Holidays in London and a Bit More Traveling!

It has been quite some times since I have written on here! I have just been super busy! In the last month or so, I have worked a lot, stayed at home, and even traveled a bit… so here are the highlights:

Winter Wonderland- It was definitely a sight to see! It is basically a carnival(State Fair) that spans over half of Hyde Park in Central London! All of the rides were winter themed, and many of the food stalls were as well. Mollie and I HAD to drink some German Mulled Wine and Sausages! We spent the entire night wandering around looking at all the things that were being sold and taste testing many new things!

Southbank Market- Dave, Ed, and I wandered over to the Southbank market after work right before Christmas to spend some time at the Christmas market while they were still up and running! It was a bit chilly, but the Hot Chocolate and Christmas music put us all in the Christmas Spirit! On the way home we stopped by ASDA to pick up groceries so we would be able to make a yummy Christmas dinner. We found that it was a bit difficult to find things at the store as the shelves were not really stocked (welcome to London during the holiday season!) So for Christmas, we ended up buying 4 small whole chickens, potatoes, veggies, pie, and lots of beer and wine!

Christmas Day- Dave, Marie, Jinou, and her brother JJ and I all made breakfast and hung out in the morning/opened presents! Then the naps commenced! After taking a long, but much needed nap, we began to cook dinner and get into the festive spirit! Barry and Gilberto joined us for dinner and a fun filled game of charades!

Boxing Day- It was Marie’s birthday, so we hung out and watched some movies and went to Ability to have a few drinks and head out on the town…little did we know NOTHING was going to be open! OOPS so we settled for the only open pub in the area, had a few drinks, and caught the last tube home!

Bournemouth- Dave, Jinou, and I went to go and visit our friends Delila in Bournemouth for the weekend. We wandered the town, saw the sights, and attempted to go to the beach. It was a bit too cold/rainy for that, so we stopped by the bar and had a drink to wait out the rain. When the rain stopped we went out on the pier. After a much needed stroll on the pier we headed back to take a nap and change before going over to see some of Delila’s friends for a few drinks (Several!) then headed to the club for a great night out! Sunday morning we got up and walked into the city centre to see the Christmas market and some decorations. Then headed home to get some rest for the upcoming busy week!

New Years Eve-Over the Holiday Season I have been getting out of work fairly early, but on NYE I was done at noon! So I grabbed some groceries, cooked dinner, and took a nice long nap in preparation for the night ahead! Since the theme of the NYE party we were going to was White Mansion, we had to wear all white! After napping and getting ready we all made dinner and had a few drinks before taking the 1-2 hour train ride to the Club. We arrive JUST before midnight to have out New Year’s Shots…and Drinks! Everyone had a blast and danced the night away! At about 3am we decided it was time to make the trek home since it was going to be a LONG journey and the last train left 4am (didn’t want to miss that one!)

New Year’s Day- It was filled with relaxation, hangovers, hanging out with some friends, lots of Walking Dead, and a ton of junk food! Best way to spend the first day of the New Year!

Manchester/Liverpool-Jinou and I decided to take a little weekend trip to Manchester and Liverpool. We took the early morning train to Manchester on Saturday and made it there just in time to check into our hotel. Let me tell ya, it was a fantastic deal! We paid £35 total for the two of us for one night when the prices at the hotel looked to be around £200 a night. After dropping our stuff of we wandered the city and saw all the sites! It didn’t take us long though since it only took us 5-10 minutes to walk from one end of the city centre to another! Since the weather wasn’t that great we opted to just wander the mall and see what deals we could find! After walking all day, we were ready to sit down and relax for a bit. So back to the hotel for a nap we went! I woke up starving so we got ready for a night out on the town and headed to China Town for dinner! Yummmmmm the Chinese Buffet was fantastic! After dinner we decided to go to the bar/club in our hotel to have a drink and just hang out. Little did we know that cocktail pitchers were only £6 and additional shots only £1…Those were some strong Mr. Jacks (Coke, Jack, Amaretto…and lots more Jack). We ended up staying there and dancing the night away instead of heading to the other end of the city to check out more bars.

After going to bed at about 3am, it was a little difficult to be up and ready to catch our train to Liverpool, little did we know that we bought our train tickets for the wrong date, AND the train we were trying to get on was PACKED due to the Football game in Liverpool later in the afternoon. We finally got to Liverpool only to find out that it was pouring down rain! In an effort to stay dry, we RAN to the nearest museum and wandered to all the indoor sites(more shopping malls!) After a couple hours the rain let up and we were able to walk down to Albert Dock and see the water! On our way back to the train station that evening we stopped by to take a quick peek at the Beetles Museum! We finally made it back to London around 9pm after a long weekend of being super touristy and having fun! 

Bits and Bobs of London

Well it sure has been quite a while since I have had the time to post on here! I have been super busy with school and work, but I always have time to spend with my friends. Thanksgiving was great, a bunch of us went to Twickenham to the University for a big dinner. Unlimited food and drinks=fantastic especially when you are with your friends!

A few of us went to Winsdor to go Bungee Jumping. It was literally one of the most exhilarating experiences EVER!!!! I would definitely do that again! I have videos that I need to post! I am going to try and do that soon!  

The other night I went to a one act play with Jinou and Lisa, it was soooo realistic. It was such a small venue, it felt like we were actually IN the play! I love going to do things like that! It is always a good time.

We had our work x-mas drinks and buffet Thursday night! Sure was a blast and definitely got to see a new side of all the people I work with.  The buffet was  a bit lame, salads and pretzels, so Sarah and I went upstairs and ordered chips(fries) and went back to the group for some more dancing, drinks, and fun! Lets just say a solid breakfast and a Krispy Kreme doughnut were a perfect hangover cure! Work the next day was a struggle but we all survived!!

Last night we went to Rebel Bingo, a club where you actually play bingo and can win prizes! It was great fun until we lost everyone. At that point Sarah and I decided to cut our losses and take the last tube halfway home, get some food, and take a bus the rest of the way!

I am super excited I am finally planning a few trips and have bought the tickets for them. Portugal in January and Ireland in March! I am going to try and take a trip somewhere in the UK that is close one week in December! And of course I can't wait for Hilary to come and visit me in January!

All of the lights and x-mas decorations here are definitely getting me into the holiday spirit!  Happy Holidays! 

A Little Bit of Life Around the UK

I went to Brick Lane with a few of my flatmates and friends. There is an indoor food and craft market. I do have to say, that they had some of the most amazing food that I have eaten in months! I will definitely have to go back sometime soon! Later in the afternoon a few of us went to a nearby art fair.

Mollie, Jen, Jeff, Tom, Byron, and I all went out for dinner at Benihana’s a hibachi grill for Mollie’s bday! It was AMAZING the chefs were doing tricks and keeping us entertained, but most of all the food was amazing, and the Saki Bombs were fantastic! After dinner we headed back to Mollie’s flat where Jan had planned a surprise party. A fun night filled with American style partying, beer pong, flip cup, and much more.

Mountbatten provided us with a fun filled Halloween party in the basement dungeon of a bar. We all had a few drinks and nibbles and enjoyed the wide array of Halloween costumes and all of the neat decorations.

Mollie and I took a day trip to Oxford the other weekend, Just being in that town made me feel a little bit smarter! First stop… Coffee! It was completely necessary! We spent a little time a cute little coffee shop right next to the bus station then ventured off to see the town. We were wandering the campus of Oxford University when it began to pour out! So, we decide that we would be touristy and check out some of the little shops in the area and stay out of the rain. After the rain let up a little, we wandered a bit more and found ourselves in the little indoor market exploring the cake and flower shops. The smell of all the fresh food and desserts was making us hungry so we decided to grab a bite to eat and head home!

All of last week there were fireworks everywhere all week long! Very historical week here in London, they call the 5^th of November Bonfire night but it was originally Guy Falkes night after he tried to bomb the Parliament many years ago.

This last weekend, I went with Jayme and Tatiana to Birmingham, where we wandered the city, went to a few museums and saw ‘interesting’ buildings/architecture.   BUT nothing top seeing them set up for the Christmas markets and have all of the little wooden houses set up to be street vendors. The lights were fantastic. I only wish we would have stayed a bit later to see them in the dark! I do have to say though, a holiday cup of Starbucks and a whole lot of x-mas lights made my day phenomenal!

Floating Bars and the Greek Isles!

It has been quite some time since I have posted, Sooooo here it goes!

I went to Trafalgar Square with some friends to enjoy 'Malaysian Nights...Some great food and some musical entertainment. Then we decided to check out a bar we had heard of right off the Thames River. It was a bar on a boat right across the river from the London Eye! (Well bummer it wont let me upload the pictures, guess you will just have to look at my pictures on FB.)

Shortly after the Riverside Drinks, I was off to Island Hop in Greece! It was an amazing trip, Mollie, Jen, Tara, Alex, Jeff, and I flew from London to the Island of Santorini, where we got there just in time to see the sunrise near the southern coast in Kamari!  We then ventured out to Red Beach where we decided to be beach bums for a bit, swim and take a nap!  A short bus ride landed us in Fira, one of the bigger towns on the Island. We wandered the city for a bit then took a taxi up to the northern coast to Oia where we checked into our hotel (an adorable little B&B) and went to see the sunset! Dinner and some wine at one of the local restaurants was our last stop for the night. We were all extremely exhausted from long but fun filled day. The next day we got up had breakfast at the B&B, then made our way back to Fira to go on a volcano tour. We went to the port by Cable Car (had some of the most amazing views!) BUT little did we know that when we got there we realized that the ferry we were meant to take to Paros later in he day was actually on the other side of the island, we decided to bail on the volcano tour and see a bit more of the city and get to the other port just in time for the ferry. We did, however, get to ride the donkeys back up from the port! Jen named her donkey 'Don' how fitting!

After getting to Paros, we decided to check into our hotel and drop our things off so we wouldn't have to carry them anymore. The next stop was for some food, unfortunately many of the restaurants on these islands are out doors, and since it was the end of tourist season, the stray cats were SWARMING our table begging for food. The frustration only made us want to get some sleep and start the next day! Nothing is really open in the early morning in Greece, so we went next door, had breakfast, and decided to just wander the island. There was nothing in particular to see, BUT the views were phenomenal!! Later that afternoon we were off to Athens to see all the sights. Our taxi driver was a nutcase, but finally got us to the hostel after getting lost a time or two. It was great to see the sights, but the city was a wreck! Graffiti EVERYWHERE!The trip was WONDERFUL, but at this point it was time to head back to London and rest and relax a bit.

Dorset Weekend!

I took the train to Dorset where I spent the weekend at the Brenscombe Outdoor Center. While we were there, we completed numerous team building tasks and even took a little stroll into the nearby local pub. 

 A little monkeying around on a twisted ropes course and a bit of archery to keep me busy!

I managed to injure myself walking to the local pub... Trekking through a cow pasture and down a treacherous steep/rocky hill. Sprained my ankle and chilled at the pub with a bag of ice! It didn't hurt at all, but it sure stopped me from going rock climbing the second day!  We did a high ropes course on the second day... it might have hurt a bit but I wasn't going to just sit there and watch everyone!  SO I climbed the pole and jumped!! 

Overall it was a great experience and would love to go back! 

First Few Weeks In London

Oh Hey!!!

It has been a crazy first month here in London... I have now finally found time to actually post on here.

I spent my first week staying in a hotel, commuting to work, and learning the London Underground! That is sure going to take some getting used to. I have made a ton of new friends!

Since I did most of the touristy things last year when I was here for a few days, I am now trying to see the things that are considered less touristy and that the locals would do. Sometimes I just pick a random tube stop and explore that area! It has proven to be successful so far. I have wandered the Brixton Market, Shoreditch, and Greenwich, Notting Hill Carnival, as well as going to a few pubs and clubs here and there.

You can't beat the view from my flat! I am seriously in LOVE with where I live and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Work has been a serious learning experience that's for sure, BUT I think I finally have a better understanding of what I will be doing for the next year! 

So far I have been planning a trip to Greece in October, and possibly a trip to Norway here in the near future! I am super excited for this new adventure, and will posting on here periodically!