Post Departure of London

Well I can’t believe the time has come for me to go back to America. I am writing this last blog post on my plane ride back home… quite a long trip I have ahead of me. I had the most amazing summer in Europe and I’m so thankful for my family for making it happen for me. The group of girls I met on my trip were truly unique and special and I don’t think I’ll be able to get used to not spending every moment with them. Living in a foreign country was truly an eye opening experience culturally. I am returning to the US aware that other places in the world exist, and I definitely think I will have a different perspective on other cultures and people. Can’t wait to see everyone at home! I’ll be back London. Cheers mate. 

One last day in Camden Town- Tuesday July 16th

After work, a group of us went out in Camden Town. Camden Town has been my favorite area to go out in London.. it reminds me of Athens in a sense. We had dinner and drinks and it was a lot of fun! Had to go home early because we have one more day of our internships!!!! 

My Weekend in Amsterdam Saturday July 13- Sunday July 14

Saturday MORNING, we woke up at 2:30 AM (kill me) to go to the airport to head to Amsterdam!!! My first reaction was “woah dutch sounds really weird.” We landed in the Netherlands at 8 am and went to our hotel to drop off our bags. After that we went and had lunch and rented bikes for our trip. I have not ridden a bike in about 10 years, so at first it was a bit of a struggle… by the end of a trip I was a pro!! We biked to the park and had a picnic, laid in the grass, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. After we all took naps to prepare ourselves for a night out in Amsterdam. Amsterdam had the coolest night life and I had a great time!!!

Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel and biked around Amsterdam until we found somewhere to eat. We had lunch and then biked over to Ann Frank’s house, unfortunately the line was insanely long and we couldn’t go in. After that we went over to the Heineken Brewery for a tour! It was such a cool experience. They explain how the beer is made, you get to tour the rooms the make and bottle the beer in , and then they let you taste the beer. There are also rooms with interactive games and merchandise, which was really fun! When we were done touring the brewery we went to the park where I had the best waffle I have ever eaten in my entire life. Sadly, we had to go back to London after that but it was such a fun trip!

FREE DAY Friday, July 12th

On Friday we had the pleasure of having class cancelled to explore London and fit in some last minute tourist desires. I started my morning with the changing of the guard. Buckingham palace was PACKED with it being a Friday morning. I love that London is so true to their history and continues traditions with such order. The one thing I didn’t like about the changing of the guard is that most of the excitement happens inside the gates and I was too far away to see inside. With Kate’s baby on the way the park next to Buckingham Palace is FILLED with media tents excitingly awaiting Kate to go into labor!!! Royal baby fever….. After the changing of the guard I went on a walk through Green and Hyde Park, the weather was beautiful and it was the perfect end to the morning. That afternoon we took a tube, train, and bus and finally ended at……… HARRY POTTER STUDIOS!!!!!!! It was literally the coolest thing I have ever done. They had all the sets from the movie, the costumes, movies explaining how they made harry potter and all sorts of interactive stuff. Such a cool experience!!!!!!

"Trip to Greenwich" Thursday, July 11th

On Thursday we had class in the morning and then a scheduled tour of Greenwich in the afternoon. Greenwich was beautiful! I also learned that time starts in Greenwich which was really cool. We walked around the town, saw Cutty Sark (an old ship), went to the national maritime museum, and then had dinner overlooking the river thymes.

"Celeb Status" Wednesday July 10th

After work on Wednesday, Kelly and I went back to Covent Garden (we just loved it so much) for dinner! After a fabulous dinner, we went out with some friends. After being out for a while Kelly wanted to go meet up with her uncle so we went to a very posh club to see him. When we got inside Kelly told me her uncle was with Jason Sudikis, and told me to me cool when we met him. It was so fun!! The club was like being in another world. We met Jason and I got to talk to him and he even asked me to dance haha. It was such a fun night!!!!

“The Circle of Life” Tuesday July 9th

After work on Tuesday, the whole group went to the Lyceum theater for the Lion King!! I saw the Lion King once when I was little but I didn’t remember how amazing it is!! The sets and costumes that turn the people into animals were so cool! While the actors were great, they were terrible singers which I found surprising… guess you can’t be perfect at everything! After we went to the Covent Garden area for drinks and desert. We had a baked Alaska and triple chocolate pudding…. AH-MAZING. 

Our Long Weekend in Italy Thursday July 4- Saturday July 7

On Thursday morning, decked out in red, white, and blue we boarded a plane to Veniza (Venice, Italy). A quick 1 ½ hour flight and we were on the ground! After that we had to take a “water bus” to the island we were staying on. Ironically the only form of public transportation in Venice is a Water Taxi, which was a nice change from the Tube. After dropping our bags off at our hostile (with the most BEAUTIFUL view), Megan and I headed over to Lido Beach for some 4^th of July fun! We stayed on the beach until about 8:30, had a quick slice of pizza, and went to bed as we were exhausted from the day of travel.

On Friday morning, Megan and I headed back over to Lido beach for some early morning rays. After that we met up with our other friends and had a beautiful lunch outside. Italy can do no wrong with food. It was AMAZING. After lunch, we headed back to our hostile to freshen up for the evening to come. We took a water taxi back over to the main island of San Marco where we took a gondola ride from the Danilie. This was BY FAR the best part of the trip!!!! All five of us got into the gondala boat, and our fabulous guide, Marco, took us through all the canals for one hour. It was so much fun!! After we hung out on a dock overlooking the grand canal, sat with friends, drank wine, and had the best time. We then went out for some more pizza, pasta, gelato…. Couldn’t get enough carbs.

Saturday morning we boarded another water taxi, which took us to the train station. We ate at a cute café right on the water. After a fabulous lunch we boarded a train to Verona. After about an hour on the train we arrived in Verona… I’ll have to admit at first I really missed getting everywhere via water. We checked into our bed and breakfast, “Juliet’s House,” and headed out for dinner. Verona is beautiful!!! It is small and quaint in the country side but with enough of a city to make you feel like there is always something to do. We ate dinner in a beautiful plaza and then walked around the Piazza Erba, had drinks and desert. The perfect night!

Sunday morning we packed our bags and boarded a bus to Bardolina… the wine country! We walked around the town that is in the middle of the vineyards and then went to a local vineyard. We got to tour where they made the wine and then have a tasting! Such a fun way to end our trip. We had one last carb filled meal and had to fly back to London. Italy was by far my favorite place in Europe… and I will most definitely be back.