Adventures in Prague - last post!

Hello!!

Welcome to my final blog post.  I really cannot believe that study abroad is over, even though, in about 6 hours, I'll have officially been home for a week!  It was kind of weird to be back in the US, to be honest.  Weird handling US Money - missing my pounds!  Weird.  Weird.  Weird.  I have had the worst jet lag, but it might have actually gone away today.  Normally, I've been going to bed at 9pm and waking up at 5am, which I've actually kind of enjoyed because it's allowed me to get my day started earlier than the standard.. uhh... 12pm that I enjoyed in Wales.  I also think I've gained like 5 pounds since being back.  When food is readily available, and I don't have to pay for it, I eat it.  Oops.  I had to pay for food in Wales, which made snacking kind of an uncommon thing!

Anyway!  The real reason for this post - to tell you about Prague!

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Sooo, after finally arriving in Prague Sunday morning, I enjoyed a lovely day of shopping, Christmas market exploring in Old Town, and hanging out with Bridget, Laura, and Laura's friend Caitlin.  We ate about 1 million of these fried dough things at the Christmas market.  DIVINE.  (There's always something delicious like that at Christmas Markets, and I always eat A TON of them).  It was so terribly cold in Prague, almost so cold that I didn't want to be outside.  Nonetheless, the city was BEAUTIFUL!  That night, we went to this random pub that we stumbled upon (upon which we stumbled, in case Laura reads this) for dinner.  It was DELICIOUS and cheap!  I also had the best green beans of my entire life.  I feel the need to mention this because I mentioned it about 10 times during dinner - LITERALLY. THE. BEST. GREEN. BEANS. EVER.  They had bacon and onion and some kind of garlic seasoning.  After dinner, we went back to the hostel for a pretty quiet evening.  By the way, this hostel, which was actually a hotel(?), was so great!  The only problem was that it was somewhat far from the City Center.

Sunday came along, and Laura had to catch her flight back to Geneva.  Therefore, I spent the day with just Bridget, and it was absolutely fantastic.  We went back to the Christmas market, as Christmas markets are always incredibly fabulous and heart-warming.  We also explored Prague Castle, which, I believe, is the largest in the world.  It was beautiful.  Before leaving the Prague Castle area, we stopped to see the John Lennon Wall (if that's its official name?), which was super cool.  We then bought numerous paintings/images/whatnot of Prague from various street vendors on the Charles Bridge.  After some gift and souvenir shopping, we went up the Astronomical Clock Tower and saw some amazing views of the city at night.  Overall, it was an extremely relaxing and lovely day.  For dinner, Bridget & I went to this CHARMING restaurant.  I totally forgot what I ate, probably because I liked Bridget's meal more than mine.  I also spilled approximately 10 cups of ketchup all over the table.  Woops.  We then got a taxi back to the hotel, and we got seriously ripped off by the cab driver.  It was so infuriating that I actually said something before getting out of the car, which is somewhat unlike me, but I had to.  The 7-10 min. cab ride cost 820 czk, while a 30 min. ride from the airport to the hotel cost me 660 czk.  The guy then told me, with a whole lotta 'tude, that cab prices from tourist centers are different than from airports.  NO KIDDING.  Thanks for trying to take advantage of tourists, buddy!  The next morning, it was back to London, and then home!

And here I am, in my room.  The only part of me that makes me fully aware that I am starting to get adjusted to being home: I just made a list of all the things I need to do.  I have not done that IN AGES.  And, of course, I have plenty of things to do.  Oops.  Back to reality - prepping for the new semester, applying to internships, etc.  Oh, man.  2012, here I come!

xoxo - THANKS FOR READING!  

Greetings from ORANGE COUNTY!

Hello, blog followers!

I'm not sure who will still check this out, but I did have a few people say that they want me to put up some photos of Swansea, which is exactly what I'm going to do.

Before I do that, let me tell you about my most recent Saturday!

So 12:30pm comes along, and it's finally time for me to leave Swansea (by train), as I then make my way to London Heathrow Airport for my flight to Prague that night.  About an hour into the journey, the train stops in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.  We waited there for about 20 min. before being told that due to signaling problems between Cardiff and Newport, the next stop, the train was being canceled and we had to get off it asap.  Well, that left me in a pickle.  Luckily, I ran into this girl named Rachel, an American from the Swansea program.  I actually didn't really know her at all, but we became friends quickly because she also had to get to Heathrow.  We then made our way to the Cardiff bus station, which was luckily right next to the train station, and hopped on the next bus to Newport.  This bus took a while, but we eventually got on another train at Newport, where trains had started going again.  I eventually made it to Heathrow Airport, but only 20 min. before my flight was supposed to leave.  Sigh.  So I missed my flight.  After emotional instability on my part hahaha and not being able to confidently buy the next ticket to Prague the following morning and having to call my parents on Cristen's phone (who much to my luck, was also at Heathrow & was staying in a hotel that night because she had to be at the airport early the next morning), I EVENTUALLY decided - actually, it was my parents' decision - to head to Prague the next morning.  Given the inconvenience of the situation, I actually totally lucked out with Cristen already having a hotel booked at the Holiday Inn right next to Heathrow.  So all in all, I eventually ended up in Prague (pictures to come!) the following morning and had an awesome time -- but it was so stressful on Saturday.  I forgot to mention that I was also lugging around my 2 heavy suitcases, which, of course, at one point went tumbling down a flight of stairs and nearly hit someone!  Luckily, the guy that was nearly taken out helped me carry them the rest of the way down!

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Sooo - here are some final pictures of Swansea.  Cristen and I took them on our Friday expedition.

Last time eating Welsh cakes from Swansea's market!

Swansea's Christmas market

Downtown

Swansea Castle

Wind Street (where the nightlife is)

Swansea -- totally looks a lot like New England!

Cristen & I at our delicious dinner Friday night!

Last Full Day in Swansea!

Hello!

Cannot believe it!  It's my last full day in Swansea, which will be spent by packing, going into City Centre/downtown Swansea for the last time with Cristen, & going out to dinner with Cristen at the top of the tallest building in Wales!  Woohoo!

Good-bye's have been sad (of my closest friends, Cristen's the only one left - we'll hopefully be on the same train to London tomorrow; there's also a good chance we'll have a slumber party tonight).  However, we're kind of doing the whole 'quick like a band aid' approach.  Just gotta load everybody up and move 'em out.  Also, I've done this good-bye thing for extended periods of time quite a few times now.  I'm always ultimately very okay.  And, my abroad friends will be coming to visit me in California on May!!  So excited for that.

I'll include some pictures of Swansea, which a few people have asked for, in a later blog post.

Anyway, to summarize this absolutely amazing experience, I have seen quite a few awesome places:

- Wales: Swansea, Cardiff (the capital; briefly), Newport, Mumbles, St. Fagan's, Big Pit Coal Mine, Gower/Worm's head/Rhosilli Bay
- England: London, Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge, Avebury, Newcastle, Durham
- Spain: Madrid, San Sebastian
- Germany: Berlin
- The Netherlands: Amsterdam
- Switzerland: Geneva
- France: Paris
- Belgium: a chocolate factory (does this REALLY count?)
- Czech Republic: PRAGUE!  --this weekend

I have made quite a few awesome friends.
I have come to LOVE Swansea and Wales.
Have I grown as a person like everybody says happens to people when they go abroad?  I'm actually not sure yet.  We'll have to see.

So many emotions.  I'm excited to go home to see my family and friends, but I mean, I've been on a 3.5 month long vacation... do I necessarily want to leave?  No, but I am excited to become a productive member of society again ahahhaha.

Alrighty, I'm off to City Centre.  Much love.

Last Full Weekend in Swansea

Good evening, blog followers.

Not too much to report this weekend.  Saturday consisted of going to the library to fetch some books for a paper, doddling around, and my friend Caleb's choir concert Saturday evening!  I just love that my study abroad program allows exchange students to really feel like we're going to college, which includes extracurricular activities!  I know exchange students who do choir, are part of the surf society, are on the basketball team, take pictures for the school paper, and a lot more.  I just think that's extremely awesome.  After the concert, my friends & I had a Pizza Hut party and then chatted for a while.  I also went to the Secret Santa event that some of the Americans had planned.  Courtney had me, and she gave me this awesome Welsh gnome thing!!!  It is fantastic.  Today has been paper writing, SAYING GOODBYE TO COURTNEY (who is staying with a friend in England for the week before she goes home), and I just watched a movie with my housemates.

Not too much else going on.  Literally cannot believe that I'm leaving soon.  One of my favorite places in Swansea is the City Centre area, so I suppose I'll spend lots of time there.  I'm also headed to Mumbles (right next to Swansea) on Wednesday.  And of course, it's time to pack pack pack.

I'll be seeing a lot of you readers soon!!
All my love.  

Swansea's Winter Wonderland

Hellooo!

There seems to be lots of exciting things happening this week!  I suppose that I am... not really working on my papers.  They will obviously get done, but it looks like they'll get done at the last minute.  I'm just too busy trying to spend as much time as I can with the people I love because we're leaving soon, and that's insane.

So, next on the agenda was a visit to Swansea's Winter Wonderland!  It's basically a mini fair --but with an ice rink!  So this afternoon, we rode the bus to City Centre, got Peppermint Whit Mochas (tastes like Christmas in your mouth) from Starbucks, hot fresh doughnuts from Swansea's Christmas market, and then headed over to the ice rink.  After ice skating, we rode the ferris wheel!  It was a LOVELY evening.

Now, TOMORROW I will definitely work on papers ALL DAY --except for at night when I go to Caleb's choir concert. hahaha. The fun never stops.  But, in terms of papers, I really have no choice but to get them done. 

Have a good weekend!

Afternoon Tea in Newport!

HellooO!

So.  It is now Thursday, December 8th, and I have less than 2 weeks left in Europe before I head back home. EEEK!  I feel like I need to make a bucket list of all the things I have left to do.  Much of what I want to do is explore South Wales or revisit places where I've already been.  For example, I REALLY want to go to Bath, England for the Christmas Market, but the last day is Sunday sooo that may not happen :(  Anyway, however, I did make a half day trip to Newport, Wales yesterday!  Newport is about an hour east of Swansea by train.

My friend Chris, who is my good friend Nick's housemate, is from Newport and works at this extremely nice resort called the Celtic Manor Resort, which has been the host of the famous Ryder Cup (golf) for many years.  They have a great, set afternoon tea menu, so Nick, Chris, Bianca, and I hopped on the train over to Newport for some afternoon tea!  And of course, we were so thankful for Chris's lovely connections (aka tea meal for half price & free transportation to and from hotel).  Once we got to the train station in Newport, a driver picked us up and brought us to the resort.  Chris then gave us a tour of many areas of the hotel --there were golf pictures EVERYWHERE.  At 2:30, we headed to the restaurant area for our tea reservation.  This awesome meal consisted of mulled wine, tea, finger sandwiches, scones, mince pies, and pastries.  Let's just say I ate my body weight in finger sandwiches and drank about 10 cups of delicious tea.  After a long and lovely meal, we went outside to play a round of mini golf, which was hysterical and a great time indeed.  Chris then took us down to the Club House, which is where all the famous golfers go, and gave us a tour of that area.  We then headed back to Swansea!  It was such a delightful and fun day, and I can't get over that I actually like tea now!

Enjoy the pictures!  Off to do some serious paper writing. xoxo  

Paris was MAGICAL!

Greetings, loved ones!

GET READY FOR A WHOLE LOT OF PICTURES!

I am back from Paris, and my oh my, it was an amazing weekend.  I felt like I saw and accomplished so much, and then I realized, I still have way more to see...  So let's just say -- I need to go back some time soon!

So: last Thursday evening, 45 other students & I boarded a coach bus to begin our long and tiresome journey to the Dover docks, across the English Channel by ferry, and another 4 hours of driving before reaching the magical city of Paris.  I don't remember too much about the bus trip, other than I had a lot of fun sitting next to Cristen, and it was more pleasant than the last long bus ride because my stomach wasn't in severe pain.  I was also able to sleep on a bench thing on the ferry.  I must have looked like a hobo, but sleep is essential!

Friday: We reached our hotel around 10am.  I suppose it was nice that this place wasn't a hostel?  Except, I have grown to be oddly fond of hostels, and it wasn't the nicest of hotels.  Nonetheless, I had a delightful time with Cristen as my roommate.  We got settled and immediately made our way out on the walking journey that Cristen has planned for us.  First stop: Basilique du Sacre-Coeur.  This was BEAUTIFUL and so close to our hotel.  Here are a few pictures!

We then went over to a nearby cafe and had DELICIOUS crepes for a late brunch!  It was an excellent decision indeed.  We then headed over to the nearest metro stop, pretty quickly figured out the metro system & got day passes (we're pros by now with public transportation in other cities) and headed over to the Lourve.  The Lourve is HUGE & STUNNING & FREE (if you're a student/under 26)!  Naturally, I saw the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.  It was almost overwhelming because of how big it was.  We stayed there for just a bit over an hour, and I felt like I barely saw anything!

As we continued our walking route, we made our way down the Champs-Elysees, one of the most famous avenues in Paris/the world.  It was stunning and was transformed into a huge and lovely Christmas market.  We were kind of in a rush because we wanted to get to the Eiffel Tower before the sun went down.  Therefore, we made it most of the way down, saw the Arc de Triomphe from a distance, and then turned around to find a metro and make our way to the Eiffel Tower.  We found the most. perfect. viewing. spot. ever!  And, obviously, we ate crepes & had a photo shoot.

After all this, we made our way to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner.  It was EXCELLENT.  After dinner, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower viewing area to take more pictures!  AND to watch the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle.  I'm not sure if it does this all year, but it definitely does around Christmas time for a few minutes every hour after it gets dark.

(can you see the lights!?)

After this, we then made our way to see Notre Dame.  After this long day, and a night of VERY little sleep, we made our way back to the hotel and went to bed.

Still with me?  Well, that was only Friday!  Now time for Saturday:

Saturday: We woke up pretty darn early and got breakfast at the hotel as soon as it opened.  Then, Caleb, Nick, and our new Italian friend Marta made our way to Versailles!  It was rainy all day, which was unfortunate, but Versailles was awesome!  We had no trouble getting there and got in for free.

Hall of Mirrors!

Marie Antoinette's bedroom!

After leaving the Palace of Versailles and stopping at a Starbucks, we headed back to Paris.  We stopped at a cafe for lunch near the Notre Dame Cathedral.  We then went inside Notre Dame, which was, unsurprisingly, very beautiful.

Caleb really wanted to go up to the top of Notre Dame, but Nick, Marta, and I didn't necessarily want to, and we had some souvenir shopping to do.  Therefore, we shopped & then grabbed some coffee/hot chocolate in a nearby cafe while we waited for Caleb.  After he was done, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed to the top.  It was awesome, and it naturally had some fantastic views!

Champs-Elysees: view from top of the Arc de Triomphe

We headed back down the Arc and walked to find my friend Robert!  He was staying with a friend in Paris at the same time so we met up for about 15 min. before he had to head somewhere else.  Nice to see a face from BC!

We then headed to the Galeries Lafayette, which reminded me of Harrods in London.  It is a MEGA shopping area.  We briefly looked around but then soon searched for food.  I ended up spending an absurd amount of money at a cafe on steak.  I ordered 'medium,' and they basically gave me raw meat. Is that the French way?  So, then, I didn't really eat it!

We then headed back over to the Eiffel Tower to take some more pictures and this time, go up it!  This was perhaps my favorite part of the trip.  It was so amazing and so great to see Paris at night.  We also of course stayed long enough to see the light show thing that happens every hour.

By the time we got down from the Eiffel Tower and headed back to the hotel, it was about 1am.  I then chatted with Cristen (who had spent the day at EuroDisney!) for a while before we fell asleep.  I was actually going to go to mass at Notre Dame the following morning -- it's Notre Dame!! -- and then I remembered: I really don't like Mass, and I really don't want to wake up that early!  So, I slept and got pastries with some friends before heading to the bus to make our long journey back to Swansea.

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And that concludes Paris!  Today, I had 5 hours of class.  I also went to town and got MAROON PANTS!!  If you didn't know, I've been wanting these for the past couple of months because they are THE trend in Great Britain. hahahah. I AM PLEASED!  So, that is all!  Hope all is well with everyone!