Food, Glorious Food

May 26

...and you thought I was joking, huh?

:)

Borough Market-

You

are a glorious place.

And it's not just the 

food,

glorious food,

oooh no.

It's the...

...the.... 

...the...

(The Grinch!)

everything.

I love the massive amounts of people,

the bulging eyes when people see a hunk of bread on the counter,

the samples,

the freshly squeezed juices,

and even

the silly tourists there who take pictures of 

everything

just like me.

Like these yummy snacks I just bought.

I couldn't just buy

honey cashews and 

chocolate

cinnamon

covered

almonds.

Absurd.

I had to take a picture and document such an 

exciting moment!

Or like this time I saw this sign

and all I could think of was Aerosmith

and me singing into a spatula

while my dad plays the air guitar.

Okay now,

that was probably the peak of my 

tourist-ness

during this whole study abroad

that day.

Other photo worthy moments of the day...

Eating a kangaroo burger

...well that was sure tasty

and quite the experience.

Taking pictures

just because the Union Jack is present.

 It's Jubilee Weekend so flags are everywhere!

Or even meaning to take a picture

of my scrumptious raspberries...

but not remembering until they're all pretty much gone.

Maybe that's why my smile is so big,

because I ate them all.

Food for thought...

:)

Next we went to Harrods.

It was more of a museum than a store to me.

The prices were just so out of reach

that I felt like I couldn't touch anything.

...

You could even say the prices went to

Infinity and Beyond!

 Yes, he is completely built of Legos.
I wonder if Buddy the Elf could do that.

That place is like...a whole new world. 

I also decided to be clever

(yes, decided-it doesn't happen naturally)

and make it look like I was in their magazine.

Trickster.

Later on I went to the Champion pub

with my buddies Trent, Romm and MaCall.

We watched the England vs. Norway football game

and England won.

Then to celebrate our victory

we all sipped through individual straws

from a single cup of

our non alcoholic

diet coke

beverage...

at the same time.

Seal of the friendship. 

It was nice to do some of the local stuff today. 

I like being,

pretending to be

British. 

I love Old York

May 25

York certainly wasn't quiet in the morning,

and I liked it.

I liked it a whole lot.

Well,

it was quiet at the first place we visited...
Wassup York Minster.

I really liked it in there.

I hope you'll get to go inside someday too!

York...

you are one happenin' place.

I dare say, you are one of my favorites.

Maybe it was all the delicious chocolate...

(Thank you Thorntons Chocolates!)

or maybe even possibly..

the Ostrich burgers...

mmm...or was it even the market

where there are lots of 

good treats

and yummy eats?

In the words of mah boys T-Pain and Maino
 ...
"all the above"

Really, 
York is such a cool place.
I'd like to imagine that Harry Potter comes here
for a nice escape from wizarding pressures. 
Or One Direction?
I don't know,
just someone British and famous I guess. 

Famous like this street...
It's called 
the Shambles.

 But none of this could even prepare me 
for 
Jamie.
Yep, I met a British man.
We were going to run off together
but
.....
 I made him let go of my hand.

I just couldn't let him give up his
fun tricks and shows!
That would be...
well...
just not okay. 


I started as an innocent bystander,
laughing along with the crowd
when he'd drag on his stories for 
wayyyyy too long
before getting on to his trick.
And then somehow,

I was picked out of that crowd

to throw knives at him 
while he sat on top of an 
8-foot-tall-unicycle.

I do not retract the statement that 
I tend to "throw like a girl",
but I did okay at sending
sharp blades
8 feet up into the air.
See how he's holding them 
all the way up there.
That must mean I did something right.

So I did a little awkward

Kelsey 

dance/bow/"thank you for being here today"
jig.
:) 

From York,

we made our way back to the coach

and onward.

Oh yes, 

we went to Fountains Abbey.

 I was blown away by the ruins there
and the relevancy of the song
"Build me up Buttercup."
Just check out how many they have!

 After being at a place like this
it was rough to get back on the coach.
But you know what,
it's always so nice to be back home-
Back in London. 

Northern Trip=success :)

What the Lochness?

May 23

Today, would be the day 

I would arrive in Scotland.

I can't believe this part of the study abroad is

already 

here.

Before getting on the road again 

and leaving Ambleside behind,

it was time for another hike.

I even got to be like a ballerina,

tip-toeing across the river

on these nice rocks.

Later MaCall and I even found this lovely fountain.
It was refreshing.
Just like Sprite.

Back on the coach.

Choo chooo!

Well, it doesn't make that noise...like I wish it did.

But our coach driver,

Mr. Peter,

he was pretty snazzy.

He always just says, 

"Okay,"

when people say thank you.

It makes me smile...a lot :)

We got to stop at this mysterious stone circle

called Castlerigg.

Chyea, if it were celebrating its first birthday,

Stonehenge wouldn't have been invited.

That's right.

Castlerigg is even older. 

It only seemed appropriate to do some planking.

Time for Scotland?

I do think so.

We headed to Edinburgh and went straight to our

Hostel. 

Oh yes, that's right.

My bed had a number on it...3

I felt like Jean Val Jean in Les Miserables.

I'd rather not dwell on that experience.

But I do feel like we should each get some kind of 

wilderness explorer badge

for sticking it out there.

Edinburgh impressed me that first day.

My, oh my.

I even got to go to 

The Elephant House Cafe

.....

know what that is?

It's the Birthplace of Harry Potter!

It was here that J.K. Rowling sat,

looked longingly out the window at the famous castle

and started her brainstorming for the 

greatest series ever!

I tried to have the seriousness of the moment

reflected in my very soul.

That only lasted about a second though...

until I found this awesome elephant chair.

Elephants are my favorite animals.

Shout out to my Squirt :)

And then the hikes continued.

After a delicious, delectable, mmm-tastic 

piece of chocolate cake

my buddy Cree and I walked up to the top of 

Calton Hill.

That place was beautiful and all

but I was blown away when we reached 

Arthur's Seat.

I had a bit of a moment up there.

I've never felt so small in my whole life,

and yet so important at the same time.

I know that Heavenly Father knows who I am

and he knows who you are too.

This is me writing this all down.

Of course I couldn't help but smile at the thought of that.

May 24

Oooh Smartcity hostels.

Thanks for the interesting night.

I will miss the singing outside my window all night long.

Good morning Edinburgh!

We started off the day with a tour from 

this nice-old-man in his kilt.

He likes to make jokes...a lot of jokes.

Us wee lasses couldn't do much more laughin
by the end of that tour.
The castle was sweet though.
I kept trying to spot Rapunzel
but then again,
she ran off with Mistah Flynn Rider.

 

See that crazy cool place below MaCall and I?

That's Edinburgh...

and a delightful old couple.

So tender!

And of course we had to get a picture like this.
It was fun to catch them 
when they were just walking around.
We were allowed to talk with them and everything!
Deluxe.

 And I just like their outfits.
Toga parties, really?
 How about we bring out the kilts!


 We had the rest of the day to just wander.
Wandering is different here in the UK.
When you get lost here,
it's not scary.
It's just beautiful.
So if someone yelled to me
"Get lost!"
I'd say...
"Alrighty chap, I accept your challenge."
 Tonight, we drove out to York.
The city was quiet
as we dipped in and out of alley ways.
I think the best part of tonight was 
pulling into the Holiday Inn.
Kate and I just ran, jumped on the bed
and layed there for a minute.

Secret?
I took the pen from the room to remind me of the

pure bliss

I felt when seeing this clean, 
toe-nail-clipping-free room.
Really, happiness is in everything.
And now it's in my Holiday Inn pen.

Tomorrow...York time.

I wonder if they have peppermint patties... 

:)

Rappin' and a Rhymin' in Ambleside

Woahhh baby.

Grab your nearest fairy tale book,

read to me the scenery,

yep, 

that's where I am right now.

Ambleside has got to be 

one of 

the 

most

beautiful places 

I have ever been.

It's impossible for me to not just want to 

frolic

around here.

Actually,

 I did that a few times today

How about I start with yesterday?

I think I shall!

May 21

It all started out with a long coach ride.

I like listening to music on the coach.

It helps pass the time.

Plus MaCall and I discovered that we don't need 

no choreographer to break it down.

We just happen to know all the same moves

and do them at the same times.

Watch out Chris Brown.

Today was really something.

We actually got to go...

oh boy...

inside

the England 

Missionary Training Center

for

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

That place is slick.

I love missionary work.

It was so cool to actually get to go inside and see 

where the best two years all begin.

Just up the street was the Preston Temple too.

I find it quite beautiful.

 

It's MaCall and I!

We decided to keep with the church theme 

and head on over to the River Ribble 

where some of the first members of the church were baptized.

There really is a spirit there.

I love this gospel...

People ran to this river to be the 

first members in England to be baptized.

We also got to go to this beautiful garden just nearby.

I felt like I was in the garden in Mulan.

Here I am with Kristen and Whitney!

When we finally got to Ambleside, 

we all got checked into our hotels, 

and then we split off into two different groups

so as to not completely overwhelm this quaint place.

Storytime: 

Everyone is staying in a Bed and Breakfast...a "B&B"

yeah, we just got one B...Bed...

actually, Beds.

Yes, somehow we ended up with three rooms

and eight beds,

just no breakfast.

No worries, Madeleine, Kate, MaCall and I are enjoying our stay :)

And guess where we ate dinner at?

Dove Cottage.

Chicka, What?

Wordsworth lived in this crib back in the day.

We started it off with homemade lemonade,

brown sugar included.

Our host also told us that juice=squash.

So really,

we enjoyed a nice bit of lemon squash.

Oh so British, I like it.

Here's my buddy Jared and I toasting to the brilliant day!

 This is Jaden.  She is really spiffy, and we like to say 

"Wordsworth"

like it's super cool.

Okay, it is super cool.

It's worth a try next time you do a fist pump.

Me and the lovely Madeleine in Wordsworth's backyard.

Being there,

I can see how he was inspired

to write poems like he did.

Makes me wonder what kind of environment

Dr. Seuss

was living in. 

What in the world was inspiring him?

Next we got to go see the cemetary 

where some of the Wordsworth's were buried.

I have pictures of the graves, 

but it kinda scares me

So rather, I'll share with you this

incredibly awkward photo

of my buddy Romm and I.

Really, I think the awkwardness is effortless.

Here's our most of our group for the trip.

Hey, Hey Group A!

After our time hangin out with Wordsworth

we were set free into the wild.

We decided to take a stroll down to the lake.

Holy snicker doodles, it was oh so appealing.

 And then I decided to stare down a duck

just for kicks.

May 22

Good morning Ambleside! 

I see why you have so many 

Beds and Breakfasts... 

finding breakfast here is rough.   

Nothing opens here until at least ten. 

I'm glad you get to sleep in though...

I hope you had great dreams this morning,

maybe even of penguins and dinos dancing.

We ended up finding a lil 7-11 type place called

Greggs

and ate our meals on this lovely wall

as the sheep baaaahed in the background.

Notice anything else different about this picture?

...

It's sunny out!

Oooh how I love the sun!

I now better understand why they use the song, 

"Here comes the sun"

in The Parent Trap

when they go to London.

Next it was off to the Jerwood Centre,

right next to Dove Cottage.

It was at this place,

and at this time,

that a beautiful rap was born. 

I really did like hearing about Woodsworth,

getting to pass around first editions of his poetry

but it all became awkward 

when our curator would hand around a book

and just sit in silence.

Hence, one of the lines in our rap:

"The sun is out and the sheep are playing,

We're handing 'round books and we just keep praying

that she'll tell a joke when it's quiet all around,

'awks' is the word, hear a pin drop on the ground..."

-Lil Wulf-e and Tundra

Later, it was time for a hike. 

We did some climbing...

I do recall some girls bustin' out 

"It's the Climb"

by Miley Cyrus

at some point in the journey.

 Always, makes for a fun memory.

 This is Jessica.  She's my bunk mate back at the Centre.

 

It was a 

Walk to Remember.

I felt like i was in Scotland almost,

but no, 

that would be our next stop on the trip :)

We did another hike later on.

We went to a waterfall

and decided it would be best to 

walk through the water

like 

Katniss on foot. 

Of course later we had to do some heel clicks 

while coming back into town.

That was absolutely necessary.

I loved Ambleside

oh so much.

"It's all good and fun, 

here we'll abide,

Just rappin' and a rhymin' 

in 

Ambleside."