tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35035949895978785542024-03-12T16:47:22.063-07:00Kur Kur Across the PondA Journey Through London and BeyondAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-47075453993625856962012-07-20T19:29:00.001-07:002012-07-22T19:00:36.203-07:00Repatriation and Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QD47ixjXFkPL3N0dr2DdkznsU3iiUlFWTPekqFqieFk3BoBEoAm8iS1KlCLmh2YlWxLqkY9MbR3_0AyYPRJlDeORPpHBhdjdRlaiU2biOhcAVJG8mG_hCedctbJCN9iGL3GI7as6ZCDQ/s1600/IMG_3201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QD47ixjXFkPL3N0dr2DdkznsU3iiUlFWTPekqFqieFk3BoBEoAm8iS1KlCLmh2YlWxLqkY9MbR3_0AyYPRJlDeORPpHBhdjdRlaiU2biOhcAVJG8mG_hCedctbJCN9iGL3GI7as6ZCDQ/s320/IMG_3201.JPG" width="245" /></a>I have officially been back stateside for 2 weeks now and am slowly readjusting to the American way of life. As I was packing up my things and planning my trip home people began to warn me about reverse culture shock and how difficult it can be to jump straight back into my old life. Because I have been looking forward to coming back home for so long I didn't really take it seriously, thinking I would be far to excited to have familiarity around me again. Little did I realize how difficult the transition would actually be. I began to realize that I had found in London the familiarity of 'home' I had been craving for so many months abroad. From learning my way on the buses, to accepting tube delays that could easily force you to get home an hour later than you hoped for. From new friends, to new foods to traveling experiences I would never be able to forget if I tried. I learned my way around a city that I have hopelessly fallen in love with all while completing a Master's program in Christian Education. The past 10 months have been a learning and growing experience that I could not have predicted if I tried. Sure, I knew I would develop new skills and learn a thing or two about myself but the extent to which I feel I have grown up and matured is something I am still realizing on a daily basis. The last few months I spent in London I began to make a list of a few things I've learned this past year so I'll share a few of them with you:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxBcDJiqwQpiGAMTT3A6VRG2rGzyL3O-_BzeJjZW6O35FO8cY3aB3DPy0ptyPTeNnDS8XPrKHAXo4OAtGrnm42FSNorXRZMgrHwqtfK1xo3WvoEkaDNpf5JQ5Y6VMehSc4skqSTaQ_umu/s1600/IMG_3183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxBcDJiqwQpiGAMTT3A6VRG2rGzyL3O-_BzeJjZW6O35FO8cY3aB3DPy0ptyPTeNnDS8XPrKHAXo4OAtGrnm42FSNorXRZMgrHwqtfK1xo3WvoEkaDNpf5JQ5Y6VMehSc4skqSTaQ_umu/s320/IMG_3183.JPG" width="238" /></a>1. There is no such thing as "on time" with public transportation. (Okay, fine, in England anyways. Germany was spot on every time, of course, and I definitely appreciated that) But I cannot express my frustration at waiting for buses and tubes that struggle to be even close to on time either making me extremely late to where I need to be or forcing me to leave the house 30 minutes early to ensure that I arrive on time. Needless to say, I am beyond ecstatic at having my car back and zipping to and from where I need to be. I can't say that I missed the traffic (nope not even a little bit) on the 405 hahaha but even then at least I am in the comfortable seats of my air conditioned car not packed into train cars next to smelly commuters playing their music too loud in an underground with zero air ventilation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU20W8Vej4pZV7I98CMaw_Ml_2RuWQtCLi4fIsv7umgUn3UUlcp90UVatRv1OA7k4jIEczf90U-SRX1fdiBkq6BaPIhIgaaXXoP62Z1dF_T3s3wmCXXwQg-9Hf0W629224LxJb4m6WXqC4/s1600/IMG_3244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU20W8Vej4pZV7I98CMaw_Ml_2RuWQtCLi4fIsv7umgUn3UUlcp90UVatRv1OA7k4jIEczf90U-SRX1fdiBkq6BaPIhIgaaXXoP62Z1dF_T3s3wmCXXwQg-9Hf0W629224LxJb4m6WXqC4/s320/IMG_3244.JPG" width="238" /></a>2. I can navigate my way around a city without the help of my phone, GPS, etc. Not that finding my way wouldn't have been made easier had I had access to these things but I really and truly enjoyed trying to find my way from Point A to Point B using maps next to the Boris Bikes or asking store owners standing in front of their shops if I was headed in the right direction. Even more exciting was when I realized I didn't need the maps or advice from people any more and had even found shortcuts for how to get to places I frequented. I know that my sense of direction isn't something most people in my life are comfortable with me relying on but I can proudly say I know how to wander the streets of London and not be afraid of getting lost. One time, Chris and I had time to kill after a day of being in the library and we thought we would try to get ourselves lost so we could explore something new. We each took turns saying left or right every time we would come to a new road and to our surprise, no matter how twisted we thought we were getting ourselves, we never could get lost. One or the other always knew where we were. Kinda cool, no?<br />
In visiting so many new countries with languages I couldn't understand or accents so thick it felt foreign anyways, I didn't feel anxious in not knowing my way. I became comfortable with navigating my way around a city using public transportation or my favorite, WALKING.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo7AiXXOrCyCHVHUQOFO8FOEdyNgXRSlgTF0Od4prf0jdZXCXlVbYN_-A-FX-oFnUDPjp046BDkyr1CP19_K85TN_DVGRFxa-DpGU0hLFZ59vyIZ20DxKlRUP5s7ssUZmtTLr8v56t8xU/s1600/IMG_3349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo7AiXXOrCyCHVHUQOFO8FOEdyNgXRSlgTF0Od4prf0jdZXCXlVbYN_-A-FX-oFnUDPjp046BDkyr1CP19_K85TN_DVGRFxa-DpGU0hLFZ59vyIZ20DxKlRUP5s7ssUZmtTLr8v56t8xU/s320/IMG_3349.JPG" width="238" /></a>3. Walking. Walking is officially a favorite means of travel though unfortunately not very practical in any place I live be it CA or AZ. I found this out the hard way when I tried to walk from Javi's house in Santa Monica to my beach in Playa del Rey and 2 hours 40 mins later I still had not reached the beach at which point Grace rescued me and we laid out for a few hours. Sure, I could have walked 30 minutes to Santa Monica beach but my sense of distance led me to believe it wouldn't take me more than an hour or so to walk to my favorite beach, Toes. Boy was I wrong! Anyways, it feels good to know that even walking has helped me to get in some of the best shape of my life. Of course it's been combined with lots of gym time and now that I'm back, Yoga, but my restless legs really do appreciate the exhaustion they feel as I climb into bed at night and they don't feel the need to keep moving.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzfyquL9PIwCf-fBEx6p2kTlmp6mvr8K2we1tdRB4xB0UqImjSYVpppyD0msTA45YFE-tH_dXoTU4XGPRymKVlrEMqQnsr63eLozSJQkjTiSLDM97qgArjsgCI0ffFEmMjzU_DoxWVI3k/s1600/IMG_3302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzfyquL9PIwCf-fBEx6p2kTlmp6mvr8K2we1tdRB4xB0UqImjSYVpppyD0msTA45YFE-tH_dXoTU4XGPRymKVlrEMqQnsr63eLozSJQkjTiSLDM97qgArjsgCI0ffFEmMjzU_DoxWVI3k/s320/IMG_3302.JPG" width="320" /></a>4. I can be alone for days at a time and still be okay. It may not be preferred but it can happen and I don't panic. As much. When I had to move into the studio apartment my last few weeks in London I realized how much I actually enjoyed spending time alone with my country music blasting as loud as I want without wondering how much my roommates hate me for it. I enjoyed putting dishes where I wanted them and decorating how I felt was appropriate and if something was a mess I knew it was my mess and I didn't get irritated that other people left a mess in shared places.<br />
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The list of what I have learned about myself in this past year could go on for ages but I won't bore you all with that. My time home in CA and AZ has been absolutely amazing. From beach days to brunches to bike rides and runs on the beach. I've gotten back into yoga, reunited with some of the loves of my life including my most handsome Godson, Aiden who is such a little cuddle bug I'm ecstatic to be with him again.<br />
I've had Mexican food more times than I can count since I've been home and eating tacos like they're going out of style.<br />
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It's been incredible catching up with family and friends and being reminded again just how much I was missed and loved back here at home. It may take some time to complete my readjustment to America but with the support system that I've had that has spanned oceans and countries I feel like I will be okay. I am more confident in myself and believe that I really can do anything I put my mind to! London will always hold a special place in my heart and I can truly say I made friends who will last a life time. It's exciting to have friends abroad and know how easily we will be able to stay in touch.<br />
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Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this year and helped me get through the rough patches of loneliness and home sickness. I appreciate every person who has been a part of my growing experience. I am unbelievably grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had this year and I know that I will never forget what I have learned. I'm not sure if this will be the last post on here or not. Who knows, maybe I'll start a new blog. Thank you for reading and supporting me this year. <br />
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Love from America!<br />
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Kristin </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-66723375520379296612012-07-02T21:17:00.004-07:002012-07-02T21:17:59.727-07:00Hunt Ball<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeIBFJHoYVCyuxIzwyMaHd1N3ZcOLpcW6w_bHI2e3aAOSQTrvaO6rXInMX2P2G8Ie4rdIUK2VWdUvespZN6wa0_2fT9ioTh0HhRVjoT1Gb6F1RYM60PQALbAPZ0I91TSe-G5ZcGDowfE_/s1600/IMG_3036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeIBFJHoYVCyuxIzwyMaHd1N3ZcOLpcW6w_bHI2e3aAOSQTrvaO6rXInMX2P2G8Ie4rdIUK2VWdUvespZN6wa0_2fT9ioTh0HhRVjoT1Gb6F1RYM60PQALbAPZ0I91TSe-G5ZcGDowfE_/s320/IMG_3036.JPG" width="238" /></a>My last few days in England have been very eventful and exciting filled with new friends, walks along dirt roads next to never ending fields, and a minor auto incident which left us stranded in the country for an extra day. There are so many things to remember from this weekend that this post will have a ridiculous amount of detail. Feel free to skip around through the pictures if the details get boring but being that this is one of the most British experiences I have had, I have to write everything.<br />
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The Hunt Ball is held in Yorkshire, in the north of England, about 4-5 hours from London and in the beautiful countryside. The sun is out about 18 hours of the day and I saw some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I've seen this year. The 5 of us driving up together (Sharlene, Will, Nick, Imogen and myself) left London at 9pm on Friday and arrived at Will's friends house around 1am. The car ride up didn't even feel that long as we played monopoly, sang along to the radio, and listened to stories of previous hunt ball experiences. Upon arrival Will's friend, Tom, who we were staying with, showed us the rooms we could use and then of course we stayed up a while longer listening to old friends reminisce about nothing and everything. It made me really happy just to be watching their interactions though I had little to contribute to the conversation. Not that that stops me from trying. Bed that night felt wonderful after having sat in a car for so long and we all slept soundly until about 8am when I then got up and waited for everyone else to get up. I read a book I just started on the drive up, The Other Boleyn Girl, because my friend Clemmy had it at home and I've always wanted to read it before I see the movie. I'm completely entranced by it and hopefully will finish tonight before I have to leave tomorrow.<br />
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Saturday morning was a slow start as everyone was still pretty tired. I wandered around the countryside for quite some time, pausing to sit on a bale of hay and just be in the silence. It probably sounds cheesy but having always lived in large cities I often forget how much noise pollution there is around me on a daily basis. I probably sat there for about 45 minutes with my eyes closed and the warm sun beating down on me. I had expected cold weather the entire weekend so I was pleasantly surprised to be comfortably sitting outside with no sweatshirt and my flip flops on. I got back from my walk to find the boys all playing FIFA and the girls nagging them to stop so we could go explore. When we got annoying enough the boys gave up and we went up the road (literally, a dirt road) to Tom's parents home to see the new house they are building. It is SO BEAUTIFUL and I would LOVE to have their master bedroom as my room. There are stairs that lead up to a walkway that goes around the entire room that is going to be a massive closet. Brilliant I say, brilliant!<br />
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Saturday afternoon/early evening was spent readying ourselves for the ball. A constant rotation of showers, hairdryers, flat irons and clothing came in and out of the bathroom and bedrooms. It was kind of exhilarating in a "I'm going to prom" kind of way! You know, that feeling you got senior year when the night of the dance comes around and you're giddy with excitement? Again, cheesy but that's how I felt. As everyone met up at Tom's house we all piled in to 3 or 4 cars and drove about 30 minutes to a most beautiful mansion where the Hunt Ball takes place every year. 3 large marquees were set up in the "backyard" which not surprising is also a kind of forest/massive lawns. I was in a complete state of shock having never been in such a place where people are actually living there! Sure, I've been inside castles and such here but...no one lives in them!<br />
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Walking across the lawns to the first marquee our heels were sticking in the grass and Sharlene and I were giggling like children as we tried to rush to get out of the rain without tripping over 4inch heels. It was a funny site indeed! Inside the first tent we were welcomed by a champagne welcome before it was entertainment and dinner time. The entertainment was great because we had a front row seat from our awesome seats. It was an acrobatic crew who flipped and turned every which way and balanced one each other....I don't even know how to begin describing it but for those who have been to Venice beach, they were kinda like those 5 guys who jump over each other and such.<br />
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After a dinner of steak, salad, potatoes and some amazing fruity dessert lots of dancing ensued. All the men knew how to dance! Real dancing with twirls and spins and dips and proper footwork. It was so much fun! Now I really do want to take dance lessons so that I'll be able to twirl and know what I'm doing! Luckily all I had to do was follow and no one expects girls to lead hahaha I would have been in big trouble otherwise.<br />
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We were up until sunrise which was so beautiful and of course, un-capturable via my iPhone but especially watching it rise over the fields...stunning.<br />
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As all good things must, our time in the country was nearing its end. Or so we thought....after packing up the car and cramming ourselves into the car we headed off to the gas station to fill up. Will headed inside to pay while Nick began to fill up. Being that it was Will's car, Nick didn't realize that the car ran on diesel fuel not petrol and less than 5 minutes down the road the car started making funny vibrations and we immediately pulled over as Nick and Will instantly knew what had happened. After a brief panic moment everyone went in to action mode calling whoever they thought could be of assistance. We hopped over the fence on the pull off and sat with all the blankets we had brought on the grass in a field. It was actually quite comical as we imagined having to pop up the tent we brought and just camping out with the car over night. Luckily for us we eventually reached Will's father and some roadside assistance people who were able to correct the problem by midnight....about 9 hours after we started off. It was too late and the boys too tired to drive back to London that night so we stayed at Tom's so we could be rested for the long drive back. Since it was daytime and rush hour it took nearly 6 hours this time around and I was sore and tired and ready to get out of the car.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpELf5gwP4SBRhlKpFTPsbYDVYklnW9h9BfBfuBqKWzfJmLrGKexbvkxAmKeXcN_NrrDvYdVnMBhMb9EAwW_tYaVZr9grx5tT64yy7N6eFvKy3K_xFizzlWsJ731zYb_NrotiCUHuPiNJ/s1600/IMG_3122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpELf5gwP4SBRhlKpFTPsbYDVYklnW9h9BfBfuBqKWzfJmLrGKexbvkxAmKeXcN_NrrDvYdVnMBhMb9EAwW_tYaVZr9grx5tT64yy7N6eFvKy3K_xFizzlWsJ731zYb_NrotiCUHuPiNJ/s320/IMG_3122.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting in the right fuel this time!</td></tr>
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You'll be hearing no complaints from me though when I speak of this wonderful weekend. It confirmed my love of England and my desire to explore even more in the future what this beautiful country has to offer!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">It was a fantastic way to end my time here in London. And so, my next post will be coming from good ol' USofA!!! T- 11 hours my plane be taking off! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Love from London,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Kristin</span><br />
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-69859348643452697912012-06-24T13:29:00.001-07:002012-06-24T13:29:28.899-07:00A New Church Experience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know you all are very aware of how important my Catholic faith identity is to me. I have always enjoyed church from the days of children's liturgy as a little girl to life teen in high school and now studying here in London to do a master's in (what I often tell people) Jesus. I appreciate the traditions and rituals and comfort of knowing when to sit and stand and the words of my favorite songs that I itch to dance to and, to the huge embarassment of my lovely twinnie, I sometimes do!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh027UusbQSdXg_WRnOHWeVOgjsVqLsGEIFuNPwOxlUDjnM5EZNR5LGnW4VCiE-BvDuM5Q05nnCrGBNcA2YU3lXvBtb41NCJqTO8GYQBwxt2N41wocIuuBleBjLoqvsRX3EUudRTG2T9ojm/s1600/IMG_2962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh027UusbQSdXg_WRnOHWeVOgjsVqLsGEIFuNPwOxlUDjnM5EZNR5LGnW4VCiE-BvDuM5Q05nnCrGBNcA2YU3lXvBtb41NCJqTO8GYQBwxt2N41wocIuuBleBjLoqvsRX3EUudRTG2T9ojm/s320/IMG_2962.JPG" width="320" /></a>However, if my program here has taught me something it's about being open to new styles of worship and church and how Jesus is celebrated among the different Christian churches. Being that my dissertation is largely on how to reach out to young people in our technology driven consumer culture I have been very interested in checking out other churches and experiencing something new to understand how the church impacts people depending on the setting. When my friend, Jeremy, invited me to come with him to his church, Hillsong, which perhaps you have heard of or participated in before. I specifically used the word 'participated' because Hillsong is a Christian Evangelical Church that is widely popular among young people as it is engaging, exciting, and LOUD.<br />
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Hillsong London is so big though that they hold their services in the Dominion Theatre on Tottenham Court Rd which is one of the largest west end theatres in London. Just to give you an idea about how big Hillsong is....the Dominion Theatre holds 2,182 seats and virtually ever seat was full! There are currently three services every Sunday and they are trying to add a fourth. If I had felt more confident I would have taken a picture inside but when I first walked in I had to ask Jeremy if this place was really considered to be a church. I won't lie, I was skeptical until the service started and let me explain why.<br />
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Walking out of Tottenham tube and into the theatre the first thing you can't help but notice is the band. Not just your typical 3-4 instrument ensemble but a full blown concert style band including strobe lights, flashing lights, and music video screens which not only played videos but had the words to all the songs projected on it. It was very overwhelming because people also treated it a little bit like a concert in that everyone was jumping around and waving their hands and shouting Alleluia! and Amen!<br />
<br />
As the service continued however I started to really feel excited about being there and appreciate this worship style. It was energizing and renewing and although it will never be able to replace my love of the Catholic Mass and tradition (you can start breathing again Mommy, no panic attack necessary) I do plan on participating again. The sermon was inspirational and just awesome in how captivated we all were. The pastor was from America and his name is pastor Weems and Jeremy and I decided he was from Texas or Alabama because of his mid-west/southern-ish accent that we loved. He also made references to baseball which I think went over pretty much everyone else's heads but the Americans in the room. He was very excited and you could tell that he was really passionate and cared about every word he spoke! Anyways, on that note, I leave you with my favorite quote from him tonight:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Every supernatural move by God is predicated by a very natural move by humans. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span><br />
Love from London,<br />
Kristin</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-8354560669199965462012-06-14T14:05:00.000-07:002012-06-14T14:05:37.967-07:00Riding Horses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaBTojmUnm7h_k47rfnlJyl7DWZFliiANpg07h1PcFupb1QUitasVRU3hkGF1g-byFjiHzgXmXA_K-24IXUEorjTHVA31myV1OaTXGC8oybit577r7m6XfOMAgu_kI1EGBrmYd2eGtncl/s1600/IMG_2685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaBTojmUnm7h_k47rfnlJyl7DWZFliiANpg07h1PcFupb1QUitasVRU3hkGF1g-byFjiHzgXmXA_K-24IXUEorjTHVA31myV1OaTXGC8oybit577r7m6XfOMAgu_kI1EGBrmYd2eGtncl/s320/IMG_2685.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
Six months ago, over Christmas break, Sharlene and I found a Groupon for horse back riding lessons in London and we just had to snatch it up! Unfortunately for us though this place was nearly impossible to get in touch with and Sharlene has spent months trying to call and email them. She finally got ahold of them and we set up a lesson for today! And for the first time in years I was back on a horse and loving every minute of it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNaP5n_HXghPPyO5y5WHxD8h2lNePJkFjwHZssK9ISXfYPFvrCYA4EM8SOY0FtL-LCmVMl_OxFeRN2GHqwFNcbbfJz0Hhqhl1ySWTyKaPsTzRiJdFFSe_MxPe9QTDFup9ye-gS6PgCahw/s1600/IMG_2671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNaP5n_HXghPPyO5y5WHxD8h2lNePJkFjwHZssK9ISXfYPFvrCYA4EM8SOY0FtL-LCmVMl_OxFeRN2GHqwFNcbbfJz0Hhqhl1ySWTyKaPsTzRiJdFFSe_MxPe9QTDFup9ye-gS6PgCahw/s320/IMG_2671.JPG" width="320" /></a>For the first part of our lesson they of course walked us around the stables and yards showing us how to clean the horses, put the saddle on, the layout of the woods and fields the property owns (absolutely stunning. It was very difficult to remember we were still in London). After all the introductions and tea break we were assigned our horses and began working on how to sit properly, hold the reigns, walk and then trot! I can proudly say that I was the only one in our group that was allowed to trot without having someone lead my horse. I guess I'm just a natural. HA! As if. But I won't lie and say I wasn't smiling widely when our instructor told the girl leading my horse that it was obviously unnecessary for her to be running next to me while I trotted my horse. I had such an awesome time that I have signed up for another lesson next week and the instructor said I definitely don't need the beginner lessons and to go straight to intermediate/advanced! Maybe I've missed my calling in life....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pBHJS473B8qohU-z6bUymvVo19NSkNXldQY7E11UfRZFTSZ91NmHjxra18rYshJZSizWFd3NSJ77kZT8A0pJK0FSNSub_x4EQkBTB39rx_Ha0VVlrb6Ve7OFXGAzRJfdDayyZe8e4SNl/s1600/IMG_2675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pBHJS473B8qohU-z6bUymvVo19NSkNXldQY7E11UfRZFTSZ91NmHjxra18rYshJZSizWFd3NSJ77kZT8A0pJK0FSNSub_x4EQkBTB39rx_Ha0VVlrb6Ve7OFXGAzRJfdDayyZe8e4SNl/s320/IMG_2675.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I mentioned before the stables are on a huge piece of land with forests, trails, fields and more and I plan on going back at least one more time to take a trip through there as well. You can sign up for a group "hike" or individual one and I think for that I may just do the individual lesson. Anyways, that's about all but it really was a GREAT time and I am so happy I have found this love again!<br />
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Love from London,<br />
Kristin</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-66072940752369908622012-06-13T00:57:00.000-07:002012-06-13T00:57:31.075-07:00Beginning Of The End<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDRmVGksBBEQwYhiuhQsQJQ3sF-3u2EKgf0dsp5BKmgLn73aidpY3fRQdVIoM59XvccVB_4mL4bpxtqKmTtSwrh5-HLoovMSpWlgZ83sxSkVOGHjrUK5QrQHyIYJgamTylXXUHI7LTS5N/s1600/IMG_2633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDRmVGksBBEQwYhiuhQsQJQ3sF-3u2EKgf0dsp5BKmgLn73aidpY3fRQdVIoM59XvccVB_4mL4bpxtqKmTtSwrh5-HLoovMSpWlgZ83sxSkVOGHjrUK5QrQHyIYJgamTylXXUHI7LTS5N/s320/IMG_2633.JPG" width="238" /></a>The final countdown to my return home has officially begun. In less than 3 weeks I will be back in sunny California soaking up the sun and enjoying Independence Day fireworks with my love, Javi! I am jittery with excitement yet also starting to feel the anxieties of moving again and leaving behind London which I have truly come to love. When I say moving again I don't just mean moving back to the states, though I am well aware of the reverse culture shock I am going to experience for the first few days/weeks I am back but also, I have moved flats here in London. I'm over the drama of it now (kinda) but for the few of you who don't know the story you can just ask me if you want to know.<br />
I wanted to show you guys a few pictures of my new 'home' which is really just a room with a bed, bathroom, stove, fridge, closet. Essentially everything I need as I hardly spend ANY time at home anyways.<br />
The shower makes me laugh thought. If you take a look there is no tub or even step into the shower. It is just a curtain to separate the toilet from the stream of water and it really was bizarre the first time I stepped into it. It will do however as my time here isn't going to be long.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17G-nbWYoCj1JdwnvcBVIg9bZij1vGZ5-OBs9Z5zQ7-8miDGqcHtOqMJGYQ_O2kKBWDqcVCURV13r_34rkC0dQBqA1ZFZh6nVLNLxfN4F5dZrtcht2gWiBOirT8Bo2tJyygj8PJaKJgnf/s1600/IMG_2635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17G-nbWYoCj1JdwnvcBVIg9bZij1vGZ5-OBs9Z5zQ7-8miDGqcHtOqMJGYQ_O2kKBWDqcVCURV13r_34rkC0dQBqA1ZFZh6nVLNLxfN4F5dZrtcht2gWiBOirT8Bo2tJyygj8PJaKJgnf/s320/IMG_2635.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17G-nbWYoCj1JdwnvcBVIg9bZij1vGZ5-OBs9Z5zQ7-8miDGqcHtOqMJGYQ_O2kKBWDqcVCURV13r_34rkC0dQBqA1ZFZh6nVLNLxfN4F5dZrtcht2gWiBOirT8Bo2tJyygj8PJaKJgnf/s1600/IMG_2635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiAx0i2ME4hc7hcye-8xjQtS6rZPJhMveVK5F4YVar_cEB3GyqlgUqKCZX5axMlsNTXSFX1g4jsDreIcdMVTmNY7ZQkj2Or6QIRcLNN1if781Tjjw3iHSEFADJ6qRZ3MnYqAF6BZWU7Ca/s1600/IMG_2653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiAx0i2ME4hc7hcye-8xjQtS6rZPJhMveVK5F4YVar_cEB3GyqlgUqKCZX5axMlsNTXSFX1g4jsDreIcdMVTmNY7ZQkj2Or6QIRcLNN1if781Tjjw3iHSEFADJ6qRZ3MnYqAF6BZWU7Ca/s320/IMG_2653.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div>
I continue to spend most of my days in Starbucks trying to pound out this dissertation before I leave here. In some ways, I am grateful for the miserable weather because if it was sunny and warm outside like when Laura visited I would be beyond irritable at being stuck inside. Chris and I set up a reward system for ourselves so that after every 5000 words we complete we get a prize. We have both passed the first 5000 words now which is very exciting and will be treating ourselves to dinner and drinks tonight after we finish our work! More exciting for me, I have officially passed the halfway mark of completing this paper ending yesterday at exactly 7600 words! For those of you who know how OCD I am about numbers, this seemed to be the perfect sign to me that I should stop for the day and give myself a break to watch The Office.<br />
Yup, I have started to watch again from Season 1 and I am loving it all over again as it continues to make me laugh out loud, break my heart, and at times wish I could work in a place like this all over again. Oh! I just noticed, if you look at the picture of my desk area you can see that I had an episode playing while I took these pictures hahaha<br />
So that's the new place and it may not be big but it does have all the essentials and although I never thought I'd say this, I do actually like living alone. Not that I'd want to do it for long but it's nice that I don't have to live with dirty people who don't clean up after themselves or who make loud noises early in the morning or cook food that smells bad or.....alright. I'm going to stop there.<br />
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Love from London,<br />
Kristin</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-29502937862261581502012-06-08T17:30:00.001-07:002012-06-08T17:30:19.682-07:00Zoo Lates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G_QxivxyZcI1vQ9CrtPFkROcX_7x-oFL-SeltErZ0EeWswL-aLNAgPGOrj-zQ8QXR-2LjKxOS9xGb14hO_-TCBSk98MlX_aBvNOqUUaiCS2q9ysjtz5NkzDgdKwDdHF1yWcbfFAylbZW/s1600/IMG_2411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G_QxivxyZcI1vQ9CrtPFkROcX_7x-oFL-SeltErZ0EeWswL-aLNAgPGOrj-zQ8QXR-2LjKxOS9xGb14hO_-TCBSk98MlX_aBvNOqUUaiCS2q9ysjtz5NkzDgdKwDdHF1yWcbfFAylbZW/s320/IMG_2411.JPG" width="238" /></a>Giraffe's and Lions and Penguins, oh my!<br />
It's been a while since I've been to a zoo so when Chris told me about Zoo Lates I got really excited and we immediately went online to order our tickets in advance! Zoo Lates is an event that only happens during summer when the days are longer and the sun is out late and for anyone 18+ you can head to the zoo and walk around from 6-10 eating food of all kinds from the stands set up near the entrance and drinking a beer while looking at all of the adorable animals! It was Chris, Mel and I and we knew we wanted to try and see all of the animals before 9ish when most of them go to bed so we started at one end and we went as fast as we possibly could while still spending actual time with each animal.<br />
Now the London Zoo is not quite like your average zoo. For starters it is much smaller than most but surprisingly large considering it is in the heart of London. However, when you walk through the entrance you immediately feel as though you are being transported into a different city. There is so much green and trees that reach up to the sky! I was truly shocked when halfway through I looked at Mel and Chris and said "you guys! We are in the middle of London watching penguins swim and monkeys swing from tree to tree!" I'm not sure why it felt so bizarre but it was so odd.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4xOPYekJlHlp1z-H8I4Iks8ih82vrONQ41WjxwENM2b82NZhz77C6Z-QHeW0BZVQ6LN3W0g7QtcirjiK8Kalgh9QaOfXUOTyFSjRH3LOP61ATwIX47YENdm0X1HVb8tx9Q3h781nZdQz/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4xOPYekJlHlp1z-H8I4Iks8ih82vrONQ41WjxwENM2b82NZhz77C6Z-QHeW0BZVQ6LN3W0g7QtcirjiK8Kalgh9QaOfXUOTyFSjRH3LOP61ATwIX47YENdm0X1HVb8tx9Q3h781nZdQz/s320/IMG_2450.JPG" width="238" /></a>When it started raining a bit (as of course it inevitably would( we headed to the snake house where we were instantly drawn to the crowd surrounding the boa constrictor. I have never in my entire life in any other place or time or even movie seen a snake as wide and as long and as absolutely TERRIFYING as this one. I nearly screamed. As we craned our necks around the crowd we realized that everyone was staring at it because it had just been served dinner...a whole chicken. The snake was slowly coiling his body around the chicken's body until all you saw sticking out of the top was the poor chicken's legs. Then! THEN! Then....We saw him unhinging his jaw over and over to force the bird down his throat and you could literally see the chicken moving little by little down the snakes body. It was the most disgusting yet entrancing thing I've ever watched. I so badly wanted to avert my eyes and yet...I couldn't. For most of you that's probably more details than you needed as it is so I won't continue but we watched for a good 10 minutes before we forced ourselves to move on so we could fit in the rest of the animals!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK97Vk51OYNBV9fvHjCYDeJvihbQkgYAaxXZJSA0YbX0PxG5ketwEA7WCK2yjWC1k8apB8OPP8ogZUjWuv06YcHnYqn9v-e2EUS4X8_dOCT08cLSHGMQWJpoFhreFEX0M2_XeDg-wGp35U/s1600/IMG_2455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK97Vk51OYNBV9fvHjCYDeJvihbQkgYAaxXZJSA0YbX0PxG5ketwEA7WCK2yjWC1k8apB8OPP8ogZUjWuv06YcHnYqn9v-e2EUS4X8_dOCT08cLSHGMQWJpoFhreFEX0M2_XeDg-wGp35U/s320/IMG_2455.JPG" width="240" /></a>Two of my all time favorite zoo animals are the monkeys and giraffes. I've always loved monkeys, probably because my parents always thought I was part monkey growing up, climbing trees and jumping around but giraffe's are just so beautiful too and I love them!!! So at the zoo I decided to buy myself a souvenir. A pet giraffe! Don't worry, he's a stuffed animal but he is quite large and a wonderful cuddle buddy! I saw him when we first walked into the gift shop before we began our tour of the zoo but I told myself not to get him (even though he was the LAST one of a special edition collection) and off we went to view the live animals. But at the end of our tour, as we were finishing up our ice creams, we went back into the gift shop and he was still there and I just knew I had to have him.<br />
As the three of us were trying to come up with a name we decided it should be something that sounded African but none of us knew any African names. I thought he looked a little shy but you can't just call a giraffe shy! We started shouting out words that were made up but had us laughing so hard and Chris came up with Gadu. I told him he could have the middle name but I chose Geronimo for his middle name and his second middle name is Aibu which is swahili for shy!! So his full name comes out to Geronimo Gadu Aibu. I love him a lot and he has moved in quite nicely with the rest of my menagerie.<br />
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Love from London,<br />Kristin</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-44230462827920204192012-06-06T15:07:00.002-07:002012-06-06T15:07:51.141-07:00God Save The Queen!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPPu5nVz47OJ8lqDxxckFAyunwQDrOtTrX2lXwNs0yNXBqD6-5b79Tt67_gxIgAcI4nAvDT9CT8Au_9koNCkHrRIG0iyNU3S30a_v_tuHEau9K8gNE8BUA5x0n9HLwiY2TnLfrcDvMzbh/s1600/P6030073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPPu5nVz47OJ8lqDxxckFAyunwQDrOtTrX2lXwNs0yNXBqD6-5b79Tt67_gxIgAcI4nAvDT9CT8Au_9koNCkHrRIG0iyNU3S30a_v_tuHEau9K8gNE8BUA5x0n9HLwiY2TnLfrcDvMzbh/s320/P6030073.JPG" width="320" /></a>When I return home in a few weeks and people ask me what my favorite part of being in London was I will easily be able to say, "The weekend I spent celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee!" Not only is a diamond jubilee unlikely to ever happen again in our lifetime but the camaraderie and lively attitude of the entire city made me feel as happy as I have ever felt in this city. It truly hit home for me just how much I love London and being a part of so much history that is happening while I take off this year to study. Through rain, wind, endless crowds and at times, short tempers I was able to celebrate with friends (and approximately 1 million other proud British folks) the life of the Queen and the love that England and it's commonwealth have for her. Even for those who are self-proclaimed anti-monarchists seemed to join in the festivities as they recognized the importance of such an event!<br />
The first part of the weekend I celebrated was on Sunday for the flotilla a.k.a. boat parade, down the River Thames. Over 1,000 boats flying flags from all the commonwealth territories and other such decorations floated down the river in a nearly 4 hour parade. We arrived at Westminster Bridge at approximately 10:30 and were greeted by swarms of people all trying to push their way to the front of the barriers by the bridge sides in an attempt to stake out the best position possible. We managed to secure a spot for 7 of us in a decent spot just a couple people behind the barrier. For the next 5 hours we played Uno, shared our picnic lunches and laughed at stories told by the Grampa who came alone to watch. Being that we were standing on Westminster Bridge and right next to Big Ben we also counted down every 15 minutes. Every time the bells rang one of us would say "oh! only 3 hours and 45 minutes to go!" or "yay! only 30 minutes to go!" you get the idea.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7Zr4D-yGGFceKNd-zMeeWoutkxyoNV1PBG_r1gn7nA9449KUhgVujvBotKv90nAjnlvHzRHaqUQ7w__OZurgt_IlFOHoNMABS5SURivhpHHsbk4h8U0LnDTqe_c5gVSob3eQI9rGXILn/s1600/P6030111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7Zr4D-yGGFceKNd-zMeeWoutkxyoNV1PBG_r1gn7nA9449KUhgVujvBotKv90nAjnlvHzRHaqUQ7w__OZurgt_IlFOHoNMABS5SURivhpHHsbk4h8U0LnDTqe_c5gVSob3eQI9rGXILn/s320/P6030111.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen's Boat</td></tr>
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As soon as the flotilla started to come by peopled pushed and shoved and I was jostled back a few places to where I couldn't really see much! Luckily, Will is very tall and I was able to sit on his shoulders to view the parade above everyone's heads!! The actual flotilla was like nothing I have ever seen. There was live music on one of the boats and all different shapes and sizes of crews rowing down the river. I took over 100 pictures I think but I'll just share with you the one carrying the Royal Family.<br />
I wish it was better quality but oh well, I know they're there!<br />
Monday afternoon was also an exciting day! Chris and I decided to try and get as close to Green Park as we would be allowed in hopes of hearing some of the concert and then we would head over to one of the street parties in Leicester Square. Little did we realize that walking up Pall Mall we were actually able to head right up to the front of the Gates to Buckingham Palace! It was remarkable! I'm so happy that both of us are little and able to slither and wiggle our way to the front of any crowd. There were at least 20 screens lining Pall Mall and the park so we parked ourselves in front of one of them and enjoyed the music from Sir Elton John, Ed Sheerhan, Sir Paul McCartney and so many other British artists. It blew me away how happy and joyful and excited everyone was! Just to be singing along and dancing in the street and jumping up and down waving our flags! I was also told that Javi's mom and sister saw us on the tv when clips were being replayed from it!!! We were sitting across from a camera and were hoping but had no idea what station it was for. Apparently an American one! yay! Anyways, the show that the light technicians put on was also incredible! At 9:30 when it was dark enough they started projecting pictures and movies on to the front of Buckingham Palace! It was stunning to see and the fireworks show at the very end rivaled ANY fireworks display I have ever witnessed on July 4th at home. I of course took hundreds of pictures and TONS of videos as well so anyone who wants to see those just let me know when I'm home!<br />
At the end of the concert Chris and I literally skipped out of the park waving our flags hollering God Save the Queen and We Love London!!! laughing our way to the tube along with 50,000 others. We decided to walk rather far away because they were limiting access to tubes anyways because of the great crowds. It was exhausting but completely worth it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN3CYYS094Oh5NLTfrYPmdrl9Y08Dj7mjfDdda1SK759I0HKccIZL_LlwIQVYzXPJUnfQybynoWTLEBPNiW4qT-d4wcShNn0O74-4BBEF01i1_bfrIi4WLpHqLccfVP5Ed9z4DQZvIITl/s1600/IMG_2579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN3CYYS094Oh5NLTfrYPmdrl9Y08Dj7mjfDdda1SK759I0HKccIZL_LlwIQVYzXPJUnfQybynoWTLEBPNiW4qT-d4wcShNn0O74-4BBEF01i1_bfrIi4WLpHqLccfVP5Ed9z4DQZvIITl/s320/IMG_2579.JPG" width="238" /></a>Tuesday was a very special day as well and we arrived back to our spot from the concert the night before to watch the procession of the Royal family to and from St. Paul's Cathedral where her thanksgiving mass was held and also to see her wave from the balcony. We waited over 6 hours for that wave and let me tell you, it was more than worth it. When we first arrived at the park we pushed our way to the front of the palace gates again and managed to snag a really good view of the gates and a spot where we would easily be able to see the Queen pass by. Unfortunately, after she re-entered the palace the police started allowing people from the back of Pall Mall to come forward into the palace gates and I swear I thought there was going to be a riot! People at the front of the gates who had been waiting since 5am were furious that those who showed up late or at least much later than them were going to make it inside the palace gates and they were not. There was lots of boo-ing and chanting of "let us in!" and I actually felt a little light headed from being crushed by people trying to push past the barriers. Chris and I decided to try and run back towards where they were letting the crowds in but by the time we reached the pathway they had already closed it. So what did we do? Hopped the gates of course! It may have been a little reckless considering all the police and security around but we did NOT wait that long to see the wave just to be stopped by some metal barriers. We wiggled, slithered, pushed and maybe even shoved a little until BAM we were at the front just to the left of the balcony. We had a clear view of everything and my eyes were brimming with tears because we made it so close! It had been a very long few days of no sleep, lots of standing, and lots of high emotions which for someone who cries as easily as I do means something like this was going to make me tear up.<br />
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When the Royal family walked on to the balcony the crowds went wild and I was waving my flag like a maniac in between trying to take as many pictures as possible! I got quite a few good ones that I'm really proud of. There was a 60 gun salute, a fly-over including red white and blue smoke from the Red Arrows. It was absolutely stunning and I know that nothing in my life will ever be like this experience.<br />
I hope that some of you were able to watch this on television, or even the clips and re-runs that BBC was playing throughout the weekend. If not, go look it up on youtube. You won't regret it.<br />
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The Royal Air Force fly-over ended the Jubilee weekend here and according to one paper the Queen was 'humbled' by it all. She truly is a remarkable woman though to many it seems she does not do much. She represents so much to so many people around the world and my time here has led me to respect her and appreciate the excitement of having royalty around. I love all things patriotic even if they aren't for my home country and I am truly unbelievably grateful that I was able to be in London for this unforgettable experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yah, I'd say we had a pretty good spot!</td></tr>
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Love from London,<br />
Kristin<br />
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P.S. For anyone who was interested in what story was that the Grampa told us here it is: When people find out that I was in the war they always want to know if I had to fight anyone. I always answer, "yah! As soon as I got married!" It was much funnier coming from him, probably because I forgot a few words or something but we laughed really hard. We then asked him if he wanted any chocolate to which he replied, "oh no, I'm trying to watch my figure!" and then patted his belly. So a little while later when we pulled out some veggies we asked him if he wanted some of those as they were healthier and he said, "oh no thanks, I'm trying to quit."<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-67835688312019190822012-05-31T16:27:00.001-07:002012-05-31T16:31:40.726-07:00A Relaxing Vacation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFquiDQGyFWlj4yMzfWXHyEWSVKdzR1U3qLq7mO17Oa4HvfBsEGyc137YWCgkXD7imzVWuBB3tC5FFVeoX-CNJGevLIcsZPh7djKbN9_GVTgtlnX-Qp8mOOGnJUDTFttE1ZsRjhQYBVOXK/s1600/P5190084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFquiDQGyFWlj4yMzfWXHyEWSVKdzR1U3qLq7mO17Oa4HvfBsEGyc137YWCgkXD7imzVWuBB3tC5FFVeoX-CNJGevLIcsZPh7djKbN9_GVTgtlnX-Qp8mOOGnJUDTFttE1ZsRjhQYBVOXK/s320/P5190084.JPG" width="240" /></a>It's been a busy 2 weeks since I last posted and it of course involved a little more traveling as well as such much needed and desired rest and relaxation. One of my good friends from LMU, Laura, came to visit me and for the last two weeks we have danced, laughed, and sang our way through Greece and London.<br />
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The day after Laura arrived we headed off to Athens! For those of you who don't remember, I LOVE old stuff. And history. And learning about it all! We stayed in a cute little hostel with cheerful staff and friendly travelers from around the world. The first night we arrived we attempted to get ourselves oriented with the area we were in (right below the acropolis!) but because it was dark and we were uncertain of the streets we decided that a little reading and sleep were in order so that we could have a full and productive day around the city.<br />
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We met up with several others from our hostel and joined a free walking tour provided by a man who has lived, worked, and studied in Athens for over two years. He is originally from Canada but moved to Athens after studying there and falling in love with the city. I was quite impressed when I heard him speaking in fluent Greek to some of the locals he knew in shops along the tour. He took us up to the front of the Acropolis, past the old market place and temples, past the old Olympic Stadium and back through the city center in all it's (minorly terrifying) glory. For all the bad press that Greece has been getting for problems they're causing with the Eurozone I expected to walk straight into protests and fights but besides a not-too-large group of neo-nazis chanting down the sidewalk there was not much to see in the way of political or social or any other kind of unrest. We didn't stay long because we had been warned by so many others to be careful of the main square and I wanted no part in anything that could have happened while we were there.<br />
Morning of day two involved shopping. Up and down the alleyways and side streets of souvenir shops and sandal stores and hand made leather bags! It was almost overwhelming but we managed to handle it. After stopping at several stores selling hand-made leather sandals we finally decided to try a few pairs on and within minutes had each purchased a pair. They are comfortable, seem durable so far, and are the perfect addition to future summer wardrobes.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyHh82UNwn1TnfgEGXnvUBTYmyEceFxjGYH_OHSL1_noO2MK4Kr_MFspRiWG4dX8lo4cCs1Cji9VUdY7M_6TYxFTCdRlF4R2vay7gjuQ3tXVzd3TKY0Ql8Bw71P5Hui-pJb_9xSi5ik6c/s1600/P5200126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyHh82UNwn1TnfgEGXnvUBTYmyEceFxjGYH_OHSL1_noO2MK4Kr_MFspRiWG4dX8lo4cCs1Cji9VUdY7M_6TYxFTCdRlF4R2vay7gjuQ3tXVzd3TKY0Ql8Bw71P5Hui-pJb_9xSi5ik6c/s320/P5200126.JPG" width="320" /></a>After a couple hours of shopping we then headed to the Island of Agistri. I cannot explain how beautiful and perfect our ocean view room was. We arrived to the island having no idea how to get to our hotel and under the assumption that we had over an hour drive to the hotel (thank you google maps for being useless everywhere but America) but it ended up being a less than 10 minute bus ride! The woman who owns the small hotel was unbelievably friendly from giving us her own personal beach towels to making sure we had a water boiler in case we wanted coffee in the morning as well as giving us a jar of fresh home-made jelly. I'm sad to say that Laura has now left and we still forgot to try it but I'll tell you how it is as soon as I do!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsp1vIYE9r_cKJLj5fA2dNCsZ_rjQ3nYldJamA65whnT-q1OS8oqrZvHphNndrmLnD4GBqoeNxSN782xs_cYd-O46jEbIl2egpAAz6WHhbbQoHIC4uuWnRbXA_cxtUYipKu7WhKW4nH_e0/s1600/P5210169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsp1vIYE9r_cKJLj5fA2dNCsZ_rjQ3nYldJamA65whnT-q1OS8oqrZvHphNndrmLnD4GBqoeNxSN782xs_cYd-O46jEbIl2egpAAz6WHhbbQoHIC4uuWnRbXA_cxtUYipKu7WhKW4nH_e0/s320/P5210169.JPG" width="320" /></a>We immediately headed down to the beach to soak up some afternoon rays and read some more of our books. I should probably mention that we each took 3 books with us making it seem as though we were carrying around a small library with us! We thought it was pretty funny and definitely necessary as we each went through over two of them in our time there. After sun we found a restaurant on the beach as well where we had some typical Greek food: Greek Salad, Mousaka- it is kind of like Greek Lasagna and tastes INCREDIBLE- as well as a meat platter of some kind involving kebabs. It was one of the most amazing meals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQzBRDWayEKUeEOve9gfYL1FN7iHCfGrDrgrCrnoH6kVhPNAeMGUSfygFgDiDRL1J_iYPpH27qWq21wpXRZulLYqPhB73eYJ990CPn0ExzQlbHxBxXoYl_zTWwOUdcFrP6MBakXN7imp0/s1600/P5210180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQzBRDWayEKUeEOve9gfYL1FN7iHCfGrDrgrCrnoH6kVhPNAeMGUSfygFgDiDRL1J_iYPpH27qWq21wpXRZulLYqPhB73eYJ990CPn0ExzQlbHxBxXoYl_zTWwOUdcFrP6MBakXN7imp0/s320/P5210180.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, those are eyeballs and legs and the whole bit. GAH!</td></tr>
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Side note: on a different night I also ate fresh shrimp that I nearly screamed at when put on our table. Yes, I am now aware that when you order shrimp and you are staying on the ocean you will probably get fresh, whole shrimp. Laura convinced me it was good and after promising I didn't have to suck out the meat through the head or brains or whatever (oh gosh I want to barf just thinking about it) I finally did it!! And boy was it worth it!! Any of you who love fresh seafood should be jealous.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVszIYc9hqxfWBT9eHVIMBlFIf8Ob6yfi6rw03y7XdaxKoYZuT4_POszb2VpGAh6XHi7_Vg9eANYfZDvTw8QHxZQ811OuZx8kG0gl3QQ40wwH-CdMFJUf3SgKeGzottVExz0GnzS5kwDFx/s1600/IMG_2387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVszIYc9hqxfWBT9eHVIMBlFIf8Ob6yfi6rw03y7XdaxKoYZuT4_POszb2VpGAh6XHi7_Vg9eANYfZDvTw8QHxZQ811OuZx8kG0gl3QQ40wwH-CdMFJUf3SgKeGzottVExz0GnzS5kwDFx/s320/IMG_2387.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yup! thank you Greece for new cheap reading glasses! </td></tr>
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We were both apparently craving sleep that night because we slept for 12 hours before getting out of bed to find breakfast. We had crepes which, funny enough, was also our first meal in Greece when we arrived in Athens. It was one of the few places still open and taking orders at 10pm when we arrived. Anyways. We ate more Crepes in the past 2 weeks than I probably have in the last year but I have no regrets! We then rented bikes from a kind lady near our hotel. Not only was it only 5euro each for the entire day but she didn't take any names, phone #'s, address, or collateral of any kind. She just handed us over the bikes and said to enjoy our ride! Being that we were only 2 of maybe 5 other tourists on the island I guess she didn't think there was anything to worry about. One of the main reasons we picked this Island as opposed to one of the more touristy and popular islands was because it is very small and has beautiful beaches with few people around where all we could do was lay on the beach and relax. Okay and ride bikes for quite some time as well but you know what I mean.<br />
By the morning of our departure we both had absolutely no desire to leave. We so badly wanted to stay and enjoy the sun and sand but alas it was off to London town.<br />
When we landed we were absolutely SHOCKED at how warm it was. Both of us in our jeans and sweaters were hot and sweaty and although I was happy to see sun it was crazy how different it was from the cold, windy and cloudy London that we left 4 days previously.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZso-zcnQkTFTHO3LWsiL9clyBs-EVck4eio6DzbjXwpP6yI_VlhHa9-s_E4VMZr-6s_8pFot-rEjrvPOrvghQ7_EZ8pyMv906ECX4NktZw7b4o5FeiW3sI0Bosn9LL7fEQ7PE6OWbkBys/s1600/IMG_2300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZso-zcnQkTFTHO3LWsiL9clyBs-EVck4eio6DzbjXwpP6yI_VlhHa9-s_E4VMZr-6s_8pFot-rEjrvPOrvghQ7_EZ8pyMv906ECX4NktZw7b4o5FeiW3sI0Bosn9LL7fEQ7PE6OWbkBys/s320/IMG_2300.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not blending. torture for Laura hahah</td></tr>
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To my excitement and enjoyment the sun and heat remained for the duration of Laura's stay. Because Laura has already been to London we were able to explore museums and parks and places that I haven't even been to yet. We went shopping and to the movies and sometimes just sat reading our books. We also went to see Mama Mia the musical and it was FANTASTIC! We sang our way through most of the performance and then came home and made our own videos hahah! Needless to say it was a fabulous time. We did manage to accomplish some school work but I won't lie. It wasn't much. It felt so...normal! Sometimes it really didn't feel like we were even in another country.<br />
I think my favorite day was the day we spent in Green Park reading, drinking far too much wine and making new friends (of course you did, Kristin). We practiced our long board technique too which must have been pretty darn entertaining for the hundreds and hundreds of other people also enjoying the sun on such a beautiful day.<br />
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Laura will be my last visitor from home for my time here so I'm happy it was such a beautiful time. I am truly blessed by her friendship and by the love of everyone who has helped to make my time here easier and happier. Thank you! And on a very happy note... In just over four weeks I will be reunited with my beautiful country, just in time for fourth of July celebrations! I can't wait!<br />
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Love from London,<br />
Krisitn</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-63442048536958411862012-05-15T09:32:00.000-07:002012-05-17T06:51:23.022-07:00A Dose of Celebrity<br />
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What started off as a hectic but humdrum Monday turned in to a really awesome first time experience! I met up with Chris to do our usual Starbucks studying and of course, being that we both love talking half the time, we started talking about our plans for the evening and he mentioned that he was going to the premiere of Snow White and the Huntsman with one of his friends to see Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart. I of course jumped at the chance to go on such an adventure and preceded to be distracted for the next 2ish hours as we finished up some studying before going. Now some of you may be surprised that in nearly 5 years of living in Los Angeles I have never attended a movie premiere or stalked celebrities. (Okay, there was that one time I hung out with some paparazzi after a Lakers game hoping and hoping to get a glimpse of Zac Efron...but that's a different story for a different time. ) To be honest, it never occurred to me that it was even allowed to show up to such affairs but it makes sense seeing as they are events held in large public places, in this case, Leicester Square. Everything was barricaded off with sections for the paparazzi and areas for fans to stand. We got a really good spot right next to the paparazzi so every celebrity that walked by had to stop in front of us to get their picture taken! A lot of the celebrities I couldn't even name because their from local tv shows or so and so's husband or wife but I took a bunch of pictures anyways because hey! maybe someday I'll be able to say "oh yah, I saw them once at a movie premier. no big deal" hahaha anyways, it was interesting to see how the celebrities handled all the screaming and shouting. For Charlize Theron, the smile never left her face and she was very gracious and friendly with fans, signing autographs etc and also kind to the tonssss of paparazzi that were screaming at her, trying to turn to every angle they wanted. Kristen Stewart however did not seem to handle it as well and I can't really blame her. She reacted the way I would probably act if hundreds of people were shouting at me at once. She looked a little shy yet also a little distressed. The paparazzi kept asking her to turn this way and that to see her beautiful dress and at one point she threw her hands up, shook her head and with a slight stressed out smile said "ugh ohmygosh". Or at least that's what we thought it looked like she said.<br />
I do feel bad for celebrities at times because I can't imagine having to live such a well-guarded life. Big stars can go literally nowhere without protection whether it's from creepy old men or screaming little girls. It must be frustrating to be watched every second of your life and live up to the expectations of SO many different people while still balancing who you want to be. Can't really blame so many celebrities for cracking under that kind of pressure.<br />
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Okay, enough of that. I leave you with a picture of Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart.<br />
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Love from London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-71643773170968269192012-05-13T12:07:00.000-07:002012-05-13T12:07:34.818-07:00I Have An Obsession With Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My latest adventures have taken me back to the beautiful, exciting, warm, sunny city of Barcelona, Spain and I don't even know how to start explaining the happiness this trip brought to me. For the past 2-3 weeks London has been rainy, cloudy and gray and I have wanted to be anywhere but here, counting down the days until I would touch down in Barcelona and finally feel the warm sun on my face. As the plane slowly descended into the El Prat Airport I saw the city bright with sunshine and my hand automatically reached out to touch the window which was surprisingly warming up as well. I immediately began to smile and for the next 3 1/2 days that smile never left my face!<br />
After disembarking and making my way as quickly as possible through border patrol and customs I literally ran outside the first door I could find even though I had to catch the train in the exact opposite direction to get into the city. I just needed to see- no feel- the sun!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g3IAtq9Wftio1LqPjhtBdR1nKj3P6N1RDON9IK8n4DqgF_LXKN7pq5qLo5Vg8yAXuoth9BxbbQBCNr6iZ86eQDTs_xFhml8TuphyNr63XFtFuPPM_iNaCpZpcQGkYjA-Gr3Q_Uu-RZ2N/s1600/IMG_2149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g3IAtq9Wftio1LqPjhtBdR1nKj3P6N1RDON9IK8n4DqgF_LXKN7pq5qLo5Vg8yAXuoth9BxbbQBCNr6iZ86eQDTs_xFhml8TuphyNr63XFtFuPPM_iNaCpZpcQGkYjA-Gr3Q_Uu-RZ2N/s320/IMG_2149.JPG" width="320" /></a>After a few minutes of that I found my way over to the train which was a quick 20 minute ride over to my hostel which I found easily using the directions from their website. Now when I told people I would be staying in a hostel by myself most were very nervous (as was I) but this hostel was not like other hostels I've seen. It was more like a hotel where you shared rooms (okay fine, that's what a hostel is- but it was fancier) and most of the other residents were adults. There were of course some kids about my age but the 5 other people in my room were all 35+ I would say. There was a place to lock up my bag and we had our own bathroom so we didn't have to walk down to a communal bathroom with all our things.<br />
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As soon as I figured out the wifi connection I contacted Aubrey's friend, Wences, who came and met up with me to begin the first of three days of touring the city! I can't express enough gratitude to Wences for playing tour guide for 3 full days. I would not have been or seen as many places as I did if it was not for him! When Aubrey first put us in contact and he asked me if there was anything specifically I wanted to see all I said was "the fountain that lights up and plays music!" hahah I didn't even know that this famous fountain was in front of the palace that I should be seeing. Silly Krisitn.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0dgtkvxGl6TOQ_IHlaT5VAUdk3gcs74Za6nMnZ6FtyhPsjRw-cj25mnMPCf-rwlhXpPip2l37QDEMsuSIlHRT-GNd8uUVoNYAMLxIrw1zqGQmsANI34DclhCuyag7Fjcp5zEaaA7rbGk/s1600/IMG_2190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0dgtkvxGl6TOQ_IHlaT5VAUdk3gcs74Za6nMnZ6FtyhPsjRw-cj25mnMPCf-rwlhXpPip2l37QDEMsuSIlHRT-GNd8uUVoNYAMLxIrw1zqGQmsANI34DclhCuyag7Fjcp5zEaaA7rbGk/s320/IMG_2190.JPG" width="263" /></a>Anyways, Wences has a motorbike so we were able to move our way through the city even faster and more efficiently allowing us to take advantage of the few days I had in the city. He took me to the important squares and plazas, the castle, the palace with the fountain, on two cable car rides, the Gaudi Cathedral, to his home for some homemade dinner, the Gaudi Park, and what I am most excited about....THE BEACH! That is right folks, for the first time in months I had my toes in the sand and although I have returned to London sunburned I am not the least bit upset. I was so unbelievably happy to be back in the water even if it was slightly cold and after getting over my discomfort at the fact that most of the women don't wear bathing suit tops I laid back, closed my eyes and took a nap in the sand!<br />
I don't think even I had quite realized how much I missed the ocean and the sand getting into every single thing I had with me and just the overall peacefulness of being near the sound of the ocean.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8njwNks15Qphy4Ty9EpUpknhjijnaLWVHTmrM2lJwQg7yGtrSFmsRtR3c0abI-zIWnsovzCTAjw0e8hDuHT9csAt0l2n_qCqtx7sk1ko4qUJk6AhlF3F3jdygj2VK22x2BhFrt2X1SOW/s1600/P5090070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8njwNks15Qphy4Ty9EpUpknhjijnaLWVHTmrM2lJwQg7yGtrSFmsRtR3c0abI-zIWnsovzCTAjw0e8hDuHT9csAt0l2n_qCqtx7sk1ko4qUJk6AhlF3F3jdygj2VK22x2BhFrt2X1SOW/s320/P5090070.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Gaudi Park and Gaudi Cathedral were also absolutely stunning! The park was originally meant to be a city within a city. A place for the rich to live a part from those (quite literally) beneath them. It is set at the top of a hill/street and we climbed all the way to the top and sat to take in the view and enjoy some sun. It was a beautiful walk and even though the lower levels were overflowing with tourists I enjoyed our brief rest at the top where not quite so many people were willing to climb.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe2ihmgDubiKD051Hrqi8QY5kJ2q6EYThZ9Ea4635hbysDtpq-gp7RoNz7XMCj2BRtr_azkeVh260OgA72Mn8WFYmoibatX3GD1GNND-KFun6IwkWJPuHgS04vnJhlrc4il5FRJIbv4Vi/s1600/P5110246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe2ihmgDubiKD051Hrqi8QY5kJ2q6EYThZ9Ea4635hbysDtpq-gp7RoNz7XMCj2BRtr_azkeVh260OgA72Mn8WFYmoibatX3GD1GNND-KFun6IwkWJPuHgS04vnJhlrc4il5FRJIbv4Vi/s320/P5110246.JPG" width="320" /></a>And the Cathedral...WOW. Just wow. It was so extraordinarily beautiful I can't even begin to explain to you the wonders of the work that has gone in to this beautiful building that has been in the works for over 100 years! We climbed one of the towers to the top and got some more beautiful pictures of the city as well as pictures of the construction. I'm hoping to go back someday when it is finished and take more pictures in the same places just to have a fun compare and contrast pictures.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKKmpfTyODfPyqNSJKqW8o49FHTl-PYCCoCTX6y4f4lLn5OraTjMXdncVoc9Etcffly8RUEwUkBfsG_IhWWjtwZuuzltDpx9EqorcnGZMlf3cwY3XVpevUZwFvxSJNwrUIbr3iLMTih8G/s1600/P5100132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKKmpfTyODfPyqNSJKqW8o49FHTl-PYCCoCTX6y4f4lLn5OraTjMXdncVoc9Etcffly8RUEwUkBfsG_IhWWjtwZuuzltDpx9EqorcnGZMlf3cwY3XVpevUZwFvxSJNwrUIbr3iLMTih8G/s320/P5100132.JPG" width="240" /></a>Another favorite spot was the castle which until 2 years ago was still used as a military base! Makes sense since it overlooks the sea and city and you can see forever and ever but I sure am glad it is open to the public now. I think it is possibly the biggest castle I have yet been in throughout my trips and it was fun to spend time wandering the outside walls and playing with the old guns etc...we also had some ice cream with our sea view! Perfection.<br />
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I could honestly go on forever about the wonderful time I had here. Lots of tapas, lots of Sangria, a bar with live music, making new friends and finally enjoying some rest and relaxation! Wences was so generous to put up with me for so many days and (if you read this) I hope you come to London or California one of these days so I can play tour guide!<br />
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This trip to Barcelona was exactly what my heart and soul needed to get back on track for school work. I suppose I am still a little distracted and have probably looked through all 300+ of my pictures many, many times now but I finally got the sun I was desperately craving and in just a short time I will be on my way to Greece to soak up some more of those glorious rays!<br />
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Love from London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-12828812992719156112012-05-07T13:10:00.001-07:002012-05-07T13:15:22.652-07:00I run to be...committedAs I believe I mentioned in a previous post I have been frequenting the gym again! I love working out. I love running. I love being in shape and feeling healthy again! Except for when I am lucky enough to have visitors I go every single day which is more than I've ever been able to go to the gym but with so much free time I figure it's a good way to do something good for myself as well as begin to train. Train for what you might ask? Another Nike Women's Half Marathon!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Shoes and New iPod</td></tr>
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Now for those of you who witnessed me run it last time or heard me talk about it after and promised I would never do that again...well I lied. I have officially registered for another grueling 13 miles up and down the hills of San Francisco. The difference this time is that I have promised myself, my family, and Aubrey (who I am running it with again- this time I want to keep up with her) that I will train. Not only did I not train for the last one but I had been sick for a few days, had a fever the day of, it was raining, I was cold and by the end I could hardly run. I am proud to say that although my time was pretty terrible- I think it was over 2 1/2 hours- I did run all but about 5-10 minutes of it which is probably why I was in so much pain for months after. I learned my lesson and I am more dedicated and excited to be training for this event than ever! I have a new pair of running shoes and an awesome new iPod that my wonderful boyfriend got me that now has updated running mixes on it as well as Nike+! What Nike+ does is track your runs for you. You can tell it how far you want to run or how long you want to run, you hit start and every kilometer you run it updates you how far you have gone! It's really handy because last time I tried "training" I had largely over-estimated how far I was actually running each day. It's not my fault though really, if your training period is in Arizona during the summer you try telling me that 1 block doesn't feel like 1 mile AT LEAST! Anyways. I guess once I am back home this summer I will have to accept that I will be awaking at 4am to run and hike Camelback mountain again. Or maybe I'll just need to stay in California a lot of the summer....I know a few people who would be okay with that. I'm not sure my parents are part of those people though. ;)<br />
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So why do I want to run this half marathon? Why do I want to put myself through this again? Because I like a challenge. Because I like showing people how tough I can be. Because I want to be committed to something that I need to work my butt off for! Because I can. Plus, it doesn't hurt that at the end of the race beautiful men in tuxes will be handing me a Tiffany's necklace off a silver platter. Really though, it's for the challenge. hahaha!<br />
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Love from London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-39834249934044980312012-05-05T13:43:00.000-07:002012-05-15T05:35:45.884-07:00LaundryLaundry. How I loathe doing laundry. So much so that at home I don't bother doing it more than once a month. I guess it's a good thing I'm lucky enough to have enough clothes for that to even be possible. To all my American friends....take a minute right now and appreciate your washer and dryer. I'm serious! Do it.<br />
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There is nothing like being able to throw a whole load of laundry in at once and then putting it in to a dryer that also fits all those clothes. Doing laundry out here is much more complicated than that. After my first few weeks out here I soon realized that doing laundry only once a month was not going to be a possibility. For starters, what would be 1 load of laundry at home has to be divided up into 2-3 sometimes 4 loads. Why? Because THIS is the size of our washing machine. At first glance you think "aww how cute!" Or at least that's what I said at first. But after being here for 8 months (WHOA! how did THAT happen?) I now despise laundry more than ever. When I say it's laundry day I literally mean an ENTIRE day must be devoted to all the laundry I have to do. You're probably asking "well Kristin, why don't you do your laundry more often than once a month?" And to that I will sigh and say "I DO." I know, I know, I shouldn't complain because in reality I am very, very lucky to even have a washing machine in my apartment. I maybe know one other person who is as lucky as that but still. Look at how tiny it is!!<br />
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The next problem is that this little machine is also the dryer. Yup, you got it. A washer/dryer combo. As you can maybe imagine, my things do not get very dry when the leftover water from the rinse cycle is still spinning through during the dry cycle. After a couple months of playing with the different settings I finally figured out that rather than putting it on the 3 hour dry cycle (no joke. 3 hours is an option) where my clothes come out smelling burnt and gross I have started to hang things up. Now being that I was too cheap to buy a £10 clothes drying rack and also too lazy to carry it back on the bus and home from the store, I hang it from my door way and take over all the chairs in the living room. I'm not sure how my roommates felt about having laundry strewn about all afternoon but hey! you gotta do whatcha gotta do to get those clothes dry and smelling fresh!<br />
Needless to say I am more than anxious to get home and hug my washer and dryer. Literally. I plan on hugging and thanking each one for being so beautiful and large.<br />
On a side note, it is not washing machines and dryers that I despise but rather the general act of doing laundry. The sorting and soap and timing it and then folding it and getting it organized into drawers....ugh. But ask anyone who has been in to Best Buy with me and they can attest to the fact that Washers and Dryers and appliances in general get me SO excited!! I'm such a dork like that but hey, nothing wrong with liking these things. <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Washers-Washing-Machines/Front-Loading-Washers/abcat0910002.c?id=abcat0910002" target="_blank">CLICK ME CLICK ME CLICK ME</a> This is the kind of stuff I love sprinting to as soon as I enter Best Buy hahahah I think Javi had thought I'd gone nuts when he first saw me go bug eyed and start playing with all the dials and knobs. And last time I went with my dad he had to tell me NO 100x's before I would leave. *sigh* poor Kristin. hahah just kidding.<br />
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Love from London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-90279858087391219412012-05-03T13:45:00.000-07:002012-05-03T13:45:42.675-07:00Random Happenings<br />
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A couple weeks ago I decided to take another stab at cooking using a recipe from my Harry Potter Cookbook! This time around was MUCH more successful than the last. No, really! It was! I decided to stick with a food I have cooked on numerous occasions and was always a hit among my roommates in college. PANCAKES!! There was a slight twist on these that made them better than any pancake recipe I've ever used. Lemons. I LOVEEEE lemons but why would I ever think to add them in to pancake mix? I sure am glad that the author of this "unofficial" Harry Potter cookbook thought to! The recipe was your basic pancake recipe with flour, sugar, eggs but also with grated lemon zest and a small amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice. The batter tasted wonderful and the pancakes even better than that! Anyone who wants the recipe just let me know, I'll email it to you. Mariel was a great assistant and laughed at me as I continued to eat about 3 pancakes worth of batter. You'll understand when I make them for you. Anyways, I can't wait to continue trying new recipes from this cookbook! I think it will be easier when I am back in America because often times I struggle to find some of the ingredients in the store here. If you look hard enough you can usually find everything but my patience is limited in the grocery store and my attention span even shorter than that and I usually find myself distracted by things I can throw in the microwave or oven instead of making myself, especially since I get bored cooking for myself sometimes.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />After long days spent in the library and reading for hours in whatever coffee shop I find comfortable that day (okay fine, 99% of the time it's a Starbucks. But I rotate between several of them! Not my fault they just seem to get me.) I am still trying to have fun and relax. The other evening my friend Chris invited me to the filming of a pilot episode of a new comedy show that will be launching here in a few months time. It was called Old Farts and Upstarts featuring Jo Brand. Or something along those lines. Basically it had 3 quite famous UK comedians who were a big deal "back in the day" hence their team name: Old Farts. The other team was made up of 3 up and coming comedians in the UK and all have been in television shows or on their own comedy tours. It was a lot of fun and although I didn't always understand all the British jokes or humor I still laughed for a good two hours and it felt good since the last two weeks of rain and gloom have left me feeling pretty down. Here is a picture of the set they used. I'm not sure we were supposed to even take pictures of this so I didn't feel quite nervy enough to pull out my camera during filming. It was so cool though to see how a real television show is filmed! Sometimes they would have us redo certain parts and make sure we were still clapping or laughing and they even filmed 3 different endings to the show so they would have options. And halfway through the makeup team came out to fix up the comedians faces as the studio was unbelievably hot and we, the audience, was sitting in the bleachers without lights on us. I can't imagine how hot they were on stage!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVNDNnsHQXwto5UjKxN4dKgRIiltqs7OgHaD5JasdT6cmfjOkSV0pBDVB9Ut3e3ZZ0pCmpBV6SxQv-X_9msnHPuMrGnNJdgD4y-OMPfTsTA3jSFZkuKFrC5hiA-W4c0rHdCqz5_akW3CD/s1600/IMG_1702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVNDNnsHQXwto5UjKxN4dKgRIiltqs7OgHaD5JasdT6cmfjOkSV0pBDVB9Ut3e3ZZ0pCmpBV6SxQv-X_9msnHPuMrGnNJdgD4y-OMPfTsTA3jSFZkuKFrC5hiA-W4c0rHdCqz5_akW3CD/s320/IMG_1702.JPG" width="320" /></a>As for this last picture...well I just like what the bus had to say. I'm not exactly sure how advertising on buses works here in the UK but it seems that as long as you pay for it you can post whatever you like on the side of a bus! Elections for mayor were today and so the past few weeks have been very intensely political and even the buses had ads for candidates which I can't imagine happening in the states. I suppose I could be wrong about that because I don't live in a city where I often see buses BUT I like that this one and a few others I saw that day made such a statement. It's true! Some people are gay. GET OVER IT!</div>
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Well, that is basically all that is going on, just a quick little update on my life. </div>
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Love from London,</div>
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Kristin</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-74638478246368153262012-05-01T08:12:00.000-07:002012-05-01T08:12:24.526-07:00Adventures With Javi<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4GZ0qWe_vpmjajkjj27r3r3uuoWICWrwijz79s01rosKPLoLEF9tkKFZ9hh2CZ9kk3qCpXaK5F6UIuuzRYFCPpil1zyll9rGSk_8XxKo3ZghgTR1avLs80FdWLT9mUOmJnOhL0SZ1qLQ/s1600/IMG_1733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4GZ0qWe_vpmjajkjj27r3r3uuoWICWrwijz79s01rosKPLoLEF9tkKFZ9hh2CZ9kk3qCpXaK5F6UIuuzRYFCPpil1zyll9rGSk_8XxKo3ZghgTR1avLs80FdWLT9mUOmJnOhL0SZ1qLQ/s320/IMG_1733.JPG" width="240" /></a>As all time seems to be doing lately, the last two weeks have flown by so quickly I think my head is still spinning. Javi has been visiting me the last 2 weeks and our travels have taken us all over the UK, Ireland, and Germany. Writing about absolutely everything we did would take ages but I'll give you as brief of a summary as I know how while including all the good bits!<br />
Javi arrived early morning April 18 and our reunion was so exciting. It involved lots of jumping up and down and a near tackle right outside the security doors but I didn't care if I made a scene. I was beyond excited to say the least! After a quick 2 hour nap I made us get up because you can't beat jet lag if you sleep through the whole day! We grabbed some dinner and then went to go see Titanic in 3D! Seeing as I was deprived of the opportunity to see it when it first came out in theaters I was ecstatic to be seeing it this time around! For anyone wondering how hard Javi fought me on the decision to see this movie....he didn't! It was actually Javi who suggested we see it together hahah. He's the best.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLqgk98Gke_gAEwnzxhcgxWvR4EIOqNs-w3jeXS6BiyAeNXfcW7CbmFs3vf-8yIEZLe71zX4OXDqyf2RSweZAn3f8LHK7vwNZCcuZyizXF61tksP6AYKhp7xZeFVYSMbJ1fDZ5ZaHd4TN/s1600/IMG_1944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLqgk98Gke_gAEwnzxhcgxWvR4EIOqNs-w3jeXS6BiyAeNXfcW7CbmFs3vf-8yIEZLe71zX4OXDqyf2RSweZAn3f8LHK7vwNZCcuZyizXF61tksP6AYKhp7xZeFVYSMbJ1fDZ5ZaHd4TN/s320/IMG_1944.JPG" width="320" /></a>Let's move on to Ireland. WOW. I am in love with this country. We landed in Dublin early afternoon and found our way to the center of the city. We mostly did a lot of wandering around, taking pictures in front of things that looked important and planning our few days there. Thanks to some awesome suggestions from my friend, John, we found a yummy fish and chips place, a cute pub and the Temple Bar. Now, when I was first told to find Temple Bar I assumed it was one bar. Singular. Not an entire area filled with adorable pubs, restaurants, and overall tourist sites. After settling this confusion between the two of us we did find the right area and even the actual "Temple Bar" and we had a great time listening to an Irish band play music and the next day we even saw Irish Step Dancers perform. On our second day in Dublin we decided to take a tour on the hop on/hop off bus and it was the best way to see as many of the sites as possible in our limited time in Dublin. We saw the outside of the palace (it was closed that day), a famous church I can't remember the name of and the best part of the day...touring the Guinness Factory! We walked through all the steps of the process from the grain to the water to taste testing it. We also had a ticket to go to the Guinness Academy and learn how to pour a proper pint of Guinness. It's a six step process and yes, we did graduate...we have certificates to prove it hahaha.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZqUR6d1ppB5yLVH7v96_eI9cvUBWoL9LAhY1DXW3Wi7wUbuVcIN1P_35Q4zsqMcwwxcObHdC43HxdQlbQCgY8cW0goXdwvEjw9EvR9wLMRiifD7DDPbIsA0UJRef8JrdYKuP1KjlP25W/s1600/IMG_1759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZqUR6d1ppB5yLVH7v96_eI9cvUBWoL9LAhY1DXW3Wi7wUbuVcIN1P_35Q4zsqMcwwxcObHdC43HxdQlbQCgY8cW0goXdwvEjw9EvR9wLMRiifD7DDPbIsA0UJRef8JrdYKuP1KjlP25W/s320/IMG_1759.JPG" width="239" /></a>Day 3 in Ireland sent us over to Galway where we woke up at 5:00am to catch our 6:00am bus. It worked out perfectly though because the tour we wanted to take ended up being partners with the bus that took us over to Galway so we were able to buy tickets and hop straight onto the tour bus where we headed off to see castles, cliffs, and caves! It was by far the BEST and my personal favorite day of our entire time in Ireland. Even the constant rain couldn't damper my mood as we passed breathtaking scenery and stood on the cliffs of Moher with the wind literally whipping my hair across my face. I felt very small standing on the cliffs and looking out over the ocean watching storm clouds seemingly race across the sky towards us. After the cliffs of Moher, the caves were my second favorite part of the tour. It was SO neat to see these caves which used to be used by bears for hibernation (bear bones were found inside and are actually still there). We were walked past huuuuge waterfalls, ducked under old rocks, and skipped down massive passageways that had slowly been formed over thousands of years. I was fascinated and thought it was SO neat.<br />
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Our time in Ireland sadly came to an end and we headed back for a few days in London where I not only got to show Javi around my stomping grounds but we also got to go on a tour of the Warner Brothers Studios where Harry Potter was filmed!!!!!! Javi found out about this tour and knowing how much I adore the Harry Potter series he gave me tickets for the tour including a souvenir book for Christmas this year. As you can all imagine I was absolutely stunned and ecstatic to go. I nearly cried on several occasions as excitement overtook me. I forgot to even take pictures! But luckily Javi was on top of things and took about 5000 pictures of me/for me/of the sets/and absolutely everything there was to see! From original costumes to props to video recreations of scenes and an actual broomstick you could ride....I was beyond impressed with the entire tour and I would have absolutely no problem going back again to spend another 3 hours there. Like I said, Javi took all the pictures because I was in a general state of hysteria the whole time but I did get a picture of the GIGANTIC castle they used for filming the Hogwarts castle. Even the most minute details had been put into place from working lights inside to the forbidden forest. I literally lost my breath from gasping so hard as I walked into the last room of the tour. It was absolutely incredible and this picture I have doesn't do it justice but it's a start. I could honestly make an entire blog post about this tour (and it just might happen when I have more time...) but if you want to know more, all you have to do is ask! ;) Harry Potter wasn't the only thing we did in London, don't worry. We also went on a tour to Stonehenge (yes, I've now been there three times), Windsor Castle, and Oxford! Of course the rain was unending yet again so we spent a lot of the day sprinting from the bus to sheltered areas and back to the bus again but I truly enjoyed seeing these new places with Javi! Windsor Castle was stunning and as I do with every castle, I imagined what it would be like to live in such a place. If you take out the fact that tourists take over your household on a daily basis it would be sooo cool to play hide and seek or dark tag. The possibilities would be endless! Anyways...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj-qI-KYQENWP4nyoBhXjKl7h-P3pBDO4zXY2Cor2zrL30DVt8fEiCJSyGEBEmicioMaTENVERWDF86SGj3Wi3RZ42KGfwx_1ugCNu_hu0KvcVS8f_y_II7ytxS4vRWHB_Tz6VFHZlKeV/s1600/IMG_2030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj-qI-KYQENWP4nyoBhXjKl7h-P3pBDO4zXY2Cor2zrL30DVt8fEiCJSyGEBEmicioMaTENVERWDF86SGj3Wi3RZ42KGfwx_1ugCNu_hu0KvcVS8f_y_II7ytxS4vRWHB_Tz6VFHZlKeV/s320/IMG_2030.JPG" width="238" /></a>After London it was off to Bremen, Germany to visit Thorsten for his 30th Birthday! Now in Bremen, it is a very big deal to turn 30 and a tradition stands where if you are not engaged/married by the day of your 30th birthday you have to sweep the church steps until a virgin comes and gives you a kiss. Although he was not forced to go to the actual church to do this, his co-workers and friends did make him follow through on this tradition not once. but twice! After lunch on his birthday we walked Thorsten back to his office and on the steps outside his coworkers had dumped thousands of bottle caps and he had to sweep them all up. Of course, people constantly walked through the piles making the task endless. At his birthday party that night he also had to sweep off the stage in the venue his part was held and THIS time...he was wearing a pink dolphin costume hahahah it was hysterical and great and maybe you just had to be there to understand but it was a great night with great people and I really do love the city of Bremen.<br />
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Early the next morning we headed off to Hamburg with Thorsten and his parents (who are just SO, SO amazing and great and I loved meeting them not through Skype) to watch him play in a very important Rugby game. It was so intense and exciting and I loved all the tension between the teams! Whichever team won got to advance to the next division for the season next year so there was a lot of hostility on the field. Want to know who won?!.......Thorsten's team!!!! YAY!!!!!!! I wish our trip to Bremen could have been longer...heck I wish all of our trips could have been longer. But we were very fortunate to have nearly 2 weeks together to explore parts of Europe and enjoy each others company.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7pXykQY2t4I89pKlbyj-5zIvv2B200rbs32c1nJB_9ZOPQsGphmApypTa7A9pAfW0KFRzwzsn4OQeR46T5JevUdLLJzUPujLV9aflSSqWSPGb1-ywiRsXRLZUtIeH2aFk8qlVtrqQ5d9/s1600/IMG_1871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7pXykQY2t4I89pKlbyj-5zIvv2B200rbs32c1nJB_9ZOPQsGphmApypTa7A9pAfW0KFRzwzsn4OQeR46T5JevUdLLJzUPujLV9aflSSqWSPGb1-ywiRsXRLZUtIeH2aFk8qlVtrqQ5d9/s320/IMG_1871.JPG" width="238" /></a>I'm struggling to figure out how it can possibly already be May. Not that I am complaining about how fast time is moving but WOW. I have two more trips coming up this month and then it's on to dissertation work only. Bummer right? I guess that is the purpose for me being out here though so like it or not, it must be done! With this last photo, I leave you.<br />
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Love from London,<br />
Kristin<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-12979950058650591232012-04-15T12:18:00.001-07:002012-04-15T12:18:26.288-07:00A Few FavoritesI haven't traveled anywhere new this week but with Javi less than 3 days from being here my travels are about to pick up again and I may not have time to update for a while. So, to make sure you all don't miss me too much I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite blogs that I read constantly throughout my weeks. More so than ever as I have currently deactivated my facebook for a few days/weeks...we'll see how long it lasts.<br />
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The first blog I want to tell you about, <span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><a href="http://www.postsecret.com/" target="_blank">POSTSECRET</a> </span>is my absolute favorite and I have been checking it religiously every Sunday for years and years. Alex and I first discovered the books around my sophomore (her freshman) year of high school when we were wandering around Barnes and Noble. (Quick side note: every Friday we would go to Desert Ridge and when there were no good movies to see we would wander from store to store until our last stop at B&N where we would spend aaages searching books to buy for that week. We would take turns every week buying a new book or two and then trading! It was a pretty sweet deal we had worked out. Hey Grapejuice, why don't we do that anymore?!) Anyways. So on one night we were actually looking in the music section for some reason I can't recall right now and we stumbled upon a Postsecret book that was tucked into the wrong shelf. We were immediately addicted and anxiously awaited each book to come out.<br />
Postsecret was started by Frank Warren who was interested in learning about other people's secrets. He self addressed/stamped hundreds (a thousand?) postcards with instructions for people to write a secret of theirs on it and return it to him. Before he knew it thousands upon thousands of secrets were/are being mailed to him and the books were then born. As the books became more and more popular he started a blog and every Sunday (at midnight exactly- I know, because I often refresh my browser at 12:00 on the dot to see the new secrets) he posts 15ish new secrets that he particularly enjoyed from that week. If it's near a holiday he will post a lot about people's holiday secrets/traditions etc... Anyways. I am so happy that Frank Warren came up with this experiment so many years ago and I'm happy to say I have been following it from essentially, the very beginning. The project is now 7 1/2 years old and going strong! I encourage you to check out the site and watch the most recent video about his project which went up last week. As of today over half a million secrets have been shared with Frank, making him one of the most trusted men in the world if you ask me!<br />
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The second blog I want to tell you about is <a href="http://makesmethink.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">MAKES ME THINK</span></a> and I'm warning you now, it will make you tear up. The blog is for those who want to tell about events that happen in their lives that quite literally, make them think. Click on the link above and you'll understand what I mean. They are often touching, heartfelt, sincere and most importantly, they make others think as well. I can't tell you how many times a week I look at this blog and think "wow, my problems are so trivial" or "that person has a good point." So many of them are about losing loved ones, a kind word from a stranger, or something embarrassing which made others laugh at them and each one reminds you that we are not alone. Everyone has day to day trials which make us think and when we share them with each other they help us feel not so alone.<br />
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The third blog I am obsessed with is <a href="http://dearphotograph.com/" target="_blank">DEAR PHOTOGRAPH</a> and it is a blog that started off as someone posting six photographs from their past held up in their original setting. I can't remember how I came across this blog but I sure am glad I did! This is another one that often makes me tear up because pictures hold more sentimental value than we give them credit for. In this technology age we live in it's a miracle if pictures even get printed any more. I personally print hundreds of pictures a year but you all know how camera crazy I am. (plus, after my hard drive crashed and I lost, literally, thousands of pictures, I am happy to say that at least I have a few hundred of them in "hard" copy.) Scroll through this blog and you'll see how touching it can be as you imagine the feelings these pictures evoke from their owners and the happiness in sharing it with the world wide web.<br />
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I have a lot of time to myself over here in London and sometimes that makes me feel like I'm going crazy. Reading blogs like these three not only make me feel like I'm not the only one who struggles with certain problems or fears irrational things or has weird OCD habits but it is also enjoyable to get an idea of what goes on in other peoples' minds! It's fascinating and makes me wish I had more actively pursued psychology in my undergrad. Buuuut that's a whole other discussion for another time.<br />
I know we're all really busy with school/work/life but I hope you have time to look through these three blogs at some point and enjoy them as much as I do! It's a much better time waster than Facebook or even Pinterest (AAHHH I can't stop pinteresting! I need help! haha)<br />
Ready, Set, ENJOY!<br />
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Love From London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-87805174966850152252012-04-11T13:43:00.001-07:002012-04-12T01:10:49.978-07:00If April Showers Bring May Flowers....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60e-GlP2d60NPmkuW5j22eGV8y0kHgUR6Y8We1lmk9TNlvN_44yVduo6l2yxyHdPj8K8s9kDodCixvGguQ99uMeH556yLecLBL202ibWSXZ21UH0YsaEXaXsbk4rO0HrCMYUHTMOdGKJT/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60e-GlP2d60NPmkuW5j22eGV8y0kHgUR6Y8We1lmk9TNlvN_44yVduo6l2yxyHdPj8K8s9kDodCixvGguQ99uMeH556yLecLBL202ibWSXZ21UH0YsaEXaXsbk4rO0HrCMYUHTMOdGKJT/s320/IMG_1698.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>...then come May I don't know WHAT London is going to do with all the flowers it's bound to have from all the rain we've had for the last several days.<br />
That's not to say the sun hasn't shown up for parts of the day but this picture here shows just one storm that has blown through here today! Anyways, I guess since I need to be forced indoors to focus on my school work it's not all bad to have this weather around and the sound of the rain is quite soothing. So all in all it's not bad for anything except my mood.<br />
Yesterday, however, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of the Palace of Westminster. The Palada is most commonly called Parliament around here and I was actually unaware of the fact that it was considered a palace and used to be used as a palace, until booking this tour! It was obviously a very historical tour so I was enthralled for all 75 of the very quickly spoken, nearly running to keep up with the guide, minutes of it! With the <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/occasions/stateopening/" target="_blank">State Opening of Parliament</a> coming up on May 9th we were walked the route that the Queen will be walking when she comes to give her speech. No, it is not written by her and it is apparently only 10-20 minutes long now (I'm sure much to the relief of most people in attendance) and it's not even guaranteed she'll know what she's saying but HEY! she is the QUEEN! Anyways. We walked through both the House of Commons and House of Lords though we were not allowed to sit down on the seats. That is a privilege you must earn and I'm glad that even the children respected that. I so badly we had been allowed to take pictures but...alas, respect for the age of the building and security and all that.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk01ggNMI8AYu0NEB6NZ7kZZVIvJ4oWnDbEoH1Kq9Y9RXC70CCMtfVowLmVeZbxKBo0H4X6cL1-Nc5xYOuhgummsr6TWySfxxGmO-B_c0rGPN74OUUDTBTkM2oa4Im-lJdBHQirDCaJF60/s1600/P4100004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk01ggNMI8AYu0NEB6NZ7kZZVIvJ4oWnDbEoH1Kq9Y9RXC70CCMtfVowLmVeZbxKBo0H4X6cL1-Nc5xYOuhgummsr6TWySfxxGmO-B_c0rGPN74OUUDTBTkM2oa4Im-lJdBHQirDCaJF60/s320/P4100004.JPG" width="240" /></a>Did you know that for (insert long time period here) years no royalty has crossed the bar into the house of commons from the house of lords because that is a sacred space for "the people" and when the Queen wishes to speak with the Commons she must send someone to knock on the door (which is previously slammed in his face as he approaches) and say something along the lines of "The Queen demands your attendance..." I feel like she should ask more politely instead of demanding but hey, tradition is tradition and if something's been done for hundreds of years...well you don't mess with it.<br />
There are so many more interesting facts that of course I just can't remember off the top of my head to share with you...darn I should have snuck in a recorder! Ah oh well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaUGx22Fp8qlOgpjnTVIPdf8a399fW-iL79EAtYrbArTakH_yvIcgW56-F0TULN9AoboO6WfO3oyGRrMH04bLCbwEJ4_fn21jvvMzpZwN5tf2fcAhBXPrJJM-Px4-meoouBdC9iBSzA2g/s1600/P4100010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaUGx22Fp8qlOgpjnTVIPdf8a399fW-iL79EAtYrbArTakH_yvIcgW56-F0TULN9AoboO6WfO3oyGRrMH04bLCbwEJ4_fn21jvvMzpZwN5tf2fcAhBXPrJJM-Px4-meoouBdC9iBSzA2g/s320/P4100010.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Included in my tour I was also allowed to go see the Jewel Tower which was/is part of the palace though no longer connected to the palace building. There is not much to see but it used to be quite a big deal! It was where stones were weighed and measured and money was kept and it is one of the last remaining parts of the ORIGINAL palace built like a million years ago or sometime in that time frame.<br />
These scales here were actual scales used in the tower when it was still in use. The tower was actually still used until around 1941 (whoa! how did I remember that?!) when it was finally deemed too small for the needs and purposes it was designed for. I can't tell you where everything was moved to now, probably somewhere inside the palace or somewhere important nearby.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAd5EZkQDaQpCU-DjNHydhu7M_cpWBWYENWVM7fdugqdugnTaMW56kPYIRhb9AJA7JGcySjNO8oGgHHMlq7z0IIcR5mP4DaWO6pQgTVVZRg-QH_bugkiDm2o-DOMEzYBW2sHEyrhK3TQ3F/s1600/IMG_1695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAd5EZkQDaQpCU-DjNHydhu7M_cpWBWYENWVM7fdugqdugnTaMW56kPYIRhb9AJA7JGcySjNO8oGgHHMlq7z0IIcR5mP4DaWO6pQgTVVZRg-QH_bugkiDm2o-DOMEzYBW2sHEyrhK3TQ3F/s320/IMG_1695.JPG" width="240" /></a>On an exciting note as well I got a haircut yesterday! Now I haven't trusted someone to cut my bangs (fringe as they insist on calling it here...what am I a table cloth?!) but it was time as they had finally grown past my chin and were more like a silly looking layer than bangs. So I went to a place near one of the Starbucks I was doing work at the other day and the nice lady who cut my hair was very patient and understanding of the fact that I wanted to keep all the length on my hair and that she had to be VERY careful not to mess up my bangs. I left feeling VERY happy with how it turned out and for the first time in several hair cutting experiences I haven't left crying. I suppose that's the difference when you pay for a decent hair cut as opposed to walking in to a chop shop ;)<br />
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Love from London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-46403026448171069462012-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:002012-04-08T12:53:39.552-07:00BlessingsI woke up early this morning and couldn't actually believe that Easter was already here. Time is moving so quickly and I can't believe that it's over a week in to April and not only have I completed another term and turned in my essays for both classes but I have begun research for my dissertation. I'm starting to get excited about it because it will be on a topic I get to pick all on my own! On this Easter evening however I'd like to reflect and share with you all why I feel so blessed in life. (Warning: this could get sappy). <div>In my life I have always been surrounded by a strong support system. My family always told me I could do whatever I put my mind to. Encouraging me to play sports I wasn't good at (ha!), helping me move to California to live near the beach and now helping me pursue my dream of living abroad and exploring new things on my own. I've always been a daredevil and I'm grateful that even when I scare them half to death they never try to hold me back. </div><div>Then I have the most amazing friends I could ever ask for. From Arizona to California you all have been my cheerleaders and I feel so incredibly lucky that we manage to stay close no matter the distance that separates us. Encouraging emails, texts, and letters that make me laugh and able to carry on when I want to give up. </div><div>Then of course I have been blessed with the most amazing boyfriend in the world who always takes care of me. From making sure I'm eating properly to taking my medicine when I'm sick to making me laugh when I've had an extra grumpy day of reading. He always loves me no matter my mood, no matter how un-put-together I seem to always be. </div><div>I feel like I could go on forever about how blessed I am to have such amazing people in my life! The last 7 months of this journey here in London has not always been easy but I have been so blessed with people who are going to get me through it! Being here is a blessing in itself and I am fully aware of the fact that I need to take advantage of all the opportunities I have out here and trust me, when it comes to travel and exploring...I AM! I have loved all the new places I've seen and experienced and I'm so excited to continue all of that! </div><div>I know this has been a scattered post but I guess the point is that I am BLESSED. The lent season passed quickly and in some ways I feel like I forgot about the season altogether. It's disappointing but at the same time I'm pretty excited that time seems to be moving. For anyone that was wondering about how I spent my Easter day I went to church at the <a href="http://www.bromptonoratory.com/Oratory_Home.html" target="_blank">Brompton Oratory</a> (sorry I forgot my camera :( so sad. But click on the link to look at pictures!) which is a beaaautiful church in South Kensington. I went with Caitlin, Mariel, and Pete so it was lovely being there with friends! We walked in right at the end of the Latin mass because it was running quite late so we waited to get good seats right up at the front. Then our mass started right after and let me tell you, the priest sped read through the readings and gospel and gave a 5 minute homily that would have made certain members of my family very happy. (cough cough daddy cough cough). There was also no music at this mass which saddened me a lot but within 45 quick minutes the mass was over and it was off to breakfast with Caitlin where we got to catch up on the last few weeks of our lives. After losing track of time we said our goodbyes and I then came home, went for a run, worked out a bit in my living room since the gym is closed (everywhere shuts down here for Easter- Friday-Monday a lot of places are closed. I appreciate that this country celebrates and enforces religious holidays haha but I'm not used to it.) And then I got to skype with my loving family back home! After I finish this update I'm going to try and get a little school work done before I watch a movie and crawl in to bed. So I leave you with the Di Marco 2012 Easter photo! </div><div><table 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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3b6YK4pBmmCIlhjacjCwqriP6lTDQQaA8qI4h2daBcwerTuuZJpTjTnHBdQyH33Mf9o3dDKbmZIkaJqkVB8T68NMdOcmkmBRxE_0bt555kh4lkUyppSAEjdIxq0fVlwX6YhpMzY6NzpK/s1600/Easter+Family+Picture.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3b6YK4pBmmCIlhjacjCwqriP6lTDQQaA8qI4h2daBcwerTuuZJpTjTnHBdQyH33Mf9o3dDKbmZIkaJqkVB8T68NMdOcmkmBRxE_0bt555kh4lkUyppSAEjdIxq0fVlwX6YhpMzY6NzpK/s320/Easter+Family+Picture.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter Family Photo 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Love from London,</div><div>Kristin<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-25908087669234724882012-04-03T15:03:00.002-07:002012-04-04T04:22:56.321-07:00Reflections<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe0EIUIgbzwtRqr9-NY3OpsliVdKvX9hBYUK8WeW-1mVrnB5FApF47udxXoKDXq4_Z01hxT1NytqjuE-_UWTQ1e9gV6yM6-z6XzVruGPybF205TJfcGszrW-k9_D9kW2nACG-P7Ung-SU/s1600/P3220279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe0EIUIgbzwtRqr9-NY3OpsliVdKvX9hBYUK8WeW-1mVrnB5FApF47udxXoKDXq4_Z01hxT1NytqjuE-_UWTQ1e9gV6yM6-z6XzVruGPybF205TJfcGszrW-k9_D9kW2nACG-P7Ung-SU/s320/P3220279.JPG" width="320" /></a>The rain outside tonight is reflecting my current mood as Lisa has officially taken off from London and it's back to reality for both of us. After some brief (okay not so brief) and embarrassing tears on my run and at the gym this afternoon I decided that tonight will be devoted to updating you all on the last couple days and getting as many pictures up as I can so that you can really follow our journey (if you have access to Facebook. If not...well, what century do you live in anyways?!) if you so desire. If I ramble or seem distracted I apologize. Just accept it and look at the pictures ;)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBbO8Dc6Es31oAOcfb_9E5fEiwPiHuMYh4R5WDNcW1RGLqS4Fi0cMDN2wlQvlwXxUD1siGD2TZm6RmKZfCLxoNcsJ4cTAPReqScpNYlAnXLjHwZdWvQRg__tVXvxYLHAzMgoWkGG22_q9/s1600/P4020129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBbO8Dc6Es31oAOcfb_9E5fEiwPiHuMYh4R5WDNcW1RGLqS4Fi0cMDN2wlQvlwXxUD1siGD2TZm6RmKZfCLxoNcsJ4cTAPReqScpNYlAnXLjHwZdWvQRg__tVXvxYLHAzMgoWkGG22_q9/s320/P4020129.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>For the past 3 or 4 days Lisa and I have been making sure to hit all the last main touristy sites we may have missed before Spain. We were finally able to climb to the top of St Paul's Cathedral after our third attempt. First time the whole church was closed for a fancy event, second time we were informed the top two outside views did not open until April 2nd so we finally went Monday and loved it! It beats the view from the London Eye for SURE. Well maybe it doesn't beat it but it sure does compete with it. The climb up is over 500 stairs though and gets very narrow and very steep so we were dizzy and minorly scared for a bit there but it was more than worth it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieypc2fDnYh5pL6sZ03g1a3JBoYTgh9VQ_EUt6G2yvuG0ngy8GM6_Z7p9f222KHCU3f9jFviu6Zv0HzjaJnTbIkzep228Rq5LMlHX23JNsRM4iUUQNIKfwNkOWDtiQrgIW0YhtEtGdHFCv/s1600/P3220285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieypc2fDnYh5pL6sZ03g1a3JBoYTgh9VQ_EUt6G2yvuG0ngy8GM6_Z7p9f222KHCU3f9jFviu6Zv0HzjaJnTbIkzep228Rq5LMlHX23JNsRM4iUUQNIKfwNkOWDtiQrgIW0YhtEtGdHFCv/s320/P3220285.JPG" width="320" /></a>The picture above is where we went to tea! It was in a very pretty hotel next to Kensington Gardens and the movie Nottinghill was filmed in one of their gardens. I can't remember if I've seen that movie or not but I remember we used to own it because I remember the VHS cover! Silly, Silly. Anyways we got to eat little sandwiches, tarts, macaroons, and lots of other yummy sweets. It was so good and we each tried a different type of tea- mine was called silver arrow or something like that. Clearly I only picked based on the name but I don't actually know anything about teas.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_f9gKSLTP0K-sR_FjEghZppXWYLEkUaPmqXjISB-ugY6RD5LSd6AqIB1YegC8H0F6TzG6a6_ldq180Y-66FdPp0Z7pLw6I1664mGYgIsrveEhHf_TqAfa0rX_oxCCGvMewekGofsS3uq/s1600/P3280007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_f9gKSLTP0K-sR_FjEghZppXWYLEkUaPmqXjISB-ugY6RD5LSd6AqIB1YegC8H0F6TzG6a6_ldq180Y-66FdPp0Z7pLw6I1664mGYgIsrveEhHf_TqAfa0rX_oxCCGvMewekGofsS3uq/s320/P3280007.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKaGOJ9Zj5RWgpLI2JqLnhGn3sC0bx_ALwZ-_u1ecuIkqj4bTMQRr5eTm9vN8S3WCUlesAbbVo94-qMFjkafbv1gIJdRDq0rVa1vsTwms_yBsW5bYPsZrWfttAXNXtrKYPJ3Q-fWWSZS0/s1600/P4020133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKaGOJ9Zj5RWgpLI2JqLnhGn3sC0bx_ALwZ-_u1ecuIkqj4bTMQRr5eTm9vN8S3WCUlesAbbVo94-qMFjkafbv1gIJdRDq0rVa1vsTwms_yBsW5bYPsZrWfttAXNXtrKYPJ3Q-fWWSZS0/s320/P4020133.JPG" width="320" /></a>This weekend we also went out dancing which was fun! We went to a club not too far away from my house called Ministry of Sound and it has a few different rooms with different types of music and it was nice to go out in London because it has been a long time since I have had time to enjoy a night out in London. School work seems to dominate my life which is probably good since I need to stay focused in between people's visits. We went out wiht our new Australian friend who taugh us Aussie slang hahhaha and also one of my roommates and we had such a great night out!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eYcEBOEEAhQfgyFAS_4_SLorjZzn5sMoD77QQDoxBBlMyXTanF9hyEdyLXC-Pqum_KXn5F7Y0bd2GTgEX2OEfflGCkTO1Hcq-NetMjLiYEDiTTt6UbPfyMgMZnEUaAwk49tN7EjE2eyu/s1600/P4010106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eYcEBOEEAhQfgyFAS_4_SLorjZzn5sMoD77QQDoxBBlMyXTanF9hyEdyLXC-Pqum_KXn5F7Y0bd2GTgEX2OEfflGCkTO1Hcq-NetMjLiYEDiTTt6UbPfyMgMZnEUaAwk49tN7EjE2eyu/s320/P4010106.JPG" width="320" /></a>I'm exhausted and need to get to sleep here in a few minutes. I thought I would be excited to have my bed back to myself but really I know I'll need all 5 of my pillows tonight more than I have because I liked laughing as we fell asleep and fighting over sides of the bed and being ridiculous and silly with our stuffed animals.<br />
Thanks, Lisa, for visiting me! It was such a wonderful trip and it truly has helped get me through small patches of homesickness. Miss you so much already!<br />
<br />
<br />
Love from London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-85241715142191898342012-03-31T05:18:00.000-07:002012-03-31T05:18:58.157-07:00Kind of a Big Deal (or two)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPhWLbsmUtby_1G71aFS93dkWMLf-KfLo6waQg6o_ngpdyINkpalmeQ98y6sV3hTpvn6KzDNgkhUNBRm05Doo7z1RBJ_sWlJ_FKTlQOOL5RHfRoBlGJdOCQqTRK2DVPBQl7i_UAHUVz5e/s1600/Pinkberry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPhWLbsmUtby_1G71aFS93dkWMLf-KfLo6waQg6o_ngpdyINkpalmeQ98y6sV3hTpvn6KzDNgkhUNBRm05Doo7z1RBJ_sWlJ_FKTlQOOL5RHfRoBlGJdOCQqTRK2DVPBQl7i_UAHUVz5e/s320/Pinkberry.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">So last week I was at the mall and was astounded at just how massive this building was! It not only had approximately every single store an American mall would have but it also had hundreds of food and clothing and shoe and any other type of store you can think of that I had never even heard of before. It was overwhelming and I probably only saw about 1/3 of it in my brief walk around after paper writing some more. The most exciting discovery was of course the fact that there is a PINKBERRY in the mall!!! It was exactly the same except they don't charge per topping and you can add as much as you want to your cup like at Yogurtland or Menchies. It made me so happy because I haven't had froyo in months and months! Poor Chris probably thought I had lost my marbles when I squealed as we turned a corner and BAM it was directly in front of us. hahaha but he kindly took a picture of me anyways which I of course have to share with you all here. Once I had some Pinkberry in my belly I managed to avoid stressing about my paper for a brief period of time which was quite a relief. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Now on another school related note...I am not famous on the King's Website! About 2 months ago now the director of our program asked if a few of us would be interviewed just answering the same 3 or 4 questions; why we picked King's, whether we liked the program, if it helped with career plans etc... I had actually completely forgotten about it until my friend, Bryan, told me to go look at the Program website and WHOA! There was part of my interview at the beginning of the video clip! I'm slightly embarrassed because I feel so young compared to everyone else and like my answer seemed silly but eh, I'll let you all decide what to think of it. It's kind of exciting either way! Now, I wonder how long that video will be up there....! <a href="http://www.kcl.ac.uk/prospectus/graduate/bible-and-ministry" target="_blank">WOW I'M FAMOUS.....kinda.</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Love from London,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kristin</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-67025306926692979082012-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:002012-03-30T15:32:04.382-07:00Who Does She Think She Is?!As I've mentioned in previous posts I have a lot of respect for the Queen of England and really enjoy the fact that I get to enjoy all the jubilee events happening around London this year. It's an exciting time to be in London but busier than ever and I'm struggling to accept the huge influx of tourists and craziness. Today, however, was especially disappointing. Lisa and I signed up for a tour to take us around Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle! We specifically chose this tour because we were so excited to go to the castle! We arrive at our tour this morning and they tell us that we can no longer go to the castle because although it just re-opened less than a month ago the Queen has decided that she needs to use it last minute today and we can therefore not be walking around the same place the queen is walking around! *GASP* how scandalous would that be?! In my opinion she should have just requested a wing of the castle and left the rest for us to tour but oh well...we instead went to Hampton Court Palace which was beautiful as well but not what we had planned. <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8_qPFonJ3hHMy6W1kdxjbFb5DWtN5ELSdT58hYHD9Eo22Bgw3w3wx5jajj2kVB22sIv7Bm15agldhcOuQDtE08xgl9sjN7tC1b51r8Th4Ha6M1Qivw4cTp11JyHy_mPWUNhIgwZSmcrr/s1600/P3300041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8_qPFonJ3hHMy6W1kdxjbFb5DWtN5ELSdT58hYHD9Eo22Bgw3w3wx5jajj2kVB22sIv7Bm15agldhcOuQDtE08xgl9sjN7tC1b51r8Th4Ha6M1Qivw4cTp11JyHy_mPWUNhIgwZSmcrr/s320/P3300041.JPG" width="320" /></a>The palace did have some beautiful gardens that we really enjoyed walking around. The oldest vine in the world is housed here and is literally thousands of years old. The roots spread out massively over the grounds and the parts we could see were thick and gnarly and in their own ugly way, stunning. We were able to walk around some of the state rooms but of course with our luck the Queens private rooms were closed off while an exhibit is being set up. Good thing I much preferred being outdoors today anyways as we were blessed with yet another gorgeous sunny day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy50j933WlIGJWV_9hV4wM2nFh7XL9Jg6o_id05d1tYJQnM0AZqcwFAoUIafPLD2E8Ti-kA4AVznPHXav9lZvNSeOuW3myXSW823pbOuBTXcBHdhobA4-MtzjyK3jR1ySgPiLOV0n2Sjcm/s1600/P3300052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy50j933WlIGJWV_9hV4wM2nFh7XL9Jg6o_id05d1tYJQnM0AZqcwFAoUIafPLD2E8Ti-kA4AVznPHXav9lZvNSeOuW3myXSW823pbOuBTXcBHdhobA4-MtzjyK3jR1ySgPiLOV0n2Sjcm/s320/P3300052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>After the palace we headed to Stonehenge which I was delighted to see again! I still find it fascinating and it was also at this point where we began talking to some other people on the tour who were about our age and we bonded over the crazy lady who was annoying the entire tour bus. I kid you not, not a single person wanted to sit next to her and she was yelling at people (us) for getting too close to her picture in front of Stonehenge (Ummmm HI, do you see all the people here?!) and she threw a fit because we weren't going to Windsor. I mean...who does the Queen think she is that she can use her own home when she feels like it?! Anyways...we really enjoyed seeing this and wish we could have stayed longer. Unfortunately we were only given 45 minutes but it was enough to learn about what history is assumed about the stones as well as some of the conspiracy theories that people have. Our guide was quite knowledgeable on every place we visited as well as what was going on outside our bus windows as we drove past so we learned a lot on the way to and from each location. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKARp-t_kaxMjnYYNXOD7mhPF0lZDtI-KlO5bsDj8xLpaxSEYJT3bY4wRwpeeiK1vddokPSgaM8N1UGc7BjDRcQSKXK2QOeFNuQBwWsr8LRUXNNhIlyOoRs5tjfVyH1lCCugOmrnPJub/s1600/IMG_1655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKARp-t_kaxMjnYYNXOD7mhPF0lZDtI-KlO5bsDj8xLpaxSEYJT3bY4wRwpeeiK1vddokPSgaM8N1UGc7BjDRcQSKXK2QOeFNuQBwWsr8LRUXNNhIlyOoRs5tjfVyH1lCCugOmrnPJub/s320/IMG_1655.JPG" width="244" /></a>The last stop on our tour was the city of Bath which again we had very little time to explore but we did get to go in and tour the old Roman Baths which was just incredible to me! Why do I love old things so much?! Probably because I like to imagine myself in that time and dream of what it must have been like in those times. But honestly it was stunning to see how much of the baths are still preserved and how technologically advanced it seems they would have had to have been in order to keep up such a building containing numerous rooms and both hot and cold baths along with rooms for exercise, massage, worship and more. The fact that the original ducts still have water flowing through them and you can still see the steam rising from the pools is pretty awesome. </div><div>It was approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive back in to London after our tour of Bath so we napped a little and enjoyed some of the pretty scenery and sunset. We all know how much I love sunsets and tonight the sun was a strange but bright orange color that I found beautiful. </div><div>Like I said earlier we made a couple friends on the tour and after our bus dropped us off we went and got hot chocolate! They are both from Australia and Lisa and I really enjoyed talking to them for a couple hours about traveling mostly but also about work and school and general get to know you things. I spoke with Mel a lot about what it's like living in London and she and I both agree that although we love London we can't wait to get home haha. It's funny because talking to her we decided we have a lot in common in terms of both of us wanting to be adventurous and explore new places and have new experiences and that we are both afraid of regret. I would rather come to London, struggle a bit and know what it's like to live virtually alone in another country for a year and then get the excitement of going back home than spend years wondering what it could have been like if I had just gotten the courage to do it! Long story short, we decided that we would both be very happy to say "We did it!" if nothing else comes of this year. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Love from London,</div><div>Kristin </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-85839770641217713542012-03-29T15:56:00.003-07:002012-03-30T16:35:07.825-07:00Still Being a Tourist and Loving It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ihVotJs-O_oxB34Zp_5B8s31ofzbNK0odjW-PvTIh3Kl-Gu4h_dVq9DHz-jmY-vLuMF9HzY1b8xNQugIrIEzLUK4oCxn7NmRP0SQT6aQJCtP3M4kRX_6Sf3Qav-Ny0BrSzYXqYLXwA80/s1600/P3220276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ihVotJs-O_oxB34Zp_5B8s31ofzbNK0odjW-PvTIh3Kl-Gu4h_dVq9DHz-jmY-vLuMF9HzY1b8xNQugIrIEzLUK4oCxn7NmRP0SQT6aQJCtP3M4kRX_6Sf3Qav-Ny0BrSzYXqYLXwA80/s320/P3220276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yUemeoDDnQ" target="_blank">Theme Song of our Travels</a></div>Every time I get to visit a new place whether in the UK or outside the UK I remember why I am so happy to be studying in London! Europe is so accessible and I am so lucky to be able to hop from place to place with so many people that I love. Currently my best friend from Los Angeles is visiting me and it has been the funniest/silliest/craziest/most enjoyable week and a half and I'm already dreading our travels together coming to an end. For now though, let me update you on everything we have been doing because it has been non-stop since the minute her plane landed at Heathrow.<br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrimFfL4LoALOT27qokaAKfFAfPnVOvn_llE6H9SkAY_c3UQZvbhBVZryI7JPTUd2IlT3D3glzU0_B7qKFe4w_HI7kOmU6iNFzTxkQOegI3ssig5RsMhP5flWH7c1EAJS5dfHXkeiZxquq/s1600/P3250352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrimFfL4LoALOT27qokaAKfFAfPnVOvn_llE6H9SkAY_c3UQZvbhBVZryI7JPTUd2IlT3D3glzU0_B7qKFe4w_HI7kOmU6iNFzTxkQOegI3ssig5RsMhP5flWH7c1EAJS5dfHXkeiZxquq/s320/P3250352.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The first afternoon was a little difficult for Lisa because she was very jet lagged and I wouldn't let her go to sleep until at least 10pm. It was for her own good! No better way to beat jet lag than get right on track with a sleep schedule. So we wandered Greenwich Park exploring areas I had never seen before on my runs and enjoying the beautiful flowers that seem to be growing somewhat wildly throughout the area. The next day we did a lot of walking starting at St. Paul's Cathedral and then walking to the Tate Modern to look at some pretty art things and then continuing on through Waterloo (past my school), Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus where we stopped for some drinks and then finally right back on home! It was a very long, exhausting and productive day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukzP6AJOBGmeHCJ8HOOzz0dAdYezVKlUTZnWK6ClAHiLRjg-LLHb5voo9QVZHHbHvRitfnYFIFN9_wOD8PwTui462_N978sVco2utl6oQHD3oEzOdy8gXYimPPQHuP6iaRwai8SreXcE_/s1600/P3260369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukzP6AJOBGmeHCJ8HOOzz0dAdYezVKlUTZnWK6ClAHiLRjg-LLHb5voo9QVZHHbHvRitfnYFIFN9_wOD8PwTui462_N978sVco2utl6oQHD3oEzOdy8gXYimPPQHuP6iaRwai8SreXcE_/s320/P3260369.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZH4lPSEiGJuwE3S7EZcC5th76_ncu2RfbPueh7j0QOuqUmxwdmgIsDUP75DLoB3_03Xhcv3GQWpjZKzYRB4ATrKRljJEPhMLjWtfLReQF7NTJNdAXZVdWsWW-bgJ9ldwNfhAAZOFxloKq/s1600/P3260370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZH4lPSEiGJuwE3S7EZcC5th76_ncu2RfbPueh7j0QOuqUmxwdmgIsDUP75DLoB3_03Xhcv3GQWpjZKzYRB4ATrKRljJEPhMLjWtfLReQF7NTJNdAXZVdWsWW-bgJ9ldwNfhAAZOFxloKq/s320/P3260370.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL5zy5KW6iClOyF1ty9qOojfNXN0A07RVzk22ruDnkEe5MB-pfBxix87WBw8gxT7DGjdqzjUcsd_HwGd9gpdjoC5L2FMB9PfeIh7XdBuGtv7FIQf_iVilO0HLv7rGeB4qZYF6I1X6Eft0/s1600/P3260409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL5zy5KW6iClOyF1ty9qOojfNXN0A07RVzk22ruDnkEe5MB-pfBxix87WBw8gxT7DGjdqzjUcsd_HwGd9gpdjoC5L2FMB9PfeIh7XdBuGtv7FIQf_iVilO0HLv7rGeB4qZYF6I1X6Eft0/s320/P3260409.JPG" width="320" /></a>Saturday, the highlight of our time together began! We headed off to Madrid, Spain for one of the best few days I ever could have asked for. The weather was so beautiful I wore shorts and dresses the entire time and it was so nice to not need a jacket for an entire FOUR days. We went to several major museums, rowed boats on Retiro Lake, toured the palace, ate lots of tapas and wonderful market food at San Miguel and were taken out by very friendly spanish girls who we met through my friend, Ruth, who I went to high school with and is now studying in Madrid! We had a wonderful time dancing the night away. Literally! The clubs do not open until after 1am so nobody shows up until at least 2am and since the metro doesn't open until 6am there's no point in leaving before that. It is customary to get breakfast on your way home from a night out and as much as Lisa and I wanted to partake in that we were beyond exhausted from our 4ish hours of sleep the night before. Yah, 4 hours because did I mention our flight Saturday morning was at 8am? Meaning we had to leave my place before 6. It was crazy and hectic and totally worth it. Spain is also another metro system that I am now comfortable with though I let Lisa do most of the navigating. My mind has been a jungle of so many cities and I kept getting mixed up as to which direction we were headed (typical Kristin) and so I gave up and left all that business to Lisa and she did a fantastical job of keeping us on track! The warm sunshine was honestly much needed for my sanity. Although London has plenty of sunshine it isn't warm like I am used to! Lisa and I both got some color and I feel so refreshed. </div><div>Being back in London has also been fun and we of course have kept plenty busy. The weather has been surprisingly warm and we are taking advantage of that. I wore flip flops for the first time in MONTHS (literally) and it was the best feeling in the world! Perhaps not practical for all the walking we have been doing but it was nice to enjoy for a day. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFwdhdq7-QNiJ9kz17zDRYlyemBd2Uvlx_TH9zT5AHSHsHxj5qcvH6y7FhZ4VQy0nI26AdRM8I-4LIvaxoVP8NtvgmMMpYREhHqWWWM8m_o7s8nK9OrQadSaJsF-svLThySdv97DOG5An/s1600/P3290038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFwdhdq7-QNiJ9kz17zDRYlyemBd2Uvlx_TH9zT5AHSHsHxj5qcvH6y7FhZ4VQy0nI26AdRM8I-4LIvaxoVP8NtvgmMMpYREhHqWWWM8m_o7s8nK9OrQadSaJsF-svLThySdv97DOG5An/s320/P3290038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only building in the world (supposedly?) that has been a Catholic<br />
church, a Jewish Synagogue, and an Islamic Mosque. Amazing.<br />
(It was also a Protestant Chapel and a Methodist Church though<br />
not for as long as it was the others. Currently it remains a Mosque<br />
where over 3000 people attend on Friday's!) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Tonight we went on a really awesome tour that involved seeing "behind the scenes" London which most people wouldn't think of exploring. It was a tour that involved experiencing street art in the East end and it's fascinating how much of a separate culture it is. It's not just tagging walls with spray cans or putting ugly graffitti all over the city but it truly is art and I am no fascinated. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and part of the art scene which made the tour feel authentic as well. The artists have created beauty in a part of London which is otherwise worn down, gray, dirty and mostly forgotten about until the Olympics committee decided they needed to clean up the city and in turn told many of the artists they had to stop painting/drawing on/and changing the building. Funny because until recently no one could really be bothered to even help clean the city streets but now that big businesses want to move in and expand and the city wants to show off all of London a culture has to change how it looks to the world. </div><br />
<div>Anyways, we passed several of the artists while we were on our tour and everyone was friendly, probably because our tour guide seemed to know absolutely everyone we passed and talked to! It was funny and again, felt authentic. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnuW8zKWhgUj-4050Rlw4TOYcyFdGoMibVdNzVCFfDVj8t6FE0xnrBBWxMR0Zn6Ebv8YBObaX8H0khkoMAyqQ1468xDoh5dhmw0icGVAPzcXjg7W4U2TnfnN9_S7WveAgIpnKhWKRvdeA/s1600/P3290040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnuW8zKWhgUj-4050Rlw4TOYcyFdGoMibVdNzVCFfDVj8t6FE0xnrBBWxMR0Zn6Ebv8YBObaX8H0khkoMAyqQ1468xDoh5dhmw0icGVAPzcXjg7W4U2TnfnN9_S7WveAgIpnKhWKRvdeA/s320/P3290040.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is all plaster chiseled out by hammer and nails</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>One cool fact: one of the artists who paints around the East End actually has one of his paintings hanging in the white house! David Cameron and Obama always exchange gifts when they see each other and Samantha Cameron (David Cameron's wife) somehow knew of this man and his artwork and wanting to make her husband seem cool to the president of the United States she told him to give Obama a piece of his artwork and BAM! Now this artist is commissioned by people all over the country to do work on their buildings, bill boards, etc... </div><div>Another one of the artists, Connor Something-rather, draws soldiers so I of course liked him the most. Another artist draws large animals in cities all around the world and makes hundreds of thousands when his art goes in to galleries. I find it beautiful that even though some can make thousands and thousands by selling in galleries they still want to spend their free time making an old run down city more beautiful with all of the colors and art they bring to the walls of the city. </div><div>Our tour guide also filled us in on a lot of fun, historical and sometimes quirky facts about the city which I will relay to anyone who asks. At least to the best that I can remember! There is so much that I want to share with you all and write down for future memories but I am so tired and it all just isn't coming to me right now. Pictures will be up on facebook in the next week or so as soon as I have some more free time. As for now, it is bedtime.<br />
<br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo-iwWyrCyJ7St54cgHgk-wYcm0-pE1lhlNB6F-DaSsAr-xoks5_XjUaw0theWh4lDHT3IkLT8IzGiWCjNganPqtMDrueklQ1v7KIhVyoT78tnJeUevz9WC2-mtgEGGeShx-v2_ST0-LU/s1600/P3290047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo-iwWyrCyJ7St54cgHgk-wYcm0-pE1lhlNB6F-DaSsAr-xoks5_XjUaw0theWh4lDHT3IkLT8IzGiWCjNganPqtMDrueklQ1v7KIhVyoT78tnJeUevz9WC2-mtgEGGeShx-v2_ST0-LU/s320/P3290047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>OH! For anyone who is wondering about the theme song I posted at the top of this post it is our theme song because 1. it is catchy and fun and 2. it was played over and over again and in every place we went to in Spain! It's a portuguese song but apparently this summer it became very popular in Spain and it's just one of those songs that when it's played everyone, no matter what the environment you're in, gets excited and sings along. We've had a lot of fun attempting to learn the words and then again trying to translate because there is no direct translation no matter how many different translators we have used. But it's fun! So, enjoy!<br />
<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Love from London (and Spain!)</div><div>Kristin </div><div><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-16431329230383722042012-03-18T13:16:00.002-07:002012-03-18T13:26:37.961-07:00Differences<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrOCSAB2KYqPaqgZCrzpTT3flz85nll1vywb9LkyhSzAwqgEv2-bU9rVKB9QqoGlPVRp_9veZkOQSMYB7J6pkuemEmHgdzwAKH9NxEGw2Cq7S5h_ueFir3JXlpuewiaBKu9pnTNef00v7/s1600/Photo+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrOCSAB2KYqPaqgZCrzpTT3flz85nll1vywb9LkyhSzAwqgEv2-bU9rVKB9QqoGlPVRp_9veZkOQSMYB7J6pkuemEmHgdzwAKH9NxEGw2Cq7S5h_ueFir3JXlpuewiaBKu9pnTNef00v7/s320/Photo+25.jpg" width="320" /></a>Ever since my dad left I have been doing school related things non-stop. The term has officially ended for me meaning classes are over but paper writing must still be accomplished. Although my papers aren't due until the end of April I have lots of visitors coming and I just won't have time in April to work on them so my usual over-achieving self has managed to create a schedule for completing both my papers, including editing, before Lisa arrives on Thursday! After days of sitting inside Starbucks looking like this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I officially have rough drafts done of both essays, which is quite an accomplishment I think. Now I may have always been an overachiever with a game plan weeks ahead of schedule (to the annoyance of my college roommates ;) ) but that doesn't mean I didn't have plenty of finals week meltdowns, including one near heart attack scare after too many extra large redbulls (seriously). However, it is the bonding moments which happen during the stress of finals week which I truly do miss. Staying up until all hours of the morning, laughing, crying, and the general hysteria of the campus as the countdown to summer began. It's different this time around because I have no countdown to summer as unfortunately even after these two essays are turned in I have to then write the biggest paper I have ever written in my life. Bigger than any paper I will probably ever write again. 15,000 words on a topic of my choice which is exciting and terrifying all at once. I still need to pick a topic but for now I'm going to play the game of denial because I just don't feel like thinking about it right now! My dissertation tutor tried to talk to me about PhD's and I nearly burst out laughing in his office. I was pleased he considered my first 2 essays to be so well written that he felt he wanted to encourage me to pursue school even further buuuuut I just don't see that happening. My brain is fried. Moving on to more differences...<br />
<br />
St. Patrick's Day in London.<br />
<br />
Caitlin and I met up on Saturday to have a pint and a pie and it was lovely! Somehow I had still never had an English pie so I went with the "traditional" steak and ale with chips and veggies and it was DELICIOUS! I can't wait to have it again.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyt4q0JdO6muBXm9g9faFaS5jLCwZ-Aq7EeDMapBvjYgfFwQ02B3DsfSLGnek4p3MAVxssH7PVgND8MBdVYLQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
Today, however, was the big parade and festival in <br />
Trafalgar Square and for weeks, since I first saw a<br />
poster for it at the bus stop, I have been excited for<br />
this parade. I love parades! Well let me tell you....this<br />
was the farthest thing from a parade. It was a joke<br />
and I don't know what everyone was so excited<br />
about. The festival itself was neat and the Irish<br />
Olympic Team was there speaking but the<br />
parade...pathetic is the nicest word I have for it.<br />
Imagine an hour of watching unorganized groups<br />
walk with banners.<br />
That was pretty much it. The most entertaining part <br />
of the afternoon was this man who was quite<br />
inebriated and pretending to Irish Dance in a non-<br />
approved break of the parade. Security came up and forced his group to continue moving after just a few seconds. I'm not sure why as there was nothing else to watch but hey! it was good fun while it lasted hahaha oh and the best part? He was playing his music from an old walkman connected to a speaker. I'm telling you, this guy was great. On top of all that (or lack of all that) there was also no confetti and not even one piece of candy thrown into the crowds. I mean....WHAT?!?!?<br />
Needless to say, I'll be happier next year back at Brennan's watching people get fined for pointing at turtle racing and drinking my green beer.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QEcArYKP9-fYlyR7dpyaxYqAIlYx17oE9d9Ou_gwfa3NE1hkVDt3LIDvROdU_xpZKBmfp6jVAyHB1QHMGWoHWBWWKDdP_Iuli0J11Rw0KTWYVxIRaJUD5TJarn3AmoXIM4w47EyP9x8T/s1600/P3150285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QEcArYKP9-fYlyR7dpyaxYqAIlYx17oE9d9Ou_gwfa3NE1hkVDt3LIDvROdU_xpZKBmfp6jVAyHB1QHMGWoHWBWWKDdP_Iuli0J11Rw0KTWYVxIRaJUD5TJarn3AmoXIM4w47EyP9x8T/s320/P3150285.JPG" width="240" /></a>One awesome part of my week was the field trip my Youth Ministry class went on to a church in Reading that is dedicated specifically to working with young adults in the city. We got to sit down and talk with the pastor who started the church and hear about what motivated him to take on such a task and what keeps him going. He told us stories about a few of the young people he is currently working with and the ways he sees their lives changed and it was really motivational. I know now that I really do want to work with high school students. I'm not sure yet what I want to do, maybe teaching, maybe some type of religious education or campus ministry but I know that I want to work with teenagers. I'll have to think a bit more about it when things calm down but hey! it's a start. Anyways, the church itself was also very beautiful and if I was still a teenager I would definitely want to hang out here! Pool tables, fooseball tables, video games, exercise classes, and of course Bible Studies and personal one on one time with adults in the congregation who are all required to devote a certain amount of time to working with the young adults if they want to be a part of this church. It sounds harsh writing it like that I suppose but it's something that SO many people in Reading are excited to dedicate their life to and that was really cool to see!<br />
<br />
Well, time to get a move on making some type of itinerary for Lisa's visit!!!<br />
<br />
<br />
Love From London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-68776156512207644422012-03-13T01:16:00.000-07:002012-03-13T01:16:21.525-07:00Czech Us Out!Hey, I never claimed to be funny. Or puny for that matter. <div><br />
<div>But YES! Daddy and I traveled to the Czech Republic for the last 3 days and it was so beautiful! We arrived Saturday evening and were first and foremost pleasantly surprised to find out our "hotel" was actually apartments and fairly large ones at that! One big bedroom, two bathrooms, and a living room. They had an AMAZING Italian restaurant connected to the reception area where I continued to eat far too much ever day but that's okay because I realized it had been quite a long time since I had had Italian food and I missed it. </div><div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmccy9DQuKpUvA5_BYuOLHj_nVsBlAAlKJlcFXWOu29J_AcLvR20ypuOdte4qXrnwRcuZ7K54qaf2zPLnPhDBM2nseXpfT_ZzFC9mnVYhNpY6y9-Ugw0Q4ACrVYRpr6WBohT1aru9EVAGb/s1600/P3110171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmccy9DQuKpUvA5_BYuOLHj_nVsBlAAlKJlcFXWOu29J_AcLvR20ypuOdte4qXrnwRcuZ7K54qaf2zPLnPhDBM2nseXpfT_ZzFC9mnVYhNpY6y9-Ugw0Q4ACrVYRpr6WBohT1aru9EVAGb/s320/P3110171.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wenceslas Square</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Anyways, the next two days involved wandering the city trying to locate ourselves on the map and figure out which towns and squares we were in. We saw the castle (DUH!), the Jewish Quarter, The Old Town Square and New Town. I tried to go on a tour at one point but being that it is still winter here and it was very cold and borderline rainy the whole weekend, it got canceled. But that's okay because I like exploring on my own, you almost feel like you figure out your way around a little better when you have to know how to get back and forth between places. </div><div><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aSyHtp8U06Do2tDJHIhqU0BmPU25315tto-wYh4G_IiZkOqzFgvu4d8hchtj-9zxbeG3YIZvxXHbCM6PRMo-to36MptIvfpMmIYIRw0hBkvdzFyruyOESHecMrZAfXf3X_DhmTaoB7tr/s1600/P3120260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aSyHtp8U06Do2tDJHIhqU0BmPU25315tto-wYh4G_IiZkOqzFgvu4d8hchtj-9zxbeG3YIZvxXHbCM6PRMo-to36MptIvfpMmIYIRw0hBkvdzFyruyOESHecMrZAfXf3X_DhmTaoB7tr/s320/P3120260.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Jewish Cemetery</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Another accomplishment was using the metro here! Okay it's not a huge accomplishment seeing as it only has 3 lines and they're color coded hahaha but hey, if I can continue to move around cities and be comfortable on public transportation then I am excited. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I think one of my favorite parts of the city was touring the Synagogues. My dad bought me a ticket so that I could tour all 6 of them and even go into the Old Cemetery and take pictures (which I find a little strange you have to pay extra for?)! Since Jewish people were exiled to only a small portion of the city and only allowed one piece of burial land they were forced to bury their dead one on top of each other sometimes as much as 10 people deep! I was walking behind a tour group as I was going through the cemetery and I heard the tour lady tell them that Although there are only (seriously, ONLY?!) 12,000 head stones in the cemetery, there are actually over 100,000 people buried there. I included a picture here so you could understand just how crowded this place really was. It was so sad to see especially when you compare it to the respect and dignity we are all allowed when burying our loved ones....at least a foot away from the person next to us and no one below or above us unless by choice. I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the Synagogues and being that I try to follow rules I listened to them and kept my camera tucked inside my jacket pocket. </div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQR79zTOIsY5jxPeUCF4i-m0nCENfb95RV5RCM6zSgEl55WBZEzLannBjdD_mGbnkeLQkUIxRlyIq2MhdrDAgD7R3ILvl88pP6jX360ayPG8BhqCYO3N1-UApQlcE13AoMAcRuWKGN4fk/s1600/P3110232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQR79zTOIsY5jxPeUCF4i-m0nCENfb95RV5RCM6zSgEl55WBZEzLannBjdD_mGbnkeLQkUIxRlyIq2MhdrDAgD7R3ILvl88pP6jX360ayPG8BhqCYO3N1-UApQlcE13AoMAcRuWKGN4fk/s320/P3110232.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Catholic Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZz0bl7cY9JjFfyF1Mc2wz-Ah4L9_DX2jz7uXWaXP0wZEBa1n8oZmQlx8QPP19TYEjokGQETYe2S2OCglRknTS4OoHr459x4C3E-hzmg6JHM1LmKmAY-Brf-tYo9KGCwzR93DQuY6A2Of/s1600/P3120273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZz0bl7cY9JjFfyF1Mc2wz-Ah4L9_DX2jz7uXWaXP0wZEBa1n8oZmQlx8QPP19TYEjokGQETYe2S2OCglRknTS4OoHr459x4C3E-hzmg6JHM1LmKmAY-Brf-tYo9KGCwzR93DQuY6A2Of/s320/P3120273.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>One of the other really cool things we saw was the clock in Old Town Square changing on the hour. It's (one of?) the oldest Astronomical clocks in the world and not only does it play music, have figures moving on the side AND inside of the clock but after the hour strikes there is a trumpet player involved. I think it's an experience you'll have to see for yourself. </div><br />
<div>I'd love to upload more pictures and videos however I am currently experiencing computer problems and apparently my hard drive is now full. How did this happen again?! Alright, not the point of this post, I'll see what the "genius bar" tells me to do this afternoon. </div><div><br />
</div><div>On a kind of side not but not really side not since I put a picture of it up....Castle's are SO COOL! This castle has been used and continues to be used for over 1000 years! That's so crazy but so awesome. We never did find out if they have a royal family or not though...I suppose I should have just googled it but perhaps one of you has the answer to that?!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Overall, Prague was a beautiful city and I will most DEFINITELY be making a return some day. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Love From London,</div><div>Kristin</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-27572695329714669852012-03-10T00:50:00.002-08:002012-03-10T03:39:26.775-08:00Travels with Daddy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I0A38ZtG95Mj68YoMzPb7sBV_KEfwEYHBVyATn9LXCTNG9lv3OgLWmGE70Ig1KAvt71Rai1fMaxDsfImLF4Yrp3BFAySruR6oykP6HTHGPBmk3mp9agxjJAomy_dgtww7C8nY1qN7pTS/s1600/P3090145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I0A38ZtG95Mj68YoMzPb7sBV_KEfwEYHBVyATn9LXCTNG9lv3OgLWmGE70Ig1KAvt71Rai1fMaxDsfImLF4Yrp3BFAySruR6oykP6HTHGPBmk3mp9agxjJAomy_dgtww7C8nY1qN7pTS/s320/P3090145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The past week has been a blur of traveling and enjoying time with my dad who has been here in London with me! We have been having a wonderful time in Manchester, Chester, London and today we head off to Prague for a few days!<br />
<div>Okay, back up, back up....</div><div>March 2nd I went to pick up my dad from the airport. After waiting over 2 hours to go through Customs and baggage I finally saw him come through the secret double doors that hide the long hallway from those patiently (or not so patiently) waiting to see loved ones they haven't seen in what feels like ages. It was a very happy reunion and we caught up the whole train ride home. The next day we wandered around Greenwich, pausing to take pictures in the park, walk through the National Maritime Museum and stroll through the market eating spicy chorizo and chips! It was a good day out and about in the beautiful Greenwich area and I realize more so than ever how much I love it over here! As busy and hectic as Greenwich Town Center can get, it's much slower than central London and not quite as many tourists which is always a plus in my eyes. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxmcRo1gN650-33xGc3CYaJXp4FPTmNcRM3lnrVWmzPhWyE1ZCaRReA1tGubEki1_QC3_MUStshctfH07Bqbrlt4ETCnyUZZ1Me9ckVuW7n_QgDNNAW0DRND3lLwbDr10kF7fEnZhWs7v/s1600/P3040033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxmcRo1gN650-33xGc3CYaJXp4FPTmNcRM3lnrVWmzPhWyE1ZCaRReA1tGubEki1_QC3_MUStshctfH07Bqbrlt4ETCnyUZZ1Me9ckVuW7n_QgDNNAW0DRND3lLwbDr10kF7fEnZhWs7v/s320/P3040033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piece of the Bible</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Very early the next morning we headed off to Manchester! Before you say anything, no we did not get to see a "football" game and yes, we actually did find plenty to do in this very industrial city. It was fun because I honestly enjoy traveling to places most people wouldn't bother checking out. We found the John Ryland's Library which is GORGEOUS and filled with SUPER old books including Shakespeare plays and some of the first science books. Some of the rooms reminded me of the shop from Beauty and the Beast that Belle visits at the beginning of the movie! Heaven. There was also a small piece of what has been dated to be one of the first Bible's in the WORLD. That blows my mind. So anyways we spent an hours-ish in there and then headed over to the Museum of Science and Industry, or MOSI, and we spent hours in there! </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P4RbCJ542HykNIEcDhvCFB7Imh6zcUBb3QdVmvkrCwfclKGAfNPfvbxdV1DKoT3v79-WEuWtkhqNh0eG-i2C_gjOiEzwGNj8H0CHS3nHF0dMwskDHPAJa7bfqY1rVkupvEeUaabpZ1XL/s1600/P3050080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P4RbCJ542HykNIEcDhvCFB7Imh6zcUBb3QdVmvkrCwfclKGAfNPfvbxdV1DKoT3v79-WEuWtkhqNh0eG-i2C_gjOiEzwGNj8H0CHS3nHF0dMwskDHPAJa7bfqY1rVkupvEeUaabpZ1XL/s320/P3050080.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imperial War Museum<br />
(during the fire alarm!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>See Manchester is one of the first industrial cities in the world and practically started the industrial revolution. They were at the forefront of textiles and machinery and we got to see a demonstration of how cotton is made- from picked off the plant to a piece of cloth- and it was so cool! These machines are monstrous and I can't remember the statistic but lots of people (often children) died handling these machines that moved quickly and relentlessly and didn't notice if it took a finger, arm (yes, one machine was known to rip off whole body parts if even a tiny piece of your clothing got stuck to it), or even a life. The museum also had a whole building for trains! This was so, SO cool because you could see into them and they had one that was cut down the center so you could see how it was made etc... The next day we ended up spending 6 hours in the Imperial War Museum which I am very grateful my dad was just as excited to do as I was! I think we made it through just about every exhibit and more than ever I love these museums! </div><div>While in Manchester we also wanted to go see the historic town of Chester and though we planned on spending one full day there we ended up only getting to spend a few hours. I came down with a nasty flu of some kind and not being able to guarantee I'd have a bathroom, trash can, or other receptacle of some kind next to me every moment of the day we decided it best for me to just stay in bed. Chester is sooo pretty though and I'm hoping to make time to go back before I leave here. </div><div>The last two days have been spent in London doing some more touring of the city and enjoying just being here. We listened to the Evensong at Westminster Abbey which seems more and more beautiful every time I listen to it and we also listened to the end of a debate in the House of Commons in the Houses of Parliament which I found pretty neat even though it was about fish or something...hahah anyways. </div><div>So in a few hours here we are heading off to Prague and although it is supposed to be freezing cold I am very excited to explore its rich history! Bundled up in my ski jacket and not forgetting my scarf and gloves I think it will be an excellent trip! </div><div><br />
</div><div>Love from London,</div><div>Kristin</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503594989597878554.post-83697999726475596492012-02-27T12:18:00.001-08:002012-02-27T12:18:25.240-08:00No Cake Boss In My FutureThis morning I was looking through my Harry Potter cookbook (thanks, Javi!) and I decided I wanted to try and bake something. I figured I'd start off simple, with a dessert that didn't even require the use of the oven! It essentially sounded like puppy chow which I love and only needed 4 ingredients so I figured it would be easy peasy. WRONG. Not that I'm surprised since I'm a half failure in the kitchen anyways but this....THIS was a whole new level of failure. I did however learn a few important lessons:<br />
<br />
1. Read all directions thoroughly before starting a new recipe.<br />
2. Read all ingredients carefully before you use 2 cups of the wrong kind of sugar.<br />
3. Do not (seriously, don't) double a recipe you have never tried before especially if you have no one to give said cookies to when done.<br />
4. Don't forget when you put chocolate on the stove to melt.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm not saying that this recipe was a complete disaster, I still find the combination of sugar, peanut butter, chocolate, and Rice Krispy cereal quite delicious however, I now have more of this concoction than I know what to do with and the only people I know would gobble this stuff up are across the Atlantic. *insert long sigh here*<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6_3VPPkw6QWQqQDaAvan10L5-CQKpF7HCutuGCu-BHYpGBRADjHC8YlX0eatOfsepxLyjm0SAAUPyRvGkEVp91S0vutuROiLGmCXA-PYSVNXTcEoyGlYY0hH3bNjHadKjrl8ku5xZGWq/s1600/P2270028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6_3VPPkw6QWQqQDaAvan10L5-CQKpF7HCutuGCu-BHYpGBRADjHC8YlX0eatOfsepxLyjm0SAAUPyRvGkEVp91S0vutuROiLGmCXA-PYSVNXTcEoyGlYY0hH3bNjHadKjrl8ku5xZGWq/s320/P2270028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So, my first foray into the world of harry potter recipes did not go quite as planned but fear not! Next I try a dinner or lunch option which won't require me to handle melting chocolate or ingredients that are difficult to find at the market here (who knew powdered sugar was such a difficult ingredient to find! whoops to me buying regular sugar.)<br />
<br />
I'll let you know how the next recipe goes. Maybe while my daddy is here we can try a recipe together! He's a MUCH better cook than I will ever be.<br />
<br />
<br />
Love from London,<br />
KristinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741620535583934171noreply@blogger.com0