Goodbye England.

As you all well know, I have a tendency to have interesting airport stories and I have not been able to fail you yet. So here it goes.

Adi and I were leaving her hometown up north around 7:30pm which means we would arrive at her house roughly 10:40pm. But we have a little problem with that time frame. We needed to get to a specific station by 11:35pm because that was the last tube that was going to Heathrow until 5:30am the next mornin which is when I needed to be checked in to my flight for Spain. You can probably see the complications and the speediness this required.

So, Adi and I are walking from the tube station to her house (which is a million blocks away I might add) and Adi is practically running. So, me being me, was quite frustrated at the already fast pace that I have been putting up with and now it got faster.

All this to say, I wasn't a happy camper. And you know when you get in those moods where you just begin to get frustrated at everything under the moon and back? I know you know the feeling. You know it all too well. So Adi got to listen to me rant about my sweaty self, my gross sweaty pasted down hair, my clothes choice for the day, my hurting back, how tired I was, and the ultimate, how much luggage I had to carry. I packed too many pairs of shoes.

She had to listen to it all and I didn't feel like listening. Bad on me, I know. But then, the most remarkable event happened in all of London.

A man dressed in all leather, with steel studs on his shoes, and huge wicked mustache (and sideburns) came up to me, didn't look at me or say anything, and grabbed my bag to the top of the stairs. He don't say anything when I showed my appreciation and never met my gaze. Right as he walked off to catch the next tube, I saw him hold long stemmed flowers for his special lass.

I just stood there giggling because I was so angry about my dumb luggage and yet someone had the heart to voluntarily carry it without needing any recognition. It made my day really. Anyone else want to volunteer as tribute?

But that isn't all. We get to Heathrow and there is an American guy trying to find his way and it ends up he doesn't leave until 2pm the next day. You must realize it is only 11:40pm the night before. So, we have him to talk to all night. Let's call him Canadian Bacon. Then we also got Mr. Battery Man. He was a guy from Singapore going to Malaysia about to start his doctorate program. He told us he got his master's degree in batteries. Hence the name. So, Adi decides she is going to go to sleep so the three of us pals it to talk. Lovely. It was full of interesting conversations but sometimes the best airport stories are full of interesting people. I am thankful we met the guys because it made time fly. So nice.

Also, I got the window seat ino Madrid when I was supposed to get the middle seat.

I am not one for goodbyes and it was extra hard to say goodbye to such a wonderful family. I couldn't have asked or a better, or more hospitable English family. Here are some photos from my last days in England.

Swords, Pikes, & Nerf Guns.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye.

Can I just say I love that I am able to see real castles and not just read about them in history books?  Well, I just said it, so there.

The past couple of days my English family has treated me to some true English culture.  Whether it is food (fish & chips, crumpets, Yorkshire tea, etc...) or sight seeing, I have thoroughly enjoyed it all.  I can honestly say that I will be back to see my newly added family without any hesitation in the world.  I will be back.

They have taken me to see many different historical places and really taught me a lot about the English culture and history.  Yes, as an American, we learn a little bit about where we [Americans] come from reading history books in class, but there is just some things you aren't able to put words to or even describe proper.  I mean, a picture can't do it justice whatsoever.  Whether it is an old monastery with beautiful grounds or the inside of a castle, sometimes you just have to see it for yourself to fully understand and appreciate it.  Plus, some of these places have fountains that are older than America itself.  Now that is insane.

With that said, I will try to do my best in showing and describing to you all the cool places I have been able to visit the past two days.

Yesterday I was able to go to Fountains Abbey which was absolutely gorgeous.  Not only did we have a sunny day but to top it off, we brought our own medieval weapons.  Yes, you heard right.  We brought swords, pikes, and nerf guns with us so we can have a proper battle in front of a real castle.  Yeah, I know you're jealous.  Here are some of the pictures.

So there you have it.  Some captures from Fountains Abbey.  I wish I could really go into depth of what we did all day, but then I would be writing more of a novel than I already am so I think I will spare you.

Now onto today.  We went to Alnwick Castle today.  For those of you who are Harry Potter fans, this is the castle where the students learn how to ride a broom in the first film.  Yes, I did re-enact the broom lesson scene.  But the castle holds much more history than a Hollywood film done in 2000.  It is home to the Percy family and man, they have quite the humble abode.  There is a section where you are able to walk inside the house itself and this is where words can't describe the grandeur that the house holds.  And we were only in one section of the house/castle/palace/insert your own word here...  There are other sections there that are used for educational purposes to teach the history of the castle and all that happened there.  Such a fascinating place, lemme tell ya.

While roaming the castle, there are various activities that you can participate in.  For example, there is a haunted house in the cellars.  Yeah... I may have skipped out on that while others had the nerves of steal and went through.  You can also learn how to make soap, ride a broom, and how to shoot an arrow.  There are more things that I did and learned but I think I will just let the photos speak for themselves.

That isn't all that we did today.  We drove up to the Holy Island which is an island with a castle on it that is only accessible when the tide is out.  When they tide is in, the road suddenly disappears under water.  Because we were going farther north to see different cities and things, we just decided to drive to Scotland.  Yeah, no big deal.

We got ice cream there and saw a Scottish castle.  Such a lovely place as well.  Here are a couple pictures from our drive up there.

So, all in all, the past two days have been awesome seeing places while hanging out with fun people.  I am so thankful to be here and to be welcomed the way I have.  Seriously, the best experience I could have ever imagined, and then some. 

Only 4 more days until Spain which is absolutely crazy to think about.  I want to stay here longer but I am also excited for the next adventure ahead.  I would just like to never go to school ever again but to just travel and meet people as a living.  Anyone hiring a professional traveler?  I have a resume and everything. 

Until next time, please enjoy this song that my wonderful mother sent to me.  I love this song and thought hey, if this brought me encouragement, it could bring you encouragement.  Please enjoy.

Sincerely,
Ang

Aye, Aye Matey.

Ahoy Dear Scallywags.

My life just got so much better today.  Not only am I in a beautiful country with beautiful people, I have now become a pirate.  I don't know if you know this about me or not, but when I was a wee little teenager, I was quite obsessed with the Pirates of the Caribbean.  In fact, I would watch the movies back to back when I could.  I even had the real movie poster on the back of my door.  So, today was a big day.

Adi and I drove to the coast in northern England today, and we were ust walking about the beautiful towns and low-and-behold there is a man telling us we can ride in a pirate ship and take a tour of the bay for $3 pounds.  UHHHH.  Yes please.  So, we got on and giddy as I am, they asked if we wanted to drive the boat.  And drive we did.  Here is proof.

So, there you have it.  My pirate experience.  What you should also know about Whitby is that it is the home to the one and only Mr. James Cook, who is in fact a famous sailor himself.  He was the one who "founded" New Zealand and Australia in the eyes of the English.  So it just makes the whole sailing thing that much more cool.  But that isn't all I have been up to recently.

We have also been able to see some true ruins that contain history older than our US history.  So crazy!  For example, we drove by Byland Abbey which is one of the first buildings to start this specific architectural influence in the north.  Here is a picture for ya.

 

We also went to go Whitby Abbey which happens to be where Bram Stoker found his inspiration for his work 'Dracula'.  Somehow I can't escape the idea of vampires.  If you're in my family, you totally understand what I mean and you're probably laughing to yourself.  If you don't know, I was born in Romania and my biological family happened to be from Transylvania, which is also where "Dracula" is from if you didn't know.  Well lucky for me, the first teeth that grew in were my vampire teeth.  Now you can be in the know.  Enjoy the castle ruins.

Northern England is so beautiful and having the opportunity to drive around is absolutely a blessing.  Here are some pictures of places and things I have been able to do.  

Just a little side note, we were walking around Whitby and we found some apartments through the street that are absolutely perfect.  See if you can tell why.

For now, I will bid you adieu but please enjoy the rest of your day wherever you are in the world.  

Sincerely,

Angela

The North.

Hello Friends and Family.

Sorry for the lack of updating. I have been up north with Adi's family and I have been so blessed to have such an amazing extended English family. They have all treated me with open arms and have just accepted me into the family and I love it. I have loved trying lots of new English things. I have been able to have lots of tea which is absolutely wonderful I might add. I've been able to have an English BBQ and a proper English breakfast. I've had a proper tea party with scones ad macaroons and all. I've walked around cobble stone side walks while listening to men yell in pubs during the soccer game that is on. And I've had lots of cherry bakewell tarts (around 11ish). They're hust way too good  It's been great to meet everyone and gain a whole new family. I now know if I ever come to England I will have many places. It is awesome. 

All in all, I've really been enjoying the relaxing lifestyle of the country. Excited for another fun week here that's for sure. 

Just so you know, the whole time I've been here it hasn't rained once until today when it sprinkled just a tiny bit. I sure do love this sunshine without the Texas humidity. 

Until next time, have a happy Monday. 

Sincerely,
Angela

Lovin' London.

Oh Hi There.

If I could ever advise you to do anything in your life, it would be to go out and experience the world. See it and embrace it. I know what you're thinking. She has been in London for 5 days and another country or two, so why should I listen to her? And to that, I would say that it doesn't matter if you travel to 40 countries or 1 country. To expand your world view is almost an essential part of life. Traveling isn't for everyone and I understand and accept that, but I can't express enough how important it is to at least try it. It is an amazing a freeing feeling to go to a completely different environment and to get out of your comfort zone. So, all this to say, go out and try something new and be adventurous. Okay, I'll jump off my soap box and I'll update ya on a little bit of what we've done.

Adi and I have been walking (I don't know how many miles) all around London. We went to Camden and went shopping and had crepes. We went to Harrods and had google-y eyes over all the different floors of designer things. Such a crazy store. We have also gone to Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace and wow; that is such a beautiful place. I love the Peter Pan statue!! While we were there we saw the Royal Albert Hall. It is the hosting place for the biggest musical collaborations around. Right next to that, was the Albert Memorial which is a huge golden statue that pays tribute to Prince Albert who died from typhoid. It is 176ft and cost $10 million to build. Crazy stuff.

We were able to see some of Adi's friends who live around the city as well as my YWAM friends from Australia. It has been cool for us to integrate each other in our circle of friends and gain more of an understanding of one another in general. We also got to see Buckingham Palace which is absolutely incredible. Such detail and beauty all smooshed in one big house. We also went to Fortnum & Mason which is basically a huge ritzy department store with ridiculous prices. We went to Westminster Abbey and oh my word. If you come to London ever, you must come down to west London. It's so beautiful and has so many years of history that oozes from every nook and cranny.  Last night we went to a movie premiere in Notting Hill with some friends and it was fun. We all had a great time. 

So that is everything we've done In a huge nutshell for ya. The last thing that I am loving to do (but not so much Adi) is "The Runner's Five". Basically, when you're walking about and you happen to see a runner, you encourage them by sayin something along the lines of "great job running" or "you're doing awesome today" and tally how many high fives you receive compared to how many you hand out. 

My current score is 25-36. 

Happy people high five. 

Here are some pictures from the past couple of days. 

Sincerely,
Ang

Oh Peter.

A statue in Kensington Gardens.

Albert Memorial.

Big Ben.

Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey.

Adi and I before the premiere.

Breakfast.

I must confess something. I have had one of these for breakfast everyday. They're amazing. They're called cherry bakewell. I love them. A lot.

Sincerely,
Ang

Palace, Places, and People to See.

Hello Fellow Blog Readers,

Today was another fun day of seeing some more of London's best while hanging with friends from around the globe.  Seriously, around the globe.

Please enjoy pictures today.

Sincerely,
Angela

Harrods Department Store.

Me.

Harrods even blings out their water bottles.

Horse Head in Marble Arch.

Outside Buckingham Palace.

Outside Buckingham Palace.

There's the Queen's casa.

Just some cool arches by Buckingham Palace.