Finale.

On our last day in London we split up to do some things apart.

Chris and I passed through the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum then toured the Royal Albert Hall. Eight days a year a special backstage tour is given, and we were there on one of those 8 days! It was so cool. We go to see the inside of the auditorium, it was so beautiful. While we were there a pianist, Lang Lang, and the orchestra were practicing for a performance later that night, so we got to hear them play for a bit. It was really spectacular. We also got to go into the dressing rooms and waiting rooms that the performers use when they're there (Muse included). It was one of the coolest things we did while we were in London I think.

Then we went to the other side of town to go to a Beatles and Rock n Roll gift shop. It was pretty cool. Chris got a Muse calendar and some things for his parents. We also had lunch at KFC which was delicious!!

Then we went to the British Museum for a little while. We saw mummies, Olympic medals, and clocks. Corben and Kristina spent a lot more time there than we did.

Then we rode the London Eye. It was pretty cool! We rode it at night and the city was lit up; very pretty. We got some great views of the city.

To end our trip, we made our way to a little pub for dinner. We all ate until we couldn't eat anymore. We laughed and had a great time.

It was such a nice gift to see my family for a little while during my stay in France. I won't lie, it made me homesick all over again when they left, but the time spent seeing them and having this adventure was truly fantastic. My parents are so wonderful for getting us all across the pond. I have endless thanks to them.

Long Live the Queen!

On Tuesday we got up early and went to Westminster Abbey. It is so big and beautiful. I really enjoyed walking around the place. We saw the tomb of Elizabeth I. which was pretty cool. (no pictures allowed of the inside)

Then we saw a big crowd of people standing outside Parliament (which is right across the street). So we went over there to see what the commotion was. We heard on the news that the Queen would be speaking at Parliament that day so we figured that was what the hubbub was about. We stood around for a bit and believe it or not, we saw the Queen of England!! She just rolled on up in her Rolls Royce in a cute little yellow outfit! It was so so so cool!!
(If this bald head wasn't in the way you could see her.. dang it!)

We attempted to get a picture of all four of us infront of Big Ben. ..fail.. 

Then we went to Hampton Court, the home of King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. It was pretty cool! The house was so big and the rooms were so lavish, I can't imagine living a life like that. And it wasn't even the real palace. So neat.

That night Chris and I went to Piccadilly again (he really loved it). We walked around a bit, found the sketch part of town, turned around, and found a nice little pub for dinner. It was great. Chris ordered fish and chips, which I tried and didn't hate! (I am not a fish fan). They weren't too fishy tasting,  pretty tasty actually. We had a great night. It was so nice being together.

We went back to the hotel to meet up with Corben and Kristina. We just lounged around and watched some of our favorite (or favourite) British TV shows, like Come Dine with Me and a show about owning bed and breakfasts. It was pretty entertaining.

London bridge is falling down

On Monday we packed a picnic lunch that we got from a store near the hotel. It was much cheaper than going out and we got to eat outside which was nice.

We went to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was stunning. The outside looks more like a government building than a church, but the inside was breathtaking. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside most of the cathedrals, so I couldn't capture the beauty of the cathedral. We walked up the dome of the cathedral though, we got a great view of the the church. It was one of my favorite places we visited.

Then we crossed the Millennium Bridge (watch out for Death Eaters!) to go to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It was really cool. This summer they are showing only Shakespeare plays, including Twelfth Night with an all male cast (I would love to see that!) It has an open roof, just like the original theatre would have had.

Then we saw the London Bridge and went to the tower of London. We saw the Crown Jewels (once again, photography not allowed). And visited the oldest chapel in London. It was a great day!

That night, Chris took me on an American date for my birthday. We went back to Piccadilly and ate at Friday's. It was so great! Potato skins and buffalo wings and an oreo ice cream dessert. It made me feel back at home for just a second. He is so great to indulge me like that.

Day 2

On Sunday we slept in, no one slept too well. When we got up, we went to Piccadilly Circus (where there is a TGI Fridays) and made our way to China Town for lunch. It was pretty tasty, especially the spring rolls. We also spent some time in the National Portrait Gallery and meandered through Trafalgar Square.

We also saw Benjamin Franklin's house. It was a really awkward experience. Kristina, an American history major, was really excited to see the only remaining Franklin house in the world. The rest of us, however, were not so amused. A woman came out dressed in a period costume and talked to no invisible people and told us the story of Benjamin Franklin. Kristina enjoyed it though, so I guess that's what counts.

For dinner, we went to a Pub called the Windmill, right down the street from our hotel. It was really tasty! Corben had fish and chips, Chris had bangers and mash, and Kristina and I shared a roast chicken! And beers, of course.

A very merry un-birthday to me!

My week in London with my family was really great! Corben and Kristina arrived last Thursday night and Chris arrived the following Friday night. We stayed in a crappy little hotel near a tube stop that had a couple of great little pubs nearby as well as a McDonald's! Yum! We did loads of stuff so be sure to check in this week to hear all about our time in London!

We each had a London Pass that got us into tons of attractions for free. We also got the travel card which saved us loads of time and money on the underground. It was also good for the buses and above ground trains too but we didn't use those very much.

On Saturday, St. Patrick's Day, we went and saw Parliament and Big Ben first thing. I figure that's what makes you really feel like you're there. It was a pretty typical London day: cold and rainy, but we still saw quite a lot. We went to Westminster Chapel, the Royal Mews, the Jewel House (which does not hold the crown jewels), and Buckingham Palace. I wasn't all that impressed with Buckingham, but it was still cool to see.

We went to a really great pub for lunch. Chris and I shared some sausage and mash and chips. It was really delicious! We ended up going back to the hotel around 4 or so because it was rainy but we enjoyed some British reality TV which was really amusing and went back to a pub for drinks for St. Patty's Day

It was so nice to be with everyone and just hang out. We talked and laughed and just had a really great day!

tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow I get my birthday present a month early; my brother, sister-in-law and fiancé are meeting me in London for a holiday! I am so excited! We will be there for a week and plan on doing lots of sight seeing! I've missed my family and am so glad to share part of my European experience with them!

While on the subject of Britain, I will tell you about my newest obsession: Downton Abbey. It's a British television program that airs on OETA. The show is set in the early 1900's British country side. Dame Maggie Grace (Prof. McGonagall) makes the show. It's really great. Netflixsters, watch and enjoy.

Be sure to check back to hear about our London adventures!

Lyon

Yesterday we went to Lyon for a shopping trip at the Lyon Centre Part Dieu. It's a giant mall, rumor is it's the biggest in Europe. It's only a two hour train ride, which wasn't too bad. We did lots of shopping and got some cute spring clothes! I got some cute pink pants, a jean skirt and a floral maxi. It was nice to get out of Clermont for the day. It was a really great day!

Hauska tavata!

My 12 things to do in 2012 list are, obviously, things I'd like to do this year. Some of them are more easily done than others, like sending postcards to friends is something I do regularly, be watching those mailboxes! (Send me your address if you'd like a French postcard!)

For my birthday last year, my sister-in-law, Kristina, gave me a pocket phrase book that contains useful phrases in French, German and Italian. It was a handy thing to have on my Germany trip, because I could look things up when I needed to. Then for Christmas I received a Spanish phrase book. So, I made #3- learn 12 phrases in a new language, planning on using those books and learning phrases in Italian or Spanish. As it turns out, however, the phrases I've been learning belong to a language I'd never thought about: Finnish.

I met Loviisa during our French placement test on our 5th or 6th day in France. She heard Larissa and I speaking English and came up to us and said "hey, I heard you speaking English. Is it okay if I talk to you guys because I'm sick of speaking French." Who knew we'd make great friends with her? Anyway, she speaks English better than we do and knows most of our American TV shows and movies and celebrities so we basically consider her one of us. But we decided that it would be good to learn more about her culture as well, so she's been teaching us a little bit of Finnish. It's great fun!

When I meet her parents in April I can say, "hauska tavata" (nice to meet you) and when she says "terveydeski" after I sneeze I can thank her by saying "kiitti." Of course she's taught us Finnish swear words too because it's a necessity in Finland to be able to curse like a native.

She is a great girl and I can't wait for her to spend the summer in America and for us to visit her in Finland!

Nahdaan! (See you later)

Classes

I started my new classes last week, and so far they are going really well. I was moved into Level 3, which is closer to where I would be if I were at OU. I'm definitely not as bored in class and feel more challenged in these classes. It's nice. I'm taking oral comprehension, oral expression, argumentation, written comprehension, civilization and written expression. Plus, Larissa is in my classes, so it's nice to have a friend.

Speaking of friends, I've been fortunate this past week to Skype with lots of friends and family back home. It's always nice to have that home time when one is away. I enjoyed hearing about a beautiful wedding and the more beautiful marriage that has spawned from it, sunny Florida weather, and meeting a new baby.

Be sure to set time out each week to connect with home. It's important to keep up with what your friends and family are doing so when you return 6-12 months later, you don't feel completely lost back at home.

Adventure is out there.

I chose my study abroad program for 2 reasons:
1- It was in France.
2- The spring semester offered 2 long breaks to travel. One week in February and two weeks in April.

I recommend to any students planning on studying abroad to look into what breaks are offered in your program choices. Although you are studying abroad to study, you will be living in a place where travel is so easy. Adventure is out there, and you need to see what this world has to offer. When you have a week to go see a new place, take advantage of that break and the ease of traveling within Europe.

Germany was truly an amazing place. I would not exchange that experience for anything. It was one of the most exhilarating times of my life.

I have endless gratitude to my parents and grandparents for supporting me during this semester. I have the best support system in the world. This semester abroad and my holiday in Germany would not have been possible without them. Merci beaucoup, mes parents. Je vous aime beaucoup.