Goodbye Europe

I boarded a plane four months ago with one of my best friends Jordan Murray.

We landed in London and moved in with 36 girls and 2 boys.

I was scared to death but had also never been so excited in my entire life.

I missed my family and friends back home, but soon realized that I had some of the most incredible people I had ever met living above me, below me, and all around me.

I went to Paris for the first time and ran around the city of lights in matching shirts with Molly Jane.

I hiked through the Lake District and read Wordsworth's poetry in the woods.

I went to Wales and experienced "Welsh World" while uncovering Jordan's hidden talent of harpooning apples off trees...

I went to a fashion show on a boat and had a dance party on the Thames.

I ate Thanksgiving dinner in Brussels and listened to Jay-Z in Amsterdam.

I saw the entire cast of 'Harry Potter' after waiting 15 hours in the rain for them.

I snuck to the top of the roof of the London Centre and watched fireworks for Guy Fawkes day.

I cried in the first LDS chapel in Gadfield Elm.

I spent over 100 hours on a coach discovering the English countryside.

I served in an LDS ward where I was the only White person and fell in love with black children with English accents.

I did the wave on Hadrian's Wall.

I went on a Beatles tour in Liverpool.

I participated in a "Gallon challenge" with a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke...

I had a conversation with Joshua Radin and got a picture with Bruno Mars.

I saw the Pope in Rome and climbed the duomo in Florence.

I ate margarita pizza in Pisa and fed the birds in Venice.

I had one of the best conversations of my life with some of my best friends on a night train.

I witnessed the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen in Salzburg and was part of the biggest pillow fight I've ever seen in Prague.

I went through an actual concentration camp in Munich and discovered in Frankfurt that if a huge black guy ever comes into your room at night, Jordan's first instinct is to fight him.

I returned home to London and waited for my family to meet me there while their plane got delayed again, and again.

I had the most magical Christmas in my most favorite city in the whole world, but I missed all the people that had made London so special to me in the first place.

I visited Paris for a second time and found that it is still one of the most incredible places on earth.

I made friends on my study abroad that I will have for the rest of my life!
I'm excited to have Gossip Girl nights with them and plan bachelorette parties for them. I'm excited to attend future weddings and concerts and movie premiers with them.

I'm excited to see my friends at home that I haven't seen for four whole months!! I'm excited to meet their boyfriends and see my friends that have come home from their missions.

I'm excited to eat Cafe Rio again, and move into an apartment with Rachel Nixon, and go skiing.

I have loved my life during the last 4 months, but tomorrow,
I'm going HOME.

We Louvre Paris

Well we finally made it to Paris! And we blend right in because my family is really appreciative of other cultures and the fine arts... Oh wait.

Here are a few of the quotes from my siblings and parents that I've kept track of over the last four days for your enjoyment:

(in the Louvre):
"That painting looks like George Washington... on crack..."

(right after we get off the plane):
"Wait, does this mean all the signs are going to be in French for the next five days? Kill me now."

(at dinner):
"Which is more effective -- a cattle prod or a taser?"

(While touring the Opera House):
"It's like they are a whole race of the little people from 'Gulliver's Travels'!"

(While touring Versailles):
"This reminds me of a skit from 'Jackass'..."

"The only thing better than cage fighting is cage fighting in French."
(does that even need an explanation?)

Matching ear muffs? check.

They saw a mouse on the tracks...

Just look how happy she is...

Who knew Mitz was such a huge fan of double cheese burgers??

Giving a rousing performance of "Phantom of the Opera"

Mona!

Happy Christmas!

So want to know where I am right now?

In Heathrow Airport.

Waiting for our flight to Paris which has now been delayed for 2 HOURS!

But I'm really not that upset about it, I've got my computer and the newest Vogue UK, and the rest of my family seems alright with the delay too because they are all asleep in the chairs next to me...

This last week we had the greatest time! I got to show my family and my cousins all my favorite spots in London --

Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, St. Paul's, Camden Market, British Museum, British Library, Tower of London, Westminster Abby, Houses of Parliment, the London Eye, various Harry Potter sites (of course), Harrods, Oxford Street, Picadilly Circus, Sloane Square, Regents Street, etc etc etc.

We covered a lot of ground in one week haha I'm going to miss London so much!

My mom made a delicious breakfast of French toast with Magleby's syrup, scrambled eggs and bacon on Christmas (I've missed her cooking!!) and we spent Christmas day playing games and telling stories in our flat while eating wayy too much European chocolate and cookies. Not too shabby huh?

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas as well!! It's my favorite time of the year :)

All the kids!

Big Ben!

Les Mis!

(Anne and I will willingly perform a rousing rendition of "One Day More" on command... which we did in the tube, on the bus, and the street... yeah, we got a lot of stares...)

On the steps of the British Museum... This picture basically sums up our whole trip.... hahaha

Why yes, we do have matching velvet leggings and I heart London sweatshirts...

I was made fun of incessantly for wearing this headband...

Anne asleep on the tube... haha

Gelato at Harrods!

What would Christmas be without matching flannel nightgowns?

Also, this is my new favorite Christmas song, and the video is fantastic because it shows the city of London!

Christmas Lights - Coldplay

Aftertravels

11 days. 7 girls. 1 boy.

2 flights. 10 trains. 4 countries. 8 cities.

Rome:

We saw the pope while standing on the spanish steps!

Trevi Fountain!

Trains:

Florence:

Margarita pizza for every meal in Italy? Of course.

Pisa:

Venice:

Night Train:

hahaha this was hilarious. and a disaster.

Salzburg:

Sound of Music tour? Check.

Prague:

John Lennon Wall

Worlds biggest pillow fight... in the middle of Prague... hahaha

Germany:

Munich: Dauchau Concentration Camp

Frankfurt: Christmas Market!

Prague

Sorry that I have been completely MIA the past week... I've been travelling! Me and a few girls from my study abroad went to Rome, Florence, Venice, Pisa, Salzburg, and are now in Prague!

We will end the week in Germany and fly home to London on Sunday, where I will meet my family and the rest of the girls will fly home to the states. Craaaaazy!

I will give you lots more details then, and post pictures as well!

Winding down

My days at the London Centre are coming to a close! By Wednesday, all our stuff will be packed, finals will be over, and everyone will be out of the house for good. Some are going home, others are traveling with friends. I have the privilege of traveling through Europe with 8 fabulous girls for 10 days, but more of that later.

Today I was thinking about everything I've done in London this past semester, and I've had some of the most incredible experiences here! I've been able to document some of them on this blog, but there is no way really to describe the experience I've had this semester. Except to recommend that every single person even THINKING about doing a study abroad, to do it! And seriously, London is the best one. It will change your life, there is NO WAY it won't. I've grown in ways I didn't even realize were possible, I've made some of the best friends that I really believe I will have for the rest of my life, I've learned so much about myself and others, my testimony has been strengthened in ways that would only be possible here, and being here has allowed me to make some pretty important decisions with a clear mind. I've learned how much people mean to me, and I appreciate little things that I used to take for granted. My world has been blown open and I really don't want it to end!

London 2010

Musicals

I LOVE MUSICALS.

My sister can vouch for that, as we have performed our fair share of duets while in the car driving. (She's Elphaba, I'm Glinda. She's the Phantom, I'm Christine/the organ. You get the point.)

So obviously I kind of went crazy while I was here and saw every musical and play I possibly could, and here they are!

Plays:

Horse. Puppets. Need I say more? haha we saw it as a class for Great War/Modernism.

LOVED THIS! Saw it at the Globe. Stood the whole time. It was fantastic.

Saw this during Halloween week. Refer to my earlier blog post for more details haha.

This was FANTASTIC! Ben Barnes (aka Prince Caspian) is the main guy, and he NAILED IT! (oh, it's all about WWI and his love affair with a Frenchwomen, little risque but really good!)

Musicals:

We saw this on our second night in London, still one of my favorites I've ever seen.

Made me cry. Literally mind-blowing. Changed my life. Should be on everyone's bucket list to see before they die. The end.

CLASSIC. Third time I've seen it, gets better every time.

UNREAL. The costuming? Genius. The English accents made it a hundred times better too!

Front row tickets. I think I had goosebumps the whole show.