Still Travelling...

Greetings from Heathrow Airport...still!

As my last post clearly showed, I was pretty excited to go home. However, I still have a bit of time before I can.

Yesterday I left at 2:00 for my flight at 7:15. I wanted to make sure I got there on time, and I was getting anxious sitting around an empty flat (everyone had left, I had the latest flight of my building). I does also take a while to get to Heathrow on the tube. Sure enough, I ended up at the airport close to 3:45. I checked in, went through security, and waited. And waited. My flight was originally delayed to 8:30. Coming to England, my flight was delayed for 2 hours, and I have had numerous delays on other European excursions. So it seemed like no big deal.

I got on the plane, sat down, and it seemed normal. The flight attendants were helping people with bags, people were already trying to sleep or watch movies. Ironically enough, out of the entire flight, I ended up sitting next to a boy who goes to Hamilton! It was really nice to know someone and talk about how excited we were to go home. Most of my flight was students, very noticeably so. Some studied in London, but many were from all over Europe. One was actually from India-so she had been travelling a lot.

But it came to 9:30, and we still hadn't taken off. It seemed a little weird, but I was watching a movie so I wasn't paying too much attention. They made an announcement that engineers were looking at something, but it seemed like no big deal. This sort of thing went on for a while, seeming like no big deal. But then it got to 11:00, and people were calling their parents to let them know they'd be in late. I don't have a phone, nor service for my laptop, so I hoped my parents would see the delay online. Turns out it had said we departed at the normal time online! I finished my movie, and then a stream of announcements was made.

First, they told us we would take off in 10 minutes. That did not happen. Then the engineers looked at more things. And more things. And finally, at about 12:00, they told us the plane would be unable to fly tonight. A bunch of people were crying, and understandably so. Some people had connections to make, some had travelled already to get here, and overall, it was pretty rough. There were two girls near me who had been through this exact thing before on their way over!

The official problem was a piece of the right engine wasn't working, and wouldn't be able to operate in cold temperatures, which is necessary when flying, especially overseas. So, overall, despite it all, I am really thankful we didn't take off. The plane wasn't safe, and that's a scary thought.

I know this is really cliche, but it's true; when things like this happen, people really do help each other out. The flight attendants were really nice, and brought us all water frequently and talked to people who were upset. Since most of us were students, we talked about our experiences and bonded over how much we wanted to go home.

When we exited the plane at about 12:45, they gave us a bunch of vouchers and information. They let us know our departure time (1:00, but it later was changed to 3:30). They also gave us a voucher for ten pounds for dinner, breakfast at the hotel, and a hotel stay.

The hotel was actually the nicest I have ever stayed at. There was a queen size memory foam bed, a huge flat screen, a bathroom with a tub and shower. I had a pretty great dinner and dessert from Marks&Spencer, which is a really nice British grocery store. I was able to thankfully contact my parents and let them know what was going on. I slept well, missing breakfast but I had tea in my room. At the airport, it was a bit of a drag to go through security again, but they gave us another ten pound voucher to spend on anything we wanted. I purchased some snacks and magazines.

So here I am, waiting a little bit more to finally go home. It did stink to go on the computer and see all of my London friends posting about home and thinking I really have just one day before Christmas. And of course, I really wish I was home! But I am hoping everything goes smoothly today; I expect it should. Plus, this does make for a pretty good story.

Cheers (one last time, I hope!)

Liv

Heading Home

Happy December 21st everyone!

Today is the day I head home, after a wonderful 104 days in Europe! That is just shy of 1/3 of the year. I have really loved this experience, and living abroad. I am hoping this is just the first of many Europe trips. Living in a foreign country has made me realize I could totally do this; I could live abroad. I hope one day to live in Europe again. I'm so grateful I got to have this wonderful experience.

Until then, I cannot wait to go home! Nearly a third of my year has been in a different time zone! It's going to be so nice to talk to people face-to-face instead of over Skype or emails. I'm looking forward to my own bed, and especially to quiet! I've gotten so used to sirens and shouts all night. Oh, and of course I am SO EXCITED to celebrate Christmas at home!

 I really can't wait to be home, I know I said that already-but I'm so excited!


Cheers,

Liv

Adventuring

Hello!

These past couple of days I have been deciding on my last things to do in England. It's quite strange having no obligations-I could get used to this! :)

Monday I went to Greenwich to go to the National Maritime Museum and to the Christmas Market. Greenwich is kind of a hike to get to-I was on the tube for an hour or so and then a bus for 20 minutes. When I went for the first time, I had taken a boat over, which was lovely. I would highly recommend it. Anyway, so when I got there, I went straight to the museum, and the "free" exhibit I was going to see turned out to be 15 pounds! Sooo I just wandered around the museum instead. It is a really nice one, but I was disappointed that I couldn't see "Turner and The Sea" for free. Then, I went to the market-and there were just 8 stalls! It was really teeny and there was no real festive spirit. Most Christmas markets are hopping all days of the week, but not here! Then, I went to Lunch at a cute little pub that sold pies. I had a cheese and onion pie and some mash, topped with gravy. Speaking about the gravy: there was a TON of it! She just poured it on and asked "do you want more?" and I nearly laughed. Anyway, it was so good! It was a great pub too, because all of the locals went there and there was a lot of British spirit. However, like most things in Europe, it was very American. They were playing American music, which was disappointing, but oh well. I took a bus back to Holborn (where I used to go to school). It was about an hour, but really enjoyable to see the city. While I spent nearly 4 hours in travel total, and only 1.5 hours at Greenwich, it was still worth it. Greenwich is more of a village than a city, so it's nice to get out of crazy London sometimes.

I also went to the Victoria and Albert Museum for the first time yesterday. It's a fashion and art museum, and I loved it! I did pay 6 pounds for a GREAT exhibition there about pearls. It was all about where they come from, how to make things with pearls, history, meaning, etc. There was of course, lots of fancy necklaces belonging to old queens on display, which was really cool. The gift shop there is really nice too, with lots of cheap jewelry.

Today I am going on a countryside walk! I'm quite excited.

Meanwhile, there is no hot water or heat in my flat! Gah! Drink more tea!

Cheers,

Liv

The Last Week

Hello, hello!

It's official. It's just a mere week until I am home. Isn't that crazy? Sometimes it felt like it would never end, and other times it flew far too fast.

I've been pretty much going nonstop since Thursday (when I was officially done with finals!).

On Friday, I went to the Harry Potter studios which are located outside of London. They were so amazing! I pretty much geeked out all day, which is my favorite thing to do. I had some butterbeer and a chocolate frog, not to mention seeing all of the awesome sets!

I have also been making my last rounds in the markets. And at all of them, I have seen countless Santas. Some at Camden Lock, one on stilts at Covent Garden, and many wandering the tube. It sure is Christmasy here! Burrough had Christmas trees and singing everywhere. I had my last cup of spiced, mulled cider-nothing beats it.

This evening I went to a Christmas service at St. Martin's in the Fields. It was so beautiful. First, the church itself is gorgeous. But when  the church is filled with the sounds of an organ, a professional choir, and 200 or so visitors singing, it is breathtaking. It was so wonderful! We sang Christmas classics like "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Little Town of Bethlehem".

Samuel Johnson once said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life". As I find my time here wrapping up, I think I could never tire of London. But I am definitely ready to head home. I miss it so much!

Until then,

Liv

Finals and Other News...

Greetings from across the pond!

I hope you all are getting ready for the holidays (and enjoying it too!). I am in the midst of finals again, and I fell so far behind on these blog posts. I promise to write some more before I head home December 21st. There might be some catch-up old posts in the next couple of days, and then of course the ones during my last week!

Meanwhile...

Studying for finals in the UK Means:
-Consuming lots of Cadbury chocolate and digestives (also the chocolate kind)
-Being super tempted to explore all of the Christmas decorations in the city
-Desperately wanting someone to cook me food because I don't have time or money really (does popcorn and digestives count as dinner? Why not!)
-Reading Time Out instead of writing my final paper (Time Out is a magazine about cheap and free things to do in London).

...so yeah

But once this is all over (Thursday!) I can't wait to explore London for my last time. I will have 9 days to enjoy England before it all ends. It's crazy to me. I am not even sure what to think! I am overwhelmed because there is still so much I want to do here. But at the same time, I do miss home a lot, especially now. It has been so long since I have been home! My family and boyfriend visited over Thanksgiving though, which was the best week thus far. I'll write a whole entry about that soon. But it did make want to go home more!

 I badgered my brother to send me a picture of our Christmas tree at home because I couldn't even wait 11 days to see it!

Isn't she a beauty?

Speaking of photos, I won the photo contest through my school! I sent in this picture and won a $50 gift card. I was so excited when I found out :) My friends always make fun of me for taking so many pictures, but it has paid off! Plus, I have all the great memories from them. 

This is a picture of poppy crosses in Bath, England. The Poppy Appeal is a movement every November to raise money for veterans. People wear a poppy out of respect, and to support the movement. It's really a genuine thing, and I'm glad I was in London during it. They raised $37 million pounds this year! Isn't that incredible? One of my teachers, who is Irish, said that Irish people (even the ones living in London) don't wear the poppy because to them it is a symbol of British tyranny, and they say it supports the English in Northern Ireland. So, there's two sides to the story.

As homesick as I may be, I love England, London, and the UK. I have loved this opportunity, and it's going to be really bittersweet to leave London. I do feel like it's a second home now. Sigh!

Back to cursed studying and papers.

Cheers,

Liv

Lately

Hello!

Today is the 23rd of November. Strange how time flies! In LESS than a month, I'll be home! That is both frightening, sad, and wonderful at the same time. I love London, and there is still so much I want to do! But I do miss home. My family also arrives today though, so I'll be less homesick :) I am so excited to see them!

Yesterday my friends and I went out in search of the best hot chocolate. We got off at Tottenham Court Station, which is right next to the huge shopping street, Oxford. Oxford street has everything from H&M, touristy things, Primak, Office (shoe store), and much more! But if you go off the side streets, there are really cute places to eat. Oh boy, my stomach was growling! After walking just a short while, you end up in SoHo which is were Paul A. Young's is. Oh. My. God. It is amazing! The store was heavenly, with crafted chocolates on display amongst mouth-watering signs with phrases like "85% dark with pressed almond flakes". On Fridays, they serve hot chocolate. It was the best I have EVER had. It was pretty much liquid chocolate. It was only 3.95 Pounds, which is pretty good too. You can add spices as well, for no charge. One friend added ginger and my other friend cayenne pepper and cinnamon. I stuck with good old chocolate. :) It was so good I couldn't even finish it! I would highly recommend it to all chocolate lovers.

Next we went to the South Bank for a Christmas market. Yes, it's November...but this is London! It was so beautiful! There were handmade toys and decorations that were so beautiful! My favorite were these little fairy ornaments made of pine cones. If I wasn't so full from the hot chocolate, I would have bought some sort of food-there was so much to choose from. German bratwurst, sausage, crepes, roasted chestnuts, doughnuts, you name it! There was also a choir singing Christmas carols, all in appropriate Santa garb. It was so great! I'm sure to make many appearances there...

To finish off a great day, I made mini pumpkin pies last night. I am missing the fall and Thanksgiving so much! Baking can be a challenge-and expensive-here, so I don't do it often. But it was really fun! I couldn't find brown sugar at the three stores I went to (who knows why), so my friend loaned me 1/4 a cup, then I used about 1/8 white sugar, and the remainder was maple syrup. Despite all that, it came out so delicious! I used a muffin tin instead of a pie dish. Now they'll be more portable! I had a lot of pumpkin left over, and no more pie dough, so I made pumpkin muffins. I poured the leftover flour (maybe a cup and a half?) and added about a teaspoon or so baking soda. I sprinkled the top with oats and brown sugar for a little more pizazz. I baked them at 350 for about 15 minutes, and they came out so good! They're not too unhealthy as well, because there is no butter or oil in them.

Hope all is well back home, and everyone is enjoying getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Liv

Italia!

Sorry this post has taken so long! I really wanted to make sure it was nearly perfect before I published it. It was one of the most wonderful trips I have ever been on, and I wanted to do it justice!

In October, I went to Naples, Italy to visit my family. It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. 

I left my flat at 4:30 am (ugh!) to catch a 6:25 flight. I flew from the UK to Frankfurt, and then from there to Naples. One of the amazing things about Europe, is everything is so close! I was in the air for a little more than 4 hours, and went from low 60’s and windy to 85 degrees and sunny. 

My first day, I must admit I was very worn out from travelling. Needless to say, that did not stop me from having Pizza. Naples is famous for their pizza. As a passionate lover of pizza, I can fully vouch for them; it is delicious. I was so fortunate to be staying with my relatives, who know the best of the city. Therefore, I had the absolute best and most authentic food this weekend. 

That day, I ended up enjoying a wonderful homemade lunch and dinner from my relatives (the first of many). In the nighttime, I walked around with my cousin and saw Naples at night. Cities are always so beautiful at night, and they have such a different atmosphere.

Oh before I forget-It was so nice to wear shorts and t-shirts all weekend! 

On Friday, I explored Naples with my cousin. I rode on the back of his motorcyle (!) and he pointed out the sites. We did a self-guided tour of the palace, which was beautiful. The palace was built by one of the Spanish kings of Italy. I must say, I love the history of European royalty; the splendor is something we don't have as much in the states, and it's remarkable how old and detailed the royal past is. After snapping some pictures on the square, we went and got some pasteries-yum! You may be starting to notice that I pretty much didn't stop eating that weekend. My sweet relatives would not let me go hungry, and wanted me to enjoy everything! We also went to a street that had nativity set makers. It was amazing! It was such a "Naples experience". That day I also walked up one of the castles, and saw a gorgeous view of the bay and Vesuvias. Another thing I love about Southern Italy, is the buildings are painted happy, bright colors. The skyline consists of lemon yellows, corals, and stark whites. Of course, I ate lots and lots of food for ldinner and lunch. I was so full! But there is always room to squeeze in Gelato. Early in the day, I had a black forrest, which was a frozen gelato-fondent mix. Then later, I had a cone filled with Chocolate sauce, with chocolate and almond ice cream. Oh. My. God. Heaven.

Saturday, I went to Pompeii and Sorrento. I have studied Pompeii in school for so long, and it was top of my list of things to see! It really was remarkable. It really is in amazing condition. I couldn't get over the columns and mosaics. Sorrento was a perfect afternoon: the beach, the sun, and delicious food. It was amazing.

Sunday, I watched some soccer and even the Red Sox with my cousins! It was a really great watching soccer with super-fans and explaining baseball. Overall, it was a bittersweet day. I got to both visit-and meet-some of my relatives. But it was really hard to say goodbye. I really treasure my Italian heritage, and value my grandfather's decision to immigrae to the states. I can't imagine how hard it was, and how it is still hard to not be with your family.

I was sad to leave Italy, and even now, I miss it so much! I hope to be back soon!

amore,

Liv