Humboldt is a County?

Whenever anyone asks where I'm from, I just say Humboldt because I doubt they have ever heard of McKinleyville! As times goes on people just assume it's my town rather than the entire county. So this past weekend I http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifbrought Chris up to Humboldt with me for a wedding and when we passed the Humboldt county line I was so excited and he said we're there?! I had to explain to him that we still had anotherrrr hour to go! The drive up was actually not bad at all and we didn't even stop once! I asked Chris what he wanted to eat for lunch.."Meat!" This could only mean one place...Porter Street BBQ. Of course it was delicious! Later that night we went to dinner at my absolute favorite place...TOMO! We had dinner with two of my best friends and one of their boyfriends and the other one's husband (crazy!) It was a dinner full of laughter and I wish the night was longer! I was disgustingly full afterwards but was only in town for the weekend, so I had to get Bon Boniere! I asked for three small scoops and got a huge pile of ice cream in a waffle cone...which I had to scarf down on the way to the movies and we saw The Ugly Truth (I didn't like it but Chris loved it).


The next we cooked breakfast at home and then walked around Farmer's Market on the plaza...I'm sure Chris LOVED that! Then we got ready for the wedding! Erin was my cheerleading coach for two years in high school and we have kept friends ever since! The wedding was GORGEOUS..which was is an understatement. The yard is one of the prettiest I have ever seen and it was a lot of fun. It was nice to see girls from high school that I cheered with and I think Chris had fun out on the dance floor!








On Sunday we went to breakfast at Golden Harvest...delicious! On the way home Chris was so excited to see all the trees that he took lots of pictures haha

Roll Out

So the time has come...it's my last day in Roma!

Monday we had red wine tasting...that was an adventure! I usually don't like one but if my grade depends on it, I will like it! We had to swirl it, smell it and then swish it in my mouth for about 30 seconds. At the end of the night, we were all pretty gone and had purple teeth!

Tuesday we went to the Borghese Gallery which is an art gallery within these gorgeous gardens and a zoo! It was nice to finally see some green grass and trees! The gallery had some amazing statues by Bernini so that was really amazing to see. In the evening, we got our free Vespa rides! A vespa is like a scooter which is pretty much the European motorcycle and I want one really badly! We each got a 30 minute ride around Rome and Kendall (one of my friends) even got offered a night ride with dinner...we were a little creeped out, she obviously said no and then we stalked him on the computer and found out he is 41!! Oh Italian men....

Tuesday night we went to an ice bar! Everything was made out of ice, the glasses, the seats the walls...there was even an igloo inside! It was -5 Celsius so we had to wear these silver cloaks...so funny. It was honestly sooooo fun but of course freezing. We were waiting outside until our friends came outside and I guess we were being too loud because a neighbor threw water outside his window and it fell on me!

Wednesday we went to the 3rd holiest church in Rome...St. Paul's Outside the Walls. It is a GORGEOUS church and it is huge! There are pictures of all the popes around the walls and supposedly when they run out of room...thats the end of the world or something like that. Guess we will see! Later that night we went to an opera! The backdrop was the Baths of Caracalla (so basically some really old ruins). It was such a gorgeous backdrop and even though I couldnt understand what the opera was saying, it was still really fun to see.

Thursday we went to Castel St. Angelo and the best part of it was the view of St. Peters! I think yesterday was the HOTTEST day so far because we were all drenched from walking around downtown. We did our last bits of shopping and ate the best lunch! It was at a cute little family owned restaurant and I got Risotto al Salmone..yum! For dinner we had our end of the year BBQ! We all have a huge crush on our cook so it was a nice last meal from him! Everyone ate burgers so I just had some snacks and some wine..haha. It was pretty much our last night to party so we did another pub crawl...oh wow. All they had for unlimited our was cheap wine and beer, so I chose the wine! We went to 3 bars and danced all night but then we were too exhausted to go to the club so we walked our butts home. All in all it was a good night...but I gotta take it slow today haha.

Tomorrow I leave in the morning for London to catch my flight to JFK, stay the night there and then head back to SF on Sunday morning. I can't wait to see my family, friends and Chris when I get back!

Wednesday

Firenze

I just got back from my weekend in Florence and I had soooo much fun! There is tons of stuff to see there but we spent most of our time shopping in the outdoor market, bargaining our way to cheaper prices.

We left Friday afternoon and when we got to our hostel, some people swam and some went downtown to shop....I was in the shopping group! I really wanted to swim because I was covered in sweat but my money was burning a hole in my pocket so I had to spend some! The San Lorenzo market is this huge outdoor market with tons of booths with items like jewelry, leather bags, wallets, belts, tshirts and random stuff. It is really overwhelming at first because there are SO many booths and each vendor is talking to you to try and make you come to their booth. We mostly just walked through the market this day to see what they had and then met up with the rest of our group and had dinner at our hostel. We made last minute plans to stay at this hostel so we were all separated for the first night but I was with the girls I went to London with so that was fine. We just drank on the rooftop terrace bar for a little bit and slept early since we were exhausted and were getting up early.

Saturday we woke up early and stood in line to see the David sculpture by Michelangelo. The wait was about an hour long which was about the time amount we expected. Annie gets nose bleeds pretty often and she got one while we were in line and a few girls went with her to get some tissues at McDonalds down the street. We were getting close to the entrance so 2 girls went looking for them and they ended up not coming in with us cause they took her to the hospital! I guess her nose wouldnt stop bleeding so they had to put this little tube in her nose and inject it with some medicine (I assume something to make it clot.) We were all really nervous since we were in a foreign country, but she paid nothing and went back in the evening to remove the tube and they carterized (spelling?) her capillary. I dont know the details but hopefully she will be nose bleed free for a while!

We climbed the bell tower, all 414 steps, and had an amazing view of Florence! This is what I imagined Italy to look like! It was a little scary on the way down cause it was dark and people were coming up as we were trying to come down so it was a bit slower on the way down. Afterwards...more shopping!!! I bought two leather bags, some presents, two dresses, a tshirt, 4 little bracelets and I think thats it. Later we ate dinner at the hostel again and got ready for a night out on the town! We got flyers for this bar where you get 5 shots with £5..so that was our first stop! The shots were basically mini versions of mixed drinks (sex on the beach, kamikazees) so that was a pretty fun way to start the night. Some people in our program went to Florence last weekend and told us about this amazing club we had to go to...basically "free" entrance with a free drink and they give you this card that you cant lose, so then when you want to leave you give the guy your card and pay £10 (which is basically your entrance and drink fee) and then he gives you a receipt...if you lose this receipt on the way to the door...you have to pay £50!! Im not sure how that even works but we held on to our tickets so tightly that night! The club was called Central Park and it was this outdoor, enclosed bar with two dance floors, waterfall thingy and two bars. The guys at this place were not only ugly as heck, but disgusting! So forward and after about 10 minutes of it I just started pushing them once they got anywhere near me haha. We werent in the mood to deal with annoying Italian men so we just told everyone we only like girls so that kept them away for a little while. Later in the night we found some trannies and Jen danced with them...pretty hilarious. We took a taxi home and passed out around 3am...overall it was a really fun Saturday!

Today we had to check out by 10am..so we stored our stuff in the luggage room and went to find breakfast...which means pastries. We got some gelato afterwards and I think we all went to heaven...the best gelato in Florence! I love oatmeal cookies and this gelato tasted like Oatmeal Cookie Crunch from Ben and Jerrys! We then took the train to Pisa, walked all the way to the other side of town to see the leaning tower, took some really funny pictures for 15 minutes, and then had to taxi back to the train station to catch our train to Florence! Luckily our train to Florence was 4 hours long so we got to sleep a little! Overall it was a great weekend away and I cant believe I only have 5 days left in Italia!

Vatican Museum

Today was an AMAZING day...by far one of my favorites! We went to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. While we were waiting to meet our guide, we were sitting in the lobby area where a bunch of groups were waiting. This huge group from India in red baseball caps were quite creepy...the men kept staring at us, taking pictures and video taping us!! We said no photos but they didn't listen and supposedly they were taking pictures of the bathrooms...weird!

We then met our guide Leonardo...let's just say we all paid very close attention today and stayed right by his side (he was so cute!) We walked through most of the rooms in the Vatican Museum and it was amazing to see all the sculptures that are in books so close up!

We saw old tapestries, paintings, sculptures and just about everything else! Leonardo was so knowledgeable about everything and gave us little details that I'm sure most tour guides did not know. Later in the tour..he informed us that he was basically the first assistant to Pope John Paul XXIII!! He couldn't stop talking about how nice and generous the Pope was and how hard it was to see him sick with cancer and parkinsons. Supposedly when the Pope died...Leonardo was the one to dress him for his viewing! Even though Leonardo said it was such a hard thing to have to do since he was such a great friend to him, talk about an honor!! He also talked about waiting outside the Sistine Chapel for the conclave to end and it was only him and a few other guys that got to wait and he was the one who locked the doors! He didn't have many nice things to say about Pope Benedict but we all agree with him on that! After the tour I asked for a picture with him (thought of you Mom cause you told me to take pictures of Italian guys!) and then he asked about our studying in Rome...and then offered to take us on Vespa rides!! He gave us his email and we are totally going to take him up on that offer!

Today was one of my favorite days so far...the Vatican is truly an amazing place to visit. Everyone else went to Harry Potter tonight and just a few of us are left here at St. Stephens...I'm exhausted so I think I'm just going to call it a night in a little while...talk to you soon!

Mosquitos

I have always hated these stupid and pointless creatures! One summer during high school these little brats would come in my room at 4am, buzz in my year and force me to sleep downstairs on the couch...for 2 weeks straight! They would suck my precious blood out of me and be fat until the next night came..I havent had any bad experience with them until now....

I was warned about mosquitos in Rome before I came here but I didnt expect it to be this bad. Thankfully I dont hear their annoying buzz but I probably have about 20 bites on my legs and arms. I wake up in the morning with a new bite every day and I try really hard not to scratch them but some of them are impossible not to! After my nap today I woke up with little bumps all along my arm and I almost cried because I cant handle this crap any longer. Luckily mine arent as bad as some peoples...with puss oozing out or one looking like a second elbow.

Oh and supposedly next week its supposed to be about 40 Centigrade here....which I guess is around 100...but with HUMIDITY!! As you can probably tell...Im pretty home sick today and just want my free water and mexican food.

Oh and today for lunch I finally had someone other than Italian food...we were in the Jewish Ghetto and I had hummus and falafal! I asked for bread to go with my hummus and the menu said it was 1.50....well the bill came and it was 8 orders of bread for 12 euro total!! Wth....so that means one SLICE of bread was 1.50?!?! Wow...waste of money but it was a good lunch!

Tomorrow Im off to the Vatican Museums...so so so excited! Oh and if you read this...please comment cause Im getting lonely with no comments over here in Rome!

Capri

So the tour didnt quite go as planned but it was still amazing...

The van picked us up at our hostel and then dropped us off at the dock and then just told us to wait there for 10 minutes and someone would come get us. Well 20 minutes go by and still there is no one coming to find us...so immediately I think we got ripped off! Finally someone says "follow me" and it was time to get on the boat...luckily we had 11 people with us so we got the speed boat rather than the sail boat. The sail boat was much cuter but it looked super rocky and I might have puked on it! The boat ride was about an hour ride but it was beautiful cause the water was so blue and the little houses on the island were so cute. It was a bit choppy on the water but I just concentrated on the horizon and didnt feel sick...but a guy on our boat did and he puked twice on the way there!

Once we got there it was time to swim! We anchored the boat where supposedly everyone else did because there were about 15 boats where we were. On the way over to this little swim spot there were all the really rich huge boats...and one even had a helicopter on the back of it! The water was super duper salty but it was the perfect temperature and it was so much easier to float in. My roomie Annie doesnt know how to swim but she put a life vest on and had one of the boat drivers swim her over to the shore. The waves were pretty strong on the shore so I wanted to head back...and she did too. I tried to slowly walk her off cause we could touch and then was trying to show her how she can float since she has the life vest on. She freaked out and started flailing her arms and ended up shoving me under the water a good 5 times. I tried not to freak out and try to push away but I couldnt..luckily another girl was near us and she pried Annies arms off of me!! I felt like I was watching Rescue 911 or something...I was fine but it was really scary so I just sat in the boat for the rest of the trip.

Our lunch was fresh basil and mozzarella sandwiches - mine of course without tomatoes! It was probably the best sandwich I have ever had...and I need to find some good mozzarella when I get back to Cali! So we never actually ended up going on the actual island...our boat drivers said it was only a swimming tour and then we went to the grottoes. Our hostel said we would get 2-3 hours to explore on the island..and that was a complete lie! We were all pretty bummed about that but oh well...we got to see the grottoes!

Slacker

Ok I have been a horrible blogger this past week!! I will totally update it fully when I get back to Rome but here is a tiny little update...

Monday: St. Peters Basilica!!! It was the most gorgeous church ever and I bought a rosary to remember my Catholic roots haha. I will post pictures of it when I get back to Rome (Im in Sorrento!) We watched Angels and Demons the night before which is set in Rome so it was cool to see all the places in person, especially St. Peters. We climbed the billion steps to the very top of the dome where we got a beautiful view of Rome!!

Tuesday: We went to the first Christian church in Rome!! It was such an honor to be there and supposedly the heads of Peter and Paul are in these statues of them! Rumor or not...I want to believe it!

Wednesday: We took a very curvy bus ride down to Pompei! It was crazy that a lot of the town was still standing after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvias...especially the brothel! Rather than ordering from a supposed menu...there were pictures on the walls of different positions and the guys could just point to whichever picture they wanted to try...no thank you!! We stayed the night in Sorrento and it is an adorable town!! Rome is so urban and Sorrento had like a cute little downtown with lights and I felt like I was in a movie! By the way...Sorrento is south from Rome and its on the coast...so that means gorgeous water to look at!

Thursday: Boring 2 hour bus ride to the Greek Temples in Pasteum. It was great to be able to see the temples...but our guide was super boring and there were only three...but I took good pictures nonetheless. We only had 45 minutes to eat lunch before the bus was going to leave so we found this little pizzeria and ordered right away. It took like 25 minutes to get our food and then we had to literally scarf down our food! We called our teacher to let him know we would be late and then all of a sudden he found us at the restaurant with pizza all over our faces! We paid so fast and then ran to the bus...everyone was giving us crap but we were only 5 minutes late...get over it haha

Friday: TODAY! We got to our hostel since its our free weekend and this place is amazinggg!! If anyone is thinking of coming to Sorrento, Italy...stay at 7 Hostel!! It is like only 2 years old, it has free internet and a Nintendo Wi, bar, breakfast, roof terrace and nice rooms!! We went to find the beach today and the free beach had no sand...concrete! We put our towels down and then had sharp rocks poking through the entire time...but we just tried to grin and bear is since we were in Sorrento! I think I got a little darker, hopefully and even out my tan since I have a shorts and tanktop line! Then on the way back on the bus to the train station, Annie and I got hit on by these 17 year old Italian boys. It was very hard to communicate but it was a very good laugh: "You are beautiful, I love you, beautiful english, beautiful hat"....at least they werent shy! I guess I know where I get my forwardness from!! Thanks mom haha

Tomorrow we are going to Capri!!! Its 62 euro for the boat ride, lunch, drinks, cliff diving, snorkeling and a boatride to the grottos and private beaches!!! So so so excited....arrivaderci!!

Recap

So here is a little update of my past few days since I have been a slacker (and busy!)

Thursday: We went to Tarquinia to visit the Etruscan tombs. Lets just say these things are ancient! They are from the 4-9 century BC...hella old! We got to crawl underground, where it was either hotter or cooler, and look at the tombs they made. Some of them were preserevd very well and the colors on the walls were still vibrant where others had little left to see. There was a change in their attitude towards death, from them embracing it to being scared of it because demons started appearing on their tombs. It was a long bus ride but it was pretty fun.

Friday: Boring! Well the school part at least. When Mussolini was in power, he wanted to take Rome back to its roots and wanted to put back the old culture (use columns again and stuff like that.) We went to the Museum of Roman Civilization but it was mostly copies of the original statues we had already seen. The only cool thing was the models of the city. Ok well after the boring museum we went to this flea market, hoping to find some good deals! There is a reason why I never go to these in the states! Creepy people, dirty stuff and nothing worth buying. My friends but a few shirts but I didnt want to really search through all the crap. Then we relaxed and went to dinner. There was 8 of us and then Kendal (a girl here) had some friends coming to visit...so there were 16 of us! The place hated us and everyone in the restaurant loved to stare. It was musical chairs and then we had to write down our own orders rather than the waiter taking it himself. Once we put our order in, he came back to tell us that with the 16 of us, we had to decide on 4 pastas to choose from. This makes no sense because if we all came in as smaller parties, you wouldnt tell us that we cant order a certain pasta. Ugh so frustrating. Dinner was delicious by the way and when the bill came, they charged us for tap water and bread that we didnt ask for! Be thankful for all the free stuff in America people!

Saturday: Beach day!! We rode the train down to the beach...and had to walk 25 minutes past all the beaches you have to pay for in order to get to the free beach! There were lots of topless ladies, wrinkley tan ladies and way too many speedos. Once again, Indian men were trying to sell of cheap crap and I just had to yell no the entire day. The water was amazingly warm and refreshing but SALTY! I know its the sea but I think they dumped a few extra packets of salt in this one. We were all excited cause we thought it was the Mediterranean sea but once we got home this wasnt the case. I brought cheap towels from home with me so I can throw them away afterwards and so it was a little too small for the beach. Every way I tried to lay down I got sand all over my head or legs and the sand was HOT! Once we got home we got ready for the pub crawl! It was 4th of July and we had to celebrate, right? So it was 25 dollars and it got you....pizza, a shirt, unlimited drinks for the first hour, and 3 shots. I was pretty weary about it at first but where else can I do a pub crawl? haha I am used to my American mixed drinks so I had Sprite and Vodka...talk about original! The pizza was delicious, the dancing at the 2nd bar was super fun and the 3rd bar was lame. After the 3rd bar we cut out but it was a fun night and I can now proudly wear my shirt that says: I came, I saw, I crawled. haha

Roma

Here are some random things I have learned or experienced so far

1) Caesarian section (c-section): supposedly rumor has it that Caesar's mother died before being able to give birth to Caesar and was buried. Someone thought to look in her tomb just to see if the baby was still alive, cut her open and out came Caesar! Im not sure if this is completely correct but it was a good story to me!

2) While doing my laundry here, I thought my wash was done. It said something on the screen but I cant ready Italian so I just assumed it to be done. I start taking out my clothes but they are dripping wet! I dont think much of it and just brush it off as an "Italian" thing that they dont spin dry their clothes. So my roommate Annie and I are sitting there wringing out all my clothes so they can be dry enough to go in the dryer. We are getting water everywhere and our shorts and sandals are drenched. It was a pretty hilarious moment but then we asked Fousto (the groundskeeper I guess) and he showed us what button to push next time. Oops!

3) I tried to buy some pizza the other day and pointing and hand gestures didnt get me very far. I pointed to the pizza, she cut a slice and then handed me the receipt to go pay for it. Once I get back, she tries to see if I am eating there or taking it to go. While I cant speak Italian so I just point outside. So then she grabs a tray and once again I try to motion that I want it to go by pointing at the to go bags. She then looks behind her at the cook and they start talking. Finally I think she gets the hint and gives me the bag. I walked out of the place embarrassed and laughing....oh Italians!

4) Im so sick of sweating! This morning I woke up, showered, walked across the street to get breakfast, walked back and was already drenched. Everyone knows that I am from Humboldt meaning thats my excuse to not take showers daily haha. Well here I take like 2 a day and yesterday almost 3!! I am so proud of myself but my hair hates me.

Gladiator

Yesterday was such an amazing day....I got to go into the Colosseum!! We live right near this beautiful structure and have been walking by it since Monday but we finally got to go inside! Most people who are normal and not a scardy-cat like me have seen the movie Gladiator and probably know a little more history or what the Colosseum should look like. We didnt have a guide for this tour so I was kinda bummed about that because usually the guides give little secret facts about the place that most people dont know. After passing through everyone in line (we had a group pass) we walked up the steps to the first level. At this level you can pretty much see everything just not from a birds eye view (which is at the top level). The original flooring is gone and what you can see are the underground passageways that were used and this is where the animals and prisoners were kept before the event. The colosseum could hold 50,000 people and was built in 80 AD (sorry for this history buff but i think its interesting and i just had to write about it for my journal!). It was originally named the Flavian Amphitheatre but it got the nickname Colosseum because of its colossal structure.

Supposedly when it got really hot outside they would put a tarp like thing over the top of the entire stadium...like a sail from a boat...must have sucked if that was your job! The elite werent the only ones who were allowed to attend...the unemployed did also in order to keep the streets not so busy. It was really amazing to be in this giant stadium where so many events have taken place and I was just in awe thinking about all of it. Even though I hate gorey films...I really want to watch Gladiator now that I am learning about all of this amazing history!

Facey

Also...I uploaded photos from London on Facebook so check them out!

The Traveling Gnome

Supposedly there is this little Travelocity Gnome that is supposed to go with you on your travels and take pictures with it. One of the girls here, Betty, has one and we took pictures with it today when we went places and later this evening we got drinks and gelato and it had some also. It's pretty funny and makes things interesting!

This morning Jay (my teacher) let us sleep in till 9:30, usually he is going to make us get up at 7:30 and then we had a "survival Italian" lesson so we can get around with a few words and phrases. We then had lunch at a cafe across the street and left for the Heart of Rome! We first went to the Spanish Steps and it was so hot that I just wanted to be in the shade!


Afterwards we walked to the Trevi Fountain, a popular tourist destination so it was really crowded. The saying goes that if you throw a fountain in the water facing backwards...you are ensured a trip back to Rome - of course I threw a coin in!



Next was the Pantheon and it was closed so we were bummed about that.

Then on to the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva...a church was built over the Temple of Minerva, the greek goddess of wisdom among other things. From the outside the church is pretty blah but inside it is gorgeous! I love the archways and the candles. There is a statue called Christ Bearing the Cross here by Michelangelo and it's interesting because it shows Christ with an athletic body which wasn't shown often.




Lastly we went to the Piazza Navona. There are 3 fountains here, a church and delicious gelato! There was a mariachi band singing songs in the middle so that was fun also.

Buona Notte

Goodnight...in Italian. It's midnight here in Rome and I just finished showering after a busy day full of walking and sweating! Today was day 2 in Rome and I'm already in love with it...a lot of it has to do with there being a Gelateria on every street corner, kinda like Starbucks in America. Gelato is my new obsession...it's an Italian ice cream and I think I'm back to my addiction on sweets. I cannot pronounce most of the flavors so I have to point and butcher them to even taste one. I had mint today and started a trend cause just about everyone else got mint.

Yesterday we woke up at 3:30am in order to catch the 4:09am bus near our hostel in London to get us to the Train station. We just assumed that we could take the underground to the train station but luckily we asked the night before and they didn't open until 7sam! The hostel workers gave us a bus schedule and when we lugged all of our luggage there the next morning...the drunks were just getting home from a night at the bars!

After traveling on the train, and the plane to Rome and another train to our school...we arrived at St. Stephen's (our school) yesterday in the afternoon. It was so nice to be able to unpack somewhere and call a place home rather than staying in a dirty hostel.



We had a home cooked meal (pasta, salad, bread) which tasted amazinggggg!! So nice to have dinner provided for us! Afterwards we walked downtown a bit...saw Palentine Hill and Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) which was the old place for chariot races.

It was fun being around everyone for the first time and getting to know the people I will be spending one of the most amazing months of July with!

Astor Quest

This was the name of the hostel we stayed at in London. It was quite cheap for 5 nights...about 25 pounds per person for each night. Hostels are usually dorm like in setting, with sometimes as many as 15 people in a room. We requested the 4 person room which was the smallest one available. Our 4th roommate was a very nice English guy (bloke) from just a few hours away, in London for business. His name was Nick and he wore cologne that was disgustingly spicy. But...he was a great roommate and we had fun asking him to pronounce English words so we could practice our accent.

The building itself, and the people were a different story. The workers as well as visitors were very nice but quite different. It seems like the workers visited London once and then just decided to stay there...permanently. The other people staying in the hostel would hang out on the steps at all hours of the day it seemed like...when we were leaving in the morning having their morning cigerette and in the evening getting drunk off of cheap beer. We couldnt go inside one night for a little bit because the police had to investigate something which was a bit freaky. They wouldnt tell us what happened but rumor was that someone had headstroke and passed out so they had to take pictures for some reason...dont let mom freak out too much about this!

The stairs had this disgusting smell of beer and cigerette smoke lingered constantly...I swear it wasnt unbearable but it was quite interesting to say the least. The toilet was separate from the sink, which was in our room, and the toilet was one of the smallest rooms ever. The shower was in this tiny room, with no ventilation and I almost passed out one morning because of my low blood sugar and the heat of the steam...that was scary! Luckily the voice of my nurse mom was in my head to put my head between my legs..haha thanks mom

Hobnob

Hobnobs are cookies (biscuits) here in London...haven't tried one yet but I like the word! Also I've tried to start saying I need to use the loo (or toilet) rather than the bathroom. Bloke is just an average guy. Smarties are smaller M&Ms....and Oreo McFlurry's are even better here! haha (we were really craving ice cream and the only thing open at 12:30 was of course American fast food) Oh also Illy's ice cream is amazing..: )

Per Adrienne's request...for breakfast we eat it at our hostel since it's free...and I just have corn flakes with some milk...two bowls actually. Breakfast is served in the basement and it's interesting to see what all the different foreigners eat for breakfast..not that there is much to choose from but many people like to eat white toast with Nutella!

One of my complaints so far...MY HAIR! I couldn't bring a straightener over here because American straighteners are too strong so now my hair is a complete mess. We are showering at night here so we can just get up and go in the mornings so I usually go to bed with wet hair and wake up in the morning with a lovely bedhead surprise. My bangs are horrible, my hair is wavy in every wrong direction and my hair feels dry. Gotta love it...NOT! So when I show you all my pictures from this trip....forgive me on my silly hair.

So I almost got ran over the other day because I forgot the cars drive on the left side of the street here...and they do NOT yield! I don't know who has the right of way...but it definitely wasn't me!

hmmmmm what else...oh I LOVE the tube station. Not only is it beyond easy to get anywhere in downtown London within 15 minutes but they come so often! Unlike bart which I always have to wait 15 minutes for...and every Underground line is a different color with maps everywhere for us people who aren't the best with direction. Jen (a girl I'm traveling with) is super good at directions so I just hand her the map and say have at it!

That's all for now....: )

Old Timer

I am only 21 and the two girls I am traveling with are around the same age....and we are EXHAUSTED from traveling!! We get up and out of the hostel around 9:30 in the morning and don't return until about 11pm. I wore my pedometer the past few days and yesterday we walked 26,000 steps and today we walked 19,000! Today after getting back from the Tower of London, we knocked out on our beds and didn't wake up until 10pm and decided we should go get some dinner. Since I am such a picky eater, I've been having some rough times with the different types of food but I'm managing.

Yesterday we went to Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, Parliament buildings and the London Eye!!! What a day! St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey were my favorites by far of the day. They were such elaborate and gorgeous buildings and the tours we received were so detailed. London Eye was a very touristy spot (very crowded) and it was sooooo hot in there!!! I got lots of pretty pictures though so I can't wait to upload those when I get home. It's crazy to me how ancient the city of London is and how much history is within these buildings. Within Westminster Abbey, I saw the tombs of Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Edward the Confessor and his Coronation Chair, Queen Mary and her sister Anne, and Queen Elizabeth. Shakespeare and other poets were honored there but not buried there. It was so touching to be near all those ancient people and artifacts. The coronation chair is used for every single coronation since the 1600s or so.




Today was a bit more chill since we went to fewer places but were still exhausted. We started the day at Kensington Palace, which is where many royalty have lived as well as Princess Diana's gowns are kept. It was so great to see the place where the kings and queens lived as well as the dresses of Diana. Afterwards we got lost in Hyde Park trying to find the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. After finally finding it...I was somewhat disappointed because it was just a circular litle mote type thing that all the kids were playing in...but then I remembered that she loved kids so it turned out perfect!




We had lunch in a typical English pub...but of course I was too chicken to have "fish and chips" or "sausage and mash" so I had a veggie burger. Of course it didn't taste the same as ours but it was somewhat edible. After lunch we headed to Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Wow....it was HUGE! We were exhausted by this point but we had to go in. The Jewels house was by far my favorite part...who doesn't love diamonds?! Also the bloody tower was interesting because within the walls were carvings from prisoners.

Tomorrow we are going to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and then off to a few museums!!

Hello London!

I am already exhausted from my 2nd day in London! Today we went on a tour bus to a few places...and it was amazing! First stop was Windsor Castle and it was one of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen. It is so crazy to see such detailed architecture and have the buildings be so ancient. Each place we went to had an audio guide tour...meaning you have to hold up a remote control looking thing up to your ear and press buttons at each stop along the way. I can't upload pictures until I get home but here is a picture...

Next stop was the Roman Baths. There was a chief priest there and he gave us a blessing...he was dressed up in character in order to give the real feel of the times the baths were used. The water is super hot but we weren't allowed to feel it. Most of the original structures have fallen but it was still amazing to see the pillars that were still standing.

Last stop of the night was Stonehenge! We were exhausted from the long day (we left at 8am and this was about 5) but it was so worth it. It was very calming to just relax and listen to the history of the stones after such a long day. Ok well this is my friends computer so I have to get off....having a blast though!

Picnic Day

Picnic is basically a HUUUUUUUUGE open house for UC Davis as well as an excuse for thousands of people to be drunk all day long. I had a dance competition at night (see below) so I actually remember the day compared to my fellow students. There were a few exhibits I really wanted to see so Chris and I got there pretty early...well I guess not early enough. Chemistry magic show tickets were given out at 10 for the later shows...we got there at 10:15 and they were already all given out...fail 1.

So we decided to go try and do the lazer maze...but by the time we got there, it was an hour wait...fail 2.

So we milked a cow instead! Chris was practicing in line the entire time, so funny. After that we just walked around, spent way too much money on food and then I watched the Weiner Dog Races with my friend.

The night ended with an amazing win and a funnnnn night! : )