
Christmas market!) The cathedral is also stunning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Next to Placa Espanya to get the
bus to Montjuic (mountain of Jews) to go to the castle and see the sunset.
Montjuic also has a ton of other cool stuff like museums, gardens, the famous
fountain and light show, and Olympic stadiums. But man, the sunset from the
castle was gorgeous. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Our last stop of the day was the Magic Fountains. Too bad they didn't have the show that night; it's supposed to be amazing!<br />
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Day Five: <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our last day! We basically ended up
with 4 full days, which was really nice because we slept in a little and were
able to go to Girona, near the airport, to explore that area and get away from
all the tourists in Barcelona. We checked out of our hostel, (HelloBCN, where
the employees were all super nice), and headed to the bus to Girona airport and
city center. We put our backpacks in lockers, and headed to the the old Jewish
quarter, with small winding streets. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sIERoRJR14o/VLhgy4Kd5SI/AAAAAAAABHI/Hg6bJhm5pnU/s1600/DSCF9664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sIERoRJR14o/VLhgy4Kd5SI/AAAAAAAABHI/Hg6bJhm5pnU/s1600/DSCF9664.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful houses</td></tr>
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We stopped at the Jewish museum,
and then walked up to the cathedral, which, from the outside, was so pretty
against the deep blue sky.<br />
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<br />
The inside, however, was super chilly from the
stone, was dead silent, and super empty of people. I was creeped out, and Kerry
said it was very Baroque, which I was not very fond of. Good thing it was
cheap. Here’s the part I liked:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Predictably, it was stained glass. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then we went up for a walk on the
city walls, where we soaked up some Spanish sunshine and views of Girona. It
was a really relaxing, peaceful walk, and I’m glad I were able to slow down and
soak it in a little. Then we had an early dinner- 5pm. People eat late in
Spain, at 9 ish, so they were probably staring at us wondering what was wrong
with us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I read the bus times wrong, so
the next bus would only get us in 30 minutes before our flight was to leave.
Another time that would’ve been fine, but because I was leaving for the
Edinburgh Airport to come home 3 hours after I landed in Glasgow, I just didn’t
want to cut it that short. Kerry used her last €20 to pay for the taxi to the
Girona airport, (THANK YOU AGAIN) and we were on our way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The last hiccup of the journey was
that we landed a little late, and it was raining sideways when we got in, and
Carlene and I ended up missing the train. (A typical Glaswegian welcome). Kerry
ran and was able to get on, but the next bus (according to earlier research)
didn’t get into Glasgow until 1:50 am (I left at 2:45 am from my flat). We met
a Scottish guy and a Dutch guy, as well as two Glaswegians trying to figure out
if we should split a taxi, but then found out the bus would get in at 1 am
instead, sooooo long story short we hopped on that bus, and then had some
interesting conversation with the Dutch guy, who has a super cool life because
he’s lived in Dublin, Cairo, and now he lives in Barcelona. My last true
Glaswegian experience was waiting at the taxi rank at Buchanan Bus Station in
the cold, and sometimes rain and wind, and listening to the Glaswegian banter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m writing this on the plane from
London Heathrow to LAX, so I was able to make all my flights and connections! I
did have to pay to make my carryon baggage a check- in because it was too heavy
(who actually weighs that? Virgin Atlantic, that’s who). But I don’t think she charged me for being a
little overweight on my big suitcase, so at least there’s that. And I got most
of what I really wanted back. All that’s left is to meet my family and Jon at
the airport, see my cat, and have some yummy food. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
And finally posted this exactly a month after I first left for Barcelona. :) Home is comforting and I love the weather!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-79718665444780783092014-12-01T16:16:00.001-08:002014-12-06T06:33:16.480-08:00Paris, the city of lights and stairsNovember 27-30<br />
<br />
Elise and I climbed at least 1253 stairs to get to see the sights...I was slightly sore every morning, including Monday morning after all that, but it was definitely, definitely worth it.<br />
<br />
Day 1:<br />
<br />
This consisted of 8 hours of train travel. The first train was fine up until 15 minutes away from London, when we stopped behind a train with technical problems, and eventually had to go backwards to the closest track change. That took an hour and 20 minutes extra, which barely gave us enough time to go to another station, check in, go through security and border control, and get on the Eurostar train to Paris. Whew!! I did get another stamp in my passport though! We arrived at the hotel (thanks to Elise's dad's free hotel nights) with no more problems. Especially at the big train stations there's a lot of English on the signs, and we just hopped on the metro to get to the hotel.<br />
<br />
Day 2:<br />
<br />
The first thing we saw was the Eiffel Tower. We did our research and got off at an alternative stop on the metro, rather than just the closest, and I'm so glad we did. The tower is hidden by a building, and all of a sudden, you just see it. <span id="goog_1082162534"></span><span id="goog_1082162535"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zhD4xZBMKuc/VHzi57-L9MI/AAAAAAAAAuU/j-eLGVJGvfw/s1600/DSCF9159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zhD4xZBMKuc/VHzi57-L9MI/AAAAAAAAAuU/j-eLGVJGvfw/s1600/DSCF9159.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think my heart skipped a beat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast by the tower</td></tr>
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We got lucky with weather again, because it ended up being really cloudy on Sunday, which is when we first planned to visit. We waited in the line for the stairs- we were going to take 669 stairs up to the second floor. (It was the cheaper option).</div>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bm2JMy47I8M/VHzn0684KWI/AAAAAAAAAw8/UpICFfOrE7A/s1600/DSCF9171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bm2JMy47I8M/VHzn0684KWI/AAAAAAAAAw8/UpICFfOrE7A/s1600/DSCF9171.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lines, especially for the elevator, were pretty long even before opening. There was the building that originally blocked the view of the tower. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMYTE6kUKM4/VHzo0vAySdI/AAAAAAAAAyY/2ASvU6rSbfg/s1600/DSCF9188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMYTE6kUKM4/VHzo0vAySdI/AAAAAAAAAyY/2ASvU6rSbfg/s1600/DSCF9188.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First level</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NeTVTCFwLeA/VHzp2R7k-6I/AAAAAAAAAzM/ypNhYoydkbg/s1600/IMG_20141128_110122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NeTVTCFwLeA/VHzp2R7k-6I/AAAAAAAAAzM/ypNhYoydkbg/s1600/IMG_20141128_110122.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a glass floor. Even on the first level it was so high up. My palms are sweating just thinking about it again.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rJxxolpYCF4/VHzoz5kZRQI/AAAAAAAAAyE/jk3HF0_rQSo/s1600/DSCF9186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rJxxolpYCF4/VHzoz5kZRQI/AAAAAAAAAyE/jk3HF0_rQSo/s1600/DSCF9186.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second level! Yes I am sweating because those stairs are killer.</td></tr>
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Elise and I have come to the conclusion that Paris in general has a lot of haze all the time. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uVr9A3OGiag/VHzoz1fYcFI/AAAAAAAAAyU/t3DOmNlcFhQ/s1600/DSCF9182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uVr9A3OGiag/VHzoz1fYcFI/AAAAAAAAAyU/t3DOmNlcFhQ/s1600/DSCF9182.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iiKl_k-9yrI/VHzpkMhfjZI/AAAAAAAAAzA/9xcw-Y6SY7s/s1600/IMG_20141128_102640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iiKl_k-9yrI/VHzpkMhfjZI/AAAAAAAAAzA/9xcw-Y6SY7s/s1600/IMG_20141128_102640.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plus me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vNZlVYfS5aQ/VHzq43myogI/AAAAAAAAAzY/Dpvbx5US1FI/s1600/DSCF9181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vNZlVYfS5aQ/VHzq43myogI/AAAAAAAAAzY/Dpvbx5US1FI/s1600/DSCF9181.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proof</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dC9lyVRz_mk/VHzrX5fvuLI/AAAAAAAAA0c/cyZS5Gk04II/s1600/DSCF9194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dC9lyVRz_mk/VHzrX5fvuLI/AAAAAAAAA0c/cyZS5Gk04II/s1600/DSCF9194.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Onto the Luxembourg Gardens, or Jardin du Luxembourg. I'm sure it's even better in the spring and summer with lots of flowers, but we were still impressed by the vastness, and even more, the completely straight rows of trees, which we came to see was the norm in Paris.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LVVWJJ93lko/VHzrZImu-aI/AAAAAAAAA0k/ETPN3iJXEEg/s1600/DSCF9198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LVVWJJ93lko/VHzrZImu-aI/AAAAAAAAA0k/ETPN3iJXEEg/s1600/DSCF9198.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not only are the trees planted straight, but they're cut straight too!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rJqN1FLabyI/VHzra4TCbVI/AAAAAAAAAz0/JbUbrBHEzfk/s1600/DSCF9201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rJqN1FLabyI/VHzra4TCbVI/AAAAAAAAAz0/JbUbrBHEzfk/s1600/DSCF9201.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple people were sailing those small boats :)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H1uSZG4Ik8/VHzrcruOJwI/AAAAAAAAA0s/aaB3M-TGOrE/s1600/DSCF9207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H1uSZG4Ik8/VHzrcruOJwI/AAAAAAAAA0s/aaB3M-TGOrE/s1600/DSCF9207.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medici Fountain, which someone was sketching on the side. I always like to watch people sketch!</td></tr>
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Then we took a lunch break at a cafe with a nice English speaking waiter! Afterwards, we went to the Pantheon, which is a monument kind of thing, and where a bunch of famous people are buried. Elise is an Irish citizen, which is in the EU, and there are lots of attractions in Paris that give free admission to EU citizens under 26 sooooo she got in for free and basically she saved tons of money. But I actually have stamps in my passport, and she doesn't because at border control they literally just glance at her passport and let her through.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the Pantheon has gorgeous ceiling- it felt like I was constantly looking up during this trip and being in awe. Distinguished citizens are buried here, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie. (Just looked it up, and Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize! This was for her work on radioactivity). Oh and Hugo wrote Les Miserables and Hunchback of Notre Dame.<br />
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As we walked toward Notre Dame, we also saw the outside of the Sorbonne! There were security guards outside of the doors, and students were showing IDs to get in, so we figured we couldn't go in, but we admired from the outside.<br />
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Notre Dame was, surprisingly, where we saw the most tourists! Here was another place where we were in awe of the ceiling, and especially this absolutely gorgeous stained glass.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWJsWPzzpNg/VHzrmri_amI/AAAAAAAAA1E/BEEVvjieS9I/s1600/DSCF9258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWJsWPzzpNg/VHzrmri_amI/AAAAAAAAA1E/BEEVvjieS9I/s1600/DSCF9258.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again, all that detail!!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bA7p1Q-l20c/VHzsLVH7NLI/AAAAAAAAA10/IehmgJhH6FU/s1600/DSCF9245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bA7p1Q-l20c/VHzsLVH7NLI/AAAAAAAAA10/IehmgJhH6FU/s1600/DSCF9245.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wBKxdiuLV7A/VHzr1c0UEuI/AAAAAAAAA1c/il-ajxWll3s/s1600/DSCF9250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wBKxdiuLV7A/VHzr1c0UEuI/AAAAAAAAA1c/il-ajxWll3s/s1600/DSCF9250.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy my camera actually got a good picture of it! It's huge!</td></tr>
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There was an option to walk up to the top, but we were still tired from this morning's stairs, so we decided to do a little souvenir shopping...whoops.<br />
<br />
We went to another small garden, and got some macarons. This shop employee spoke English too, and overall a lot of employees spoke English, which made it a lot easier!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jAOjCoKp4EU/VHzx8shcA9I/AAAAAAAAA2I/i0eep0KFi4Y/s1600/DSCF9264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jAOjCoKp4EU/VHzx8shcA9I/AAAAAAAAA2I/i0eep0KFi4Y/s1600/DSCF9264.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x_vOJi4Ac6E/VHzyB1E-HiI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/f0xHoQZUKi4/s1600/IMG_20141128_170437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x_vOJi4Ac6E/VHzyB1E-HiI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/f0xHoQZUKi4/s1600/IMG_20141128_170437.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were seriously the best macarons I've had, by FAR</td></tr>
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Every Friday, students get into the Louvre for FREE from 6-9pm. As you can tell, of course we went. (Elise already gets in for free all day everyday with EU...sigh). We had unpurposefully perfect timing again, I haven't changed lighting or anything on these photos!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dWxWQstfVS0/VHz0qCaJ_iI/AAAAAAAAA2s/KVSelwDeCfE/s1600/DSCF9267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dWxWQstfVS0/VHz0qCaJ_iI/AAAAAAAAA2s/KVSelwDeCfE/s1600/DSCF9267.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red electric light is a new installation to the pyramid</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U0ufpo0_Udk/VHz0qUdBv9I/AAAAAAAAA2w/CDjyqy19Gxk/s1600/DSCF9268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U0ufpo0_Udk/VHz0qUdBv9I/AAAAAAAAA2w/CDjyqy19Gxk/s1600/DSCF9268.JPG" height="163" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IivkfXJfZrY/VHz0tc9kbVI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/Xc44OoYvRco/s1600/DSCF9292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IivkfXJfZrY/VHz0tc9kbVI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/Xc44OoYvRco/s1600/DSCF9292.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There she is! Surprisingly, there wasn't a long wait to the front of the small crowd. And people say they expect it to be bigger, but for me it, it was around the size I expected.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFu6a9YdJ6g/VHz1WLtH4YI/AAAAAAAAA3s/lB7LGbO3qq0/s1600/10822205_10152407479322046_596238017_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFu6a9YdJ6g/VHz1WLtH4YI/AAAAAAAAA3s/lB7LGbO3qq0/s1600/10822205_10152407479322046_596238017_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory</td></tr>
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After seeing that, "Winged Victory", "Venus de Milo", a couple other famous pieces, and making fun of the naked sculptures (we can only be mature and cultured for so long apparently) we walked back to the hotel, got dinner, and finally got to rest our feet and sleep!<br />
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Day 2: Versailles!<br />
<br />
We navigated the metro and trains to get to Versailles, which is 40 minutes away from the center of Paris. It was built by Louis thirteenth through the sixteenth. The appropriate word for Versaille is VAST. I wasn't expecting the palace and gardens to be that big. (Oh and if you go, and you're a study abroad student, BRING YOUR PASSPORT WITH VISA STAMP. You get in for free if you can prove you're studying in the EU for 6 months. I'm pretty sure that is nowhere on the website, but I found that out when I was there, and of course didn't have my passport on me).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnz1nsQ7S_0/VHz3lY-0nxI/AAAAAAAAA4I/5JJUBH-0oKE/s1600/DSCF9332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnz1nsQ7S_0/VHz3lY-0nxI/AAAAAAAAA4I/5JJUBH-0oKE/s1600/DSCF9332.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was so much shiny gold everywhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1603_GA5l2U/VHz3oGFF63I/AAAAAAAAA6M/t8pdWmt5QfE/s1600/DSCF9337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1603_GA5l2U/VHz3oGFF63I/AAAAAAAAA6M/t8pdWmt5QfE/s1600/DSCF9337.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their chapel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_95z8MtEto/VHz3pZSZ6ZI/AAAAAAAAA4g/4QSWheSOh38/s1600/DSCF9342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_95z8MtEto/VHz3pZSZ6ZI/AAAAAAAAA4g/4QSWheSOh38/s1600/DSCF9342.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hall of Mirrors</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyEvYV2iw3M/VHz78SoIt2I/AAAAAAAAA7M/DvTnBCOmqEg/s1600/DSCF9348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyEvYV2iw3M/VHz78SoIt2I/AAAAAAAAA7M/DvTnBCOmqEg/s1600/DSCF9348.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's crazy they actually lived in this</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1twNVf2K3X0/VHz3r7fuN-I/AAAAAAAAA4w/mXUG-rU7CMs/s1600/DSCF9357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1twNVf2K3X0/VHz3r7fuN-I/AAAAAAAAA4w/mXUG-rU7CMs/s1600/DSCF9357.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More gold</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gSsrJTjtNcA/VHz4RIHh57I/AAAAAAAAA60/Xzliqvy5A8g/s1600/PANO_20141129_124109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gSsrJTjtNcA/VHz4RIHh57I/AAAAAAAAA60/Xzliqvy5A8g/s1600/PANO_20141129_124109.jpg" height="152" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The palace from the back</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gardens</td></tr>
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So because it was low season, it was relatively quiet, which was pretty nice and relaxing. I'm sure it gets crazy in the summer! The downside though, was that the fountains were off, the sculptures on the walkways were covered, and there was a lot of construction. But we decided to rent bikes to bike around the Grand Canal and to the other buildings. I really like the peacefulness of it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--0fSNY5Cl_E/VHz3v2Mq9qI/AAAAAAAAA6A/20HALfowwhc/s1600/DSCF9375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--0fSNY5Cl_E/VHz3v2Mq9qI/AAAAAAAAA6A/20HALfowwhc/s1600/DSCF9375.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elise lovesss her bikes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6aFXZ6uSDWQ/VHz4FqHMwlI/AAAAAAAAA6k/GSkyy-gtuF0/s1600/IMG_20141129_133128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6aFXZ6uSDWQ/VHz4FqHMwlI/AAAAAAAAA6k/GSkyy-gtuF0/s1600/IMG_20141129_133128.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look ma, no hands</td></tr>
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So in addition to the main palace, there's also the Grand Trianon, which is this pink marble building below, which is where the royals would go to escape court life that happened in the palace.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mjr2vehxLU8/VHz3wmhRamI/AAAAAAAAA5U/n_bks4Gn7zQ/s1600/DSCF9378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mjr2vehxLU8/VHz3wmhRamI/AAAAAAAAA5U/n_bks4Gn7zQ/s1600/DSCF9378.JPG" height="166" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really liked the pink marble.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P6z2LQr1fyM/VHz3wxKRvzI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/zrBG7ldW80c/s1600/DSCF9379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P6z2LQr1fyM/VHz3wxKRvzI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/zrBG7ldW80c/s1600/DSCF9379.JPG" height="160" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gardens of the Grand Trianon</td></tr>
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And then there was also the Petit Trianon, another house/mansion. AND an English cottage and farm kind of area, that was called Marie-Antoinette's Estate. It was so much!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They even had cows</td></tr>
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Then it was back to Paris, where we ate grec royal at the Christmas market. It was shaved pork in a crunchy bun with French fries on top! It was soooo good, and we split it because it was so big! Then we had to get cotton candy, which is called candy floss in the uk, and barbe a papa in French. I just looked it up, and apparently it mean's father's beard!! We got a large size, and it was as long as our torso.<br />
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Then to finish off our last night in Paris, we walked up the Champs Elysees, which was lit up for Christmas, toward the Arc de Triomphe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay it looks dangerous, but we were right next to the middle of the street concrete thing, not actually in the middle of traffic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another one of those really detailed ceilings so high up</td></tr>
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We got our tickets to walk up (more) stairs to the top, where we were greeted by the lights of Paris!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K2F6HP08q-w/VHz9zAgpCcI/AAAAAAAAA8M/A7Uub4dpuYQ/s1600/DSCF9447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K2F6HP08q-w/VHz9zAgpCcI/AAAAAAAAA8M/A7Uub4dpuYQ/s1600/DSCF9447.JPG" height="172" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are 12 avenues leading to the Arc De Triomphe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xBPxwM6BPaE/VHz90CX_LBI/AAAAAAAAA8U/Eq6-E3ze_jo/s1600/DSCF9462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xBPxwM6BPaE/VHz90CX_LBI/AAAAAAAAA8U/Eq6-E3ze_jo/s1600/DSCF9462.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which means traffic is crazy. It's a roundabout, but there's not actual lanes. Lots of honking</td></tr>
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Day 4: Still have half a day!<br />
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We had this day planned out really nicely: Musee d' Orsay, Pont Alexandre III, and Sacred Heart (Sacre Coeur), but it got a little back tracked with storing our luggage...<br />
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First we went to Musee d' Orsay, which has a lot more modern paintings than Louvre. (It's the #1 attraction in Paris on tripadvisor, fyi). It's also housed in an old train station- I loved the building. We also weren't allowed to take pictures of the art this time, so I have a lot of the building.<br />
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It had a lot of Impresionist works, which Elise and I both liked. There was Van Gogh and lots of Monet. I really liked Monet's works. I was also really happy to see Degas' ballerinas; the paintings and the sculptures were both there!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sebUUut0Sj4/VH0BGQBQjKI/AAAAAAAAA9M/u6R1BoKllsE/s1600/ME0000051731_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sebUUut0Sj4/VH0BGQBQjKI/AAAAAAAAA9M/u6R1BoKllsE/s1600/ME0000051731_3.jpg" height="320" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">I got a print of </span><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Danseuses bleues.</i></td></tr>
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I also dropped 10 euros after I bought this from the gift shop...oh well. I was more careful after that for sure.<br />
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Then we walked to the Pont Alexandre III, which is a bridge! More gold, but it was very pretty!<br />
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Then, as planned, we took the metro to Gard du Nord, the train station we were going to leave our luggage in the lockers at, so we could then walk to Sacred Heart. Turns out the luggage lockers were full, and they weren't sure if the ones at the next station were full or not. We decided to just take our luggage (small rolling suitcases) to Sacred Heart, even up the stairs. So we lugged them behind us, up all those stairs. My shoulders were sore from that today.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OSClFAE2nVU/VH0B19UPQyI/AAAAAAAAA98/QbvhTa32Gvs/s1600/IMG_20141130_125439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OSClFAE2nVU/VH0B19UPQyI/AAAAAAAAA98/QbvhTa32Gvs/s1600/IMG_20141130_125439.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All those stairs, but also that green grass!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top, it was still quite hazy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5dGG6lJCMuY/VH0B4_tBxkI/AAAAAAAAA-M/z_Mmz7tPCn0/s1600/IMG_20141130_131910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5dGG6lJCMuY/VH0B4_tBxkI/AAAAAAAAA-M/z_Mmz7tPCn0/s1600/IMG_20141130_131910.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How we felt about carrying our suitcases up the stairs</td></tr>
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I did appreciate the outside and the architecture, although the street vendors were distracting. There's no photos inside, but it was, again, really pretty. There was gold mosaics on the walls and the ceilings of the domes. You could walk up to the top floor, but we opted out, because it was hazy but mostly because our suitcases... So there were these street vendors that would try to "show you something" by basically putting a friendship bracelet on your arm to try to force you to buy it after. They were very persistent, and would actually grab your arm to try to get you to do it, which was not okay. Not fun.<br />
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By this time we were exhausted again, so we stopped for lunch, and made our way to the train station. There were no problems with the trains this time. We had time in London to visit Platform 9 3/4 for cool pictures, and to get 5 pounds back for returning our Oyster card!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r6vkg4ZIZdk/VH0EHuN3mtI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/Uon37RM2adY/s1600/10814108_10152410505897046_2041191701_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r6vkg4ZIZdk/VH0EHuN3mtI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/Uon37RM2adY/s1600/10814108_10152410505897046_2041191701_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hedwig is in my hood :)</td></tr>
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And that was Elise's and my Paris trip! Congrats if you actually made it through this post, even I was tired by the end of writing it. Merci, Paris, for a great time.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-2190521614044812862014-12-01T09:45:00.001-08:002014-12-01T16:17:13.614-08:00London<span style="font-family: inherit;">November 20-23</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 1: Elise and I took a Ryanair flight to London. We got
to stay in Jeri and Kristen’s flat, which was really nice! We got there at 2 in
the morning, and slept very soundly in their huge bunk beds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 2: We had decided to do one of the hop on, hop off bus
tours of London on the double decker buses. We were also still in the process
of figuring out London’s underground system. They have all the different
colored station lines, but the thing is that sometimes the lines themselves
branch off to different stops, even though it’s still the same line. Thank god
Elise figured it out, and how to read their maps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first stop on the bus was St. Paul’s Cathedral. I have
to admit it was kind of a letdown as the first stop, just looking at it from
the outside. I’m sure the inside was beautiful, but we didn’t want to pay the
12ish pounds to go in. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-skBGJ2uhgTM/VHyctvFV8zI/AAAAAAAAAm4/FH6QKqfT560/s1600/DSCF8823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-skBGJ2uhgTM/VHyctvFV8zI/AAAAAAAAAm4/FH6QKqfT560/s1600/DSCF8823.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We went back on the bus and got our first glimpse of the
London Bridge, and got to go over it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had "London Bridge" by Fergie stuck in my head for a bit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also passed by the Tower of London, which still had some of
the red (ceramic?) poppies up as part of the tribute to the First World War.
That was really cool to see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first view of the Big Ben and the London Eye!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ewoX7-0fe0/VHyeMgzxq6I/AAAAAAAAAoE/PYlWVnAoUAU/s1600/DSCF8860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ewoX7-0fe0/VHyeMgzxq6I/AAAAAAAAAoE/PYlWVnAoUAU/s1600/DSCF8860.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought the Parliament Building and Big Ben were both
gorgeous. The amount of detail is crazy. Right across the street is also
Westminster Abbey. Everything is so big in person!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gFiAqachNKk/VHyeaOEUc-I/AAAAAAAAAoM/6ui9t5R2Ijc/s1600/DSCF8890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gFiAqachNKk/VHyeaOEUc-I/AAAAAAAAAoM/6ui9t5R2Ijc/s1600/DSCF8890.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Westminster </span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9KtJH6fkLx4/VHyeaI9bDiI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/yJm1OJW-9G4/s1600/DSCF8892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9KtJH6fkLx4/VHyeaI9bDiI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/yJm1OJW-9G4/s1600/DSCF8892.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNXNCk4ERTQ/VHyebGE1sSI/AAAAAAAAAoo/8BBpEcCXvLc/s1600/DSCF8896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNXNCk4ERTQ/VHyebGE1sSI/AAAAAAAAAoo/8BBpEcCXvLc/s1600/DSCF8896.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Big Ben is actually the name of the bell, and the tower is the Elizabeth Tower</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8gN5CTGz00k/VHyebLLwDWI/AAAAAAAAAos/M47taQjMyPc/s1600/DSCF8903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8gN5CTGz00k/VHyebLLwDWI/AAAAAAAAAos/M47taQjMyPc/s1600/DSCF8903.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4yuTueSHlII/VHyf5AD_WVI/AAAAAAAAAp8/9ZCf9CG5gSQ/s1600/IMG_20141121_135743.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many selfies with Big Ben. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fzyUaHQSL7I/VHyf5V0M4kI/AAAAAAAAAqA/5v8HGU3S_pw/s1600/IMG_20141121_140948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fzyUaHQSL7I/VHyf5V0M4kI/AAAAAAAAAqA/5v8HGU3S_pw/s1600/IMG_20141121_140948.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Such a tourist</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We walked around Oxford Street, which is the big shopping
street, as well as Regent’s. They were starting to light their Christmas
lights, which was really cool among all the bustling people-so many people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hamley’s is a 6 or 7 floor toy store. That was packed too,
and employees were everywhere demonstrating their new toys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1_hj0T8Stc/VHye6mG1ZLI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/Heyy09y1k9U/s1600/DSCF8919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1_hj0T8Stc/VHye6mG1ZLI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/Heyy09y1k9U/s1600/DSCF8919.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lego guards killing it</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iEQCEr1cLa8/VHye6oVAgmI/AAAAAAAAApM/XYaDxUVmork/s1600/DSCF8920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iEQCEr1cLa8/VHye6oVAgmI/AAAAAAAAApM/XYaDxUVmork/s1600/DSCF8920.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Royal Family in legos</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nAEUiL_2cVA/VHye60nTyuI/AAAAAAAAApU/XiTspSeuelU/s1600/DSCF8924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nAEUiL_2cVA/VHye60nTyuI/AAAAAAAAApU/XiTspSeuelU/s1600/DSCF8924.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello Hamley</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MktK3McZPSc/VHyfIEUth-I/AAAAAAAAApk/xbbKT64gxrQ/s1600/DSCF8942.JPG" height="213" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 story M&M store</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N8EBP1oc_nU/VHyfeiKX_SI/AAAAAAAAAps/PLEtvKjXlos/s1600/DSCF9020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N8EBP1oc_nU/VHyfeiKX_SI/AAAAAAAAAps/PLEtvKjXlos/s1600/DSCF9020.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They have English bulldogs, Big Ben, the flag, and the crown on them! Elise got them custom made</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9yyDDBiYVk/VHyftBx6LzI/AAAAAAAAAp0/z03TwnmuUZE/s1600/IMG_20141121_164842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9yyDDBiYVk/VHyftBx6LzI/AAAAAAAAAp0/z03TwnmuUZE/s1600/IMG_20141121_164842.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Beatles M & Ms!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We wandered around some more and got dinner in Chinatown,
which was a good rest for my feet, and also the best Asian food I’ve had since
I’ve been here, which actually isn’t saying much, but it is something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next was Trafalgar Square. Some cool statues, but the main
draw was the National Gallery. It’s an impressive art museum PLUS it’s free! We
didn’t know how many famous paintings were there. It was nice we have around
the same taste in art, and we enjoyed the Monet and Van Gogh!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PZ1KOCbv-cY/VHygSZiaB4I/AAAAAAAAAqM/hZP-pCyH1H4/s1600/IMG_20141121_183120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PZ1KOCbv-cY/VHygSZiaB4I/AAAAAAAAAqM/hZP-pCyH1H4/s1600/IMG_20141121_183120.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The green in the distance is Big Ben!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PykvJ_ZOJZ4/VHygSS9yxLI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/XOWnyNwm7kI/s1600/IMG_20141121_184637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PykvJ_ZOJZ4/VHygSS9yxLI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/XOWnyNwm7kI/s1600/IMG_20141121_184637.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">-Just writing this out, I’m so impressed with how much we
did that day! And there’s still more!-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then it was back on the underground to go to Buckingham
Palace, where the Queen lives! It was pretty quiet at night, and even though
there wasn’t any cool royal guards, we enjoyed the peacefulness of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7-zOpicZJP0/VHyggXVnPOI/AAAAAAAAAqc/N-CrWiqV9M8/s1600/IMG_20141121_205436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7-zOpicZJP0/VHyggXVnPOI/AAAAAAAAAqc/N-CrWiqV9M8/s1600/IMG_20141121_205436.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hullo queen, let us crazies in!</td></tr>
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</span></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQRcXQynwJk/VHyggiMyUvI/AAAAAAAAAqg/2UTht-6MCUo/s1600/IMG_20141121_210124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQRcXQynwJk/VHyggiMyUvI/AAAAAAAAAqg/2UTht-6MCUo/s1600/IMG_20141121_210124.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That was close to Hyde Park, so we decided to go to Winter
Wonderland, the huge Christmas market and basically Christmas carnival. There
were tons of rides, and food, and Christmas market stalls!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IVzHQIyP8iE/VHygvA8qU3I/AAAAAAAAAqw/1fnfKJxwmhA/s1600/DSCF9003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IVzHQIyP8iE/VHygvA8qU3I/AAAAAAAAAqw/1fnfKJxwmhA/s1600/DSCF9003.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f-ny6-xGHfM/VHygv5Ba-1I/AAAAAAAAAq8/P5_bpgZ6ekI/s1600/DSCF9010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f-ny6-xGHfM/VHygv5Ba-1I/AAAAAAAAAq8/P5_bpgZ6ekI/s1600/DSCF9010.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We finally called it a day, and struggled through the crowds
to the subway to Camden, and knocked out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 2: Windsor, Stonehenge, Oxford<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today was the coach tour! Started with navigating the
underground as usual- we were getting better at it. First we went to Windsor
Castle, also where the queen lives. Our tour was randomly a bilingual tour, so
the guide said everything in Spanish and English. I practiced listening and
understanding Spanish for Barcelona. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Windsor Castle is located in a cute town called Windsor. You couldn't take pictures of the inside of the state apartments, so here's what it is like outside. The inside was pretty cool; there was one of the queen's dollhouses, all the sets of dishes they have, as well as the apartments themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0J1mjEe2rdc/VHyhnN2XaqI/AAAAAAAAAwg/7MPULjAef8c/s1600/DSCF9024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0J1mjEe2rdc/VHyhnN2XaqI/AAAAAAAAAwg/7MPULjAef8c/s1600/DSCF9024.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PiL2MKvgTVQ/VHyhnU1yCFI/AAAAAAAAArU/nLvmAoCoV2o/s1600/DSCF9028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PiL2MKvgTVQ/VHyhnU1yCFI/AAAAAAAAArU/nLvmAoCoV2o/s1600/DSCF9028.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fh_sdMitIj8/VHyhnFis60I/AAAAAAAAArQ/zRUvHLcUZMw/s1600/DSCF9035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fh_sdMitIj8/VHyhnFis60I/AAAAAAAAArQ/zRUvHLcUZMw/s1600/DSCF9035.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was chasing the guards with my camera</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fbm7OqrWpm0/VHyhoPskyJI/AAAAAAAAArg/KuYvJyDuDyQ/s1600/DSCF9040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fbm7OqrWpm0/VHyhoPskyJI/AAAAAAAAArg/KuYvJyDuDyQ/s1600/DSCF9040.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">St. George's Chapel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zPFsUdOSY2A/VHyiZY6maOI/AAAAAAAAAr4/cT1G8pJuMYw/s1600/Castell_de_Windsor_-_Capella_de_Sant_Jordi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zPFsUdOSY2A/VHyiZY6maOI/AAAAAAAAAr4/cT1G8pJuMYw/s1600/Castell_de_Windsor_-_Capella_de_Sant_Jordi.jpeg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not my pic, but there's a sense of what it was like!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-21SzpNbkk2c/VHyhopGdbyI/AAAAAAAAArs/cVNBzLNIjlA/s1600/DSCF9049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21SzpNbkk2c/VHyhopGdbyI/AAAAAAAAAwo/D5IIIlA_I2Q/s1600/DSCF9049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21SzpNbkk2c/VHyhopGdbyI/AAAAAAAAAwo/D5IIIlA_I2Q/s1600/DSCF9049.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some people were taking selfies with him, but I was too intimidated</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stonehenge, like I’ve told some people, is so unreal and
surreal to see in person. I think it was my favorite part of the tour. The gift
shop is a dangerous place, I wanted to get so many prints and postcards…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FNamwlDdp3Q/VHyjHyA2ucI/AAAAAAAAAsM/qUvHTDougzw/s1600/DSCF9051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FNamwlDdp3Q/VHyjHyA2ucI/AAAAAAAAAsM/qUvHTDougzw/s1600/DSCF9051.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7B7usAOOows/VHyjHxwlA6I/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJwnT0d9yzE/s1600/DSCF9058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7B7usAOOows/VHyjHxwlA6I/AAAAAAAAAsI/bJwnT0d9yzE/s1600/DSCF9058.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AeeN-3jO7IE/VHyjIfQrhRI/AAAAAAAAAww/BBUox2ymD-s/s1600/DSCF9071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AeeN-3jO7IE/VHyjIfQrhRI/AAAAAAAAAww/BBUox2ymD-s/s1600/DSCF9071.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wNHGt5aj5s4/VHyjHZJG6oI/AAAAAAAAAsA/ot0lYotYncQ/s1600/DSCF9059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wNHGt5aj5s4/VHyjHZJG6oI/AAAAAAAAAsA/ot0lYotYncQ/s1600/DSCF9059.JPG" height="238" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eek! This picture probably best shows how cool it is.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We only got to Oxford at night, so we couldn’t
see everything, but what we could see was pretty cool. The university library
was where they filmed the infirmary of Harry Potter, and the actual book
shelves of the library in Harry Potter!</span><!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ydd5N_h7Bgk/VHyjcssERoI/AAAAAAAAAso/l0zRR3Iwf1o/s1600/DSCF9081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ydd5N_h7Bgk/VHyjcssERoI/AAAAAAAAAso/l0zRR3Iwf1o/s1600/DSCF9081.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">See the arches where they had the infirmary?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We tried to go to Harrod's the famous department store, but didn't get there in time to actually go in. I was definitely still satisfied with looking at the store front window displays. They were amazing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Day 3: Elise and I actually let ourselves sleep in for a bit.
Travelling is exhausting. We were going to try to go to Tower of London, but we
decided to just do something close by, like exploring this market right by us.
Jeri and Kristen live in the Camden area, which goes over a river with locks to
move boats across. Every day they have a pretty famous market with food stalls,
arts and crafts, vintage items, and clothes. I really enjoyed the area, and the
stalls were endless. It was raining pretty hard, so that was interesting with a
broken umbrella and wet feet, but I’m so glad we explored one specific area of
London!</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Znccz2uFMTM/VHylTIdxi_I/AAAAAAAAAs8/X3sNuXikmbw/s1600/IMG_20141123_122622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 13px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Znccz2uFMTM/VHylTIdxi_I/AAAAAAAAAs8/X3sNuXikmbw/s1600/IMG_20141123_122622.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6TWNXXf3NZw/VHylTL4v1pI/AAAAAAAAAtA/Z1QG8eK1fFQ/s1600/IMG_20141123_122316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6TWNXXf3NZw/VHylTL4v1pI/AAAAAAAAAtA/Z1QG8eK1fFQ/s1600/IMG_20141123_122316.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We got to watch them use the locks too</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XCtBa7zXKi4/VHylTHsytNI/AAAAAAAAAtE/kRZTbtJW3iY/s1600/IMG_20141123_124305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XCtBa7zXKi4/VHylTHsytNI/AAAAAAAAAtE/kRZTbtJW3iY/s1600/IMG_20141123_124305.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cool art</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Then we headed back to the room to grab our stuff, and get to the tube, to get the shuttle to the airport. We thought we were running late, but so was the shuttle. We learned that souvenir shops are very dangerous places for us- there was a big one in the airport terminal. In my defense, I got gifts for other people too! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And as a final note, I found I love the bustle of big cities- but to visit, not all the time! I loved the feel of London, and using the Tube, and just all the sights. When we were coming back from Winter Wonderland after it had just closed with everyone else who was just there, squished in the Tube like that, I imagined doing this during a commute every day and didn't like that thought. But it's an amazing place to visit and I know there's still a lot left to see!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-28043697127116464902014-11-23T16:42:00.000-08:002014-11-23T16:42:01.266-08:00Harry Potter landI've been stumbling across some really cool Harry Potter related places lately!<br />
<br />
Edinburgh: Elephant Cafe- Where Rowling wrote part of the first couple books, wayyy back before she famous. Apparently she liked the view of Edinburgh Castle.<br />
<br />
University of Glasgow- This doesn't technically count, but the arches remind me soooo much of Hogwarts.<br />
<br />
Glencoe- The Forbidden Forest shots were filmed in the Scottish Highlands, in Glencoe.<br />
<br />
Cliffs of Moher- At the bottom of the cliffs, there's a cave they used in the scene in the Half Blood Prince when Harry and Dumbledore Apparate to find the locket Horcrux. You could definitely see how the cliffs tied in here.<br />
<br />
Oxford, Divinity Hall- This was where they filmed the infirmary scenes! We didn't go in, but you could see the arched windows that immediately made you remember the infirmary.<br />
<br />
Oxford, Duke Humphries Library- Harry was wandering around this library when he went in the middle of the night under the Invisibility Cloak to find a book that was chained to the shelf.<br />
<br />
This half counts- I've seen the steam train that goes on the bridge that is the iconic Hogwarts Express scene. I'm also going to try to hit Platform 9 3/4 when I stopover in London on the way to Paris next week!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-90591912405259907952014-11-17T12:33:00.002-08:002014-11-17T12:33:49.295-08:00The Second Stamp in My PassportNovember 13-17, Ireland<br />
<br />
Carlene, Kat, Kaitlyn, Kerry and I took a longgg weekend trip to Ireland this weekend! We flew in Thursday night and left really really early Monday morning. And it was Kerry and my birthdays! Celebrating in style.<br />
<br />
Thursday night<br />
<br />
Ryanair, the budget airline, has us walk on the tarmac to get on the airplane. Not bad, except when it's pouring like it was when we arrived in Dublin. Also poured as we got off the airport shuttle and tried to find the hostel. We eventually found it and patted ourselves on the back for finding such a cool hostel.<br />
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<span id="goog_282535309"></span><span id="goog_282535310"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smithfield Sqaure, across the street from the hostel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jameson chandelier</td></tr>
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<br />
Friday<br />
<br />
Today was our Cork and Blarney tour. We started early- too early for it to even be bright. Our first stop was Rock of Cashel, which we thought was just going to be a rock. Nope a cool ruined cathedral thingie. I also discovered my love of Celtic crosses there too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some renovation was being done, but I love this</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kat, Kerry, Kaitlyn & Carlene</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CpMWQv-v0Yw/VGpRkqPnetI/AAAAAAAAAeU/hRk6FhqlGYY/s1600/IMG_20141114_100608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CpMWQv-v0Yw/VGpRkqPnetI/AAAAAAAAAeU/hRk6FhqlGYY/s1600/IMG_20141114_100608.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the four rainbows of the day</td></tr>
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Next was Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone. It rained as we climbed this tiny, steep, winding staircase up to the Blarney Stone. I can't believe our friend's grandparents got up on their trip, it was pretty rough!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QAVT4YoBmMY/VGpSi47tt-I/AAAAAAAAAe0/DRaHzinWXqs/s1600/DSCF8659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QAVT4YoBmMY/VGpSi47tt-I/AAAAAAAAAe0/DRaHzinWXqs/s1600/DSCF8659.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Blarney Castle and Gardens</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T9V8L93b2oQ/VGpSi6IUAjI/AAAAAAAAAe4/ASJ4eZbPkdc/s1600/DSCF8675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T9V8L93b2oQ/VGpSi6IUAjI/AAAAAAAAAe4/ASJ4eZbPkdc/s1600/DSCF8675.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those stairs though</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-mH5_3oKL4/VGpSi_OYSDI/AAAAAAAAAew/sizE_iFxa8k/s1600/DSCF8678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-mH5_3oKL4/VGpSi_OYSDI/AAAAAAAAAew/sizE_iFxa8k/s1600/DSCF8678.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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We headed up to the top to kiss the Blarney Stone. We thought it would give us luck; it's actually supposed to give you eloquence. I'll take it! It was pretty funny, to kiss the stone you have to get on your back, lean back, and kiss the stone backwards, while being held by the employee. We didn't quite know what was going on, because the employee guy was rushing us so much, for no reason. It went by so quickly. (If I get my kissing picture from my friend I'll post it!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L47TsQmH3Ho/VGpTXUvv1AI/AAAAAAAAAfI/15GGHilsm7s/s1600/IMG_20141114_113646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L47TsQmH3Ho/VGpTXUvv1AI/AAAAAAAAAfI/15GGHilsm7s/s1600/IMG_20141114_113646.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone else preparing to go down</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_zMB_0TUJMA/VGpTkayW78I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/9emgRSHu-a0/s1600/DSCF8679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_zMB_0TUJMA/VGpTkayW78I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/9emgRSHu-a0/s1600/DSCF8679.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stone is in that gap you see at the top</td></tr>
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<br />
We wandered around their poison garden, let Kat scramble her way up a tree, and explored some caves right next to the castle! We had no idea there would be all that interesting stuff there.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sd6a2lBAJlI/VGpUf8hLzQI/AAAAAAAAAfk/peUqOtCnVno/s1600/DSCF8681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sd6a2lBAJlI/VGpUf8hLzQI/AAAAAAAAAfk/peUqOtCnVno/s1600/DSCF8681.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQhkDpJ3zFI/VGpUfgamqRI/AAAAAAAAAfg/mXKsd3FCco0/s1600/DSCF8690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQhkDpJ3zFI/VGpUfgamqRI/AAAAAAAAAfg/mXKsd3FCco0/s1600/DSCF8690.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yQfYsDYVukY/VGpUhD7M3pI/AAAAAAAAAf0/O88hj5kS18k/s1600/DSCF8692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yQfYsDYVukY/VGpUhD7M3pI/AAAAAAAAAf0/O88hj5kS18k/s1600/DSCF8692.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kat was very very determinded</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFYvIjakSZQ/VGpUhcnpT4I/AAAAAAAAAf8/41iMByRPCL0/s1600/DSCF8693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFYvIjakSZQ/VGpUhcnpT4I/AAAAAAAAAf8/41iMByRPCL0/s1600/DSCF8693.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was two trees that were connected by a root/branch on the left</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qWSLIUp6d-w/VGpUhlHM9eI/AAAAAAAAAf4/0RElDRb_MWQ/s1600/DSCF8697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qWSLIUp6d-w/VGpUhlHM9eI/AAAAAAAAAf4/0RElDRb_MWQ/s1600/DSCF8697.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Badger cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-odvJNqTlfH8/VGpUiQdaT1I/AAAAAAAAAgE/_XxZ0nUbeck/s1600/DSCF8705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-odvJNqTlfH8/VGpUiQdaT1I/AAAAAAAAAgE/_XxZ0nUbeck/s1600/DSCF8705.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another full rainbow! We did have to tough out the rain though</td></tr>
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<br />
The town of Blarney was also right next to it, complete with the Blarney Woolen Mills, with 3 floors of Irish goods. One whole floor was women's clothing; lots of warm woolen sweaters, and a couple of my friends got something! I just stuck with postcards.<br />
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Cork was our last stop, a town in the south of Ireland. It was really cute and had a lot of character. We went to their English market (when the Queen visited, she loved it), and had little chocolates, and some had shots of hot chocolate!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-otKL1VXrNxw/VGpVVOk1VtI/AAAAAAAAAgY/OIYv_NfZLyc/s1600/IMG_20141114_141529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-otKL1VXrNxw/VGpVVOk1VtI/AAAAAAAAAgY/OIYv_NfZLyc/s1600/IMG_20141114_141529.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic antique- Kerry wanted it </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Xm0u45Ytvg/VGpVVGI3zTI/AAAAAAAAAgc/ticom--R7Vs/s1600/IMG_20141114_141939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Xm0u45Ytvg/VGpVVGI3zTI/AAAAAAAAAgc/ticom--R7Vs/s1600/IMG_20141114_141939.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolates</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRsvWQbBn4U/VGpVVPTs6sI/AAAAAAAAAgU/fZbH3oEXAE0/s1600/IMG_20141114_141955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRsvWQbBn4U/VGpVVPTs6sI/AAAAAAAAAgU/fZbH3oEXAE0/s1600/IMG_20141114_141955.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0XJvpYmcMYw/VGpVW5tmxmI/AAAAAAAAAgw/zNHjlZKOYj8/s1600/IMG_20141114_142229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0XJvpYmcMYw/VGpVW5tmxmI/AAAAAAAAAgw/zNHjlZKOYj8/s1600/IMG_20141114_142229.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I miss produce, as Jon would call it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
We also went in this Christmas decorated bar- so cute!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmBNSNZPOqI/VGpVXD4SMzI/AAAAAAAAAg4/1gtUFfTOrP8/s1600/IMG_20141114_143909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmBNSNZPOqI/VGpVXD4SMzI/AAAAAAAAAg4/1gtUFfTOrP8/s1600/IMG_20141114_143909.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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We got back pretty exhausted. A couple of us went to a pub later on- and as it turned 12 as we walked there, Kat and Kaitlyn whipped out candles in the middle of the street and I got to blow out candles for my birthday :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhP5k1DSpIg/VGpWNl6lQAI/AAAAAAAAAhE/hoxoR_2mJM8/s1600/IMG_20141115_002225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhP5k1DSpIg/VGpWNl6lQAI/AAAAAAAAAhE/hoxoR_2mJM8/s1600/IMG_20141115_002225.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 story pub with this stage in the middle</td></tr>
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<br />
Saturday<br />
<br />
Today was our Cliffs of Moher tour. We stopped at Corcomroe Abbey, more ruins, which I personally find beautiful. I also love how there's ruins overgrown with plants regularly on the side of the road.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6vqMEvfUUk4/VGpWkl-aluI/AAAAAAAAAhU/6tUXe-K_trE/s1600/IMG_20141115_115508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6vqMEvfUUk4/VGpWkl-aluI/AAAAAAAAAhU/6tUXe-K_trE/s1600/IMG_20141115_115508.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_-7NekrbHNQ/VGpW_6BDIzI/AAAAAAAAAh0/f336nbF9QFk/s1600/DSCF8714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_-7NekrbHNQ/VGpW_6BDIzI/AAAAAAAAAh0/f336nbF9QFk/s1600/DSCF8714.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">We also got the quintessential Irish experience: a rural traffic jam caused by cows</span></td></tr>
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<br />
Then there was the mini cliffs, which are stunning in their own right.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-whcmGGmypYk/VGpXhOgXMBI/AAAAAAAAAiE/T4WKJSZUPfs/s1600/DSCF8721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-whcmGGmypYk/VGpXhOgXMBI/AAAAAAAAAiE/T4WKJSZUPfs/s1600/DSCF8721.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RUL25ukU_78/VGpXgkUVCGI/AAAAAAAAAh8/CSsr5LHt3QY/s1600/DSCF8725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RUL25ukU_78/VGpXgkUVCGI/AAAAAAAAAh8/CSsr5LHt3QY/s1600/DSCF8725.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I promise I was super careful Dad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2h85HeFjT_E/VGpXiv4_jII/AAAAAAAAAic/0FmT69vTf68/s1600/DSCF8727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2h85HeFjT_E/VGpXiv4_jII/AAAAAAAAAic/0FmT69vTf68/s1600/DSCF8727.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi Kat</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ1rs2sSZNE/VGpXigQ-EhI/AAAAAAAAAiU/cqQLtPxy_Mg/s1600/DSCF8729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ1rs2sSZNE/VGpXigQ-EhI/AAAAAAAAAiU/cqQLtPxy_Mg/s1600/DSCF8729.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And no Dad, I didn't go over there</td></tr>
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<br />
Then there are the Cliffs of Moher, which are absolutely amazing. I can't describe it. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ylZqSiKvH8Q/VGpYePuPgiI/AAAAAAAAAi0/GBl7pAbycRo/s1600/IMG_20141115_150753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ylZqSiKvH8Q/VGpYePuPgiI/AAAAAAAAAi0/GBl7pAbycRo/s1600/IMG_20141115_150753.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ID551okWPi4/VGpYd141uzI/AAAAAAAAAiw/rzw8ghEC0FU/s1600/IMG_20141115_143717_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ID551okWPi4/VGpYd141uzI/AAAAAAAAAiw/rzw8ghEC0FU/s1600/IMG_20141115_143717_1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the cool layers on the rocks</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jV1eJ8_J0Vo/VGpY7_ZqwNI/AAAAAAAAAjA/CmF1SNgShzc/s1600/DSCF8739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jV1eJ8_J0Vo/VGpY7_ZqwNI/AAAAAAAAAjA/CmF1SNgShzc/s1600/DSCF8739.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeps on going...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k_NGOKXorNw/VGpY9XFYGLI/AAAAAAAAAjY/MBgvpaeOPek/s1600/DSCF8759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k_NGOKXorNw/VGpY9XFYGLI/AAAAAAAAAjY/MBgvpaeOPek/s1600/DSCF8759.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're 700 feet high</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breath-taking, literally. I don't have words for it</td></tr>
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Finished off the night with some exploring Dublin and its pubs. The Christmas lights are so so pretty.<br />
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Sunday<br />
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Our day of rest- kinda. We all wanted to do different things this day so we ended up splitting up. I woke up at 9:30 and had to go down to reception in my pj's because I had locked everything, including my key, into our hostel lockers the night before. Thank god they had a lock cutter.<br />
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I went on an 11 am free tour of the city with Sandeman's. I would definitely recommend it, and the guide was the most entertaining one of the trip. We walked around for 2 and half hours- this is what I saw:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dublin Castle and the non-blindfolded Lady of Justice. hmmm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christ Church Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Temple Bar- way overpriced </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trinity College is gorgeous</td></tr>
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I also wandered around more, and went to the Christmas market at St. Stephen's Green. Super cute and I can't wait to go to another one! Then I tried to get to St. Patrick's Cathedral, the patron saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to the island. Fun fact: he was actually Scottish. But they were having service so I couldn't go in.<br />
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But it did bring me closer to the Chester Beaty Library, which is actually a museum of stuff he collected. I loved it. They had illustrated manuscripts- European ones like ones in a favorite children's book, and Islamic ones, as well as Eastern books and scrolls. So intricate and OLD and gorgeous.<br />
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By this time I was exhausted from walking the entire city, so I headed back for a quick nap before dinner at the oldest pub in Ireland! Supposedly. We all had stew concoctions- there was Irish stew and beef and Guinness stew. I'm not a fan of Guinness, but I did enjoy the stew! We were stuffed and headed back for our last night at the hostel.<br />
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Then Carlene, Kat and Kaitlyn surprised Kerry and I with a cake! It was a delicious toffee one. I truly had a birthday weekend, thanks guys. :) Shout out to friends back home too, I felt the love from across the pond.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing but smiles and full stomachs</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-12860418828301848262014-10-29T15:47:00.000-07:002014-10-29T15:47:09.470-07:00Glasgow Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been exploring around Glasgow these past couple weekends. Here's some of the stuff I did!</div>
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Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite stained glass; it's actually made up of words, I think for the donors of the cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Necropolis, of the cathedral</td></tr>
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The Glasgow cathedral was started in 1136. Just typing that is unreal; it doesn't look like a real date. Since then, there have been various additions by different priests. It actually is still a working church. The Necropolis, which is basically a graveyard, overlooks the cathedral and the Royal Infirmary, which is right next to it. I went to the cathedral twice, and the second time I went to St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, which is right next to it (and has free admission!)<br />
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St. Mungo<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Zen garden outside</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tying my ribbon on the tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aboriginal religious art</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the museum </td></tr>
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St. Mungo Museum is really cool. He is the patron saint of Glasgow, but the museum itself was all about different religious. So I learned about six religions, with input from Glaswegians that practiced that certain religion. I also really liked their room on religious art, which had a huge variety of art dedicated to different religions, from the main religions to pieces from Native American and Aboriginal artists.<br />
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Willow Tea Rooms<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon tea with Jasmine</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the necessary ingredients for a proper tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It doesn't look like it, but it was a lot of food! </td></tr>
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Jasmine and I got afternoon tea at the Willow Tea Rooms, which is a famous tea room in city center that was designed by the famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh. I hadn't heard of him before coming, but he is a well known Glaswegian designer- architecture as well as interior design. We had small tea sandwiches, a huge scone each, a cake each, and shortbread. We both had their Willow Tea Room blend of tea. Yum!<br />
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Merchant City & Glasgow Green<br />
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I was on my way to the People's Palace, which is a museum about life in Glasgow, in the East End, and happened to get to see a lot more the of the city than I anticipated! I walked through Merchant City, a part of Glasgow so named for newly rich traders' huge houses they built to show off their wealth. (Many of them got rich off of tobacco and slave trade with the U.S.). Now a lot of their old houses are used for businesses and shops. I got to see a little of the East End- definitely not as sketchy as I've heard it is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merchant City</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just like the cover of my Glasgow guide book</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East End of Glasgow</td></tr>
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The People's Palace is a museum, inside Glasgow Green, a big park for people, kids and dogs to run around in. It's still legal for people to dry their laundry out here, as it was used for historically. I brought my camera for photography, and thankfully it wasn't raining, so I could use two hands to adjust all the settings!! I tried the other day to take pictures, in the rain, while holding an umbrella, and it was a struggle. The green was a great place to take pictures, and there was more to see than I expected!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glasgow Green </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Glasgow Green</td></tr>
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<br />And here are pictures of the main reason I went out there. The museum itself is pretty small, covering things like living in Glasgow during World War II and dealing with German bombing, Glasgow housing history, and bits of modern life. The fountain outside of the building is the largest terra cotta fountain in the world and shows the crown jewels of Victorian Britain: Australia, India, Canada, and South Africa.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People's Palace</td></tr>
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Random parts of Glasgow<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street art on Argyle St</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r19r2a1x6Hk/VFFt4FSvR9I/AAAAAAAAAcc/eV4wxGLoPi8/s1600/IMG_20141025_131110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r19r2a1x6Hk/VFFt4FSvR9I/AAAAAAAAAcc/eV4wxGLoPi8/s1600/IMG_20141025_131110.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathedral St</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yBZGwHpNgAg/VFFuCZo2UqI/AAAAAAAAAck/IMP8bXYRLjg/s1600/IMG_20141023_114550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yBZGwHpNgAg/VFFuCZo2UqI/AAAAAAAAAck/IMP8bXYRLjg/s1600/IMG_20141023_114550.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glasgow Botanic Gardens which I walk through every day to get to and from class</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And finally, happy (inter?)national cat day!!!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-63385137938737351902014-10-15T07:44:00.003-07:002014-10-15T07:45:13.788-07:00ConversationsBesides getting to go on amazing weekend trips, day to day life here can be really interesting. I've met a lot of Scots in my community development class, who are all really friendly and talkative. Some of the cool things I've learned from them or about them:<br />
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Some of the specifics of the education system- Scottish people can go to university for free. (!!!!) In this case of the community development program, there's different ways you can get into the program for free. You basically have to show your commitment to community development or organization. Many of the older people in my class have done this by working in something like a non-profit or non-governmental organization working to tackle community problems for 2 years or more. Others have come in from a year at college (basically community college), others have a kind of certificate of some practical schooling, and I think some people do come in straight from high school.<br />
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Uni here is so cool- I feel like people come from a much more diverse background than people at Chapman. Part of that has to do that Chapman is a private school and expensive, and uni here is free. I think it opens it up to a lot more experiences and opportunities to widen your world.<br />
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The world is so big- Europeans and the British people I've met seem to have a much better grasp on that fact than Americans do.<br />
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They also have a better approach to race- if you don't want it to be part of the conversation, then it doesn't have to be. I don't feel so aware that I'm Asian here. I was talking about it with Jon, and it's not that all people are racist at home, but it's a thing. It's almost tangible, and he felt that change when he moved from Canada to California too.<br />
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The U.S is so so young- I'm so humbled by these ruins I've seen that date back to the 12th century, and archeological finds in the northern islands from B.C. Even the buildings in Glasgow all seem to be pretty old. I was showing my mom my sweatshirt from University of Glasgow I just got, and it says "est. 1451". We were joking that when I go back home, people will ask "Is that a typo? Does it mean 1951?"<br />
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Scotland is so cool in general- I did chose Scotland because it had it's own unique culture- it wasn't just English, and similar to home. But I've been learning more about it, and the mix of cultures and languages that have historically made up Scotland is really cool to learn about. Glaswegians themselves have their own unique culture too- one of the cleaning people came in today, and I swear I could not understand what she was saying in the Glaswegian accent. I'll keep on trying though! I'm also going to explore more of the city this weekend since I'll be around, as well as trying really really hard to not procrastinate on my essay. Wish me luck!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-15830756166162739992014-10-09T05:39:00.001-07:002014-10-09T05:39:34.316-07:00Highlands Trip - aka I got to see puppies and Highland cows tripThis past weekend, October 4th and 5th, I went a weekend trip to the Highlands with my program provider, Arcadia (yes, it's actually called Arcadia...can't escape it!). Despite it being very cold, I survived, and saw some pretty amazing landscape and some seriously cute animals.<br />
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Our first actual stop was the Blair Athol Distillery.<br />
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So at 11am in the morning, we took a whisky (no 'e' in Scottish whisky) distillery tour, and sampled single malt whisky. Kinda early for that, but I enjoyed it. Since everyone experiences smell differently, all of us smelled different things in the whisky. I smelled the spiciness and enjoyed the very smoky aftertaste. No pictures of the inside of the distillery because there's such a high alcohol content they can't allow cameras with flash that could create fires instantly!!!</div>
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Next stop was my absolute favorite: a sheepdog demonstration. We saw probably around 12 sheepdogs listen to their personalized commands from a shepherd; one dog was actually blind and still herding them! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were 35 dogs total on the farm </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once you position a sheep right, it almost goes limp and doesn't try to escape at all</td></tr>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />We also got a chance to shear the sheep with hand shears. But the best part was the puppies. Too cute for words.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using hand shears to shear the sheep</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PUPPYY</td></tr>
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Last actual event of the day was going to the site of the last battle fought in Great Britain. I learned a lot about the Jacobite Rebellion, which was actually a very big deal, and got to take some black and white photos with my manual camera. We'll see next week if they actually turn out. And then my second favorite thing of the day happened, which was seeing HIGHLAND COWS. Basically my Scotland dream come true. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wee Highland coo"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're so cute ugh</td></tr>
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We settled in a hostel in Inverness for the night, and as a first hostel experience it was pretty good! The only thing was that there was only two outlets for 6 people. I fell asleep so early; we were all exhausted. </div>
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The next morning we drove down to Loch Ness! I wish we had more time in the gift shop- there were so many cool Nessie souvenirs that I didn't see anywhere else! </div>
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We got on a boat to cross Loch Ness to go to Urquhart Castle, which was very picturesque despite being in ruins. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see Nessie Mom?</td></tr>
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Took a gondola ride up the mountain next to Ben Nevis for lunch- it was windy and cold. </div>
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Our last quick stop was the Glencoe Visitors Center. I only thought it was important because of the massacre that happened there. Glencoe is actually a protected area- it is absolutely gorgeous. The hills, valleys and mountain are all so mysterious looking but breathtaking. Kinda hard to describe, and pictures just don't capture their majesty.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wasn't only this, but you were surrounded by these green hills</td></tr>
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And that was my weekend! Very busy but very worth it. :)</div>
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P.S. I did take my manual camera from the black and white photography class on the trip, and it was one of the first times I've used it, so hopefully next week when we develop them they turn out well. The negatives look like they're in focus and have the proper lighting, so maybe I'll share them on this blog when I get them!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-30123355693841612302014-10-01T09:17:00.000-07:002014-10-03T05:57:25.614-07:00First month done!I can't believe I've been in Scotland for a month already! Only 2 months and 20 days left, which really isn't that much.<br>
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<span style="color: purple;">Actual school</span><br>
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I'm halfway through my second week at my school, University of Glasgow, Glasgow University, or just uni. Their system seems more flexible in some ways, and others more rigid. Some students do a year at a college, (like community college) then go to uni, and there's a lot of older people too going to uni for the first time. Some of the adults have more technical degrees already, or there's another certification thing I haven't quite figure out yet-the people talking to me had pretty strong accents. The more rigid part is that people study pretty much one thing here- for my education class, every person in the class has 3/4 classes they have to take every semester, so they're together for every class! There's not really a general education base like at Chapman.<br>
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Classes in general are a lot smaller than I thought they would be. One is 100, one is 60ish, and the other is 40, so there is a little more discussion than I thought there would be. Everyone in my education class is really friendly, and I've talked to a ton of people, about class itself and everything else, including American politics. I'm learning a lot about Britain and Scotland, from an education perspective as well as from my economic and social history class.<br>
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I have a lot of reading for that history class, which I am currently behind on. It is a very interesting class, but there's even more interesting things to do! Like planning trips, which definitely takes up time, and usually starts at one place, and ends up in a completely different direction.<br>
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I just had my first black and white photo class from the Glasgow School of Art, who has an agreement with uni for study abroad students to take beginning classes from them, a world renowned institution! I have a manual camera with me, and I know the very basics-otherwise we're just starting our first project, playing and learning as we go! More updates later, because I haven't actually taken a picture with it yet...<br>
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<span style="color: purple;">Everything else</span><br>
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I've booked my flight to London! I'm really happy I have no Friday class because I get 3 nights and 3 days in London, which is a nice long weekend.<br>
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Going to the Highlands for a weekend trip this weekend, and to the Isle of Skye for the next weekend! Hoping to get good black and white photos of it too :)<br>
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Elise brought me to a John Lewis concert last Sunday. I ended up really liked the opening band too, which was Amber Run- still gotta look them up. And Lewis Watson was really good live too! Better than the youtube videos I've been listening to.<br>
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<br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0Glasgow, Glasgow55.86424 -4.251806tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-46119572739021596142014-09-24T04:39:00.000-07:002014-09-24T04:39:01.468-07:00Oban and Isle of SeilSeptember 20, or 20-09-14<br />
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Started off early for our trip with Isuk Tours and left at 8 am. First we went to Loch Lomond, the biggest loch in Scotland, and took a stop at the village of Luss. The tiny town itself was very picturesque, and the view of the lake -loch- took me back to reading that monster of a book, <i>The Mists of Avalon</i>. Fun fact: there's only one lake in Scotland, which was named by an Englishman. The rest are lochs, not pronounced 'lock', but more with a rougher 'g' sound.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloudy in the morning, but it made for some really cool pictures</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were flowers everywhere<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I fell asleep a little on the drive to our next stop, but woke up for a little to see the start of the Highlands, and I'm really glad I did. The mountains here are a result of glacial carving, so they look a lot different than the mountains at home. I didn't do that much research about the Highlands before I came to Scotland, so I was expecting rolling hills for some reason. Nope!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oban, the seafood capital of Scotland was next. The weather cleared up and it was a gorgeous day; seriously, we've been so lucky. We went to McCaig's Tower, saw the ruins of Dunollie Castle from afar, some great views, and tried to catch a parade, except that the parade went the opposite way of where we were sitting. We had fish and chips with our hands, and I really enjoyed it! Super greasy though. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">At the Atlantic Bridge, or the Clachan Bridge, stopped to take pictures of the Atlantic Ocean, which was around 20 feet wide at this point! It connects the Isle of Seil to the mainland, and although it is so close to the mainland, it is an actual island completely surrounded by water. It was interesting getting around on our bus; some of these roads barely pass as two lanes. The bridge itself is very pointed; we had to go really slowly to avoid scrapping the bottom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">*not currently letting me add captions, but the first is the view of the Atlantic Ocean, and this is the Atlantic Bridge-pretty tiny</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And our last stop was my favorite, a town on the Isle of Seil. Our tour guide, who is very enthusiastic, told us he knew a way up the hill/mountain that was very easy and took 10 minutes. We just had to jump a fence and follow him, because it other ways would be dangerous. As it turned out, it was still slightly dangerous, and it was probably a 20 minute walk up that sheep-poop covered hill. It was completely worth it, so I'll just let the photos speak for themselves. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-3498328057856612122014-09-23T15:12:00.001-07:002014-09-23T15:12:12.864-07:00Post indy refQuick update about indy ref:<br />
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That night wasn't as exciting as we thought it would be. We were also told a lot of the bars would stay open until the results were in, as in 6 am. When we actually got out, most West End bars were closing, and no one was out on the street. There were a lot of people in George's Square in city center, but that's an hour walk and the subways were closed. Kaitlyn and I ended up snacking and watching the referendum screening at uni. When we ran out of snacks at 2:30, and there were only a couple results in, we headed back for the night. I wasn't that surprised when the No's won; as they keep on saying, it did seem like they were the silent majority.<br />
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So not as exciting as I hoped, but there was a huge turnout, and everyone participating in democracy was cool. But it will be interesting to see how even more power will be devolved to Scotland in the coming months, as Westminster promised. Then it has implications for UK as a whole, as Northern Ireland and Wales will probably get power too! So from that standpoint, there is a lot of action still yet to take place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a gratuitous pic of me with the Scottish flag, or Saltire</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-89925998278699839802014-09-18T11:16:00.001-07:002014-09-18T11:16:56.390-07:00Indy Ref! Just some thoughtsFirst of all, can we talk about how the hashtag on social media for the independence referendum is #indyref?? How cute is that. I'm pretty sure no secessionist movement has had a more adorable hashtag to call their own.<br />
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Being here while this is going is just so cool. That being said, here's my prediction: if the energy in the air counted for anything, the yes campaign has already won. But in actual votes I do think the no campaign will win this one. The yes campaign goes for the heart, and it is easy to stir national pride for them. But the no campaign goes for the head, and cautions people that the future is very uncertain if they do break away. Head over heart I guess!<br />
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Some interesting things I've read in the many articles I've seen, and possibly what the average American wouldn't know:<br />
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<li>There's a law in the UK that the news cannot publish what individual voters have voted.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If you're undecided, you're more likely to vote no- you're not suddenly going to jump to this big (huge) decision that you want everything to change.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The queen has not come out and said what she thinks of the whole thing- the only thing she has said is that everyone should think very very carefully before voting. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px;">Buckingham Palace <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-29136149" style="color: #4a7194; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">issued a statement</a> which read: "The sovereign's constitutional impartiality is an established principle of our democracy and one which the Queen has demonstrated throughout her reign.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px;">"As such, the monarch is above politics and those in political office have a duty to ensure this remains the case.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px;">"Any suggestion that the Queen would wish to influence the outcome of the current referendum campaign is categorically wrong. Her Majesty is simply of the view this is a matter for the people of Scotland." -BBC News</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 18px;">There are funny tweets about how J.K. Rowling would become the next queen of Scotland.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 18px;">Some businesses who have openly signed a letter backing the no campaign and staying with the Union have been supposedly threatened and harassed for it. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 18px;">They let 16 year olds vote for the referendum! (They got special permission just for this referendum) I think many will vote yes.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 18px;">Polls don't close until 10pm; results will start trickling in at 1am. The final count is expected at 6am our time-not sure if I can stay up all the way, but I will wake up to see what it is! I'm not sure what to expect, either way, but here's to #indyref!!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love having the posters and badges!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6PRD4a01b6g/VBshLALkgSI/AAAAAAAAAMc/eJfdUlvRrSY/s1600/IMG_20140918_185856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6PRD4a01b6g/VBshLALkgSI/AAAAAAAAAMc/eJfdUlvRrSY/s1600/IMG_20140918_185856.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the front pages are pretty cool today- my souvenir! </td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-48131007749694621552014-09-15T09:35:00.001-07:002014-09-15T09:35:53.679-07:00City CentreOn Sunday I went into the city centre alone to check out the sights. I thought I wanted to shop (Glasgow has the best shopping in the UK outside of London) but I ended up enjoying the atmosphere the most!<br />
<br />
I took the subway to the city centre; there's only one route, which goes in a circle both ways, so it's really easy. I got off on Buchanan, where there's a large pedestrian only street lined with shops, from huge department stores to a tiny tourist shop. I walked around a bit, but actually didn't feel like shopping, so I went down further to find George's Square which is filled with statues and is where the City Chambers are located. On the way, there were people campaigning on the upcoming (3 more days!) referendum on Scottish independence, giving out fliers and stickers and making themselves heard. I got to the square, took some pictures....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RedAHpOIT1I/VBcK7Rr9qrI/AAAAAAAAAKs/FapJuDZ0zS8/s1600/IMG_20140914_145536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RedAHpOIT1I/VBcK7Rr9qrI/AAAAAAAAAKs/FapJuDZ0zS8/s1600/IMG_20140914_145536.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World War I monument</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2UNqRWpAaME/VBcLF14SzzI/AAAAAAAAAK0/O-vnke39j-Q/s1600/DSCF8135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2UNqRWpAaME/VBcLF14SzzI/AAAAAAAAAK0/O-vnke39j-Q/s1600/DSCF8135.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Yes campaign emphasizes how Scottish are generally more liberal than the rest of the UK, and how they could control their own global politics with a yes vote</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-50kpIWSSvVM/VBcLPqpwvyI/AAAAAAAAALA/bb8ARLkQYuw/s1600/DSCF8118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-50kpIWSSvVM/VBcLPqpwvyI/AAAAAAAAALA/bb8ARLkQYuw/s1600/DSCF8118.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City Chambers plus Sir Walter Scott memorial</td></tr>
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<br />
...When everyone started to hear horns beeping. Then we heard the beep of police sirens, and suddenly a long line of cars and trucks, all with yes stickers and posters and the Scottish flag, drove by the corner of the square. You could feel the energy in the air; the yes campaigners (yes they want Scotland to be an independent country) all came out and were whooping and showing their flags, police had to redirect the traffic, and there was a news helicopter overhead, adding to all the noise.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vYZ5V2rwMWE/VBcMuvuAh3I/AAAAAAAAALQ/73R0UGQDyfY/s1600/DSCF8127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vYZ5V2rwMWE/VBcMuvuAh3I/AAAAAAAAALQ/73R0UGQDyfY/s1600/DSCF8127.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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None of what I filmed capture that of course, plus the shakiness doesn't help so feel free to use your imagination!<br />
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I also stopped by the Duke of Wellington statue, who is crowned with a traffic cone on his head. The city drew up a plan to raise the statue so people would stop putting cones on his head, but withdrew after online petitions and plans for protests against it. I got lucky and when I visited, his horse had a cone too :)<br />
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<br />
I walked back over to the subway station, and stopped to listen to a band playing on the street, busking for money. I originally stopped because they were playing "Wagon Wheel" and man I'm glad I stopped! It was a band of 5 guys, with one main singer, and I think 2 banjos. I'm not usually into that kind of stuff, but they were really good! They covered "Hit the Road Jack" and newer stuff like "Wake Me Up" and "Get Lucky". They got a lot of money, and it turned out that day they were donating all of it to a local foodbank! I sat on a stone seat to listen to them, and every so often I could feel the subway underneath, rumbling. It was such a cool experience to listen to them with a big group of strangers, even singing along at some point. This is going to sound so cheesy, but it could only be described as electrifying and invigorating. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwfOTU_U0P1qtmZHfOsyFzUTtaO49zzJT03qFIq56Qf3mtP2z8jr2H-xoomCVg9xFqC0iny3-6eK8doXu0hag' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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A big puppet for the Yes campaign also walked by while they were playing. The last song the band (Papa Shandy and the Drams) played was "Caledonia" which was very pretty, but also relevant. Caledonia is a Latin name for Scotland, and it has become somewhat of an anthem for Scotland. When they finished, people cheered really loudly, and the lead singer finished with "Vote yes!"<br />
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It was such a cool experience, and I'm so glad that I'm here to live it up more! <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-43165655204181751872014-09-14T16:26:00.001-07:002014-09-14T16:26:04.990-07:00First Week in GlasgowThis first week in Glasgow has been a much slower one, which means more sleeping in and a lot less walking!<br />
<br />
We have so much time here in Glasgow that we've been exploring slowly but surely. There's another big park called Kelvingrove, and I explored that a little. With all the nice weather the parks have been full of people, many just lying on the grass enjoying the sun. (I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow! We'll see how it goes).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GC__NEP-L-M/VBYjOc4WWoI/AAAAAAAAAKI/9BCLAj-51cE/s1600/IMG_20140911_154449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GC__NEP-L-M/VBYjOc4WWoI/AAAAAAAAAKI/9BCLAj-51cE/s1600/IMG_20140911_154449.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelvingrove Park-the grass is so green here</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
I met a fellow Ed Sheeran lover and we got tickets to his show on October 31!!!! I've been listening to only Ed Sheeran songs after that. Edward Christopher Sheeran we're coming for you!!! As you can tell, I'm very very very excited. Halloween isn't crazy like it is in the U.S. anyway.<br />
<br />
We've mostly been doing housekeeping kind of things with the University so far. I've used their printer system in the library, got my gym pass, went to a couple orientation events, and seen both of their unions, Glasgow University Union and Queen Margaret Union. They each have their own building with bars, cafes, places to study, and associated clubs. Membership is free and they're still pretty open to the public too, so I'll probably be there a lot!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_xDYUIIkC64/VBYj542Eo8I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/u4Rb7PEPVNk/s1600/IMG_20140911_152554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_xDYUIIkC64/VBYj542Eo8I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/u4Rb7PEPVNk/s1600/IMG_20140911_152554.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks like a castle in the distance, but it's actually just the University of Glasgow</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-34477810748218723942014-09-10T14:55:00.001-07:002014-09-10T14:55:17.188-07:00Some differences (out of many)"Not better or worse, just different" -from study abroad handbooks on cultural differences<br />
<ul>
<li>Obviously driving on the other side of the road- think I'm getting more used to it, but I wouldn't want to drive!</li>
<li>Most places you have to turn on a switch to turn on the shower, and then you just jump in and press a button to start the shower</li>
<li>The keyboard is different!! Not only do they have the pound, as in GBP, (and I think the euro) sign, they moved the hashtag to the side, and made the shift buttons smaller. Whatt</li>
<li>No elevators in many buildings, which means us lugging our suitcases up 3 flights of stairs to get to the 3rd floor, which brings me to my next point...</li>
<li>What we would call the first floor is 0 or ground floor to people in the UK, so our second floor is their first, our third is their second, etc. </li>
<li>OH their fire doors. A lot of doors have to be kept closed to prevent fires from spreading I guess, but this also means they slam, very loudly, shut, all the time. Like during my nap today, I could hear them throughout my entire building. (Mmm, have to classify that as worse...I know there's something you can put on the hinge or the top that would let it close more gently!)</li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-90710496048929564612014-09-09T15:21:00.000-07:002014-09-09T15:21:00.594-07:00Packing note:<br />
<br />
All the study abroad packing lists said to pack light, so I did... But too light. When we got to the airport my bag was 43 pounds, which means I should have brought:<br />
<br />
at least 2 more tops<br />
hangers for my room<br />
AND A SWEATSHIRT why did I not<br />
<br />
But otherwise, I'm very happy with my choice of shoes, 3 is a good amount and they have all held up for days of lots of walking!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-56076001250048540642014-09-08T14:51:00.000-07:002014-09-08T15:18:53.377-07:00Days 5-8<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Day 5 North Berwick:</span><br />
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Sophie and I went with our host family to North Berwick, a quaint seaside town. It was only a couple stops away from the train, and it was nice to see the countryside, the cows, the horses, and the hay. No Highland cows though. It's so funny because this version of a beach town and California's version of a beach town are so different. North Berwick is still very old, and styled in the same way as Edinburgh, not the modern beach style I'm used to seeing! We walked along the beach, and Max wanted to so badly to play in the sand, but we were heading up to the Seabird Center first. The wind picked up and I was glad for my jacket and the continuous walking. There were a couple rocky islands off the coast and looking back at the houses on the shore made for good pictures! We stopped for lunch, and finally Max could play in the sand, which he loved. Someone was actually swimming in the water- she said it wasn't that cold, which I highly, highly doubt. Especially because I'm used to Hawaiian temperature water. Then we walked the high street, which is what we would call the main street, and stopped in the cute shops, especially as it started to drizzle. Thank god it didn't start to rain until we were under the train shelter. I was still a little damp when we got back to their house, but it didn't matter because we warmed up with tea, my new favorite. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Berwick</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach houses-not like those Californian ones!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Day 6, 7, 8: Finally Glasgow!</span><br />
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I was honestly really sad to leave our host family but I'm sure we'll see them whether we visit again or they come to Glasgow. Sophie and I were dropped back off at our meeting point and from there all of us hauled our luggage to the train station. Once someone helped us arrange our luggage, it was a smooth 45 minute ride to Glasgow. Another staff member met us there and helped us get to our assigned dorms, or our flat. It's not bad, we each get our own rooms, furnished, with a kitchen and a common room for 4 (or maybe 5 if we have another roommate) girls. We just had to get a couple plates, mugs and utensils. None of us really cook, so we'll see how many pots and pans we really need.<br />
<br />
<br />
So far we've had a bus tour of Glasgow for 2 hours, so we saw most of the big sites from the bus, and we registered our visas for orientation. Some of my roommates and I also walked 25 minutes to get groceries, and then walked those 25 minutes back with them! That's something I haven't done before, and it was an experience. My arms are still a little sore from it.... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RHCyiV8cvVU/VA33b4wrKtI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/rWzA2Hk9fk4/s1600/DSCF8101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RHCyiV8cvVU/VA33b4wrKtI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/rWzA2Hk9fk4/s1600/DSCF8101.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forgot what this was but how cute is it??</td></tr>
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We walked around the campus a little too, and it's gorgeous. It's crazy old; it was founded in 1451 and is the fourth oldest
university in the English speaking world! Thankfully the weather has
been amazing- nice and warm and no rain so far.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DHTGIPSLNQI/VA33dTyVdkI/AAAAAAAAAIs/yWbr3AN_M7M/s1600/DSCF8117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DHTGIPSLNQI/VA33dTyVdkI/AAAAAAAAAIs/yWbr3AN_M7M/s1600/DSCF8117.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My university, University of Glasgow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's been a request for more pictures of me, so I'll try... but doesn't this look like it's straight out of Hogwarts?!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-19177343570412028862014-09-04T14:22:00.001-07:002014-09-08T15:17:54.399-07:00Days 3 & 4 <div dir="ltr">
Updating because it's fun except that I have to do it on my phone that is impossible to type on. </div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Day 3 Edinburgh</span> </div>
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More orientation blah blah blah but we did finally get to talk to someone from Glasgow University that had been emailing us and helping to set us up. We got our class schedules and found that a lot of us got the intro to Scottish culture class! Super excited because I've heard it's so popular that it's hard to get into! It was also reassuring to talk to her. She also explained where our apartments are-or flats. They're all really spread out so a walk from one to the other can be 40 minutes away!!! </div>
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Next we had lunch which was nice because it was the first time all the Glasgow girls had lunch together! We'll be a good group. Then we had a tour of the National Museum of Scotland by this old adorable grandpa. He had a tweed coat, maroon pants, and a bowtie! He was actually a very fit one-he got up those stairs just as fast as we did! </div>
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Then we went on to our homestay. Sophie and I were paired with a family together. All we knew was basic info and that they had kids! Steven, the dad, picked us up and we chatted on the way to their house which is in Wallyford, a suburb only 20 minutes outside of Edinburgh. </div>
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Wallyford is a very small town; mostly families living there that commute to Edinburgh. It's filled with small houses, and we stopped at one. When we got out a little boy was playing in the backyard, that was Max. He's a little shy and sometimes puts his face into the chair when he doesn't want to talk. But when he does want to talk, he will go on and on. The mom Pauline was really really nice (lovely as people would say here). We had dinner (also called tea) and talked a ton with the parents! They wanted to know all about us and what we did and helped us plan out the next day. Ellie their daughter came home later; she's hilarious because she's definitely in that teenager phase. Both Sophie and I have sisters that age too so we feel that pain. (Hi Julia). Basically we felt so welcomed and at home, and they're amazing! </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Day 4 Edinburgh</span></div>
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The next morning we took a train to meet the rest of the Glasgow girls and the coordinator to take a tour of the Parliament at 11. After more walking and a wrong turn, we got to the building which apparently not very many people in Edinburgh like. It's extremely modern so it does stick out in skyline. It was finished in 2005 ish kinda don't quote me. It's right across from Holyrood Palace where the Queen stays for about a month in the summer! It was pretty cool to be in their debating chamber and learn how it worked again, but the hour went pretty slowly.</div>
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Afterwards, the coordinator took us up Carlton Hill where there were views of the entire city as well as the Acropolis of the North, aka the disgrace of Edinburgh and another tower. It was a small hike up so we were a bit tired coming down. Then we decided we wanted to see the Edinburgh Castle with our free entry, so we hiked up the Royal Mile, past all the gift shops and bagpipers. I also withdrew money for the first time, successfully, although my bank charged me $5 for the withdrawal. </div>
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Edinburgh Castle was pretty cool. There were basically mini museums all over plus views of the city from the opposite side. We went in the room Mary Queen of Scots gave birth, prisons, a chapel, a memorial, and got to see the crown jewels of Scotland which was pretty cool.</div>
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By that time we were pretty exhausted and wanted to find somewhere to eat. (And of course I was starving). Six of us ducked into a tea room and proceeded to have the worst time, although it was slightly comical. They had to give us two things for free because they forgot about them and took forever, were rude, and didn't know what we were talking about. The manager wasn't bad though, she was clearly upset we got bad service. </div>
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After that we split up more and Sophie and I headed to Jenner's, the Scottish department store. It was huge and had so many different areas. Little beyond our price range though. Especially with the conversion. You constantly have to remind yourself that isn't its full price. By then it was time to meet Pauline after she finished work to take the train back home. We talked to her friend on the way back who happened to be the community/charity organizer for their department store, John Lewis, which is something I'm interested in. That was good to hear, and sounded really interesting, especially because John Lewis is very involved with charities and the like. </div>
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In 20 minutes we were back at their house. Pauline prepared haggis, neeps and tatties, traditional Scottish food. Oh and black pudding. We didn't talk about what was in it until after. It really didn't taste bad! Haggis was okayyy, didn't really care for the texture, but black pudding wasn't bad! They're made from sheep intestine and blood and oatmeal, respectively. But neither is what I expected, especially because black pudding is like a beef patty toasted. No bloody taste at all. Neeps is like mashed turnips and tatties are roasted potatoes. I ate it all with ketchup on the side. Yay for trying new things!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acropolis of the North, or Edinburgh's Disgrace (pretend that's me up there)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to get a picture of all the castle because it's so big, but here's a group picture!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08622979125165199670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111796147510566935.post-10936331366497961812014-09-02T15:20:00.000-07:002014-09-08T14:54:05.766-07:00Days 1 & 2Hello all, from across the pond!<br />
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I wasn't originally planning to keep a blog while I was here, but once I got here, it was too hard to resist. There are so many things I want to tell people back home, and it will be nice to have something I can always look back on. (Assuming I get used to this blog writing business). Quick overview: I'll be studying at the University of Glasgow for 4 months this fall semester! I'm planning to travel in the UK and in Europe. I start at orientation in Edinburgh, go on to a short homestay, then onto Glasgow for 2! weeks of orientation, until I start school there!</div>
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Good-bye's were hard; let's not talk about that. But I breezed through security, and was super early for my flight. My first flight was delayed upon landing for probably 30 minutes; Newark had experienced some thunderstorms, so other flights needed to come out before we could get to our gate. Once we finally got out, I tried to find the two other girls from my program on my flight, but didn't find them before we flew out. This flight was also uneventful, but I did sleep for the majority of it. I think all those different naps on my flights were what helped me defeat jetlag over here! </div>
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I finally found someone in my program after we got off the plane, Kaitlyn! It was really nice to have someone else to go through the border with, find the bus, and get to the hotel with. It probably would've taken me twice as long to do it by myself, and it was nice to finally have company as well! We lugged our suitcases up a hill before we figured out it was the other way, down the hill. And these sidewalks aren't made for pulling suitcases behind you. We met some other girls in our program on the way over, and got lunch with them after! I was able to figure out my phone situation really quickly as well. We also explored a main street a little. By that time, we were exhausted and headed back to the hotel to finally check in and shower. Next was orientation- boring ish but useful. We walked from the inn to the Arcadia Edinburgh Study Center, which was a long walk, but by now I'm used to it. Then we walked back to the inn for dinner, and some people went out to the pubs but I just headed back to my room to relax and talk to the bf (Hi Jon). I'm pretty proud of myself for actually going to sleep at 10 and waking up at 5 ish, then falling back asleep until it was time to wake up for breakfast! Hopefully that fixes any time difference problems. </div>
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Three funny things that happened in the hotel room: </div>
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Figuring out that you had to keep your card key inside a slot near the door for the electricity to work- this took me awhile to figure out.</div>
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Figuring out that the shower water and the bath water worked on two separate systems-I kept on turning the bath water on and looking for some kind of knob to turn.</div>
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Showering in the NARROW bathtub- Not only do the sides slope really early, but of course the curtain is on the inside of the bathtub, so it makes it even narrower. To top it off, the bathtub sides are really high, so when I slipped on the side, I almost fell out of the bathtub.</div>
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We had a pretty nice free breakfast at the inn, and walked back to the Arcadia center for more orientation. A University of Edinburgh professor came to talk about Scotland in cinema which was really interesting. We also got travel packs that showed where our homestay was going to be, a membership card, and other useful information. We, as in the group of students from Aberdeen, St. Andrews, and Glasgow, signed up for events that Arcadia puts on for us, and talked a little about the referendum.</div>
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We had a long break for lunch, and myself and 4 other of the Glasgow girls did the Harry Potter Scavenger Hunt, including having lunch at the cafe that J.K. Rowling wrote the first book at, Elephant House! We walked everywhere, and I actually got to know the city more. It looks so big on the maps, but is actually really manageable. I also figured out my phone data situation again, so I'm perfect with that. (Contact info below). We all went to an arranged dinner at a pub, where I had my first drink! Passionfruit and apple cider, for £4.30, which was perfect-not too strong, and nice and sweet. The food was okay- not that impressive but I got to know a couple of other people in my group. Again, people went out to the pubs, and I was going to go also, but once I flopped on my bed, and was on my phone for 5 minutes, I fell asleep for the next hour. I figure I have plenty of time later to go out to the pubs. And here I am now, showered and finishing my first blog post. I still have to pack my stuff up for check out tomorrow, and by 4, we'll be moving on to our homestay. Tomorrow is a little more orientation, and a visit to the National Museum before our homestay families pick us up. </div>
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Pictures to come soon & here's contact info:</div>
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Emails for longer convos</div>
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UK number for emergency calls and texts (or it's up to you, you pay for it, not me!) 44-075-189-25098</div>
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Regular cell number for imessage ONLY! My plan is suspended so I can only reply on that when I'm on wifi, and I won't get normal texts at all</div>
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Whatsapp: I have a data plan with my UK phone, but to talk to me you have to put in: +4407518925098 to add me to your contact list. This is the best, fastest way to get to me for normal conversations. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greyfriar's Kirkyard, an old cemetery where JK Rowling found inspiration for some of the names in HP!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She supposedly left a clue to the ending of the books in the bathroom here!</td></tr>
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