Paige Gibbons

Brighton, Oxford and Cambridge

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:49:02 -0400

Marcos and I went on a few day trips before our time at St. Mary’s was over. The first day trip we did was to Oxford. This was a very old city and college town. Oxford was huge and I was not aware of all of the small colleges that it broke up into. Most of the colleges were closed to the public so Marcos and I pretended that we were college students and went to the school. This was exciting and we felt very adventurous. Oxford was actually not very big and it can be seen in a couple of hours. We found this tree that was blooming with pink petals. There was also a bench. We sat down and someone took our pictures and they turned out amazing. The wind was blowing so the petals made it look like rain. We found a little garden and sat there and and enjoyed the day and being together.

Next we were off to Brighton. Brighton is on the beach. This town was way smaller than Oxford. We got to the beach and there was no sand! Only stones so it was quite a workout to walk on the beach because you would sink so deep. It was so cold the day I went that I was actually wearing gloves! We walked on the board walk which is all in the ocean, well above it. There was a huge ferris wheel and rides and treats. There were arcades and casinos. It was cute but it was also very old and dated! Marcos and I went into the town after exploring the board walk and found this huge building that looked Indian. It was rather strange and looked out of place. Of course you had to pay to get in so we just saw the outside. We were eating lunch on a bench near the building when all of a sudden a seagull pooped on Marcos’ pants. It was priceless and so hilarious although I was so thankful it did not happen to me! I couldn’t stop laughing!!! We had a nice day despite of the cold!

Our last trip was to Cambridge. This was by far my favorite out of the three. Cambridge college was so beautiful. I was so in love with it. The town was so cute and the buildings were so amazing. I liked it so much better than Oxford. Marcos and I had lunch in the park and went to the huge Catholic Cathedral. Then we went and explored the town. Marcos and I went on a boat ride on the river and you could see all of the colleges from the boat. It was very beautiful and romantic. The boats were called bunting and a person used a pole to push off the bottom to the river floor. The weather was nice and this was the perfect ending to our many adventures! I was so glad I got to explore a lot of places in England because it is a very beautiful country!

Goodbye Teenage Years

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:32:29 -0400

May 1st came way too quickly. I always look forward to my birthday but this year I was dreading it because I knew my time at St. Mary’s would be ending right after my birthday. Something really special happened where it was my birthday in London and still my mom’s birthday back home so we were sharing the same day! It was really special to have that. I was sad to not be home spending my birthday with my parents. I knew they really missed me. Marcos planned a special day for me and we got up early and were off to London for a great day. He surprised me with each place we went. First we saw the changing of the guards and Marble Arch. Then we walked around Hyde Park and fed the ducks and squirrels. Yes the squirrels actually come up to you and eat a nut out of your hand. Its so crazy yet so cute. We went to Portobello Market and then we stopped to have lunch and ice cream of course! Then we went to Covent Garden and then to Tower Bridge. He took me out to dinner and then went back to college. My friends had planned a surprise party for me when I got back and they had a s’mores cake and balloons and everything. It was a really special birthday and I know it is one I will never forget. Marcos decided to take me on Birthday #2 day in London the next week :) He really spoiled me!

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Morocco

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:35:53 -0400

Morocco was a once in a lifetime adventure. There were 14 of us going to Morocco from my school to the surf camp. We took the train to the airport and got to board outside on the plane. The people going were the Americans: Jasmine, Anna, Abigail, Kaitlyn, Alex, Liz, Alex S, and I. The Australians: Lewis, Jess, and Alex; and the Spanish: Victor, Hines, and Polo. We got to Morocco at night and the sun was setting. It was very warm and it looked like a desert. There was sand everywhere. We had to take a cab to the hotel and the money was so confusing! The money they use is durhim. 100 Durhim equals 1 euro so it wasn’t that confusing really. But we got to our hotel which was really nice. They had all these crazy chairs and exotic lamps and the chandelier must have been 20 feet tall. On our way to the hotel we passed so many Muslims and people were riding on Camels or donkeys. There were so many people on motorcycles. They would have their whole family of 5 including kids on 1 motorcycle. It was quite the experience. We had dinner at our hotel and I decided to play it safe and not try anything Moroccan yet. My stomach needed to get adjusted. All of the girls were in one hotel but the boys were at a different hotel since they booked too late and ours was all full. It was nice having a girls night and we painted our nails and just hungout. We woke up early in the morning to have breakfast and then we wanted to explore Merrakech. It was a nice city but everything was in Arabic so of course you could not read anything. French was the second most common spoken language there since it used to be a French territory before it gained its independence.

It took 5 hours to get to the surf camp. We had our own little bus with all 14 of us in it and someone had to sit on the floor because there weren’t enough seats! The driver played Arabic music so it made us really feel like we were in the desert. It was so dry and is also a very poor country. We went through the mountains which was very neat but the mountains were not as beautiful as some I had seen in other countries. These were like desert mountains!

We arrived at the camp and got settled. We had the whole place to ourselves so it was amazing. There was a big balcony upstairs with baby turtles on it and we would lay outside and tan or play cards or watch the sunset from there. They made all of our meals for us which was great but we ate so much bread there. We were all so tired of bread by the time we left. The food was decent but it was so different and sometimes the spices hurt my stomach. Luckily they made me a vegetarian meal every time. They sure do love cous cous. We went down to the beach for our first surfing lesson. It was very difficult and I only made it up on the board for a few seconds on the first day. You have to be out far enough to catch the big waves and then paddle as the wave comes toward you and as it pushes you, you stand up and ride the wave. It sounds easy but its very difficult to get up so fast and keep your balance. Kaitlyn and I were surf buddies and we both got up the most times and for the longest each day. We were determined to get surfing down! We had a blast every night. The arabic prayer went off like 5 times a day throughout the whole entire town so that got so annoying when it went off in the middle of the night and there was a rooster literally right outside our window that kept waking us up but we had so much fun going to the beach and getting tan and surfing. I got the weirdest sunburn because I did a horrible job at putting sunscreen on. My friends could not stop laughing.

On the second to last day we went to a different part of the beach and we got to ride jet skis and even drive them! It was amazing but also scary. Anna and I rode a camel on the beach and that was creepy. I felt so bad for the camel that that was his life and you could tell it was not happy. I wanted to rescue it! There were also soooo many stray dogs and cats everywhere which broke my heart as well. It was so sad seeing how hungry they were. Once we had a dog follow us all the way home from the beach. We were also able to kayak in the ocean which was really awesome. Anna and I were in the same boat and we were struggling. We were laughing so hard.

On the last day we went back to Merrakech so we could go to the markets and go exploring. I saw the guys who play the fiddle and get the snakes to come out of the baskets. It was crazy. The market was overwhelming and people were going crazy trying to get you to buy there stuff. I really didn’t want anything so I didn’t get anything. Postcards were good enough for me! I enjoyed Morocco and the people that went made this the best trip. I loved finally getting to go on a trip with all of my friends. We didn’t want the trip to end and we just wanted to stay at the beach longer!

Liverpool and Manchester

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:45:34 -0400

Marcos and I went to Liverpool and Manchester for a few days over Easter break. We booked the bus and it would take 6 hours to Liverpool. We had to get up really early and get on the bus. Our bus was a double decker coach bus! But it was full with so many annoying Asians. When we got to Manchester to drop of the Asians, the driver noticed our bus was leaking. We had to wait 1 hour for a new one to come. Marcos and I sat right near gypsies. This was my first experience seeing them. They were umm interesting and like Marcos and I’s age. Our bus driver got lost in Liverpool and I was so car sick. We finally got dropped off 3 hours later than expected. We searched for 2 hours for our hostel because Marcos refused to take a bus. He is so stubborn sometimes and it drives me crazy. We loved the hostel and it was friendly and they had free drinks, wifi, coffee, tea cookies and fruit and even a great breakfast. We had our own kitchen in our room as well as a washing machine. There was vasaline all over my ladder which got all over my feet which was nasty and we woke up to a girl puking her brains out in the morning for an hour. We left early and got a bus pass. We went to check into our new hostel which was close to everything. We first went to the Titanic exhibit which was exciting because it was the 100th anniversary of the sinking and Liverpool has close connections with it. It was actually supposed to leave from Liverpool originally. Then we went to the Beatles museum which was amazing! It went through their whole entire life and had to many artifacts and you could listen to the tape player. Marcos and I had a blast there. Then we went to Liverpool Stadium which was cool and we saw Everton Stadium. Then we walked all around the town and explored and then went to dinner. We then went back to out hostel because we knew we could be getting up early to leave for Manchester. Manchester was nice but we had no map and since we werent staying at a hostel we had to carry our stuff around with us all day. That was horrible and I overpacked as usual. We found a lady who was a tour guide for the area and she helped us so much. We took the tram to see Manchester United stadium which was cool. We then took the tram to China town as well as went to the famous library that was there. In the library is a piece of St John’s Gospel which was amazing. We went to some random museum but did not really like it so we went to the center of town to see the river and see the fountains. It was a nice day and I was glad that we were able to see the city. it was not as nice as Liverpool because all it basically is, is a college town so there is not that much to do. I think this was a great experience but I wish we had more time!

Sicily

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:34:36 -0400

I flew into Catania from London along with Serena, Laurina, and Samara. We had to meet around 3 am because they wanted to be at the airport early to be safe. I was so tired and luckily got about 3 hours sleep in my bed and I slept 2 hours on the plane. Sicily was a beautiful place and I enjoyed getting a first hand experience. Serena introduced me to her friends and her mom was an amazing cook. I told her mom I like raviolis and the next day she came back from the store with homemade ones. She made homemade desserts for us and so much food! I would eat so much and realize that was only the first course. No wonder some Italians have weight problems, they eight like 5 course meals!!!! Everything was very cheap in Catania so that was very nice. Serena was so generous and literally paid for everything while I was there. She would never let me pay. Her dad took us out to dinner at a real Italian place and they played the accordion and sung in Sicilian. They meal was out of this world. Then he said he was taking us to get the best ice cream in the world which was gelato with choclate sauce on top. It was so good, but not better than brusters! He also took us to get Sicilian drinks that are apparently good for digestion. It tasted like sugar water with fizz with a hint of fruit. We went to Taormina for a night and were able to see the town. It was so beautiful. I wish we could have hiked Mt. Etna but things just did not work out. Catania was a nice town and it is very tiny. I loved spending time sitting on the rocks from the Volcano. There were rock formation islands that you could see from the rocks and they were nature preserves for the animals. I was very happy to hear this. Steve and I explored the castle and that was very cool to see. It was not very big but it was so high up. I wonder if the land was that high at some point. It was used during the Viking era and you can see ruins. The sand is black because it is volcanic ash. I enjoyed trying the local food. Serena’s dad even got me a whole box full of Italian cookies to take back with me. This was a great experience that I will never forget!!!

Parents in London

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:32:53 -0400

My parents came on the 23rd of March. It was extremely exciting and I could hardly contain my excitement. I bought them oyster cards the day before they came so this way I could take them back to Twickenham from the airport. I went to the airport and waited in the lobby for them. They came out so fast and I was in shock. I couldn’t stop hugging them or smiling. They were beyond excited to see me. I could see how much they really missed me in their eyes. We got on the bus and got off at Twickenham. I should have had them take the bus to Twickenham but instead we walked. They were dying and so exhausted. I felt really bad that they didn’t take the bus. I forget that they are not as young and active as me. Finally after an epic journey they made it to the flat and were so in love with the place. It was so adorable and perfect for them. There was a fully equipped kitchen with everything from food to cooking supplies. There was a huge shower, a backyard patio, and tvs. It was so great for the them. The bed felt like a cloud and I was jealous because of my rock solid mattress in the dorms. They needed a nap since they didn’t take one on the plane so I went back to school and went to class. I went back to their flat and they were still sleeping! They just wanted to relax for a while. Finally they got up and we went to Kingston for dinner. We ate at an Italian restaurant. It was so good and such a treat not to be eating the ref food. We walked around kingston and I showed them Primark! My mom went to the flat and my dad and I stopped at Waitrose to get supplies for Sunday when my friends would come over. We got off at Twickenham and I was just thinking that the barriers would be open but they werent so we got stuck and played the old we are Americans and have no idea what we are doing with the oyster cards. We had to pay which was annoying but oh well. We went in and got a bunch of supplies. My dad and I tried to take a short cut but we got a little lost on the back roads. We realized when we got home that we went in a complete circle when lost practically passed the house.

Saturday we went to Dover. We took the 1 pm train to Dover. We had an hour to spare waiting for the train so I took them around Trafalgar Squre. They saw the Olympic Countdown and the fountains and National Gallery. That was really cool for them to see. I did a bad job planning and didnt realize how far Dover was. By the time we got to Dover it was 3:30. I expected us to walk out of the station and there would be the castle but that was not the case. The castle was up on this huge cliff/mountain and there was no possible way we could climb it. We searched for a bus and finally found one to take us. It was an epic journey. We decided that we didn’t want to pay to get into the castle since it would be closing in 90 minutes and that wasn’t enough time. We decided to go see the cliffs. The weather was beautiful. The bus dropped us off near the castle. Then we had to hike a mile to get to the cliffs. My mom was not wearing the proper shoes so her feet were dying. We finally made it to the cliffs and was parents were in awe. They were so white and beautiful and we were able to sit along the English channel. It was something that they never imagined they would see. We walked around the cliffs and they were so beautiful and high up. My dad was scared near the edges and he was nervous about me sitting near the edge. We were tying to hitchhike a ride up to the cliffs but that didnt work so my dad was determined to get us a ride down. He had his thumb up for 2 minutes and then this couple picked us up. They were pretty young and spoke German or RUssian or something. They took us all the way to the town square and we were so thankful. We walked around Dover some more and then went back on the train. It was great for them to be able to see the countryside on the train.

The next day was the first day Marcos met my parents. He was a nervous wreck. He hardly ate anything at breakfast because he was so nervous. He spent the whole day with us. We went to mass at Westminister Cathedral and then I took them to the Victoria and Albert Museum. There is so much Catholic history there so that was really special for them to see. They absolutely loved it there. We then went to Harods and walked around there. We had to go back after that because it was getting late and my friends were coming over so we had to prepare for them. At the Richmond station, we met Julia and Sean which was great because they knew where the bus stop was. I luckily got a cake from Marks and Spencer for my birthday celebration. When we were at the bus stop, Sevi and Marcel showed up and it was like a St. Mary’s reunion!!! My parents went back to make the food and I went back to get my friends. Marcos, Kaitlyn, Anna, Sean, Alex, Julia and Anna’s friend from home came over. They were so helpful with making the dinner and getting everything ready. We had so much fun relaxing and eating. It was one of the best nights I had being here. It was so special to share my friends with my parents and Marcos was finally able to relax more and act like himself. We had crackers and cheese, fresh fruit, ice (everyone was SO excited for this), spaghetti and meatballs and fresh bread. It was so yummmm and we were all laughing and being silly the whole night. My parents loved my friends and they loved being able to meet them and get to know them. My mom bought out the cake and they sang happy birthday to me. It waa so special and we took a lot of really great pictures.

My parents were tired from running around so much so they wanted to sleep in. We left around 12 for Hampton Court Palace. My dad wanted to see this so badly. It was another beautiful day in London with high 70 degree weather. We walked around the palace and it was so beautiful and very big. It was the home of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn lived there as well. The gardens were unbelieavable and were unlike anything I had ever seen. There were so many tulips everyone and everything had just bloomed. We spent a lot of time outside walking around and just enjoying the nature. There was even a maze and we were having a very difficult time finding our way out! There were fountains and a pond. It nice to have a relaxing day. On our way to the palace we got on the wrong bus but the bus driver was so nice and took us to Twickenham where we could catch a bus to go to the fountains. We ate at this really great organic sandwhich shop for lunch and it was so good! We had fresh fruit smoothies and sandwhiches. It was so great! I love how England is so into being Organic.

On Tuesday we had a very busy day. We got up and got into London around 11:30. Marcos was going to meet us in London. I showed them the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey and all things like that. Then I took to the Tate Britain, then we went to the Tower of London. This was awesome bcause they were able to see Tower Bridge and also see the Tower. We could see the jewels and here the stories of those that lived there. It was really big and some people even live there which is crazy. The diamonds and gold they have on display is madness. I can’t believe they are real. When you see the jail cells in the tower, you can see the different carvings on the wall and some are Bible verses because England was turing Protestant and wanted to get rid of Catholic Priests. Marcos met us and after that we went to the National Gallery. I wanted to show them the Da Vinci, Monet and Van Gough. They enjoyed seeing the paintings and looking at other artwork. We went to dinner at my new favorite restaurant called Mezzo. It is so good! After dinner were walked to Soho to go see Matilda!!! The show was so great. I loved it so much and I was so happy to spend it with Marcos. There was a man in between my parents and Marcos and I so that was creepy but the show was so good and everyone loved it. I didn’t think it was going to be as good as it was and there was this little boy that looked exactly like Zach Fong!! The props were so great. We had the best time.

Wednesday I took my parents to Camden Town to the Markets. I had never been there so that was very new for me as well. The Camden Markets had all of the same stuff and people were like hawks watching you. I didn’t really like it but then we went to the Stables Market and this was great. I found 2 outfits, one dress and another dress type outfit. It was so cute! We had international food for lunching including Spanish Paella and Sangria! I had a special day with them and then we went and found the Banksy artwork that is near the market and got ice cream! We got back and I showed them my campus and my room! Marcos was going to come over and help me make cookies while my parents went out to dinner. Then we all watched the movie Courageous together which had a really great message but it was no where near fireproof.

The next day my parents left and it was the saddest day. I didn’t want that day to come. I cried so much at the airport and my parents both cried. Marcos is so great and he came to the airport with me. I am so thankful that I didn’t have to do that alone and my parents were so touched that he came. Overall, my parents coming to London was a dream come true and I had the best week of my life with them. It was an experience I will never forget and we will talk about forever. I am truly blessed to be able to share my London experience with them.

Ireland

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:37:44 -0400

Marcos and I went to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. We had to leave later because Marcos had his huge English exam. I was hoping to get a flight around 2 but they were so much more expensive so we got a flight around 9 and were in Ireland by 10. The town was crazy and everyone was dressed up in green. There were so many Americans everywhere! Marcos and I would have never found the hostel if it wasn’t for this lady on the bus. She told us when to get off (It is not like London where each stop tells you what it is) and then she took us to our street. The location was great but the hostel was pretty gross. Luckily we didn’t spend much time there. We dropped our stuff off and went out to the pub. We had a lot of fun just relaxing and enjoying all the drunk people everywhere. It was really cool seeing the whole town lit up in green lights.

We didn’t stay out too late since we knew we would be getting up really early the next day. There was a man snoring so loud in our room so we didn’t get the best sleep. We woke up and then went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I was devestated and shocked to find out that it was not Catholic. England literally turned everything Protestant. I would have bet money that it was Catholic because of St. Patrick but no way. We went to a service there. It was so beautiful inside. There was a cross that they found under the well that St. Patrick used. The stained glass was beautiful. The church was Anglo-Saxen. It was close to Catholic but was different. After the service they had cookies and tea which was really nice.

After the Cathedral we went to the Guinness Factory. Marcos really wanted to go there. He paid for me to get in which was really nice. When we got in, it was huge. It was decorated for St. Patrick’s Day. There was a photo booth that you could use for free which we did! There was also free face painting which I made Marcos get with me. He had a pint of beer and 1 clover on his face and I had two clovers. We looked adorable. There were also Scottish dances playing bagpipes. I have no idea why they were there since they were Scottish but it was still really cool. They give you free samples of the beer and Marcos must have had 6, he kept going around the room and grabbing another one. When we finally got to the top of the factory, there was an amazing view of Dublin. It was so beautiful. With your ticket you got a pint of Guinness. It was okay but I don’t really like beer.

We then went back to the factory to freshen up before dinner. There was a guy in our room from Canada and he was a teacher in the Arctic! I thought that was so cool! He was alone and asked if he could join us for dinner. I said yes and felt bad for him. Marcos and I couldn’t make up our minds because I did not want to eat fast food. The guy, Kieran, left us to go get Burger King. Marcos and I went to a fancy restaurant. It was very romantic and special. We had gourmet pizza and he had the most amazing chocolate cheesecake. Marcos paid the bill like a real gentleman. We then went to bed because we were tired from the long day. We got up early the next morning and went to the jail. This was really cool to see. It was used up until recently and it help many WWII criminals. We went to the Art Gallery and we also went to a war memorial that looked like the Washington Monument. The walk was a lot further than we expected so we took the bus back. We had to go to our hostel and get our bags because we were leaving Dublin to go to the cliffs. I think we should have stayed in Dublin at least 1 more day but its so expensive. We had to run with our bags to get the bus to Galway. I thought that there would be a bus that would take us to Doolin but there wasn’t one. We were stranded and had to take a really expensive cab. We finally got to our hostel and it was amazing. It was so cute and friendly. We met Spanish and Italian people that were staying there but it was basically empty. We got our own room! We showered and went to bed. We got up early the next morning to go to the cliffs. The hostel was the best hostel I have ever stayed in. It was clean and new and had a huge kitchen. The lady that owned the hostel drove us into another town to get food for dinner. This was very sweet and I really felt like I was in Ireland. There was so much green and open spaces. There was sheep everywhere and stone fences. It was so beautiful.

We took a bus to the Cliffs of Doolin. It was free to go there and they were by far the best thing I have seen in my whole study abroad time. They took my breath away. They were so huge and unlike anything I had every seen. It was so windy there and chilly because of the coast. The cliffs are home to puffins!! We walked all around the right side of the cliffs and saw the castle. You were not able to go inside. We then walked to the edge of the cliffs. You had to hop over a stone fence. This was really scary because you were able to look over the edge and truly see how high up you really were. We must have been at least 500 feet up. Marcos was so afraid of heights! We took so many pictures. We walked the left side and everyone stops halfway and turns back. Marcos wanted to keep going so we did and there was no sign of civilization. The walk was sooo long but it was so peaceful and a really good bonding time for Marcos and I. We finally made it to the end and there was a huge ruin on the edge. You were able to go inside. i wish I knew but it was originally used for. It was extremely tall but not very wide. We walked the whole way back. I thought I was going to pass out because I was so hungry, thirsty and tired. We didnt bring anything to each which was not a smart move. The bus would not come for 2 more hours and it was really cold so we had to hitch hike a ride back to the hostel. It was only 8 miles away. A Hungarian couple finally picked us up after waiting for forever. Marcos was so embarrassed and he was so mad at me for making him do this. We got back safely and we made spaghetti for dinner. This was very cute and we had fun doing it. Marcos needs some serious cooking lessons!!! I read by the fire and relaxed after dinner. We had to wake up really early to take the bus back to Dublin to catch our flight home. The bus ride took forever. Shannon was close by and the smart thing would have been to fly out of there but oh well. We made it just in time for our flight. It was truly an adventure. I was so excited that going there and back Marcos and I were able to sit next to each other on the plane. There are no assigned seats and we even had our own row! We also went outside and climbed up steps to board the plane. I felt so cool! I want to go back to Ireland because there was so much that we didn’t get to see. I hope to go back one day.

Wales

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:06:03 -0400

Wales was a great adventure. Kaitlyn went on this trip so I was really happy that finally a close friend of mine was going. I fond out a few days before that the bus would be picking us up at St. Mary’s so I was extremely happy about this. Wales was about fve hours away so i wasn’t that far. Our first stop was to a Roman ampitheatre. This was really pretty and i wasshaped like a circe. There were four openings in the circle for stairs where people could go to their seats. Kaitlyn and I were pretending to be gladiators! There were smal nooks we found with archways and hanging vines. It was really neat. We also saw Roman barrick ruins. It was so incredibly hot out and I was prepared for snow. I had on a ski thermal because every place I have been to has been freezing. The air condition n the bus was not working so we were all dying.

The next place to visit was the Caraphilly Castle. This was by far the coolest castle I have been to yet. It was completely surrounded by a moat and it had draw brides. There were only two entrances to get into the castle. The moat was so beautiful and the castle looked like it was on an island. There was a huge wall surrounding the wall for protection. We weren’t allowed to go into the castle right away and we had to get lunch. This was annoying because I felt rushed at the castle and we didn’t have enough time. The castlewas huge and Kaitlyn and I had a blast explorin it. There were so many spiral staircases and rooms to explore that evetually connected. We were able to go up to the main door. It was so beautiful seeing the countryside from the castle and also getting up close to the water. There were even catapults there! I wish we could have stayed longer.

Our next stop was to a museum. I was not too happy about thisat first but it turned out to be really great. The museum was on 100 acres and a lot was outside. It was the National Cardiff Museum and it depicted typical life in Cardiff through history. We went to an area that looked like the secret garden. There were waterfalls flowing into ponds with lily pads and ducks, there were huge weeping willows, a trelice with roses covering them, and a lookout tower. Krista and I had to climb two metal fences to climb the tower but we made it and didn’t get in trouble! Sam was able to take our pictures from up top. I fell on the way down! We contined to walk around and it was so beautiful. We were able to see an Italian garden on our way back to the bus.

After that we went to the hotel. I was sharing a room with Monica. I felt bad that I wasn’t with Kaitlyn but I had promised Monica I wold weeks ago. We went and got dinner at a Mexican place and it was so yummy! I love Mexican food! We got margharitas and tht was my first time having a real one. Oh how its so nice being in the UK! Kaitlyn, Monica and I decided to not goback to the hotel but to go explore Swansea. We were not staying at the normal hotel because Cardiff was all booked because of the huge rugby match against Italy that weekend. We went into a few pubs and they were kind of creepy. There were so many old people wearing slutty dresses and going out. I thought this was so weird. The girls all looked like sluts and it was gross.Some people were dressed in the strangest costumes. I don’t understand their obsessions with costumes and clubs in the UK. We finally found a god bar. It was the walkabout bar like the one in London. We looked so out of place because we all had jeans on and not one girl there had jeans on. I was still in my thermal and had my giant camera bag and they had ther purses and our coats. Monica and I were wearing sneakers so we looked crazy. After 45 minutes some guys actually came up to us. This guy was smashed and he wated to show us the cutest picture in the world and after waitin 20 years for him to find it, he showed us his baby. He was really crazy and his friend bought us all beer. We meet some over cool Welsh guys and danced with them.

In the morning we left and went to a coal mine. We wore the hats with the lights on them andwent down into a creey elevator. It was so damp and chilly down there. You could see all the water flowing through the mine. You had to duck a lot because it was really low. Everything was basically still left as it was when they used the mine which was only about 50 years ago. There were horse stales because they would keep work horses down there to do work. This was relly sad to see. I enjoyed the mine and it was something I would never typically do. We then went to a cute little village for lunch. I found a Catholic Church and was the only one in it for a long time. It was beautiful and peaceful. I sat by the water and we ate lunch. They had one of the oldest bridges in the Uk in that town. We were ten off to my favorite place in Wales which was Tinturn Abbey. This was ruins from a Benedictine monastary. There were no windows, floors or ceiling but it was massive and so beautiful and old. I loved it so much and it made me so proud of St. Vincent. It was in the smallest little village and it was so peaceful. This was not a typical tourist spot so it was so great to go to! I really loved Wales!!!!

lovequotesrus: Photo Courtesy: dejiprincess

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:43:01 -0400

lovequotesrus:

Photo Courtesy: dejiprincess

lovequotesrus: Photo Courtesy: doesnteverybodywanttofallinlove

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:41:54 -0400

lovequotesrus:

Photo Courtesy: doesnteverybodywanttofallinlove

lovequotesrus: Photo Courtesy: faded-letters-of-hope

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:40:18 -0400

lovequotesrus:

Photo Courtesy: faded-letters-of-hope

lovequotesrus: Photo Courtesy: heartieelicious

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:36:54 -0400

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Photo Courtesy: heartieelicious

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:28:50 -0400

I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon. This was wonderful. It was a nightmare trying to print out My bus ticket but eventually I got it. I went with My friend Clarey and we woke up at 5am to catch The train to Victoria and then get on The coach. When i got outside it was pouring. It was very wet and cold. The drive was about three hours. This was not too bad. When we got There we had no idea where to go. We found a Holiday Inn and we were able to stay dry and ask for directions. Everything was pretty close. We went to The theatre where his Plays are performed. We then went to his House where he was born. They had a museum and stime history on him before we went into his House. The House was so old but it was in pretty good shape. There were people dressed in costumes that we reenacting scenes from Plays. After we toured his House we toured his daughter’s House. We also toured The Hash House which was a very close family friend. The Anne Hathoway cottage and The Hash Farm were too far away to see and you could Walk but we would have gotten soaked. The bus was very expensive to take. We saw The church where him, his wife, daughter, son in law and his family friends. The church was Catholic which surprised me. I did not know he was Catholic. The last thing we did was to stop and get milkshakes. There were over 200 flavors!!!! I got a cadbury caramel milkshake and it was amazing!! Despite The rain we had a wonderful time!! I was glad i got to see Shakespeare’s home and town.

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Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:11:26 -0500

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Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:08:31 -0500

Stonehenge and Bath

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:59:35 -0500

Yesterday was Stonehenge and Bath. The bus came to St. Mary’s at 8 and we left to go to another college to pick up a few students. Their campus was beautiful. The building was so amazing. It took 2 hours from there to get to Stonehenge. On the bus, our tour guide gave us some information about the stones and she said that many people think that the stones are pretty small when they actually seem them. When I saw the stones I didn’t think they were small at all! I thought they were really big!!!! I learned that the random mounds along the way to Stonehenge are actually burial mounds of a body. It was so beautiful to see a part of England that wasn’t like a city or suburb. It was so open and beautiful. There were a lot of sheep and rolling hills. It was a beautiful day out. We were really blessed with beautiful weather. They gave us a thing for an audio tour and it told us information about the Stonehenge and the different theories people have come up with. We were there for an hour and we got to see the stones from different angles. I took a lot of pictures and we were able to see the sacrifice stone. I learned that the green stuff that is on the rocks is actually a plant and on those rocks is the only place it grows. I also learned that 1/3 of the rocks are under the ground and the the rocks were brought from as far as 200 miles. The rocks get thinner at the top and are fat at the bottom. They make a full circle and many people think it has to do with the summer solstice and the longest and shortest day of the year. We left Stonehenge and went to Bath. Bath was unbelievable and I was so in love with it. The architecture was unbelievable and this was definitely my favorite place in England. It was an adorable town with parks. Jane Austen lived in 2 homes here. There are buildings that are designed to look like the crescent moon. There is another area where the buildings are arranged in a circle with streets dividing the circle and there is a park in the middle and acorns were on top of the building. Homes here ranged from 4 million to as much as 11 million or more pounds. That is crazy. To build a house in Bath you must 60% Bath stone. This is the only place in England that has rules of conformity for buildings. The stone is really absorbent so it collects a lot of dirt. They banned anything gas besides vehicles and also things like air-sol cans. One building has never been cleaned and it is pretty black and it is left that way as a reminder of what harmful chemicals can do to the stone. To get your stone cleaned it costs 50,000 pounds. If you apply for grants from the government you can get it down to around 15,000. We saw Nicholas Cage’s house that he used to live in before he went bankrupt. We got off the bus and were able to walk around. We got to go into a little Georgian garden and it was really cute. We walked all around the city and then we were able to have free time. We got a bite to eat for lunch and then we went to the Abby. It was so beautiful and really huge. I loved the stain glass. I was really in love with this town and I can see why people talk about it so much. After the Abby we took pictures and then it was time to go into the Royal Baths. Anna, Julia, and Jasmine signed up for a different tour then us so we got to see them for a few minutes before they had to leave. I hungout with Katelyn and Alex but I was also with a mix of people that day which was really great. I love having a lot of friends. The Royal Baths were amazing. They were from the Roman age. We got to see the suana rooms and the healing baths. We weren’t supposed to but we touched the water and it was so warm. it kind of reminded me of the hot springs in New Zealand. I thought we were just going to get to see the baths and that was all but we were actually able to see all of the museum too. They had so many artifacts. Like the Stonehenge tour, we were given audio guides that told us all about the baths and artifacts. I am so extremely grateful I went with the tour through my school because Anna and Julia didn’t even get to do this. It was really big and so beautiful. At the end of the tour we were able to taste the water. It is supposed to be really good for you but it tasted really gross. Like a combination of rotten eggs and well water. After the tour it was time to go back which was really sad. I didn’t want to leave! I can’t wait to go back again and see all of the little shops and I didn’t get to see the part of the town that has the only bridge on the left side! And this bridge has shops on it!!! It was adorable and its over the Avon River. I learned Avon means river so the river river!! On our way home we passed a car that was completely engulfed in flames. It was really scary. The girls sitting behind me were so rude, I wanted to slap them. They spoke German the whole way home and everyone was trying to sleep but I couldn’t. They seriously were the only two talking and everyone was dead silent. They were from that other school. Grr. Overalll it was an awesome day and I can’t wait to go back with my parents!!!

Stirling Castle

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:54:40 -0500

Stirling Castle

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Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:53:13 -0500