End of Semester Holiday

Having left the manor with tears streaming down my face in almost uncontrollable sobs, I didn't want to admit that it was the end. If felt like a weekend and now although I hate to admit it, I know it's over. I'll be in the UK for less than 24 hours and then I'm back to America. How will I survive the boredom? 

Over the past week I have gotten to experience Amsterdam and a small town in a southern part of Holland. While staying in the small town of Cuijk with hosts that graciously took me around I got to experience many different cities and things. Whether I was trying Kapsalon or rainbow trout, I was constantly doing different things. I got to visit Bonn, Germany the birthplace of Beethoven and see his house and another German city of Aachen and see things Charlemagne had had built. It was amazing. Then I got to be in three countries at the same time. Belgium, Holland, and Germany all connect up on this hilly area and there are lookout towers and activities. It was pretty to look out and see Belgium one way a country I learned I loved this semester and then go back to Germany and Holland with just a few steps. 

I also got to see multiple cities within Holland and see the many different areas. I had experienced the canal city of Amsterdam and all it'e craziness but found that I liked the passing countryside much more and the smaller cities. 

Now as I'm heading back to London to retrieve the bag I left behind and head to Heathrow, I'm convinced that I'll never actually let this adventure end. I already have places I want to explore more or again. I want to show people the hidden gems of the cities I fell in love with. I have countless notes throughout the travel journal I have and I can't wait until I get to come back to Europe and use it as the best guide: my experiences that made me who I am now. I faced a lot this semester, whether it was missing a flight, train delays, traffic, crazy people, a fight with a friend, making new friends I'd have to leave, or climbing on top of an English manor, I know now that sometimes the craziest things that scare me the most will turn out to be my most treasured memories.

I won't treasure all the Megabus Chronicles but I will definitely remember how it got me through four countries in one day and that I met some weird people through it. I learned how to survive sleepless weekends and that when you don't want to use the grossest bathroom you've ever seen you can hold it for 4 more hours.

T-minus a day until I return to America and can't figure out what time it is anywhere for a week. I can't wait to have an ice cold fountain drink with free refills and Mexican food and the luxury of being able to drive. And until next time Europe. I will come back, it's not a question of will I but when will I? Who knows, maybe I'll find a way to study abroad again!! 

Bise Bise

Pains of Leaving

Driving away from the manor is the hardest when you don't know if you'll ever come back. We can hope and wish but you never know. 

Luckily last night was the perfect way to go out. With my roommates and a few other friends we scaled the roof and to the very top. And last night there was a meteor shower. It was do beautiful. I've never seen so many stars, let alone a meteor shower. I was so terrified because I was so high up but I was literally on top of a castle. I am so glad we climbed up there. #YOHO 

My war wounds from the stuff I've done the past week are reminders that even if there's nothing to do, there's something to do. My elbows, knees, legs, and a few spots on my face are proof that at Harlaxton you do things you'd never think. 

I had been studying for two days straight and the break from it and packing was much needed. My roommates were perfect. I couldn't have gotten a better luck of the draw. We all became so close at the end. And then I became so close with people from other schools. Telling them goodbye is the hardest part. It broke the dam. The tears still haven't really stopped. I don't know how to leave behind this semester. You can't just pack up Harlaxton in a bag. If you could it wouldn't be here. I'm so sad to be leaving. This semester had changed me so much. I'm excited for the adventures to come in the next week. They will be fun but also hard because I won't be returning to this beautiful manor. The journey I've been on has taught me a lot. 

This is a thank you to everyone who helped me along the way. I'm so grateful for this experience. 

Now onto Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Hopefully I find a map soon after arriving. 

Bise Bise

Does it have to end?

Today was the last day of British Studies. Our last SGA event is tonight. Everything is ending. Today the tears started because no one wants to leave. 

A few of us have started to pack, but we don't want to. We're having to check out. The bins for stuff we don't want or need any more are out ready to be filled. But why does it have to end? Why do we have to leave this amazing semester which has had magnificent weather? Why must we return back to our respective schools, when we have made such amazing friendships here? You can't make us leave. Even the raging goose that could probably kill all of us won't scare us into leaving. 

When I look back at all I've learned, it amazes me how much you can learn. This semester has taught me a lot about the world, myself, and others. I may have wanted to sleep through class on an occasion or two because I had stayed up late watching movies or just talking with friends or my roommates, but each day has taught me more and more. I guess we have to leave so that others have a chance to experience all that Harlaxton has to offer. Maybe we have to leave because we won't really know what we've learned until we're gone, but I think we have to leave because there's a larger lesson waiting for us. That although we never want to leave this gorgeous manor with amazing views, sunsets, and people, to return to a place that hasn't changed as much as we have, but enough to make everything weird. 

Having school five days a week will be hard. Not going to a new country or exploring a city will be even worse. What will be the hardest though, is knowing that here we got to do so much and still never did enough. I know that the travel bug has hit me hard. The thought of staying in one place for an entire summer even just makes me cringe. So someone tell me why I have to leave my castle on a hill? Tell me how to go back to America and live a life where I don't see a new country or befriend people from all over the world on at least a weekly basis. Then I may be coaxed into leaving. 

It's strange how any other semester we would all be dying for classes to end, but here we don't. We don't like the homework and exams but it means that the semester is over. Tonight we have Karaoke and after that there's only a few classes and exams. I'm excited for my travel after my exams but I'm so sad to be leaving. 

I'll either find a place to hide in the manor or accept that I'm not facing the world without Harlaxton, I'm just facing it after Harlaxton has changed me. 

Bise Bise

Winding Down but not Settling Down

This past weekend was the last weekend of the semester. Well we have finals this coming weekend so it was the last real weekend. It was crazy and fun but also humbling. It started with Thursday night at the Collegiate choir performance. It was all about the last time of this or the end of the semester. There were tears all around. It finally dawned on me that I'm in England. It's crazy that it took this long but it did. That night a lot of the college went out into Grantham. It was so much fun to hang out with everyone. The next morning was rough for a lot of people because we left at 8am to go on out London field trip. 

When we arrived in London I was given a tour of St. Paul's Cathedral by Dr. Kingsley. I didn't learn a lot for the exam but I learned a lot of fun information. Then I walked with two of my roommates down to the national galleries to see some portraits of people we've studied and since we had time to kill we got to see some of my favorite painters as well. Then I met up with some other friends to go to Tate Moderne and see some modern art. I didn't really like most of it but I saw some Picasso, Modrian, van Goh, and Monet so I was happy. Then we came back to the manor and I slept for what felt like days. 

Saturday was a blast. All day long the whole manor was getting ready for the costume ball. It was like getting ready for a formal, only better. We started with a reception to celebrate the Gatsberade and then got dinner. After dinner it was time to dance. Spice Girls to Cha Cha Slide to Cupid Shuffle to Kesha helped is dance the night away. Then a group of us went up to my room and hung out. After chatting for a while we hiked into the woods to find one of the bunkers that the British had used to hide from the Germans during the world wars. It was cold and dark but also a ton a fun. Then we rolled down a hill and it was the most perfect roll down a hill ever. Then I slept for hours and hours. Then I spent all of Sunday in bed watching ridiculous movies. 

This being the last week of classes ad I don't like it. I don't want to leave this magical place. I don't want all the new friends to disappear or my roommates and I to have different schedules. I'm going to miss cuddle puddles and group nap time and just going for a hike in the woods at 1am because we're bored. 

This semester is almost over but the impact of it is only just beginning. 

Bise Bise

PICTURE UPDATE :D

Throwing with the Eiffel Tower. NBD. 

Trocadero

Spring time in Paris is beautiful

Louvre photo shoot 

 A light for my loved ones passed away

smug mona lisa selfie

I MET CINDERELLA AT DISNEYLAND PARIS

Throwing photo session at Eiffel Tower

Life's a Beach

Well it's April. Any other year that would be a welcome statement. Actually probably any other time the months changing would be ok. Except here. Time has gone by so fast. We can count the days no problem in how many we have left. So we're making the most of every second we have. There's so much to soak up and experience. SO MUCH. Like exploring all the areas of London we didn't know existed. Seeing the amazingness that is the north sea and just being in England. 

Friday was a shopping day. I actually probably shouldn't go shopping but I did really good. Like really good. I just got the things I needed. Which were presents for other people and one thing for me. I was so proud of myself. The problem is that London is so cute that you just want to buy every single thing and then you realize after being in a store for about 20 seconds that you're about to buy over $100 worth of stuff that you don't even like. Luckily I walked away from everything. I didn't even have to think about it. I've gotten to a really good point with my addiction to shopping. Like I'd rather handle finances planning a trip than in the store Primark. It's like crack for a shopaholic like myself. Also we avoid the kids section because everything is too dang adorable and it's so easy to think of a cute little kid that deserves all the dresses and shirts and leggings and shoes, etc. After visiting a super neat west end area of London that had some cute boutique style shops it was time to face Oxford Street. If you know anything about London you know that Oxford St is shopping heaven and tourist craziness. Literally the streets were packed at 1pm on a Friday. What? Don't you people work? Oh wait you're tourists. Gah. (More about that feeling later) Then after Oxford St it was time to go to a nice calm book store that made life easy again. Something that could be faced and handled. It was glorious. You walked in and could hear yourself think and breathe more than anything. It was wonderful. I wanted to buy all the books. That's why my Kindle is my best friend because I just get a bunch of free books and read all those. I read so fast that owning books is not ideal. I can read a book in hours rather than weeks for most people. But I just loved sitting and reading an actual book in an actual book store in London. It was so peaceful. Then it was come back and read books so that my mind could just be stress free. Planning out life is hard and trying to plan life in the US when you're in the UK is harder. 

So we were taking the Tube to the train station and this guy dropped his ticket and I had already placed my Oyster card on the sensor so the turn style locked up on me and I had to explain some dude had gotten me locked out to the worker and he fixed it but for real #LondonTourists. This guy like I know how to work the tube, come on. Stop being a tourist. (I feel like my life is complete when I feel like a local in a different country.) People asked us for directions and we were able to lead them there no problem. It was a great day of blending into London. Especially enjoying Chipotle because oh how every person at Harlaxton misses Mexican food more than anything. 

Saturday was nice in that I just woke up and went off. I went to Skegness with Madeline and loved it. Literally that city is so quaint and relaxing. We considered riding a ferris wheel and that was the excitement of the day. Just walking through sand and in the North Sea was glorious. I may have picked up a few too many sea shells up. Maybe 30. I literally said in all seriousness that 'I may have been a mermaid in a past life.' Which is not what Buzzfeed said but alas I feel that I was. But we continued just enjoying the life that was beach life. I did a message in a bottle and it was so fun trying to chuck a bottle out past the tide. I did :) then I walked under a pier. Which is one of those things you see people do in movies but does anyone actually do it? Well I did because You Only Harlaxton Once. Then it was time to see if we could find Madeline a dress or something for the costume ball coming up. Unsuccessful shopping lead to hunger which led to dinner. Then we figured when the next train back was and realized we could visit the beach once more. It was stressful and I was nervous we wouldn't make it but we did. I'm so glad we did because it was more gorgeous as the sun was beginning to start setting. It was marvelous. The water is freezing because well, it's the North Sea and is way too north to even think it could be luke-warm. The train ride back was fun and entertaining as we just laughed the whole way back. Then I finished reading a book and got to catch up on  my sleep. It's so nice to wake up without an alarm clocking quacking at me. 

Today in a secret event, that can later be discussed, we went outside. I decided to take a selfie with a goose. Well apparently you aren't supposed to look a goose in the eye. First mistake. Second breaking off eye contact. Third being with people who were afraid of geese. Well the goose decided we were all up in his space and decided to charge at us. When that happened the like 7 people I was with all fled in different directions screaming and jumping onto things. Apparently they had forgotten geese can fly. That goose continued to follow us around outside and then could sense us through the windows of the manor and was ready for us to come out and he would attack. Yup I now know that if a goose attacks they would try to eat me and that I am never looking a goose in the eye again. 

Well after all the excitement and loveliness of this weekend I should do my homework. Maybe or take another buzzfeed quiz or two. Oh wait I saw something earlier I wanted to look at... 

That's what this semester is, exploring buzzfeed while exploring the world. 

Bise Bise

City of Lights... and AMAZINGNESS

I would put this post all in French, but then no one would read it. Also, I'm so tired that I'd probably use the wrong grammar structures. But I'm so tired because everyday was packed with the beauty and culture that Paris has to offer. Each day I crammed a lot in but still had leisure time. I may have had a herd of sheep following me that didn't know why I was excited about things, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the city of Paris once more.

To get to Paris the school bused us to the train station in town, then the train took us to London, we then went across the street to the international train station to head to Paris. The travel was fast and efficient, well as fast and efficient as 40 Americans can be in place that most of them have never been to before. We got to our hotel and headed out to get groceries so that we could have dinner and settled in so that we could wake up early and explore the city. In the morning I started off by teaching everyone a little French so that they could buy a carnet so that we could take the metro. We started off on the Champs Elysees and found out that a Chinese diplomat or important person of some kind was in Paris and was having a parade of sorts for them from L'Arc de Triomphe. Then we saw the Arc de Triopmhe, from there we walked through a cute neighborhood were I found EXKI, my favorite cafe place from Belgium, and we had to stop. Next stop was Trocadero and seeing the Eiffel Tower. It was magnificent, partially because it was gorgeous out, but also because I WAS IN PARIS. After taking a ton, I mean a ton of pictures, of le Tour Eiffel, we went on to the Hotel les Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is. We didn't go in because we are broke college students and I'm pretty sure no one wanted to pay to see a dead man's tomb. After that we went to Place de la Concorde and Tuilieries, the gardens outside the Louvre, and saw a lot of the pretty spring that was happening around us. From there we walked through the gardens stopping to take breaks to sit in the iconic green chairs and look at the flowers, fountains, sculptures, and gorgeous city around us. We then took photos outside the Louvre and were able to play around a little. Then we walked along the Seine to the lock bridge and took more pictures. After seeing all the locks we went to Notre Dame. My favorite and I got to see the gorgeous cathedral in the spring time as the sunshine shined through the stained glass onto the walls. It was magnificent. From there we walked past Hotel de Ville, the Centre Pompidou area, and then window shopped on the way back to the hotel. For dinner it was another picnic of sorts to save money, and after having thoroughly exhausting the group I lead around it was bed time.

The next morning we had less to see because we had seen a lot already. So we started at Sacre Coeur. After climbing up the steps - because it is necessary to enjoy the view and delicious treats at the top - we went into the gorgeous basilica that has an amazing mural over the altar. After I saw all of the pretty church it was time to explore Montmartre, the artsy and lovely part of northern Paris. All the shops were adorable and had amazing souvenirs but the best place was the ice cream shop that had dairy free sorbet. I enjoyed it a lot. Then I wandered to Moulin Rouge to see the famous red windmill. After seeing the large windmill it was time to head to the Galeries Laffayette to see the massive shopping center. I may not have known exactly where this place was, but with all the directions in pieces from people who didn't tell us the whole story, eventually we got there. It was massive and gorgeous but also extremely expensive so window shopping it turned into. Then from there we went to Musee d'Orsay. Two of the people I was travelling with wanted to go in regardless of whether or not we had to pay. Being a student with a British ID got us in for free, thanks Harlaxton ID. After seeing most of my favorite paintings and sculptures we headed back to the hotel for dinner before we'd head out to the Louvre. We got into the Louvre for free as a student after 6:30pm on a Friday night. It was nice to see it for free, especially with way less people. Then after wandering around we found a place to sit right outside the Tuilieries gardens to watch the Eiffel Tower light up on the hour. It was perfect, as usual. Then bed time because we were once again exhausted and the next day would be Disneyland Paris.

The next morning was little chaotic when trying to figure out where we would get picked up at by the bus but it was amazing after we realized the bus didn't have stop it just kind of stopped along the road at a point that it said was its stop. A 45 minute bus ride and we were at Disneyland Paris. The little kid freak out never stopped, well it did on the massive scary ride, but for the most part I was so excited to see everything. They had flower sculptures of so many Disney character sets it was perfect. And the castle was pretty. The first thing on the agenda was Princess Pavilion. It was a 2 hour wait to see princess and we survived it. As we were waiting for our turn to take the photo, Cinderella switched to one of the Princesses we got to meet. You only got to meet one so luckily it was worth while. After n amazing day it was bed time so that we could survive the trouble of travel nextime.

The final morning was a quick photo session at the Eiffel tower so that we could saying goodbye.

A bientot Paris, I'll return soon hopefully, after A LOT of sleep.




Bise Bise