This week in London

Our most recent excursion was to the historic tower of London where we saw the torture chambers, solved some hidden mysteries and marveled at the crown jewels.

We toured around the Tower walls(above) and saw the old torture devices, the famous falcons that guard the walls and the old quarters of princes and kings. Ginny and I really love the Tower Bridge(Right) and plan to go back and tour the exhibition of the towers. We love bridges. The guards inside the tower walls, or Beefeaters, as they're so affectionately called, were nice enough to let us take a picture with him. (Below)

But our day didn't end after the tower. We finished the day as groundlings at the performance of Macbeth. Shakespeare's Globe infected us with the old language of the day and instilled us with a stronger love for his work.

Later in the week my flatmates and I travelled into London to finally ride the London Eye. The view was fantastic, although not as amazing as the view from the Shard. It completely amazed me with its marvelous view of the city at night and truly was a more moving view.



Then I ended the week with a day trip to the famous beach town of Brighton. Although the beach was all rocks(not pebbles), the pier was tons of fun and the town was beautiful. We also got to tour Henry IV's Royal Pavilion, also known as the "first playboy mansion."  
And that pretty much sums up the beautiful second week that I spent in England! Cheers and here's hoping the last two weeks are even better!
Oh on a side note, the prince was born.

 

Lovely Days in London

 We had such a lovely time yesterday exploring central London. Ginny and I finally made it up to Piccadilly Circus(the London equivalent to Times Square). There we met these two lovely men at the store Cool Britannia, which I will soon be returning to. Then we traveled a short way on the underground to the intended destination of the day: Platform 9 3/4. There we made wonderful new friends, had a lovely time in the que and made a long time dream of mine come true. Now the two of us are eager to see our first Shakespeare performance tonight(not at the Globe just yet) of Twelfth Night. Our explorations will definitely continue this weekend. :)
Cheers!

First Day

Our first day of classes went swimmingly! We're going to enjoy learning in England just as much as we love living here!

We have arrived!

We managed to make it through all the chaos of security and onto our flight which safely arrived earlier today in Heathrow. Now it's time for some wandering, food shopping, a well-earned nap and maybe a drink or two with some new friends. :) It's a beautiful beginning to my stay in the UK.

Allons-y!

We're all packed and ready. The next time you here from us we'll be in the country of Harry Potter, Beatles and the Queen. Wish us luck in London! 

Here we come!

Well...tomorrows the big day. I've packed everything I need, sorted out everything for the trip and read up for my classes. The only thing left to do is board the plane and fly out for London! It's hard to believe that my dream is finally becoming a reality.
Allons-y!

Planning and Packing!

Today we found this wonderful travel guide and have already marked pages to help us plan out the trip. We want to take walking tours, visit Shakespeare's grave, Stonehenge and Oxford. See the bridges, towers and castles, shop on the famous streets and of course check out the local pubs and bars.
We're planning some sight-seeing to visit everything that we always dreamed of experiencing, plus a little extra. If everything goes as planned then we will experience historic London, fictional London and London nightlife. However, the latter will mostly just be me enjoying pubs or clubs(that's not for Ginny).

Allons-y Countdown: 9 Days

Prep Time

Packing just one suitcase is hard even for a teddy bear. Thankfully, she has a smaller selection to choose from than I do.
I've never been outside of the US before and the farthest I've traveled from New York is to visit hot and sticky Florida.
So with no idea of what I could possibly need, I'm just packing the essentials for possible occasions. Meaning: nice dresses, shorts, comfy pants, walking shoes, heels, etc... There's no telling what will happen over there, but it's most imperative that I dress to impress.
Mostly because the European standards are much higher than those in America. Whereas here, girls can show up to college courses in sweats and pajamas, in England that will get them sent out of the class. Your outward appearance is a reflection of what's on the inside. So that's what we will show England. (Although Ginny can't because she needs her stuffing.)

Allons-y Countdown: 12 Days

Hello There!

My name is Shelby and my lovely travel companion is Ginny Bear. Both of us are 20 years old, lovely, and about to travel to London. Since I was 11 years old and dreaming of receiving my Hogwarts acceptance letter I wanted to experience the country of England. Now, it seems only fitting that my reading companion come along for the flight.

Hi! That's me and my best friend of 20 long years. She's always been there for me and now I'm paying her back for all the tears she soaked up, laughs she silenced and long nights acting as a cuddle buddy. I'm taking Ginny with me all around London. There's only two more weeks until we board a flight to beautiful England! Together we'll see all the sites, travel all we can, and learn as much as possible. After all, to live is to learn. It's just different now: it's the accents.

Allons-y Countdown: 13 days