Easter Holiday Part 3: Barcelona and French Riviera

The next day of our journey was spent driving to Barcelona, and boy was it long.  Luckily we broke up the drive by stopping at some really cool places, like Pont du Gard which is an old Roman aqueduct in France.  It was absolutely incredible and I am always amazed by the fact that without the modern tools we have people were able to create these magnificent things.  Eventually we got to Barcelona and had some dinner, then got ready for a night out on the town.  We went into the city and walked down La Ramblas to a bar called El Bose de la Fades that was decorated like a rain forest inside.  Everyone tried some sangria (which Spain is famous for) and just had a great night talking and relaxing.

The next day we headed out into the city once again, and our day started out with a bus tour and a walking tour of different parts of the city.  One of the most amazing things we saw was the Sagrada Familia.  Antoni Gaudi created many masterpieces throughout the city, and this is his most famous one.  It was started in 1882, and STILL isn’t finished!  You can tell there have been many different architects working on it because the sides are very different.  The city was very different than anything I had seen before and I really loved walking through it.  After the tours I went with some of the other people in the group to the FC Barcelona stadium.  It was incredibly epic and so cool to tour it and see where the amazing team plays.  Next we headed to Parc Guell, which is full of mosaics created by Gaudi.  It was so beautiful and looked like candy land.  After that we did some shopping and then went out for the evening with everybody, which was (as always) a ton of fun.  I did not know what to expect in Barcelona but I had so much fun there and hope to go back some day.

After Barcelona we went to the French Riviera.  The first night we got there we stayed at the campsite, where we tried frog legs…which to my surprise tasted a lot like chicken.  The next day we went into Nice and started the day at a perfumery, where we learned about how it is made and the different types. Our day after that was free for us to shop and enjoy the beachfront.  Later on that night we went into Monaco, which (after Vatican City) is the smallest country in the world.  Monaco is famous for the grand prix and its casinos, the most famous of which is Monte Carlo.  It was GORGEOUS but waaaaay different than a Vegas casino.  There was a very serious vibe in there, but it was awesome to get dressed up like a high roller and gamble a bit, and I actually won!  But then I lost L, which was okay because later we went next door to the Sun Casino where I won 22 euro!  (I know it isn’t a lot, but I was still excited lol).   I loved the French Riviera, but I super excited to leave only because the next day we went to Italy!

Easter Holiday Part 2: Paris and Beaujolais Wine Region

I could not believe I was finally in Paris.  I took French in middle school and high school, where I learned about the French people’s customs, lifestyle, personalities and the famous places throughout France.  I had seen so many pictures of places like the Louvre, Notre, Dame, and of course the Eiffel Tower, but I never imagined how amazing they truly were.  When we got to Paris that first night we had some dinner and then when on a tour of the city at night.  It was INCREDIBLE!!!  I definitely had a moment when I saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up.  We also stopped to have champagne and escargot, which really wasn’t too bad! 

That first night we only got to see all the sights briefly, but the next morning we had the entire day to go see everything.  We started out nice and early.  It was 70 degrees and sunny, which really helped to make the day great.  Our first start was the Louvre.  Incredible.  We saw some of the most famous works of arts in the world, like Venus di Milo and the Mona Lisa.  The Louvre was so amazing, but sooooo crowded, especially around the Mona Lisa.  Surrounding her was a frame, a glass frame, a semi circular wooden barrier and another set of ropes, plus hundreds of people all trying to get a good picture.  It was insane but really cool to see.  We spent a little over 2 hours in the Louvre and barely made a dent, but we had to move on to our next destination, which was Notre Dame.  Oh my goodness it was unbelievable.  We explored the inside and then climbed all the way up to the bell tower, where we got a great view of the city.  After Notre Dame we walked along the Seine, where many people set up booths and sell things like paintings and other cool stuff.  After that we met back up with the rest of our group and went back to the hotel to change and get some dinner.



Later that night we went to climb the Eiffel Tower.  I am proud to say I climbed every single step to the second floor, and then from there you have to take the elevator to the third floor.  It was so cool!!!  The views, needless to say, were pretty epic and it was an awesome experience.  I have to say that our first day in Paris was one of my favorite days of my life.  It was completely perfect and a great way to start the trip, and from there every day was just as great. J

Day 2 in Paris started out with a visit to Versailles, which was magnificent!  There was gold EVERYWHERE and the decorations were really cool.  We saw the famous gardens and hall of mirrors where the Treaty of Versailles was signed.  After he palace we went into the city and went down into the catacombs.   They were so cool, but creepy at the same time.  After the catacombs we went to the Musee d’Orsay, where famous works by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas and many others are held.  After the museum closed we walked down the Champs Elysees, got crepes and saw some famous stores like LV. At the end of it is of course the amazing Arch de Triomphe and the largest round a bout in the world.  From there we took the subway, with some mishaps, to the Moulin Rouge and went to a bar next to it called O’Sullivans.  We had an incredible night out with the entire group. 

Paris was my favorite city we saw and I was sad to leave it, but the next day we drove down to the Beaujolais Wine Region.  On the way there we did some “get to know you” stuff.  Our Contiki group was so

much fun.  Everyone was very chill and laid back, and we all got along really well.  In Beaujolais we stayed in a really beautiful chateau.  We had a wine tasting that night and a delicious dinner.  The next day we all were given picnic baskets and took a long hike up to “the top of the world.”  The view was incredible and we had a nice, relaxed afternoon up there.  Later that night we had a 80’s party at the chateau with another Contiki group which was a blast.  I did not have high hopes for Beaujolais, but it ended up being very fun and relaxed.  I got to know a lot of the other people in the group much better there, and I’m really glad we went.

Easter Holiday Part 1: Madrid and London

Hey everybody!  I know this is looooong overdue, but time has gone by so fast since spring break!  I cannot believe it has been 2 weeks since I got back from the most amazing adventure of my life.  Luckily I kept a travel journal, because remembering every little detail is actually pretty hard, and I need some refreshing!  I am going to do it in parts so no one has to read too much at once if they don’t want to, and I’ll try to give a reader’s digest version of everything we did rather than go into extreme details J

The first part of my spring break was my visit to see my good friend Ann in Spain.  On April 6 I flew from London to Madrid, where Ann met me at the airport.  I was beyond excited to see her again! She lived in Alcala, which is near Madrid.  It was really amazing getting to see where she had spent the last 4 months and catch up with her.  Spain is absolutely gorgeous, and I loved walking around and experiencing the culture.  The first night I got there we had tapas and a glass of wine while we sat and talked.  I love the way that in Spain people spend hours at a meal just enjoying each other’s company.  In Italy they call it “dolce far niente,” or the joy of doing nothing, which I am a HUGE fan of J (who wouldn’t be) and loved doing with Ann in Alcala.  The next day we explored the town and had a delicious traditional Spanish meal.  Later we had tapas again and met up with some of the other study abroad students there and went out for the night in Alcala, which was very different than going out in BG or Keele but a blast none-the-less.  On Friday we went and saw the GORGEOUS city of Madrid.  I love everything about Spain-the culture, the beauty, the food, the language.  I really wish I could have spent more time there with her, but the next day I had to fly to London to meet up with our Contiki group.  I was sad to go but seeing her was incredible, and I was comforted to know that soon I would get to see not only Ann again, but all of my amazing friends back home.

            As mentioned before, on Saturday I flew back to London and checked into the hotel where we met our Contiki group.  That first night we had a meeting and got the logistics about when we needed to be there on Sunday and filled out some paperwork.  I could not believe that the trip we had been planning for months was finally about to begin!  I had dreamed about the amazing places I would see over the next 20 days for such a long time, and in 24 hours I would start to experience them.  That night, although I was extremely excited to start the trip the next day, I was also exhausted from the day’s travels and went straight to sleep after our meeting.  We had to be at the meeting point at 6am to weigh our bags and load everything onto the bus.  We lucked out because the bus holds 52 people, and we only had 26 on our tour so everyone got their own seat.  This proved to be very nice on the days we had to drive for long hours, especially if we had late nights the day before.  At about 7 we set off towards the coast, where we caught a ferry near the White Cliffs of Dover, which were GORGEOUS!  After the boat ride we hopped back on the bus, where our amazing tour guide Jenn gave us a lot of information about France and our tour.  She was so knowledgeable about everywhere we saw the entire trip and so helpful to everybody on the tour.  The next few hours were just driving and getting to know the other people on tour, until about 4 pm when we arrived in PARIS!!! J

Tomorrow is APRIL!!!

This has been a crazy couple of weeks!  Sorry for taking so long to write a new post, things have been so hectic!  This past Saturday we went with Keele International on a trip to Bath.  It was INCREDIBLE!  Bath was so gorgeous and like nothing I had ever seen before.  While there we went to the famous Roman Baths.  They were so pretty and the architecture around them was amazing.  While there we also went to the Jane Austen Museum.  When they lived in the country, the Austen family used to visit Bath on a pretty regular basis.  Jane liked visiting the city but was ultimately a country girl, so when her father retired and moved there she was not too happy.  She hated living in the city and went back to the country as soon as possible.  It was interesting to hear about her family and their time in Bath. 

After the museum we explored the city a bit and went to The Crest, a big building shaped like a crest (hence the name) with a big open field and park in front of it.  It was a gorgeous day outside so people were playing games and eating picnics in the park, and it was the first time it really seemed like spring.  There were also a bunch of flowers in bloom and it was nice to just walk around and see the beautiful town.

This week I got very excited because I finally finished all of my essays and I just have one group project to do tomorrow morning, and then I can finally enter vacation mode!  I feel so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to travel for an entire month throughout Europe.  It seems like ages ago that Ellen and I were booking our trip and just starting to talk about it, and now it’s here!  We are going to have such an amazing time and see some of the most famous places in the world.  Here is the rough itinerary for April.  On the 6 I fly over to Madrid to spend a few days with Ann.  The on the 9 I fly back to London and meet up with Sarah and Ellen.  We spend the night there, and on the 10 we meet up with the rest of our group and head over to Paris.  Then over the course of the next 20 days start in Paris and go to Beaujolais, Barcelona, the French Riviera, Venice, Florence, Corfu (an island in Greece) and Athens.  On the 30 we fly back home.  I am so overwhelmed with excitement about the fact that I will be getting to see some of the most amazing and famous places in the world, like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Monte Carlo, Verona, St. Mark’s Square, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and much more!!!  I am so thankful for my parents allowing me to have this experience.

Whelp I suppose this will be my last blog post until May, so goodbye, au revoir, adios, arrivederci and antío sas!!!  Next time you hear from me I will be a cultured women with many stories of my European adventure J

You say it's your birthday... :)

I was a very spoiled girl this year for my birthday.  Although I was sad to not be able to see my family when I turned 20, my amazing friends here took good care of me and I had an absolute blast.  On Thursday night my friend Ellen asked to me to come over to talk because she was upset about something, but I should have known it was a trick because when I got there she and my friend Sarah surprised me with a cake.  The next morning I went to get English breakfast with them and a couple of my other friends, which was delicious!  Then my friends Becca, Chelsea and Hannah made me home made mac and cheese for dinner which was amazing. 

On Saturday Becca and I went to the Stoke City vs. Newcastle United football match.  IT WAS AWESOME!!! I love seeing sports in person and it was a really great game.  We were also in the very front row, so we were SO CLOSE to the players!  It was unbelievable and a really amazing experience.  Saturday night a big group of us went to dinner at Sneyd’s and then out to an awesome club in Hanley called Liquid.  We danced the night away and had an extremely amazing time.  It was honestly one of the best birthday’s I have ever had, and I felt so fortunate to have wonderful friends who would help me do it up right over here in England J

Love you all and hope you had a great week!  TTFN!


xoxo Steph :)

Studying my life away!

So I know I have been MIA as far as the blogging goes lately, but things have been pretty hectic.  March definitely snuck up on me…this semester has moved so fast!  Back in February I had much more down time than I do this month.  I am very glad that we planned a good deal of our trips for February, because if we hadn’t I would probably be extremely stressed right now.  I know this may come as a shock to those of you who think I have done nothing but travel since I have been here, but I actually have A LOT of homework for the past couple of weeks lol.  There is definitely a different dynamic throughout the entire university the past month.  People seem to be focusing a bit less on leisure and waaay more on work.  At the beginning of the semester our tutors (that’s what they call professors here) gave us a list of what the grades in the class would come from.  All of mine have one group presentation worth 20% of our grade and one final essay worth 80%...talk about nerve-wracking!  It is scary to think that two assignments determine everything, but luckily they give you a ton of time to work on them.  I actually only have one due before Easter Holiday, and the rest are due the week we get back but I (along with most of the study abroad students) am trying to finish all of it before break so that I won’t be stressed about it while travelling.  I have spent countless hours in the library lately doing research and putting everything together. Hopefully I will finish them within the next two weeks, and then I will be free to focus on Madrid and the Contiki tour J  Although I still have 3 weeks I am starting to get soooo excited for them!  I guess I better continue working hard, because April will be here before I know it! 

Love and miss you all! xoxo

...You May Say I'm a Dreamer, but I'm Not the Only One.

Today we went to Liverpool, which was our last day trip for awhile but a good one.  For those who don’t know, Liverpool is home to the Beatles, one of the most iconic bands in history.  While we were there we went to the Beatles Story museum which was really cool.  It was fun to see how they got their start.  While we were there I learned some interesting fact about the Beatles, such as the fact that Ringo Star was not added to the band for quite some time after they started out, and that although they produced hundreds of songs they were only together a total of 8 years.  I had forgotten how many of their songs I loved and the entire bus ride home I listened to them.

While in Liverpool we also took a “Yellow Duckmarine” Tour, Anfield and saw the Liverpool Cathedral.  The Duckmarine tour went all around the city and showed us the sights, such as the Chinese Arch, Town Hall, the port, and the Four Courts.  After going around the town we went into the water and saw all of the docks.  Our tour guide and driver were both hilarious and we all had a good time on the tour. 

We also stopped at Anfield, which is home to the Liverpool Football Club.  The Liverpool FC is considered one of the most successful in England, although this season they are not doing as well as in the past.  Outside of Anfield there is a memorial to the 96 fans that died at HIllborough on April 15, 1989.  The stadium collapsed killing 96 fans and injuring over 700.  It was interesting to find out that the club had such a history.

The cathedral in Liverpool, as usual, was AMAZING.  It is the largest cathedral in the UK and one of the largest in the world.  It is extremely beautiful on the inside and out.  Outside of the cathedral is a beautiful yet creepy graveyard.  At night it probably would have been very scary, but during the day it was very cool. 

Overall Liverpool was a very successful day and I’m glad I went.  I’m sorry to say that my posts may be even less frequent from now on seeing as I do not have too many more trips until April and I am going to be swamped with writing essays in order to finish them before Easter Holiday.  Love you all!!