Mind the Gap

My time in London is about to end. We leave on Tuesday morning at 6 am. Here is a quick synopsis of what I have experienced since last entry.
* Oxford- Beautiful College town. Not to crowded. Also has the oldest museum in Britain.
* Tate Britain and Tate Modern- Lots of Art. Beautiful room designed by Rothko.
* Two musical- Wicked and Les Miserables. Loved them both and need to get both soundtracks.
* Tower of London-A tad bit expensive top get in but worth it. Especially when taking funny pictures with your friends. Also great view if the Tower Bridge.
* Notting Hill- Explored the Portebello Road market. They had some really great stuff. Too bad I'm running out of room.
* Fish and chips- I'm not a huge fish lover. But batter and frying can make anything taste good. Wouldn't be my first choice to eat again but would not say no to it.
* Victoria and Albert Museum- I loved the fashion exhibition. My favorite piece was the Juicy Couture track suit. OK not really.

What I hope to still see in my time here-
* Covent Gardens (I think that's the next stop after the Internet cafe)
* St. Paul's cathedral
* National Gallery
* Big Ben at night
* Harrods
* Plus many others.

Things I am putting off doing here-
* The two papers due for class on Monday. I sometimes forget that I am here to learn and not just to have fun and shop. Blah.

London- May 11-13

We have made it to London. Sunday morning Sarah and I hoped on a short flight to the big city. We successfully navigated the subway( or tube as it is called here) and found the hotel without any troubles. We did some desperately needed laundry and took a nap on the first real mattress we have had in about a week. At the hostel in Scotland it was a piece of egg crate foam on a plywood platform. Not great for a good nights sleep. We wandered a bit and grabbed some dinner at one of the thousand Italian restaurants along the street of our hotel. On our way back to the hotel we stopped and try to make calls to our mom's for mothers day. Sorry I was not able to get ahold of you mom. Happy Mother's Day a few days late.

Monday morning we met up with our school group and our professor took us around to some of the bigger sites. We went to Leicester Square where they were setting up for the Sex and the City movie premiere that night and then over to Trafalgar's Square. He showed us where Big Ben and West Minster Abbey were and then had a short break in St. James Park. After that we headed over to Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guards. Sarah and I then broke off from the group and had some lunch in Green Park and then wandered a bit till we had to meet up with her friend Stacey and her boyfriend Lloyd. Lloyd's little brother John came along and was so nice to be Sarah and mine own personal tour guide. He told to make sure to hit all the touristy spots and great places to shop.

Today the group headed up to Oxford and we had our first official class. We got to see some amazing prints ( because that is what we are studying- print and printmaking) and then we have just wandered through the city. There are some great old buildings here. Sarah and I found a Internet shop that has had the cheapest prices we have seen so we ducked in to check in on stuff. We have a few more days in London and hopefully we can get all that we want to in and without going broke. Till next time. Cheers!

Theme song for Scotland: Anything by Britney Spears.

(Disclaimer: I probably have misspelled most of the names and words in here, but I don't have my notebook with me where they are written down.)

Dear Internet-

It is my last night in Scotland. So I thought I would give you a quick overview of the week. (Hopefully with in my time frame I paid for. This is the slowest Internet connection ever). So after shaking off the jet lag Wednesday morning we hopped aboard our tour bus. We headed up towards the Scotish Highlands. Our first stop was the William Wallace Memorial but unfortunately it was closed for some work. We headed North some more and saw some beautifully scenery and did some hiking in Glen Coe. Trivia: Glen means Valley, Ben means mountain, and Loch means lake. We had gorgeous weather the three days we were in the highlands which was very unusual. Our final destination for the day was at Fort Augustus which is on Loch Ness. We attended a demonstration of how life was for the clans in the Highlands way back when. We were shown how to fold a kilt and how the weapons were used. It was very interesting. After dinner We took a boat out on Loch Ness and did a little Nessie hunting. The boat was equipped with some sonar technology. According to the sonar we had an encounter with one of the monsters. The guide believes there is 18 living in the lake. I got some pictures so when I get home I will show you what we found.

The next day the tour headed up to the Isle of Skye. Because of some swing bridge breaking down we were put way behind schedule and had to rush allot of the first part. we saw some more great scenery and visited a castle that I cant remember how to spell. And then had lunch by the river on Skye. After lunch we did some more scenery looking and went to what they call fairy falls. Legend has it that the fairies bathe there and some of their magic gets left behind. So if you Make a wish and take a drink from the top of the falls and hold the water in your mouth till you get to the bottom of the falls and swallow your wish will come true. Of course I can't tell you what I wished for because then it won't come true. We also saw the place where the training sequence of Highlander was filmed. I have not seen it but the tour guide Matthew highly recommended it to me and Sarah. I will be adding it to the blockbuster list when I get home, along with Braveheart.

The last day of the tour we packed up and headed down towards Edinburgh. Our first stop was on the shore of Loch Ness and did some Nessie calling. They had a little dance and call we had to do. Unfortunately nothing appeared. we also stopped at the battlefield of Culloden and saw where the Jacobites fought the British. We then drove some more, saw more scenery and ended back in Edinburgh.

Today Sarah and I slept in (which is pretty amazing for staying in a hostel and sharing a room with 8 other girls.) We went to the Scotland Gallery and saw art work and tried to get a head start on our homework for our upcoming study abroad. We then did some shopping and had lunch at a cathedral that has been converted into a restaurant. We had had such good luck with the weather the past three days but no Scotland experience is complete with rain. We got rained out and decided to head back tot he hostel to dry off. And now we are here.

Conclusion: Scotland is gorgeous and the people are super friendly. I recommend this place to anyone and recommend taking the Highland tour we took. Also I believe the Scotish love Britney Spears. We have heard her songs everywhere. The mall, the tour bus, the common room of the hostel. But who can blame them. I have not dared to try haggis, but Sarah did so ask her how she liked it. Tomorrow we are headed off to London and will meet up with out school group. I will leave you with words I want to start incorporating into my daily language. So if you hear me use them you will know what they mean.

Words I want to start using:
Crisps= Potato chips
Minger= Ugly Person
Plasters= Band-aids

Day 1&2

Dear Internet,

The time is finally here. I am in Europe. We left Monday morning and landed in Edinburgh, Scotland on Tuesday. After sleeping on the hostel couch for a hour or two till we were able to check in and shower. We wandered around a bit, had some food, and hit the sack. Today we met up with our Skye high tour group and have hiked in the Scottish highlands, learned some Scottish history, and searched for the Loch Ness monster. Tomorrow we are off to the Isle of Skye. I have to keep this short because I am running out of time and this Internet is costing me a small fortune. I left my camera cord at home so pictures will have to wait till later. But I will keep you updated and hopefully with more details.

-Marci

Another Genius Idea

So have you ever looked at a pair of heels and thought I like these but I just wish the heels were not so tall. OK maybe not but being 5'9" I already tower over allot of people and then add another 3 inches on top of it I'm a giant. Now don't think I don't wear heels just because of my height insecurities because I do. I love heels. They make my legs look better and my pants fall much better when wearing them. But sometimes I wish I could cut off an inch or two off my heels but then later go back and glue it back on so I had the option of low or high heels. Well there is a solution out there. Convertible high heels. I saw these a few months past on a short lived fashion show on TLC hosted by Stacey London of "What Not to Wear." I thought these shoes were a genius idea and tried to research them but came up short. Well today my daily email from Daily Candy featured them. They are simply genius you can change the heel height of the shoe from 3.25 inches to 1.5 inches in a snap. Literally a snap. The heel folds in half and snaps under into the arch of the shoe. So if I want to be super tall one day I can leave the heel on. But if I'm feeling a little self conscience about my height I can change it up. The styles they have are pretty basic high heels, nothing fancy. But what girl doesn't need a classic pair of black pumps. And since the company looks pretty new maybe as they grow they can add more styles. The shoes are a little out of the price range I usually spend on shoes but just think you are getting two shoes in one. Maybe if I keep adding my spare change to my piggy bank I can afford a pair one day.

A gift from Heaven

Like allot of women out there, and maybe some guys, I struggle with finding a good pair of fitting jeans. I have a hard time fitting my thighs/butt area and waist at the same time. Also my legs are a tad bit longer than the average girl's, causing either a flood problem or dragging in the dirt problem. Also because of my weird proportions or having to fit my larger thighs to my smaller waist, I may have a slight problem with butt cleavage. But I have stumbled upon the best website- makeyourownjeans.com. You pick your denim and your style of jean. And then you give them your waist, hip, & thigh measurements. Tell them how long you want them and what kind of front and back rise you want. And if you want the pant leg opening to be a certain width you can do that too. Then they will cut and sew your pants according to your measurements and VOILA a custom pair of jeans. And from the looks of it not any more expensive than a normal pair of jeans say from American Eagle. After I return home this summer and get back into the workforce, this will be my first purchase. Next problem is measuring myself. I tried to do it once for a bridesmaid dress and it was a disaster. My friend's mom had to remeasure me and start all over. (I am still very sorry about that.) But maybe I can enlist one of my friends who won't mind getting up close and personal with me. Any takers?

Dear Diary

Somehow over dinner with some friends this past week the idea that we all should post something hand written on each of out blogs came up. So here is mine.


I have never been a great journal/diary keeper so I have to rely on notebooks that help guide me what to write. These are some pages from my travel journal from two years ago.