Break already?

I know it's been forever since I've written on my blog but so much has happened. First I had an incredible time horseback riding in Gower, Wales. We stayed at this small lodge that was run by the sweetest old woman who cooked (Americanized) meals for us and took care of us for the weekend. We rode the horses up these large hills and cliffs (that seemed also like mountains) and saw spectacular views of the countryside, the beach and the cliffs. There were so many sheep out and even some wild horses running around. Because it was too windy we couldn't ride on the beach but it was still beautiful just to see it all. My horse's name was Kim and she was so fiesty! Kim kept trying to cut people off and eat and just do her own thing. I was able to work my way up from a walk to a trot and had so much fun. I'm definitely a fast learner when it comes to those things. So we spent all day Saturday riding and then at night went into town to a pub. It wasn't very exciting (this was a small town in Wales after all) so we came back to the lodge and hung out. I shared a room with my roommate in London Katie in additon to two other girls Claudia and Libby. We stayed up late talking and it was great meeting new people and having a good conversation. The next day a small group of us went hiking to the beach and up these cliffs that led to the ruins of an old castle. I can't even describe how vast and overwhelming the beach was. I've never seen anything like it and I even took some seashells home with me :) Overall Wales was a great weekend and I'm glad it was my first trip of the program.

The next weekend (end of Jan-beg of Feb) I went to Ireland with friends from my econ class because our Monday class was cancelled so we had a 4 day weekend. It was me, Scott, Ben, Mike and also Anjali (who wasn't in our class but she just left sunday instead). We arrived late Thursday night and ended up staying at Issac's hostel which was exciting because it was the first hostel any of us had ever stayed in. We went out exploring Dubin at night and went to the Temple Bar section where we ate dinner and went to a pub. My favorite part about the pub life in Dublin is that they all have live music which is definitely something that London is lacking.

The next morning we left on a 3-day tour of southern Ireland with Paddywagon Tours. Our tour guide was interesting.....he could be loud and annoying at times but for the most part he was funny and a good person to have for a guide. Our tour consisted of about 10-15 people and the 5 of us were the only Americans placed with all Aussies! It was awesome meeting new people and getting to know them over the tour. We're all facebook friends now and will hopefully keep in touch. We started off the tour at Clonmacnoise where there's a famous monastery and then we went to an old whiskey distillery where we were able to sample the whiskey. Unfortunately it rained most of the day but it was sort of how I pictured Ireland so I didn't mind. Then we finished out the day on the west coast in Galway where we spent the night. We explored the city, had dinner and went to a few pubs with the tour. Basically our diet over the tour consisted of toast (which was given to us free at the hostels every morning) and beer.....yummmmm. Anyway, the next day (Saturday) we had much better weather and saw some of the best views of the entire trip. We went to the Cliffs of Moher, stopped to take pictures at different spots, even rode a ferry to cross the river Shannon (I think) and spent the night in Killarney. Once again we ate dinner as a tour and hung out at some pubs/clubs. Killarney was a quaint town with a beautiful national park outside it. The next morning a few of us rode a horse-drawn carriage into that park and saw an old castle and enjoyed the scenery in a unique way. The last stop of the tour was Cork and we visited the Blarney Castle and I got to kiss the Blarney Stone! This is supposed to bring the gift of eloquence to all that kiss it.

While we had a great time on the tour the bus broke down on the way back which was not fun. Anjali missed her flight but was able to get a later one. However, because of the snow in London it was diverted to Birmingham and it took her all night to get home. The rest of us had a fun Monday morning that we spent exploring Dublin and visiting the Guinness factory. The skybar at the end where you get your free pint of Guinness was the best part! They made a shamrock on the top of the drink. The views of Dublin from the skybar were awesome. You could see for miles and basically see the entire city. Monday night was not so fun though. Because of the snow in London and Dublin our flight was cancelled and we spent the night at Ben's friend's dorm in Dublin (where he's studying for the semester) but we all had to finish our econ take-home tests that were due the next day. We emailed them to the professor and it all worked out but it was not a fun night at all :/ The ryanair people booked us on a Tuesday afternoon flight but we didn't want to risk it being cancelled so Tuesday morning we took a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, Wales. We all slept on the ferry which was more like a mini cruise ship and managed to make it back to the UK! Then we had to take 3 trains to get back to London. After this epic adventure I was so happy to be back home in South Kensington and get some rest! That day also happened to be Ben's 21st birthday - poor guy had to spend it traveling but we surprised him with a cake at night (and a birthday shot) so at least his birthday had a happy ending.

After Ireland I was ready to just take some time to recover and explore London instead of traveling outside the island. I visited a lot of museums including the Victoria and Albert museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum. I went for a long walk in Hyde Park and found the Peter Pan statue! I've always wanted to see it in person and it was so beautiful! I also took my first ride on the double decker bus! It was so much fun and of course i sat on the top :) I saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and boy was it crowded especially for February. The Queen was in residence that day but she didn't come out.

I've been enjoying theatre and nightlife too. I saw Billy Elliott (it was amazing!!!!) and Sound of Music (not so good). I go out at night with my friends a lot to pubs and clubs and just to see the sights at night. There's still so much to see and do; I need to find time for everything. I also had classes which just ended today with finals and next week I start my internship and final class - London architecture and urbanism which should be so much fun (it involves lots of field trips!).

Last weekend I took a day trip to Canterbury and Dover Castle/White Cliffs. There wasn't much to see in Canterbury accept for the famous cathedral but Dover Castle was beautiful. We went on the beach and you could see the French coast (Calais) in the distance! The weather was perfect and I had such a fun day.

Two last tidbits and then this lond entry is over: I met Robert Pattinson (the guy from Twilight) at Notting Hill Arts Club. He was very nice and took a picture with us.....so be jealous all you rob pat fans out there. And lastly now that I'm on spring break I leave for Italy in the morning. Should be an awesome adventure to Roma and Firenze. I'm also going to see my cousin Scott who's studying in Florence for the semester!!! I'll let you know how it goes when I get back.