London's Calling

This past weekend I finally returned to London, one of  favorite cities in the world. I was last there the summer after my senior year and fell in love with the culture and atmosphere. My roomates and I took an overnight bus on Thursday, which took about 6 and a half hours arriving at 6:30 AM. We then took a taxi and  checked in to our hostel (which was my first time staying in one) called The Generator. To my surprise, it reminded me a lot of living in the dorms my freshman year of college. The community bathrooms, cafeteria, and events posted on corkboards all around the floors was like a blast from the past. We had a four person bedroom which were nothing special but provided the necessitites.

That Friday, Jordan's boyfriend, Kempy, who is originally from around the London area, took us around to the more local spots in London. We went to The Camden Market for the day which I can best describe as being a mix between gypsies, food, music, and thrift shops. It was so much fun and probably one of my favorite days. Here are pics below!



Fish Pedicures: So this sounds a little gross but basically it's a pedicure but instead of getting your foot pumiced, you put your feet in a tub of water with these little fish that eat off dead skin so you when your done, your feet are really soft and smooth. I have never heard of this concept before but apparantly it is really popular with Europeans. (No I didn't do this becuase we didn't have a lot of time but I was extremely tempted to!)



Picture of Fish Tub



On Saturday, Melanie, Teresa, and I became the ultimate tourists and bought tickets for the double decker bus tour that took you to all the major landmarks throughout the London area. I had already seen most of the sights from the last time I was in London, but it was honestly nice to give my feet a break for standing up for what seemed like 3 days. Some of the places we got off were Hyde Park-where we walked around the Queen's rose garden, Buckingham palace, and Westminter Abbey.

Westminster Abbey

Signs still left outside Westminster Abbey after Kate and Williams wedding

London Eye

Buckingham Palace

Hyde Park Rose Garden

Me and Mel outside The Parliment

The two nights we were there we went to two clubs, Fabric and The Ministry of Sound, with friends we had met at our hostel bar. The atmosphere was unlike anything I had ever seen. Each club had multiple rooms with differently themed atmospheres with music going along with the different interiors. Most notably, one of the rooms had a floor that was made out of a subwoofer. Although deaf afterwords, I had fun dancing and spending time with new and old friends!

The crew before heading into Fabric!

Sign entering the subwoofer room!

This really doesn't do it justice but the atmosphere was amazing

That Sunday, we left London on the bus at 8:00 AM, went through the chunnel back to the mainland, and got to Brussels around 4:00 PM. Although we were wiped out, we had an amazing time and was definitley one of the best weekends I've had thus far in Europe!

"Wait, we have homework??"

Sorry it has been a while since I have updated. These past few weeks have been hectic with traveling and work. Last week, our Art History teacher dropped the bomb that we would have to read two 300-page books and write two essays: one 1000-word essay and another 2000-word essay. To top it off, we also have to write a 3000-word essay about 1 piece of art, all in the month we have left here. Naturally the bliss of of being away came to a halt when procrastination came creeping up my alley. Personally, I'm the kind of person who would rather write a paper over taking a test, but I think I am beginning to realize that I am just getting sick of the whole school thing. Not in the sense that I don't like learning, but more like I just want a change away from sitting in a classroom. Just from my experience working at Levi's this summer, I think I am ready for the change of really starting to invest in something other than myself. I want to really make a difference in the workplace and really invest what I have learned through my internships and the journalism school and start making somthing out of myself. Senioritis already??

On top of figuring out what I will be doing with my life in the next year, this past weekend relieved a lot of stress when my best friend Kelyn came to visit me! She has been studying abroad in Cantina, Italy for the summer and I was honored enough to have her beautiful face come visit me in Brussels the last weekend she was here. Last Saturday we decided to take a daytrip to Antwerp (fashion capital of Belgium). Naturally, this was a horrible decision. Not in the sense of that it wasn't fun, but more like it was way too much fun and extremely harsh on the finances. (Me and Kel tend to be big enablers towards eachother when it comes to cute dresses and shoes, and let me tell you, there was A LOT of cute dresses and shoes.)

Here are some pics from this past weekend!

Antwerp Train Station

Main Shopping Street

Kel and I!

Waving from Such Great Heights

So I've officially found a country where I would be 100% happy running away to and never returning. Literally and specifically in Alicante, Spain. The culture, Mediterranean Sea, people, nightlife, Sangria, and food are absolutely to die for. My roommates and I decided to go on sort of a vacation from a vacation.  For the most part, we like Brussels, but it is not exactly known for their "pretty sights." We booked our tickets randomly last Tuesday after a conversation of wanting Sangria and a clear water beach and after multiple conversations with our banks and parents, on Friday, we were finally in Spain!  Here are some views from Alicante:

The pictures overlooking the city and beach are from the top the Santa Barbara Castle. There was an option to walk up but we decided to take the elevator which cost us 2 Euro. Litereally best money I've spent while in Europe.

View of Santa Barbara Castle

Spanish beaches are very "free." To say the least, don't be shocked if you see  a lot of nudity at a "family friendly" environment. Spaniards are very free with their bodies and think it is natural and completely normal.

(Note: Don't expect it to be a Maxim shoot either. This includes women 20-80 year olds.)

Part of the castle courtyard

View of Alicante

Staircase up to the Santa Barbara Castle

The Roomies!

Pure class, Mel.

The water was so warm and pretty. We literally stayed out on the beach for 5 hours everyday.

(Note: Since sunblock is a necessity, a small bottle can cost minimum 15 Euro, equalling about $21.50.)

Marketplace...open to midnight every night.

View from our hotel-Eurostars Mediterranea Paza. You can see the castle at the top. Not bad for 90 Euro for three days.

I cannot express enough how much I LOVED this city.  The people were so nice and had a unique "love for life" that I have never seen within a culture.  There was always some sort of festival or celebration with fireworks going off. If there's one thing that I've learned from this trip, it's that Spaniards never need a reason for a fiesta, it's just part of their everyday life.

I also enjoyed this trip because I could actually understand what people were saying. I took 7 years of Spanish and even though I am not fluent, I could easily understand menus, conversation topics, and directions more easily than living in a city that speaks primarily French when all I know is "Bonjour," "Merci," and "Je suis desolet, Je suis American."


This next weekend I am really excited because my best friend, Kelyn, is coming to visit me from her study abroad location in Italy! I will keep you posted with what trouble we'll get into next.

Ocean Breathes Salty

For a change of scenery, my roommates, Melanie, Teresa, and I, went on a day-trip to Ostende, Belgium for the day. We wanted to go to a beach and although it wasn't crystal clear waters, it was still nice to lay out, experience the culture, and shop around the marketplaces.

Here are some pics:

Beachfront

My First Sangria!

Teresa, Melanie, and I