"In Ireland they know how to love you"

I LOVED IRELAND!! It was definitely the most fun trip I have taken since being here!

So we woke up super early Friday & headed to Victoria Station to catch the Gatwick Express & then take our flight to Belfast. All went well, the plane ride was super short, esp since I slept through most of it! We got to Belfast & waited to be picked up for our black cab tour. This tour, given by a spectacular tour guide, gives the history about the Catholic-Protestant troubles in Belfast. We were first taken to the Catholic side where we saw many murals made there. We also got a glimpse of the wall which separates the Catholics and Protestants. We also went to Bombay street which was rebuilt after it was destroyed. There is a nice memorial area now there. We then traveled to the Protestant side where we got a better view of the wall, which goes on for a while and is covered in paintings and graffiti. It is quite a sight to see. Very similar to the Berlin Wall. We then saw murals on that side, mostly all within this park square area. The history is so interesting, especially since some of the things happened pretty recently. It was such an interesting eye-opening tour!!!

After the tour, we decided to go to the Crown Pub, suggested by our tour guide for having the best Irish stew. It is also owned by a Catholic-Protestant couple. It was such a cute pub. We got to sit in an enclosed booth they call a snug & the Irish stew was super good! Some of us also had Belfast Ale which was like super strong! After our nice lunch, we headed to the bus station to depart for Dublin!!

After a very nice bus ride, most of which I slept through, we arrived in Dublin!!!! We headed to our hostel & very surprisingly we were upgraded to the hotel next door! score!! I also had a lovely triple room with Katelyn & Kinsey...very nice! After getting situated a bit, we went to the Abbey Theatre to see if we could get tickets for that night's performance of Lay Me Down Softly. They only had three tickets left, so Kinsey, Katelyn & I got them. We then all explored Dublin a bit together, taking pictures of statues & pretty Christmas lights, including a fab Christmas tree which changes colors!! We also stopped by Carrolls, a tourist gift shop which was fab & I purchased my most favorite purchase in Europe- a super sweet redhead dolls with a hat & pigtails who I named Molly O'Mally. She's my fav!! We were then hungry & headed to a nearby pub for some delicious Irish food. & boy was it delicious!! I got a full Irish breakfast, which had things in it that looked and sounded scary but I tried it all & throughly enjoyed my meal. Katelyn, Kinsey & I then headed off to the show.

It was so delightful!! It was a new work by an Irish playwright with Irish actors which was fab! Two of the main male roles were younger guys who were quite good looking, which is always a plus! After the show, we then waited to them to tell them how much we enjoyed the performance & to well talk to them!! They were quite nice, of course talking to us about American politics, but it was fun to talk to them! We didn't succeed in going out for drinks with them though. Oh well..still nice! We went to bed happy having a most fantastic day!!

The next morning we got up fairly early & traveled to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Trinity is a really nice place & the Book of Kells is sooo interesting! After visiting the British Library the week before, I see how awesome & cool super old important books are. It was especially interesting learning how they made the book. Afterwards, I was then going to go on an Irish food tour, which I was super excited for, but after waiting forever for it, Kyle, who was with me, called the company and learned they don't run it anymore! Disappointing!!! But we then met up with everyone else & wandered all around Dublin. We went and saw the Dublin Castle, Christchurch Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, where I frolicked by the fountain & took fun pictures with the plaques of famous writers which they call the Parade of Writers. On the way I made us stop at Queen of Tarts, a super cute pastry shop. I got a delicious chocolate scone! We then headed to St. Stephens Green which is a beautiful park!! There were kids there, who looked about 12, smoking & being hoodlums. They tried to jump in one of our pictures & then I asked they if they wanted pictures. The one was very willing & proudly took a pic with me. Then all his friends came back & the redheaded one walked up to me and said "I'm a ginger." It was so brillant! We then met up with Katelyn, who was off with her friend, at Trinity College and we all headed to the Guinness Factory!

That place is SOOOO much fun!! It was way bigger than I was expecting & we spent hours in there. There was lots of interesting stuff & we had tons of fun taking lots of pictures. We then got to the part where you could pour your own Guinness. They were closing though & the lady was impatient & only let Katelyn in. After she left and we jealously watched Katelyn, Andrew, our new Guinness friend, let all of us pour our own if we wanted. It was super fun, though made me question ever becoming a bartender! haha! He taught us how to make designs in the foam, which I terribly failed at! Still I poured my own & got a sweet certificate! So proud!!

After Guinness we were hoping to make it in time to go on the Literary Pub Crawl we heard about. We grabbed food & made it to the pub, but unfortunately the pub crawl was too full. It actually ended up to be a good thing. On our way back to the hotel, we saw these street performers who were absolutely amazing!! We spent a lot of time watching them and dancing! The fiddler was so talented & cool & we were all in love with beautiful percussionist!! It was so fun! Lots of us got Cds! So glad we saw them!

Back at the hotel we got ready to go out to the pubs. While getting ready, we were quite giddy & hysteria ensued in our room. We had tons of fun before the night even began!!! We finally made it out of the hotel & headed to Doyles pub, which was recommended by Katelyn's friend. At first we just drank by ourselves but desperately tried to meet people. We finally succeeded in getting the attention of one of the many guys who were in the corner. We were then introduced to them all & found out it was one of their birthdays. They were the coolest guys!!! We had lots of fun joining in their birthday celebration for Richard, the birthday boy! They were taking forever to dance though so we all danced together & finally some of the Irish guys joined us. They played some strange music choices, like Ghostbusters, but it was tons of fun!!I love dancing with fun people!!!!! It was such a fantastic night, made better on the walk home where we got yummy food & met another cool Irish guy! The Irish people were just so friendly all weekend! They are always willing to talk to you which is so great!!!!!!!!!

Back at the hotel room, we were quite tired and had a cute cuddle bedtime session! hehe! The next morning we were still pretty tired but we woke up to head to the Writer Museum before we had to leave Dublin!!We got to the museum early and spent some time at a cool memorial fountain/garden next to it. We finally entered the museum which was really interesting. There was lots about Irish playwrights & theatre which I especially found interesting!!! It was a very nice end to our time in Dublin.

We then began our journey of 5 modes of transportation. From our bus ride to Belfast to our bus ride to the airport to our plane back to London from the train back to Victoria Station to the bus ride back to the res hall. During our time at Belfast airport, we played charades which was quite enjoyable. The whole weekend was just tons of fun, no problems or anyways! It was almost too good to be true but we weren't complaining! It was such a fantastic time with some of my greatest friends here!!!!!!!

It was sad that was my last major trip outside of London. Monday was brutal. Katelyn, Ryan & I went to lunch at My Old Dutch & then Katelyn & I were going to work on our scene but wanted to watch a movie & watched Bridget Jones, with Ryan & Kat too!! We finally worked on our scene. I then did some reading to continue to be a bit productive. Tuesday was back to classes, as well as today! But then, after classes, I met up with my mommy, maria, gina, lauren & mrs. cook who are here in London visiting me!!!!! It was SOOO exciting to see them. Tonight we had dinner and I walked them all over, showing them some of the sites. I then made them extra exhausted on top of their jet lag, so I parted with them. I will see them more tomorrow & until Sunday. I am excited to do things with them!! yay!!! I am sure I will then updated on the adventures I do with them!!

Paris- C'est Magnifique!

Very early Friday morning I began my journey to Paris with some of my friends. We took the Eurostar which only took about 2 & 1/2 hours to get to Paris!! Since we were there through a tour group, we waited for our tour guide when we got to the Paris train station. While waiting, a very angry woman came up to speaking German. Katelyn's dad, who had just met up with her, thankfully dismissed her. It was quite an interesting way to start our time in Paris.

Once our tour guide Andrew met up with us, we headed to our hotel to drop off our things. We then headed into Paris with our first stop seeing the Eiffel Tower! It was quite exciting to see it for the first time in person! I definitely took tons of pictures!! We then headed to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. Here we walked along the fancy shops along the Champs Elysees and had lunch. We got pita sandwiches from a French man who spoke English & said he had family in Ohio & was super excited to see Americans. It was quite funny & very pleasant to have the first person we meet in France be very pleasant. After eating(including pastries called St. Nicolas which were shaped like a man & delicious), Kyle & I decided to head up the Arc de Triomphe. After many steps, we made it to the top. It was a very nice view of Paris from up there!!! We then went back down to meet with the rest of the group & head to the Seine.

We then walked along the Seine River, taking in the sights, and went on a boat cruise on the Seine to see the sights along it(including the Louvre, Notre Dame, all the pretty bridges & many museums). After the Seine, we ended up next to the Eiffel Tower & got our chance to go up it!!! Unfortunately that day the view from the very top was quite bad due to fog. It was still cool to think about being at the top of the Tower though!!! From the second level, there was a much better view & the Tower started to light up and sparkle as we were on it!!!! Afterwards, we waited by the Eiffel Tower, once off it, to wait to see the light show from afar. While waiting I got my first crepe with chocolate, banana, and cream which was so so delicious!!!!(food in paris is amazing, I will keep mentioning it). Then we got to see the Eiffel Tower all light up & sparkle! It's so magical!!!!!

We then headed back to the hotel area & ventured out to find dinner. We were persuaded to go into a restaurant by the train station because the guy promised us free drinks. I decided, not knowing french, to order something which I had no idea what it was. My first course was called country terrine & the second turkey scallop. Kyle & Ryan also decided to be brave like me, Ryan having the same order & Kyle also ordering the country terrine. It came out & was definitely not what we were expecting, though I had no idea anyways. It didn't look too good but it really wasn't that bad. We then got our second course which was breaded turkey with pasta on the side. Actually pretty good. I also had some mussels that someone ordered & lots of bread. I was totally living up my first French meal! hehe! We then headed back to the hotel & rested, as I was so tired from being awake so early on very little sleep!

The next day started with our journey to Montmartre. We climbed the big hill and have time to explore. The church at the top of the hill, Sacre Coeur is so beautiful! I loved walking around it. We then walked around the area, through the artist market in the square and exploring shops around. It was such a cute area!! We then met as a group again & walked to the Moulin Rouge! On the way we passed some other moulins(mills) but none that were red! We finally made it to the Moulin Rouge, back in the sketchier side of the area. It was cool to see & super fun to take pictures in front of!!!!!

After that, we hopped back onto a bus & headed to Notre Dame! Another place that was surreal to see in person..So so beautiful & massive! The inside is especially beautiful with its stained glass. Although it was crowded, it was a very peaceful place to be!

We then had some free time & Ryan & I ventured the area a bit & then got a baguette for lunch, which was delicious! We also were eying the pastries but we didn't get any. We then joined the group waiting for the bus to go to Versailles. We kept thinking of the pastries & I decided we had enough time to go get one so we ran back to the place & I got a most delicious chocolate ball as we were calling it. I am so glad I went back because the bus ended up getting lost and we waited for a long time to go to Versailles. The bus finally came though and we were on our way!

I had been looking forward to Versailles. Unfortunately we got there later so Marie Antoinette's Estates were no longer open but I could still go in the Palace. The Palace was absolutely beautiful...EXTREMELY ornate, but beautiful! Could never imagine living there! It was also funny too because they were obscure pieces of artwork by a modern artist Jeffery Koons randomly placed around the palace. It was extremely out of place, yet it was still fun to see what you would find in the next room. After the palace closed, we went into the gardens a bit(SO PRETTY!) & then we walked around Versailles a bit, getting another crepe & just checking out the markets around and such. It was a cute little town. We then hopped on the bus to go back to Paris.

Back in Paris we decided to explore the Latin Quarter, where the Sorbonne is located, to check out the Happy Hours. We went to one bar and ordered a few drinks. After being there for a while, I was ready for dinner but some other people wanted to go out for more drinks so we split on. I was very set on getting Onion Soup(not called french onion in France though that is what it is) & creme brulee(which I have liked before High School Musical! haha). We searched & searched for a restaurant which had both but finally found one!! I also got a glass of French wine...it was quite an enjoyable meal! After having a very relaxing time at the restaurant, we headed back to the hotel where I again slept very well! On the way to the metro though we got to see more of beautiful Paris by the Seine at night! yay!

Sunday morning after breakfast at the hotel we headed, with all our things, to the Louvre! It is so huge but probably my favorite art museum ever!! I feel like everything in there is so important!! We first headed to the major pieces of work so we wouldn't run out of time to miss them. We first saw Mona Lisa, who looked as I thought she would except smaller. She is quite impressive though!!! Unfortunately after I took several blurry pictures of her, my camera died but Ryan took pictures for me in the rest of the museum! It's really great you can take pictures though everything is much more impressive in person!! We then headed to the Venus de Milo. Then Ryan & I ventured around lots more of the Louvre. One of my favorite areas was Napoleon III's apartments! It felt like being inside Versailles but in the Louvre! Super cool! There was just so much art to see! I could spend so much more time in there! Unfortunately we had limited time because we then had to go back to train station to head back to London! At the train station, waiting for our train, we saw all these guys dress in navy blazers, khakis & hats. Of course I started talking to them & they were the rugby team from the London Business School. They proceeded to give me temporary tattoos in crazy fashions. How I make friends everwhere I go! haha! They were lots of fun. Unfortunately I passed out on the way home instead of hanging out with them. I hear they were rowdy in the bar car though!

I had such a great time in Paris though! There was so much I didn't get to see & I would love to go back! It was definitely my favorite place I have visited while being here!!!! So far my second favorite European city next to London!!!

This week I have gotten back into the groove of classes. I was super productive Monday working on my paper for my outside class plus other various pieces of work. Then Tuesday for Industry class we headed outside of central London to the East 15 Drama School. It was a really cool school and we got to watch rehearsal for their costume drama where each student was assigned to dress another like an element in the periodic table. It was so creative!! We got to talk to the students a bit too which was really nice. We then had our performance class there in a rehearsal room & ventured back together, making a fish & chips stop on the way(prompted by our teacher Marina-love her!). Then today I had my normal two classes & tonight had a nice girls' night complete with cheap delicious Chinese food in Camden followed by cake & ice cream in the res hall..delightful!!! Tomorrow I have text & performance & then we are seeing In a Dark Dark House. Then very early Friday morning I leave for Dublin! I love traveling!! I am sure I will update on my trip when I return then!!!!

Shows & Trips

So my title is basically the summary of what I do in London(well I guess that & classes) but it's been out of control lately which is awesome!!!

Last Tuesday was crazy day since it was Election Day! In class we were all antsy & Marina sent us home early from Performance class. I then attended a production at the National that night called To Be Straight With You for my outside class. I found it very interesting(& I am writing my theatre review & my paper for my outside class about it..) Then I came back & joined in the election party that was going on. Basically I stayed up until 6am finding out all the results. It was actually lots of fun. There was food & games(which I won 4 of them...i am good at guessing how many ___ are in jars & I know my state captails! woo!). Though we were all exhausted, we stayed up & it was a super fun, exciting night!

Wednesday luckily I did not have my outside class & got to sleep in before Shakespeare. Then since it was Guy Fawkes Day(Remember, remember the fifth of November) we watched V for Vendetta which inspired me to then make eggy in a basket which was delicious!

Thursday I headed to the Tate Britain before Text & Performance class. I love how museums are free here! I love being able to go before classes! Then for Theatre Thursday we saw Faces in the Crowd at the Royal Court. I was not very impressed, though the theatre set up was very cool with us above the stage looking in on the apartment set.

Friday I went on the day trip to Brighton despite not being a part of the British Youth Culture class. Brighton is such a cute place(& the number 2 most gay city in the UK! woo!) We got a tour around the lanes with the British Youth Culture teacher & then we had free time where we wandered the lanes & then got our lunch of fish & chips on the pier with delicious fresh donuts for dessert. We then ventured onto the pebble beach where I thought it would be fun to walk around barefoot. It was actually painful. I then braved the water with Katie & Steph, despite it being freezing & screamed when it reached my feet due to the combination of the freezing water & the painful pebbles. It was quite amusing though. We then got a tour of Brighton with a lovely tour guide. It was just such a lovely place!

That night when we returned I went out with Katie to Cadogan Arms(our local pub) & then was persuaded to go out to a club. As always it was an adventurous experience but lots of fun. They actually played music we knew! Always a plus!

Saturday I was then exhausted & slept in a bit. I then traveled in the rain to the library to gather some research. That night a group of us went to see No Man's Land. It was my first time experiencing Harold Pinter & although I was very confused, it was so well done that I enjoyed it! Plus Michael Gambon(aka Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies) was AMAZING!!!

Sunday morning a group of us, led by our soon to be blue badge tour guide Katie, went to Notting Hill to have our own little tour of the movie Notting Hill. Katie led us all over & we took fun pictures, me often pretending I was Hugh Grant playing William Thatcher. This picture is me pretending to climb the fence of the private garden which they actually do in the movie.

That night I then went to try to get tickets to the UK premiere of Ordinary Days which is a new musical that premiered at Penn State. Though sold out, I did get a return ticket. It was in a really small theatre & the cast was basically singing in my face but they were so wonderful & I fell in love with the show all over. The writer was there & I talked to him telling him how i went to Penn State & he thought that was so great. I am so glad I got to see the show!!

Monday I took a day trip to Stonehenge & Bath through Anderson tours. Everyone else took this trip while I was in Germany so I journeyed alone. Unfortunately it was a terrible day & I got completely soaked while at Stonehenge, along with everything in my purse! It was cool to see the rocks though! hehe! Then wet & cold, we traveled to Bath which is a very lovely city. We took a tour on the bus & then went to the Roman Baths, which are really cool. We then had free time where I got some lunch & tea, trying to dry off & warm up a bit. I then wandered Bath a bit, stopping in the Museum of Fashion gift shop but unfortunately not having enough time to go into the museum. Though cold & wet, it had stopped raining at this point so it was very lovely to walk around. By the time i got home I was so tired & excited to get home to put on dry clothes, I unfortunately left my umbrella on the bus. Overall though it was still quite a nice day being able to see the sights!

Tuesday was back to classes. For performance we had a Laban workshop with one of Marina's friends. It is hard to understand but it's a movement based theory which was really interesting to learn about! I am learning some really cool things here!

Today I had my outside class & then left a bit early to head to the Globe for our Shakespeare class. There we got to see the exhibit & then had a very nice tour of the theatre itself. After visiting the fabulous gift shop, Raymond, our teacher, took us around the south bank area giving us a little tour. I love that area so that was nice. My favorite stop was the Southward Cathedral which has a monument for Shakespeare with stained glass of many of his characters. Very cool!

Tonight Katie & I went to go see Creditors, a Strindberg play which was directed by Alan Rickman. It was really enjoyable! We also had standing room tickets which was actually a great view & made me think of New York & the shows there I have stood for!

Tomorrow I have my last class for the week & then Friday I head to Paris!!! I am sure I will have lots to say when I get back!!!

Movie Mania back in London

I had a very nice week being back in London. Weird how this is home now. Even more weird/crazy is that it's already November! I can't believe how fast the time is going!!

Monday night I saw High School Musical 3 with my friend Kyle. It was absolutely amazing! We were like among the 8 people or so in the theatre so we interacted a bit with the movie dancing & such! I loved it so much! The most corny which was of course fab! I would go back to see it again if the movies were cheaper...can't wait to get it on dvd!!

Tuesday was a normal days of classes with Maria all day! It was nice to get back into the groove of things.

Then Wednesday after classes I went to Leicester Square to stand outside the Royal World Premiere of the new Bond movie- Quantum of Solace. & yes it was royal because the Princes were coming! We got there late so we did not get a good spot(not good for picture taking), though we could see where people were going into the square for the red carpet & then saw them again going into the theatre which was good. Got 2 chances to see them. We saw Jack White,Olga Kurylenko, Robbie Coltrane(aka Hagrid!)Dame Judi Dench, & Daniel Craig, among some others(lots of British reality tv stars we were clueless about hehe). The big moment though was when I randomly turned around & saw Prince William & Prince Harry!!!!! All the stars were already inside & they hurriedly rushed William & Harry in but I saw them & really wasn't that far away from them! It was so so exciting! I wish I got pictures of the whole night, but especially that! I have the memories though! It was amazing!

Thursday for Theatre Text & Performance class we saw War Horse at the National Theatre. Before the show, however, we got to have a tour of the National Theatre which was really cool. It made me miss being in theatres, especially during load-ins & such. The National Theatre is a really cool place though! Then War Horse was amazing. It is about a boy & his horse who gets sent off to be used in WWI. They use puppets for the horses which are operated by three people. Though puppets, they really come alive, it's really cool to see. It was a really good touching play, that made most people cry, though I of course don't have a soul when it comes to those things. I really did enjoy it though!

Friday was Halloween which wasn't that exciting unfortunately. I wish I had packed a costume, cuz I was too cheap to buy one. I went on a haunted walk at night but it ended up being kind of lame. The evening ended well though hanging out with friends watching Hocus Pocus.

Saturday morning some of my friends & I went on a Harry Potter adventure(going to the sites in London where the movie was filmed). We first went to Australia House which was used as Gringotts Bank. We then went to Leadenhall Market where Hagrid & Harry walk through in the movie. Finally we ended up at Platform 9 3/4! I finally made it there! It's so much fun to pose with!! Even though it was a rainy morning, we made the most of it & had fun!

We then continued our Saturday of fun watching Casino Royale to introduce me to James Bond movies & prepare us all for seeing Quantum of Solace the next day. I thoroughly enjoyed my first Bond viewing! That night we then went to Battersea Park for their annual Guy Fawkes Celebration. Though the weather was still yucky, we got hot chocolate & watched the huge bonfire. Then the rain stopped as the fireworks began. There were super cool having the theme true colors which made the fireworks match the colors in songs as they were choreographed with the music. A very good fireworks show indeed!

Sunday we then went to see Quantum of Solace. It was quite enjoyable, I can't decide which one I like better. I have, however, fallen in love with Daniel Craig. Can't compare him to other Bonds since I have never seen them, but I quite enjoy his portrayal! After the movie I headed with my friends Craig & Stephanie to Harrods which is my new fav place!!! The store is so big & ridiculous & has so many fun things in it! I was overwhelmed and will definitely have to go back to explore more in depth on my own, though that could be deadly! I just love it!

Today we got to visit a rehearsal of Carousel Marina is directing at the Mountview Academy performing arts school here. It was so interesting to watch the British students learn and perform American accents. I would be terrified having British students watch me learn a British accent.

Of course tomorrow starts another week of classes, although I don't have two of them so it should be a nice week. Plus I get to see two shows for class & go to Brighton on Friday. Tomorrow of course is the election as well which is so exciting!!! We'll see what happens!