In the meantime...

 

It's not like I've just been doing school work since my last post! Here are a few of the London adventures since the big game...

Tori and I took a day to check out Greenwich, and we had to take a touristy picture at the Prime Meridian.

I finally took a Jack the Ripper tour! Super fun, and the tour guide did a fantastic job.

And a few of my flat mates and I played bubble football! It was awesome.

Also, I forgot to mention that when Linda was in town, we went to see Stratford-Upon-Avon! Beautiful little town, where Shakespeare was born, and is buried.

France; Lyon and Annecy

 Well as usual I have managed to neglect my blog. But I'm back! Its been crazy busy here for the past few weeks, and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon! Since my last post, Terry came to visit, then Linda stopped by for a few days. Then I met up with Linda in Lyon! France was beautiful, and the food was fantastic! We stayed in Lyon for a few days, and took a day trip to Annecy- a cute little town on a like at the base of the Alps.
Now that I'm back in England, I've been enjoying the Easter holiday with Steve and Julie. They were kind enough to treat me to the most American day I've had since Thanksgiving, and we had Taco Bell and went to see Fast and Furious 7 :)
One last update before I dash off again- My dissertation proposal finally received ethical approval! One step closer to my masters!

Super Bowl XLIX; UK style

It's Super Bowl time!! Regardless of the fact that the game doesn't start until nearly midnight London time, and regardless that the Packers did not make it this year (don't even get me started...), we are determined not to let our location prevent us from enjoying the 2nd most American celebration of the year- topped only by the 4th of July of course.

This is a phenomenon quite misunderstood by the rest of the world.

"ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??"

"Yeah, who's playing?"

"Seahawks and the Patriots"

"Who?"

"American football"

"Oh, that's like rugby yeah?"

"No..."

They claim to understand, but I can only assume this equates to my understanding of cricket. Which is not at all.

Bring it on night buses and sleeplessness, this American girl needs her super bowl fix. Food, drinks, football, and of course, the commercials!  May the Packers best team win!

Christmas Break Part 2; The Holiday- Muscat, Oman

 Picture time! My time in Oman has been fantastic!

 

The weather has been beautiful, 80 (f) and sunny every day, and hardly a cloud to be seen.

 

Terry, Larry, and Emma were amazing hosts; finding a perfect balance of sightseeing and

relaxing. We stayed busy;

 swimming at a sink hole, hiking, snorkeling and dolphin watching, and beaches.

 

Time has flown by, Christmas has come and gone, and it's already time to go back to London. I wish I was staying longer!  

Christmas Break Part 1; The Layover- Istanbul, Turkey

 So I clearly still haven't figured out how to format pictures on this silly thing, but aside from that...

I had a 20 hour layover in Istanbul on my way to Muscat. The first half of that was overnight, which was awful as I am not able to sleep upright, surrounded by loud and annoying travelers. The second half of it however, was amazing!




Apparently some cities have free tours when you are stuck there on a long layover! Lucky for me, Istanbul is one of these places. It is a beautiful city, with lots to see and do.





Unfortunately by the end of this adventure I was running on about zero hours of sleep in two days so the details might be a bit blurry... But the food was delicious and the people were friendly.





I plan to go back someday, and for more than just a layover. I'm guessing I will enjoy it even more in a non-comatose state :)

Pictured: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar/ Egyptian Spice Market, city of Istanbul

 



 

 

More pictures soon to come of Muscat! 

 

 Happy holidays everyone!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

White sand beaches that is! I really can't complain about the weather here at all, seeing as how its been in the 40's (f) and not a trace of snow in sight! But regardless I'm off to warmer weather for the holidays! On Tuesday I will be off to Muscat, Oman, with a short (20 hour?!) layover in Istanbul, Turkey!

Since my previous post... I spent a lovely Thanksgiving with my adopted Minnesota/British family :) It was so nice to be out of the student halls for a few days; sleep in a real bed, relax in a real house, shower in a real shower. It's the little things. They remembered my favorite American vice (Dr. Pepper of course), and I even learned how to make stained glass!

Classes are chugging along. After the Christmas break I will be looking into a few research opportunities and/or getting serious about finding a job. London can't be all fun and games I suppose.

Anyways I will have a picture filled post coming after Christmas! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season! Miss you all!

Lights and Fires and Wales, oh my!

It has been a crazy week or two! The Oxford Street Christmas lights 'switch on' ceremony, bonfire night, and a long weekend in Wales, not to mention a day trip to Oxford and Warwick Castle. Lets start at the beginning....

The lighting ceremony was a bust. I don't know if the whole thing was just set up poorly or what, but it was just a crowd of people being herded around in circles by the police, and overall just not what I remember from last time. Oh well. Here is at least one good picture that I didn't even take lol.

It was bonfire night on the 5th, as you may remember from around this time 4 years ago. Or not, in which case all you need to know is- fires, fireworks, and Guy Fawkes. No pictures, unfortunately... it was pouring rain that night and I had a workshop to be at. Lame.

On to Oxford! Beautiful city, epitome of a college town. Lots of history and amazing buildings. The castle was a castle... I'm sure they all have fantastic history and information but I've come to the conclusion that if you've seen one or two, you've seen just about all of them. There are a few specific castles I'd still like to see, but otherwise they are no longer on my list of things to do :)

And Wales... Somehow I didn't make it to Wales last time I was on this side of the pond. I spent 3 days in Cardiff, walking around and taking in the sites. Overall it was very similar to England, but Cardiff bay was beautiful and it was nice to get out of the student halls for a few days.

 

Until next time, Happy thanksgiving in advanced to everyone back home! Love you and miss you all!