A Bittersweet Conclusion

 

don't make me leave this amazing place! :( looks like I will have to marry prince William!

Writing this blog post having been home for 4 days is so bittersweet.  It is so nice to be home and be reunited with my family, friends, and boyfriend.  Of course there were other things I missed about the United States, like not having to use a converter or one of my personal happy places, Taco Bell.  But even reflecting on the trip is hard because I am already London-sick.  I had the absolute time of my life and would not trade my experience for anything in the world.  The places and the people will be a part of me forever.  London really did change me in ways, and I like to think they are good things.  I have not been sleeping in the way I used to, like a hibernating bear.  I have been waking up early every day and really trying to make the most out of the time that I have in a day.  I am not sure whether or not this habit will continue, but so far I am trying!  I have learned to step out of my comfort zone, to appreciate more of the little things in life, and to REALLY appreciate the big things.  By that, I really mean my parents.  They have pulled so many different strings for me to come on this trip, financially and timing wise.  We have always had a very good relationship but this trip really helped me to put into perspective just how generous they are to me.  I would be literally nowhere without any of their support.

            Last but definitely not least, my trip really taught me a lot about myself and one of those things is how much more of the world that I want to see.  I seriously loved getting to go to so many different countries in Europe, and I would love to see so many more places.  Next on my list are Ireland, Italy, and Greece.  I honestly feel like I am addicted to traveling, and before I settle down and have a family, it is something that I want to do a lot more of.  It gives me such a rush and I know that London was only the beginning of all my travel adventures!

The Good, The Bad, and The Worth It

My first side trip was to a music festival in Scotland called T in the Park, that about 8 of us girls attended.  Never having been to a music festival before, I had no idea what to expect.  I was extremely excited to hear some of my favorite bands: Mumford and Sons, Rihanna, the Script, and Kesha—just to name a few.  I knew that this music festival was going to be a huge deal with so many big artists there.  No wonder the ticket was outrageously expensive.  My bank account after that purchase? Not good.  The country of Scotland in itself was beautiful, and God bless them for selling delicious Magner’s cider just about anywhere (it’s good, so good).  The huge span of the park was absolutely trashed, Chinese take out noodles, crushed beer cans, and cigarette butts consumed the ground. Saying that there were some people in the crowd that were “interesting” is the nicest word I can think of.  The porta-potties were bad, really bad.  But jumping and screaming with my friends under the stars, squished between thousands of people, and knowing every single word to “Little Lion Man,” worth it. More than worth it. 

 

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Keeping An Open Mind

It is almost impossible to travel without having some sort of expectations.  I always have an idea of the way that I think things are supposed to be like.  One thing that I have really learned through my trip is to try my hardest to get rid of expectations or pre-conceived notions and just have an open mind.  For instance, a lot of people who went to Paris on a weekend trip came back extremely disappointed.  They talked about how dirty it was, or how rude people were, and that it just did not measure up to their expectations.  This put me in a bad mind set because I had been seriously DYING to go to Paris my entire life, and I was no longer excited for it.  However, I absolutely loved Paris!  The sights were literally breathtaking, the food and wine was mouth watering, and people were above and beyond friendly and helpful to my friends and I!  Not only was I overwhelmingly happy that I did end up loving Paris the way I always dreamed I would, it helped me to really start embracing just going with the flow, and learning that often times that leads to being pleasantly surprised.  

The Royal Baby

How could I not write a blog post about being in London while the baby was born?!  I personally have always been very interested in the Royal Family and in Kate Middleton in particular.  It was one of the things I was most excited about upon leaving, knowing that I would be in London during the birth.  It is honestly something that I can remember for the rest of my life, and watching the prince grow up in the public eye will be so cool to have the bragging rights of “hey, I was in London when he was born!”  I thought it was absolutely hysterical that Americans made a much bigger deal than the English, we seem to be so star struck by their country and the Royal Family.  This also made a lot more sense after multiple conversations about some personality traits of the British.  This historic event also left me with one of my very favorite souvenirs—a daily telegraph headlining the newest addition to the Royal Family! 

One Of My Favorite Nights

When I think back to some of my best memories from my trip, one night always comes to mind right away.  One night my friends and I decided to go to an authentic Indian restaurant, something I had never done before.  I love trying new food and would not consider myself a picky eater at all, so I was pretty excited for it. I cannot say that I loved the food, but it was an awesome experience.  During my trip I have had so many “firsts” and that it is one I will always remember.

 

 

 my friends Lauren, Allie, and I trying out our Indian food!

After this, we headed to the London Eye, something I had been waiting to do since day 1.  I even remember seeing the London Eye from my window seat on the flight there, and thinking, “whatever that thing is, I have to go on it!”  Going on the London Eye was a ton of fun and probably one of my favorite events of the entire trip.  We finished up our night with some delectable martinis from a local bar.  We kicked backed, relaxed, and laughed.  After traveling on side trips and being busy with our schoolwork, that night felt so good to genuinely enjoy some time at “home” and really appreciate London. 

Harry Potter Mania

One of my favorite experiences was going to the Warner Brothers studio making of Harry Potter.  I am definitely what a lot of people like to affectionately refer to as a “Pot-Head,” a huge Harry Potter fan.  I have read every single book ever since I was a little girl, and seen every single movie.  A lot of these movies were the midnight premiere with my Harry Potter bucket of popcorn in tow.  Harry Potter has been a special part of my childhood and I was like a little kid on Christmas touring the sets.  From getting to touch my favorite wizard robes, to “flying” on an actual broomstick, to enjoying a glass of classic Butterbeer, it was a really special day for me.