Day 22, June 19 - Our last full day

Well, this is our last full day. We started our day off by getting a full Irish breakfast at O'Shea's. It wasn't quite what we expected. There was a fried egg, sausage and bacon, but also a hash brown, black and white pudding, and it was all covered in baked beans. I'm not gonna lie, it was a little weird, and probably not the best. I'm sure there are better places to go and get a better full Irish breakfast as well. Once we finished, we got lost for about an hour trying to figure out the bus system to get us to the Guinness storehouse that was about 30 minutes away from where we were staying. After asking so many strangers on how to get there (and they were all super nice), we were finally on our way. We spent half of our day in the Guinness storehouse. This place has 6 floors and it is a self-guided tour. We thoroughly went through every area and corner we could find to learn about how they make "the black stuff". We got to see, touch, and smell the main ingredients, see all the steps that go into making the brew, then we got to do a free tasting of it that was in a little shot glass. They taught us the proper posture on how to drink it, which actually made a difference! I'm not a big beer drinker, let alone light beer; when I had a sip, yes it was strong and overpowering, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then we finally got to go to the Guinness Academy, where they teach you how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness and then you "graduate" and receive a certificate. We took our perfectly poured pints to the next floor with us and ate a late lunch at one of the three restaurants in there. Once we had our fill, we all the way up to the top level to the Gravity Bar, which has a full panorama view of Dublin. 

After about 3 hours exploring the wonders of Guinness, we took a stroll on over to St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was about a 10 to 15 minute walk away. We walked around, took tons, of pictures, and before we knew it an hour went by and they were closing up for a service. Before the service, the choir was practicing in there. We decided to stay and listen; it was so beautiful listening with the organ going and everything. Magical. We then walked all the way back to the Temple Bar area and had to go get drinks in the infamous Temple Bar. After hanging out in there, we went back to the hotel, freshened up, and went out for our last dinner. We decided to eat at a bar called The Norseman. We ate some good food, watched the World Cup, drank, and enjoyed our last night. Then we went back to the hotel, packed up, and just took it all in on how blessed we were these past three and a half weeks. They have been full of great memories, great sights, and great food. 

Thanks to everyone who has been following this, and I hope to fix up some previous posts since I was blogging from a cell phone/iPad. I also hope to go into further detail on some of my favorite places in the near future. 

Day 21, June 18 - We're Lublin Dublin

We awoke in London a little before 4am because our flight was at 7am. We took a taxi down to Heathrow and went right on through. The flight was about 50 minutes long... Gee I wish the flight back home could be so short. Once we landed, we grabbed our bags and bought bus tickets that were good for 3 days. We hopped on the Airlink Express Bus system that would drop us off around the corner from our hotel. Once we got to our hotel, our room wasn't ready yet, so we dropped our bags off and set off! First, we had brunch at an awesome place down the street called Elephant and Castle. It was SO good. Our hotel is a 2 minute walk to the Temple Bar area and everything was in walking distance. After our brunch, we walked to Trinity College, about 5 minutes away. This campus is beautiful. We headed straight for the Old Library to check out the Book of Kells. This is from the Book of John, written around the 5th century. It was pretty cool to check that out, and the really old library hall, filled with books from floor to ceiling. After witnessing that, we just walked around the campus, and even watched a cricket game (and had no idea what was going on). After spending a few hours there, we went to get lunch at a bar and had a few drinks. I think it was called the Lexington Bar. Then we went to walk around Dublin Castle. We found a park nearby and laid in the grass for a little while as well. The grass here is so different. It's much greener and softer. I really could have laid there all day. We then decided to go back to the hotel to see if our room was ready. Come to find out, we got upgraded ! Our room was absolutely beautiful and there was so much room! We took a short nap, freshened up, then headed to the Temple Bar area to get dinner and drinks. The first place we went to was called Fitzsimons, where we sat down and watched a World Cup gsne, ate, and had several rounds of drinks. During the half, we went upstairs and sat at the bar to watch some Irish dancing and a live band. I really could stay here forever. Everyone is so happy and friendly.

Day 20, June 17 - Last day in Paris

Our train back to London wasn't until late this afternoon, so we wanted to at least spend half a day doing the things we still haven't gotten to do yet. We started our morning by going over to the Islands and checking out the bookstore Shakespeare and Company. They wet pretty strict about photos there, but it was this very old and quaint bookstore. Scott and I are huge bookworms and we were right at home there. It is two stories, and is filled with local novels and novels from around the world. There are sections that lead to dead ends and books that are shelved above you as you walk up the stairs. Such a one of a kind place to visit!  

Then, about a 5 minute walk across the Seine River, we went back to Notre Dame one last time, but this time, it was to climb to the top for a panorama view. There was a line to the left of th cathedral and it was included in our Paris Museum Pass we bought ahead of time. We waited in line for about an hour, and made friends with other Americans in line with us. Once we were able to go in, we made the trek up the 400 or so steps to the top. And the view is so worth it after that climb. It was just a little bit higher than the Arc de Triomphe, and we were able to see all the gargoyles that inhabit the top. We were starved by the time we were back on ground level, so we ate at the nearest restaurant right to the left of the cathedral. I will say this: don't go there. The food is mediocre and you have to pay to use the restroom. No thank you. 

Afterwards, we took the Métro over to Northern Paris, so I could have a glimpse at the world famous Moulin Rouge. The lines were long to get a tour inside, and I believe you need to book them in advance. So instead, we walked around and happened upon a cemetery ( I think it was called Montmartre Cemetery?), which looked so similar to our cemeteries back home in Nola. After all, we did kind of come from French heritage!  After walking around so much, we decided it was time to say goodbye, grab our luggage from our hotel, and head to Gare du Nord train station. We waited for the Eurostar to take us back to London, where we stayed the night one last time, before we had to leave at 7am for our flight to Dublin!

Day 19, June 16 - Shortest post ever

We got hammered in a park drinking a whole bottle of Bordeaux and eating assorted meats, chocolate crossaints, and macaroons. Then we went to an allotment of museums while intoxicated, making for a more fun time. We also decided to visit the Louvre again, because it is that huge and we still didn't see everything. We went back to the hotel that evening to sleep off the effects and then got a late dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant.

Sorry this is so short. We have our flight to Dublin really early in the morning. Must be awake in 3 hours. Good night!

Day 18, June 15 - Museums on museums on museums

This day was dedicated to going to museums that our Paris passes covered. That morning, I was finally able to get a nice cup of cappuccino and an omelet. Our first museum was the Museé du Quai Branly. The front of it is covered by a vegetation wall aka a vertical wall.  There are some 15,000 low light foliage plants that are held in place by a frame of metal, PVC, and non-biodegradable felt, but no soil. The museum itself showcases indigenous art from Oceania, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Then we walked across across the Seine to the northbank and saw the Flame of Liberty Memorial. This is where Princess Diana's car crash took place and the memorial is a replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame. After that, we went to the Palais de Chaillot. This gave us an awesome view of the Eiffel Tower and it houses two different museums, which we visited as well. It was pretty late at that point, so we went back to the hotel and washed up and relaxed. We went to a nearby restaurant bar to get a late dinner and watch the France vs Honduras game in France. It was super awesome getting to cheer on France with the locals. After the game we passed out in our room. Another successful day!

Day 17, June 14 - Lockets of love

We got started a bit late this day, but we decided to go hang out in the Latin Quarter of Paris. We got some brunch at a not-so-touristy restaurant called Pot du Lait. I say this because they did not speak ANY English. Luckily. I studied the basics on how to order food in French, so we were set. Scott got a chocolate and banana crêpe while I literally just pointed at the menu. I ended up getting what was called La Super Complète. It was a galette with ham, cheese, and fried onions. It's just like a crêpe, but made from buckwheat or something. It was delicious! And while we were eating, we had a cute puppy begging at our feet. Kinda made it feel like I was back home with all my animals begging at my feet.

After our brunch, we walked to go see the Mosquée de Paris from the street. It was built in 1926 in an ornate art deco Moorish style. We then headed back and walked down rue Mouffetard, which is an old Roman road that is filled with market stalls, food shops, and bars. We picked up some fresh strawberries and some chocolate from a place called Jeff de Bruges Naturellement Chocolat. We are those as we walked along the street. We did a little shopping and just poking around. We then turned left onto rue Clovis to run into Église St-Étienne du Mont. This contains Paris' only surviving rood screen, separating the chancel from the nave. Other rood screens were removed during the late Renaissance because they prevented the faithful in the nave from seeing the priest celebrate Mass. Soon after walking past that, we saw the Panthéon on our left. It was under some serious construction, covering the entire dome unfortunately. However, we were still able to go in. It was originally built as a church, but it now is a mausoleum for Frnace's finest intellectuals. We went down into the labyrinthine crypt, which contains around 80 residents, including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the first woman, Marie Curie. 

Once we left the Panthéon, we went to the Jardin du Luxembourg. We strolled around and enjoyed the music and beautiful weather. We walked to a museum called the Musée de Cluny -  Musée National du Moyen Âge, which is a Middle Ages museum. We stayed in there for a short time, since we were itching to get to our next destination: Pont l'Archevêchè. This is the Lover's Lock Bridge, which I'm sure everyone has heard about. The railings are so filled with locks, you can't even see it anymore. There a locks that are locked onto other locks and on and on. We found a spot to put our lock on, locked it together, and threw in both keys into the Seine River at the same time. It was really cool doing that, even though it sounds super cheesy. We then decided to go see Notee Dame again, but we found Point Zéro, which is the point where all of France's distances are measured from. We then found the crypts underneath Notre Dame on which it was built on top of. It is all the remains of structures built on this site during the Gallo-Roman period. 

After that, we walked to a cafe which had happy hour from 3-10pm!  We got some drinks and watched the Colombia and Greece soccer game for the World Cup and killed time until dinner. Once we got our fill, we walked up and across the Seine and walked on the north bank and found the bridge that is shown in the movie " Something's Gotta Give". The bridge was called Pont d'Arcole. We walked over that bridge and then over the St. Louis Island to have a nice outside dinner at St. Regis. There was a man playing a piano in the middle of the street which was really nice. After a two hour dinner, we went back to the hotel to put on some warmer clothes because the temperature dropped a bit. Then we wanted to go see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, so we took the 10 minute walk from our hotel. We checked it out and then also saw it sparkle around 11pm. That was absolutely beautiful to watch that, and it was perfect ending to another long and exciting day. 

Day 16, June 13 - Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

Our day began with going straight to one of the places I have been looking forward to going to this whole trip: the Louvre!  It opens at 9am so we got there around 9:30am. I'd say for anyone else who wants to see this museum: go early. When we got there, we walked right in without waiting in line. Of course, we had our Paris Museum Passes, which gets us in without paying for tickets. Once we were inside, we followed all of the signs for the Mona Lisa, ignoring everything else for the time being. We knew that the more time that passed by, the bigger the crowd we would have to fight to get a good picture with Mona. Thankfully, the crowd was pretty small, so we were able to get close to her. 

                    

After that, we just got lost in the museum. I wish we had more time in there because we maybe only covered about a third of the museum in about 2 hours. We had to leave because we scheduled a wine tasting nearby at 12pm. Luckily, our passes allow us to go back into the Lourve another day, so we may resume the rest of our viewing another day. At 12, we arrived at O'Chateau Wine Bar for our tasting. Let me tell you, this was amazing! Our sommelier was American and spoke both fluent English and French. He has been studying French wines for 6 years and was quite the expert. We learned so much from our tasting! We started with a champagne... and it was true champagne, not sparkling wine. Then we had 2 reds and 2 whites, all paired with cheeses that bring out certain palettes and tastes. That lasted about 2 hours and left me wanting more! We purchased a bottle of the red wine of Bordeaux we tasted, so we can have it on a picnic one day before we leave. We then headed down towards the Islands to the famous Notre Dame. 

             

We were able to easily go inside for free and walk around and take lots of pictures. After that, it was around 4:30 and we're pretty wiped out. We went back to the hotel to lie down for and freshen up. We then went to a restaurant nearby, which the name of it escapes me, and I was able to finally have French Onion Soup! Here it is called traditional! Scott had some cold pork that has some French name and looked pretty good too. We went back to the hotel and called our folks back home to update them and say hello, and then we hit the sack. 

Day 15, June 12 - Un jour de triomphe

We started our first full day in Paris by getting some breakfast on-the-go. I was so proud of myself because I ordered it completely in French. The only problem is that I have no idea what they are telling me because they are so fluent. Luckily, I knew the price, handed her the money, and was on my way. We got a petite brioche. Even that was huge and we saved half of it for another day. We took the métro on over to our first destination: Arc de Triomphe. It took us a while to figure out how to get over there because it is a huge roundabout with about 4 or 5 lanes of cars. Eventually we found a tunnel that diverted us under all the traffic in order to reach it safely.

The Arc de Triomphe is a symbol of French patriotism. It contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the names of numerous soldiers engraved onto the arch's inner walls. We were able to climb up the 284 steps via a spiraling staircase to the viewing platform. This was probably the most beautiful view of any cityscape I have ever seen. From this view, there are a dozen broad avenues that radiate out towards every compass point. We stayed up here for quite a while and just took in all the different viewpoints and snapped tons of pictures. Afterwards, we walked back down and viewed the Tomb and the arches underneath. This Tomb honors the 1.3 million French soldiers who lost their lives in WWI. The Unkown Soldier was laid to rest in 1921 and the eternal flame is rekindled every day at 6:30pm.

After spending our time there, we walked down the broad avenue of Champs-Élysées. This is where the Tour de France holds its final sprint and is also known for grandiose and glamorous addresses, such as Cartier, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, to name a few. We stopped into a burger joint off this avenue called Aubrac Corner. It is a gourmet deli of a famous steakhouse. The burgers come with either a bowl of fries or aligot (mashed potatoes with melted cheese). We were able to enjoy our lunch downstairs in a hidden wine cellar.

Next, we walked on a side road and walked past the Grand Palais. It was erected for the 1900 World Fair which now houses several exhibitions and a restaurant. Its roof is made of 8.5 tons of art nouveau glass.

We then walked across the Seine on a bridge heading towards Hôtel des Invalides. It was built in the 1670s by Louis XIV to provide housing for 4000 invalides (disabled war veterans). On July 14, 1789, a mob forced its way in and after fierce fighting, seized 32,000 rifles before heading on to storm the prison at Bastille and start the French Revolution. We started at the Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum), which contains the nation's largest collection of French military history. After admiring all the artillery and armor, we headed to the Église du Dôme, which is crowned with a sparkling golden dome. It is also the inspiration for the US Capitol building. Inside is Napoleon's Tomb and it comprises six coffins that fit into one another like a Russian doll.

We headed out of there soon after and cross the Seine again to head towards the Place de la Concorde. It is a city square which was first laid out in 1755 and originally named after King Louis XV. King Louis XVI was the first to be guillotined here in 1793 and over the next two years, 1343 more people (including Marie Antoinette) all lost their heads as well in this place. The center contains a 3300 year old Egyptian obelisk which is engraved with hieroglyphics. It originally stood in the Temple of Ramses at Thebes.

After viewing that, we were hot and tired, so we headed back to our hotel to cool off and rest for a bit. Dinner at restaurants isn't served here until about 7:30, so we waited until then to eat. We ate at a nearby restaurant called Pizza Amalfi. I had a pizza with unknown seafood on it (I'm pretty sure snails and squid were on it), but it was so delicious. Dinner here does take longer than back home, so we had room for dessert after.  We both shared a banana split, which was probably the most delicious one I've ever had. We went back to the hotel to watch the opening match of the World Cup and then passed out. What a long day!

Day 14, June 11 - First day in Paris

Today was our first day in Paris! We  arrived at St. Pancras to take the Eurostar over to Gare du Nord in Paris. It was incredibly easy and accessible to get through and not daunting at all. It was both our first time riding on a train so we were pretty excited. It took us almost 3 hours to get to Paris from London. It took only about 20 minutes or so to get through the Chunnel, which was very suprising. We were both so nervous arriving in Paris because neither one of us speaks French that well. Luckily, we know the important phrases and I also had a pocket book to guide us. We wanted to take the bus to our hotel so we could see some sights on our way there. However, we did get lost for a little bit at the train station because it's in a different language and all that. Once we finally found our way and paid a Euro to use the toilets, we were on our way. It took about 45 minutes from the train station to get to our hotel. Our hotel is in the 15th arrondissement (neighborhood), near Grenelle. It is called Relais St. Charles. Once we checked in and got settled, we went and ate a nice dinner 3 or 4 doors down. The name of it escapes me right now. Once we got our full, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. It was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel.  We spent a nice long time over there to take in the view. We then found a patisserie on the way back to the hotel and got something with chocolate. It was like a thin sugar cookie with dark chocolate on top with chocolate chips spread around the edges. After, we decided to call it an early night so we could have an adventurous day tomorrow!

Day 13, June 10 - Liquidation day

So this is our last day in London! We wanted to make it a day to do the things we still haven't gotten to do. We went and got a quick breakfast at our favorite, Gardiner's. Then we headed to Buckingham to see the Changing of the Guard, which started at 11:30. Now, lesson learned: if you want to see the Changing, don't go 15 minutes before it starts. By the time we got there, there was a mob of people there and it was nearly impossible to see anything. Still, it was nice to hear and see what we could. Then we walked down towards the London Eye. On the way, we did some shopping and stopped to eat a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant right outside Trafalgar Square. I forgot the name of it, I think it started with an R. We then walked down to the Eye and got in line to buy tickets. After standing in line for about 5 or 10 minutes, someone failed to tell us that we were in the wrong line and then redirected about 150 people into the line we were supposed to be in. So we scrapped that idea because we would have been in line for 2 hours. Instead, we admired it up close and then went to Soho to say goodbye to the wonderful gelato flower from Amorino. We headed back to the flat, did some packing, and ate our last English pub dinner at Coborn Arms, and hit the sack. Paris is in the morning!

Day 12, June 9 - Sick day

Well, nothing much to post on this day. I woke up that morning feeling absolutely useless. Scott told me we should probably take the whole day off so I could get better. I was literally in and out of consciousness all day long. Thank god for him, because he took care of me all day and never left my side. Needless to say, I got better as the day progressed and felt confident we could take on London for our last day. 

Days 10 and 11, June 7-8 - A weekend in York

On Saturday morning, we took about a 3 hour drive up to York. The UK does this cool thing where instead of doing the usual rental car thing, you can do what is called a zip car. The company sends you an email where your car is parked and gives you a scanner. When you find the car, you put the scanner up to a barcode on the windshield of said car, and it unlocks for you, with the keys inside! Pretty nifty. It also took me a while to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road. I wasn't driving, thank god, or I would have kept turning to the wrong side of the road lol. When we got to York, it was raining pretty good, the usual rainy and dreary UK weather. We stayed at a little B&B called Heworth Court. Once we got our things settled, we walked down to the main town center. It isn't too big of a town, but it is encircled by a huge wall (reminded us of GoT). After walking along the wall, we went into town and walked through the streets. We got to see where Guy Fawkes was born and grew up as well! 

                    

Later, we found a pub called Ye Olde Starre Inn (I think). There I finally got to have fish and chips! It was really good and really filling. I also had a delicious Swedish cider. We walked around some more afterwards and found The Shambles. It is an ancient street of the Butchers of York. It takes the name from the word 'Shamel', meaning the stalls or benches on which the meat was displayed. Honestly, that place looked more like Diagon Alley than in London. Then we headed into the Golden Fleece pub, which is the most haunted pub in York. There, we got some more brews and had dessert. Then, before the sunset, we headed over to the Castle Area, and viewed the York Castle. It is known that on Friday, March 16, 1190, some 150 Jews and Jewesses of York sought protection in this castle from a mob. They chose to die at each other's hands rather to renounce their faith. I thought that was really interesting. We went back towards the B&B at this point, and went to another pub 2 doors over from it called The Shoulder of Mutton. There we had several drinks and watched a fútbol game late into the night. It was upon going to bed where I started to feel really unwell. My throat got really sore and it was hard for me to stay asleep. 

The next morning, on Sunday, I woke up feeling even worse and very tired. We went to breakfast downstairs, and it got some hot tea and orange juice, which helped a bit. Once we walked into town, Scott and I went off and explored nearby gardens and ruins. 

   

Then I had to find a pharmacy to get medicine and lots of water because I was feeling really under the weather. It was nice to get some Sudafed right over the counter. We then ate lunch at a really coo, Japanese restaurant called Yo! Sushi. You sit at a booth, and plates of food are on a conveyer belt and you can just pick up what you think looks good. Each plate has a different color, and those colors stand for specific prices. When you're done, they will count up your plates and add everything up. This place is very dangerous, but so delicious! After lunch, we headed back to London. Needless to say, I passed out mainly the whole trip back. Those meds came in handy. 

Day 9, June 6 - Harrods

We decided to make this day a very light day, since we would be heading to York this weekend. I wanted to go walk around the famous Harrods department store. It took us about 40 minutes or so to get there by tube. Before we headed in, we ate lunch at Pizza Express. We had been seeing these all over London everywhere we went, so we were intrigued. It was a simple little Italian place with , you guess it, pizza. We then got lost inside Harrods. This place is ginormous.It has 5 floors and a basement. This store is meant for the extremely wealthy, so we just walked around and took in the sights. We then stumbled upon the toy store part, which had about 3 or 4 different rooms. You can imagine Scott and I were in there for a good hour or so just playing with all the games and toys. After wondering around Harrods for about 2 hours, Scott said he didn't feel that well, so we got back to the flat around 4 pm. Around 7pm, we walked over to a nearby pub called the Lord Tredegar and had some drinks and chicken burgers and chips. We then watched a good fútbok game back at the flat, called back home to family to check on things, and turned it in to prepare for our day of travel to York.

Day 8, June 5 - Phlowers and Phantoms

Our full days were beginning to catch up to us, so we got a bit of a late start this day. We left around 10am and got breakfast at a nearby café called Gardiner's. Then we hopped onto the tube for about a 30 minute ride into Chelsea. There, we headed over to the Chelsea Physic Garden. It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in London. 

               

We were so lucky to have such a beautiful day, so my pictures came out great. One of the things I got most excited about was the pharmaceutical garden. It is full of so many plants that are used in so many different types of drugs that are used everyday, so I was definitely nerding out for a while. After spending about 2 hours there, we took a bus over to Wellington Arch, right outside Hyde Park. After spending a bit of time there, we decided to head back to the flat to eat a snack and get cleaned up for the musical we were going to see! We booked a reservation at Assagetti, which is an Italian restaurant across the street from Her Majesty's Theatre. We went to go see The Phantom of the Opera. It was everything I loved and more. The singing, wardrobes, casting, music, and set was all so beautiful and amazing. 

            

Scott was even able to order us drinks ahead of time, that way by the time the interval (intermission) rolled around, our drinks were ready for us at a special table. I highly recommend seeing this musical if you are a fan of the movie or the story. We got home late afterwards, and crashed hard after another fun-filled day. 

Day 7, June 4 - Armor and Gunners

This way day 2 of 3 for our London Pass voucher, so we wanted to take full advantage of it today.  We started our morning off by doing the Shakespeare Globe Theatre tour. We got to sit in the theatre and learn about its history and what it we like to be in the audience. We were there for about 30-45 minutes and timed it right, because we missed some of the rain. Once we finished there, we walked across the Millenium bridge nearby and on the other side, took a bus towards the Tower of London. Before we trekked into the Tower, we ate lunch nearby at Perkin Reveller. We both had the "chop and a glass", which was a pork chop with a glass of unknown red wine. It was really good, and the service was efficient. One thing we've noticed since being here is that the waiters don't bring you your check when you're finished. They usually only bring it when you tell them to. After lunch, we went through the Tower of London. It is so massive and the lady at the entrance said it would take around 3 hours just to see most of it. We weren't really sure where to start, so I said we should head straight for the Crown Jewels. They wouldn't let us take any pictures inside, but this part was absolutely amazing. Everything about every detail is just so extravagant. And it's just so cool to know that all of those pieces are still in use today. Afterwards, we headed to the tower in the middle of the fortress, called the White Tower. This held all the armor, weapons, and such. And good lord, you'd think Scott died and gone to heaven. It was hilarious watching him nerd out on stuff like that, and it all really was pretty awesome. 

                   

To continue this streak of watching Scott squeal like a little girl, we went over to Emirates Stadium because Arsenal is one of his favorite club teams. We went everywhere round the stadium and even the field. 

That was the last thing on our list, so we just spent the rest of the day hanging out and enjoying the company. 

Day 6, June 3 - Time to be a tourist!

We've been doing a lot of local things since we got to London, so we were finally ready to dip our feet into the tourist pool. We purchased something called the London Pass, which you pay a fee to use a certain amount of days. You can do one day, two days, three days, and six days (we chose the 3-day pass). With this, you can get in to over 60 attractions in London, without having to pay at the door, and skip the lines! We LOVE it so far. We bought something similar for Paris, so hopefully it will work wonders there as well. The first place we decided to use the pass on was Westminster Abbey. We skipped the lines and walked right in. It also came with a free audio guide, which was narrated by the intoxicating Jeremy Irons. I didn't realize you couldn't take pictures inside the Abbey, so I have several pictures (until someone scolded me later on) up to a certain point. 

                     

The place is HUGE. It is just so grandiose and so intricately detailed in even the smallest things. We learned so much about it, I don't even know where to begin. So many monarchs and honored people at buried here. It was just so awe-inspiring just to be there; it's indescribable. After the Abbey, we walked through the nearby St. James Park and had lunch at Inn the Park. Once we finished, we walked through the rest of the park and approached Buckingham Palace. We weren't able to witness the Changing of the Guard, but it was still amazing just to be there. 

    

Next on our agenda was to walk back up the Mall, past Bug Ben, across the Thames River, and went by St. Thomas' Hospital to go visit the Florence Nightingale Museum! The nurse part of me was freaking out with excitement. It was a small museum, but definitely worth seeing if any nurse gets a chance to. We then took a bus on over to London Bridge to do the London Bridge Experience. When we walked in, it was super dark. There were two main parts to it. The first part was full of actors who dressed up and made it scary and explained the history of the bridge while this is happening, you are with a group of people. The second part is actually a haunted house. Apparently it is considerd the scariest attraction in all of London (which is not my cup of tea, but I did it for the fiancé) it consisted of a story with Jack the Ripper involved and murders and gory scenes. Once I conquered that fiasco, we went over to the Tower Bridge to check out its interior and history. Such a beautiful bridge and how it came to be. We even were able to catch it opening up for boats to go through. 

     

Once we trekked through the bridge attraction, we visited the engine rooms on how the drawbridge works. After finishing that, we decided to call it a day, and had dinner at the flat and played board games til we were ready for bed. 

Day 5, June 2 - Harry Potter tour!

Today was the day of our Harry Potter walking tour! It wasn't until about 11:45 am, so we started off our day by getting breakfast around the corner from the flat we stay at. It was called Café Cremé, and we were able to get a full English breakfast. Then we took the tube over to Leicester Square to get ready for our HP tour. We had some time to kill, so we went to the M&M super store nearby.

              

 It smelled like M&Ms as soon as you walked in and it was just nothing but merchandise everywhere. Once 12pm rolled around, we met our tour guide for our walking tour. He was very well educated on all things Harry Potter and we were so impressed. We went all the way through Leicester Square, to Traflagar Square, on a short boat ride on the Thames River, walked down the Southbank, and up to King's Cross station where we ended. We were able to take pictures by Platform 9 and 3/4!  

                                  

The tour was about 2 and a half hours long and we were starved, so we went a grabbed some food near King's Cross. We kept seeing a restaurant called Pret A Manger everywhere, so we decided to try that out. I had a lemon and salmon sandwich which was so good! It was mainly organic food, so we worked with what we had. It was almost 4pm at this point, and we thought it was still a bit early to call it a day, so we took a bus back over to Trafalgar Square to check out the National Portrait Gallery, which has free admission. There we saw portraits and sculptures of those such as Shakespeare, Darwin, and modern figures. We went back to the flat around 5:30 to relax for a bit and decided to get a late dinner in Hackney. We found a Spanish cuisine restaurant called Machete which was absolutely delicious. I had a chicken quesadilla and Scott had pork nachos. After we got dessert across the street at an Italian restaurant called Su Sazzagoni. We split some chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. After we were sated, we went back to the flat and called it a night. 

Day 4, June 1 - Lots of food...and "dim sum"

After our busy previous day, we started this day a bit late. We walked down to Denmark Street, which is down central London. It is known for its guitar stores, so it was cool to see all the different guitars in the window. Then we made our way to Soho, where we went to Chinatown. This Chinatown is one of the largest ones.  I've been to the one in New York City, and it doesn't even compare. 

                            

We ate lunch at a restaurant there called Dumplings Legend. The service wasn't all that great, but the food was delicious. We had dim sum, which is a type of Chinese food that is prepared in small bite-sized portions served in small steamer baskets. Some of the things we had were Pork Xiao Long Bao, Crystal Prawn Dumplings, Minced Pork and Crab Roe Siu Mai, Seafood Congee, and Pan-fried Beancure Skin Stuffed with Shrimp. Once we headed out, we came across and ice cream and gelato shop called Amorino.  I had an ice cream cone with two flavors, and they make it look like a flower. I didn't want to ruin it it was so pretty. We then walked to Leicester Square (pronounced Lester) which had a tkts booth and lots of restaurants. About a 5 minute walk lead us down to Traflagar Square, which was beautiful. Then we headed down to check out Big Ben and headed to the Thames River (pronounced tems). 

                              

We crossed the river by one of the pedestrian bridges and walked down the river along the Southbank. It was quite a walk, so we made a pit stop to Founders Arms and got some beverages. I got a drink called Pims, which was some alcohol with lemonade and an assortment of fruits. Delicious. We continued onward to Southbend and walked past Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. We then called it a day and had some dinner back at the flat. We've done so much already but I feel like we're still missing so much too! Thank goodness we'll be here for a while!

Day 3, May 31 - Our legs have fallen off

We started our day off by going to Broadway Market, which is near the London Fields and runs to the Regent's Canal. It's a huge market full of food and clothing vendors. I got some beef pho and Scott got a huge German bratwurst for lunch. We were able to enjoy it in the middle of the market and listening to some awesome street musicians. Once we ate, we walked down Brick Lane, which is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. There we found a huge sale of old records and such, which was really cool. 

                        

There were also a bunch of pop up restaurants nearby and a graduate school for fashion design. Next, we went to Spitalfield Market. It is a huge covered market that has been on that site for about 350 years apparently. It was very similar to a jewelry show in New Orleans, but with clothing as well. Afterwards, we explored Liverpool Street, which is in Central London.  We also stopped off quickly in the Liverpool Station to check that out. Then we took the bus over to the bustling area of Camden. There we stopped off and had some brews in a organic shop called inSpiral. Camben is known for its huge network of markets, which we poked around for some time. One place we had to explore is called Cyberdog. It's basically a store for people who like to go to raves and such, and there's a rave going on inside while you're shopping. They wouldn't let me take pictures inside, so I only was able to take a picture of the entrance.

                              

 It's definitely different, but really cool. Think of the style like Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. After wondering around Camden, we walked to Islington to a pub called The Angelic.  That walk was absolutely brutal, which was about 3-4 miles just there. After having some drinks at The Angelic, we went to The Regent for pizza. After dinner, we walked back to the flat and had the best night of sleep we have had for a while. 

Day 2, May 30 - Actually our first day

After traveling for about an hour in the London Underground, we finally got to the flat we are staying at for the next 2 weeks. The second we dropped all our luggage, we took much needed showers that was like heaven on earth. Soon after, I could barely stand upright without wanting to fall asleep, so I begged scott to let me take a 30 minute power nap. Once we woke, we got changed and went straight for the nearby Victoria Park. It basically looks like a bit of a nicer version of City Park. We walked around for a bit and then Scott started telling me how sorry he was our trip started off bad (all our flight information got mixed up). Then he started telling me how he wanted to make it the best trip ever and wanted to start it off with us being engaged! So we are now officially an engaged couple! 

                          

After recovering from the shock of what had just happened, we went to a nearby pub called The Lauriston and got a plate of sliced meat and bread, along with wine and beer, and just took it all in.  

     

Once we were sated and a bit calm, we started to venture off! We mastered the tube (London Underground subway system). We then decided to go see Abbey Road and took pictures of each other walking across the walkway. That was really hard because it is a busy intersection! After that, we headed over to Baker Street, which pays homage to the show on BBC, Sherlock. We just walked up and down the street and took it all in.  We headed back to the flat at this point, because jet lag started to set in (we had been awake for more than 24 hours at this point). We decided to start telling our families the good news, even though they knew all along! When Scott's godfather and his wife got home, they took us to dinner at the Morgan Arms, which is a pub restaurant. We cheered our happy day and ate some really good food. I ended up getting a 28 day aged ribeye with fries (yeah it said fries on the menu). So delicious!

After dinner, we ventured around some pubs and walked along Regent's Canal. We ordered drinks at the Palm Tree, which has been standing since the 1600s, so it is one of the few place in East London to survive WWII. We stayed out until about 11:30, came back to flat, and finally got a good night's rest. 

Day 1, May 29 - Travel day

Our total travel time of going from New Orleans to Miami and then the London was about 14-15 hours. And goodness we are exhausted!! The plane ride from Miami to London was tough, but they made it as comfortable as possible. They provided us with blankets, pillows, headphones, and a huge selection of movies. The total flight time was around 9 hours. Scott and I decided to watch American Hustle (which was actually pretty good!), and that seemed to help the time to by. Then the stewardesses offered complimentary dinners with choice of wine or beer. I had the cheese and tomato pasta and of course Scott had the chicken curry. Below is a picture of my dinner:

                                  

Scott got a kick out of the stewardesses because they all had British accents. Hello! We're going to London, my friend. He's terrible at a poker face. Once we finished our dinner, sleep was nonexistent. We both got about 30 minutes of sleep. One of the cool things about our own TV screens was that you could see where the plane was in real time and stats. The normal information that was given were things such as, traveling at 576 mph and it was -76 degrees F at one point. Since I knew I wasn't going to sleep, I watched the sun rise which was beautiful. 

                                     

Once we landed, we got through everything else smoothly and relatively easily. We enjoyed a breakfast sandwich and some iced coffee before we set off to the London Underground. That took us nearly an hour to get to the flat we are staying at. Once we got to the flat, we showered and passed out. 

Well, that was our traveling, our first official day of London will be posted soon!!!

T-minus 2 days!

Let the madness ensue! We are both getting restless with anticipation and trying to make sure we don't forget anything. It is such a challenge to pack for nearly a month of traveling, but it's working a bit. Yesterday was the beginning of trying to fit everything into one suitcase. I bought packing cubes, which is supposed to help with organization and maximizing space. I found them here.  So far, I have only packed away the large cube.  It fit 4 pairs of pants, 4 pairs of shorts, a dress, and a maxi skirt.  Here's a picture below to show all of it inside the cube. 

                                   

Well, I'm acting like I have nothing to do.... Off to do more packing...

Getting close!

Well, the days to our trip are inching closer! In just a little over a week, we will be jetting off to begin our journey.  This past weekend was spent celebrating the wedding of Conner and Maddie. Conner is my brother-in-law's younger brother. We have known them for about 6 years now. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and perfect. It was a nice time spent with people we care about before we leave for Europe. Here is a picture of me and Maddie. She looked gorgeous!

                         

It's crazy to think about all the planning we've done and how much I feel like I still need to do. I want to plan our days as much as I can, but I know that it's impossible to plan out EVERY SINGLE DAY. I'm just doing my best to make sure that we spend our time efficiently and effortlessly. But I know that will be futile at some times; plus, they always say that the best days usually come from those that are unplanned! 

Tomorrow, I need to get my TB skin test done for school (every year for the rest of my life). So I just want to get that out of the way and not worry about it when I come back. I'm also going to make sure all my immunizations are up to date before I go across the pond. I guess I should get some rest now, because there is so much to be done, and not enough time to do it all!

Whenever I read about C. diff....

Happy Finals Week, y'all. 

The Beginning

Well this is my first post. If you can read from my "About Me", I'm currently a nursing student in New Orleans and I'm about to complete my first year. I wanted to create this blog to document all of my experience throughout this process and share everything I've learned. Feedback is also welcomed from other fellow nurses, whether you are still a student, freshly out there in the nursing world, or the seasoned nurse we all aspire to become.

But honestly, probably the main reason why I created this blog is because my boyfriend and I of 5 five and half years are traveling to Europe this summer... 43 days to be exact! I wanted to document every day of our travels while we are abroad. We'll be over there for about three weeks, so there will be so much to cover!! I'm really excited to get this started, and I hope I can keep it up despite my busy schedule (I'm sure many of you can relate).

Today is my first day of spring break. No I'm not going to Gulf Shores or on a cruise with friends. I'm just staying at home, catching up on some sleep, hanging out with fellow nursing friends, and maybe get a little bit ahead of some school work (finals are quickly approaching!). Yesterday, I completed my first rotation of clinical, and with flying colors! This is a picture of my wonderful clinical group.  My first clinical experience was absolutely amazing and I learned so much. I can only hope that my subsequent clinical rotations from here on out are just as good, if not better, because this bar was set really high. :)