Fah who for-aye, dah who dor-aye, welcome Christmas bring your light.
Sunday night launched the Christmas movie season. I christened it with Elf of course with Dani and Scott. It was fabulous.
Monday night i got home from work and was rushing around with Steph who accompanied me to Sainsbury's to pick up some canape platters for the who-feast Tuesday. I was so excited to cook up some Reese's bars for everyone. we went to the internship kitchen and whipped up some desserts, and stored them there for the next day. came back, and passed out...Presentation on the RTYC got a few slides...not to much accomplished.
Tuesday was our Who Feast. It was so exciting. The caf cooked our turkey for us, and I arranged to have the food picked up by our supervisors. We got to the office around 530, and everyone started to trickle in by 7. We started out with drinks and the canape platters and a few appetizers, then moved on to our who feast of Thanksgiving foods, and we all went around and said what we were thankful for. tears were shed by most. it was so unbelievable. i'm honestly so thankful to have such amazing friends here. its rare that you spend such a short amount of time with people, and bond so quickly and so well. we all click, and are just one huge family sharing one amazing experience together. i cherish every second i have here because before we know it, we'll be back in the states and my washington lover next door and my naked michigan and texans down the hall won't be there every second of my day to make me laugh, and the mega bed will soon be pulled apart, and no longer the dance party floor....i just am so thankful to have friends who have turned into family and blessed with such a life-changing experience. i'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to plan a dinner from start to finish (even if it wasn't through my job) that took off and everyone loved. it meant so much to me. Lynn and the crew gave me a poinsetta, and whole foods card. Sweetest thing ever. The poinsetta can replace the flower my mom gave me that i killed by accident. Our advisors Elizabeth and Francesca came to our who feast as well and it was so great to have another opportunity to bond with them. I'm really going to miss this place.
Today of course, i got swamped with work, on top of having to do my presentation for my internship tonight. i had to adjust a lot of the slides and add some pictures last minute, which i figured i could do during work, or at least during my lunch break. nope. i was slammed with tasks today, and then to cap it off, i had left my adaptor back at the dorm, and the club couldn't find a US/UK adaptor, and the convienent store wanted 9 quid for one. no thank you. so i was really stressed out needless to say. anyways, i rushed home and finished it up, gave the presentation and we went out to the piano bar for Ashley's birthday.
the piano bar was awesome as usual. new boy on the piano. he rocked my socks. i have to say we had a few moments. i won't lie. i was eye 'elf-ing' him. he gave me a few smiles, eye 'elf-ing' back and a few funny faces. it was awesome. i fall hard and fast if you play me 'hey jude' and then end the night with 'your song'. and of course add my glass of wine that supposedly 'seduces your palate'. fantastic.
now i'm waiting for 1:30 to hit so i can call my SEC lovers, and try to get ahold of someone with service in Edwards so i can hear Matt Nathanson play for a little bit. Ben was opening tonight, and i'm sure he rocked some faces as well. So sad i missed some of the best acts this semester. but we won't go down that path right now. ...20 minutes and i'm gonna give a ring.... until this weekend, au revoir mon amis.
x Krista
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
UK Turkey Day...Sad.
this week was completely boring at work. we were all on facebook, threading one another non-stop. we're such good interns.
thursday was depressing. i miss the macys day parade. big time. i miss my family. big time. annnnd i miss all of you. BUT, the christmas music season has arrived. went to Tesco (the BIG one) after work... (annabel told me to go home early because it was Thanksgiving). I bought a HUGE frozen turkey, almost 20lbs. and carried that sucker back from Earls Court. INTENSE. you should see my guns. i need a license for these suckers. that night, a bunch of us went to The Loop with scott's brother for karaoke rock star, and ashley and i drowned our turkey day sorrows with a jug of seabreeze, and Hit Me Baby One More Time. We were dubbed international rockstars. so much fun. then we came back here, and rocked out a little longer. ultimate dance party in the mega bed. i tried to go to bed, oh about 4 times, and kept running back in, each time slowly proceeding to change into my pjs as i had originally planned. eventually i got yelled at to just go to bed, and was shut in my room.
Friday i was dead to the world. we got a new coffee pot at work, which annabel and i were stoaked about. but the first few rounds tasted like plastic, and it made me sick to my stomach. i couldn't think straight all day, and all of my facebook threading was halted seeing as Katie, Fawn, Dani and I were the only ones at work it seems. Everyone peaced out to Barcelona, or Berlin this weekend. and Danielle and Scott's families were here, so they were MIA a lot.
Went and bought lots of supplies and some party platters for the Who Feast Tuesday. Very excited.
Friday night the girls and i walked gloucester road, eventually just ending up back in the dorm anyways. I gave directions to some italian foreigners, which was hilarious. then we went and partied in the mega bed again.
Another Borough Market trip started my saturday. yum. hot cider. amazing. I hope I'm able to go at least once more before I leave. I'm even thinking of risking a trip the morning I have to go to the airport. If I plan it right, I can totally run there to get hot cider and say my goodbyes to my favorite farm stand and muesli makers (who by the way were NOT giving free samples this weekend. i was upset.) I managed to do all my laundry, have some lunch, finish my laundry, go to the library and pop in HM (who has a really cute new selection, which i need to stay away from) Then i went over to the V and A museum to check out the Fashion Exhibit. It was SO cool. it was a look at the progression of fashion since the 1700's and different designers and models. it was pretty sweet. Fawn's friend Russel is visiting, and we went to the Texas Embassy Cantina for dinner. Yum. and Yum. There was live music. a boy with a guitar, who i apparently "eye f-d". whatever. he deserved it. ;) i also kissed a long horned cow that was on the wall. previously stated boy with guitar helped me stand on a stool. we had a moment. at least in my mind. again. whatever. we moved on to The Porter House, which was packed, but really cool. too bad i didn't stay, but we went home, bought a bottle of wine, and then we ended up going to Kavanagh's. Typical. BUT fun none the less.
today, i finally got my shirt from spitalfields! :) i can't wait to wear it. it was way too much money, but i will never find another shirt like this again. you all may laugh. but i dont care. it rocks. and im pumped. skuttle and i checked out the Portrait Gallery as well, to try and see the Pop Art Portrait exhibit, but its too bad you have to pay 9 quid to see it. oh well. we passed it up and walked around the rest of the museum instead. and of course i got my dinner at whole foods, we came back here, talked to maja b, and my shortcake <3 and then we watched Elf to officially kick off the christmas movie season. good times.
Now it's back to class and work tomorrow. Busy day/week up to wednesday. Presentation due Wed night. Who Feast commences on Tuesday night. so tomorrow im baking, and making sure our turkey is still kickin'. and by kickin' i mean unfrozen and ready to be cooked up to deliciousness and then carved. woot. can't wait.
and now its nearly midnight, so i need sleep. happy birthday ben!
goodnight all. i love and miss you dearly. less than 3 weeks i will be back and ready to rock with you all again.
x Krista
thursday was depressing. i miss the macys day parade. big time. i miss my family. big time. annnnd i miss all of you. BUT, the christmas music season has arrived. went to Tesco (the BIG one) after work... (annabel told me to go home early because it was Thanksgiving). I bought a HUGE frozen turkey, almost 20lbs. and carried that sucker back from Earls Court. INTENSE. you should see my guns. i need a license for these suckers. that night, a bunch of us went to The Loop with scott's brother for karaoke rock star, and ashley and i drowned our turkey day sorrows with a jug of seabreeze, and Hit Me Baby One More Time. We were dubbed international rockstars. so much fun. then we came back here, and rocked out a little longer. ultimate dance party in the mega bed. i tried to go to bed, oh about 4 times, and kept running back in, each time slowly proceeding to change into my pjs as i had originally planned. eventually i got yelled at to just go to bed, and was shut in my room.
Friday i was dead to the world. we got a new coffee pot at work, which annabel and i were stoaked about. but the first few rounds tasted like plastic, and it made me sick to my stomach. i couldn't think straight all day, and all of my facebook threading was halted seeing as Katie, Fawn, Dani and I were the only ones at work it seems. Everyone peaced out to Barcelona, or Berlin this weekend. and Danielle and Scott's families were here, so they were MIA a lot.
Went and bought lots of supplies and some party platters for the Who Feast Tuesday. Very excited.
Friday night the girls and i walked gloucester road, eventually just ending up back in the dorm anyways. I gave directions to some italian foreigners, which was hilarious. then we went and partied in the mega bed again.
Another Borough Market trip started my saturday. yum. hot cider. amazing. I hope I'm able to go at least once more before I leave. I'm even thinking of risking a trip the morning I have to go to the airport. If I plan it right, I can totally run there to get hot cider and say my goodbyes to my favorite farm stand and muesli makers (who by the way were NOT giving free samples this weekend. i was upset.) I managed to do all my laundry, have some lunch, finish my laundry, go to the library and pop in HM (who has a really cute new selection, which i need to stay away from) Then i went over to the V and A museum to check out the Fashion Exhibit. It was SO cool. it was a look at the progression of fashion since the 1700's and different designers and models. it was pretty sweet. Fawn's friend Russel is visiting, and we went to the Texas Embassy Cantina for dinner. Yum. and Yum. There was live music. a boy with a guitar, who i apparently "eye f-d". whatever. he deserved it. ;) i also kissed a long horned cow that was on the wall. previously stated boy with guitar helped me stand on a stool. we had a moment. at least in my mind. again. whatever. we moved on to The Porter House, which was packed, but really cool. too bad i didn't stay, but we went home, bought a bottle of wine, and then we ended up going to Kavanagh's. Typical. BUT fun none the less.
today, i finally got my shirt from spitalfields! :) i can't wait to wear it. it was way too much money, but i will never find another shirt like this again. you all may laugh. but i dont care. it rocks. and im pumped. skuttle and i checked out the Portrait Gallery as well, to try and see the Pop Art Portrait exhibit, but its too bad you have to pay 9 quid to see it. oh well. we passed it up and walked around the rest of the museum instead. and of course i got my dinner at whole foods, we came back here, talked to maja b, and my shortcake <3 and then we watched Elf to officially kick off the christmas movie season. good times.
Now it's back to class and work tomorrow. Busy day/week up to wednesday. Presentation due Wed night. Who Feast commences on Tuesday night. so tomorrow im baking, and making sure our turkey is still kickin'. and by kickin' i mean unfrozen and ready to be cooked up to deliciousness and then carved. woot. can't wait.
and now its nearly midnight, so i need sleep. happy birthday ben!
goodnight all. i love and miss you dearly. less than 3 weeks i will be back and ready to rock with you all again.
x Krista
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Maja B Hits Up London
Mom came to visit from Thursday until Tuesday morning. It was AWESOME.
I woke up at the ass crack of dawn and caught the first tube over to heathrow to go pick her up from the airport. I won't lie. I cried when I saw her. I took her to London and we made our first trip to Sainsbury's to get coffee and some breakfast. Then walked to work. And left her to roam Harrod's and Hyde Park. We had lunch and after work we came back to Richmond where she met all my friends and I showed her around. Then we went to whole foods so she could get the amazing experience of cheap huge salads with salmon. Mom made it an early night, but I went out to Kavanaugh's with the interns, and had a blast dancing the night away once again.
Friday we hit up the Big Bus Tour. Before hand, we stoppped off at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and I bought us tickets for Wicked :) The Big Bus Tour was awesome. We got to see a lot of sights that I haven't had a chance to see since I've been here. Big Ben, Parlaiment, Westminster Abbey, The Eye, etc...We sat on the top of the bus and it was open air and i got to video tape a bunch. We got a free river cruise out of it as well, which was fun. We went back to my room after because we hadn't eaten and were cranky, so we got something to eat and took a rest before Wicked that night. Wicked was amazing. Elphaba was incredible. Her voice amazes me. Didn't miss a note. Mom loved it. She was so happy. On our way home we went to Black and Blue on Gloucester, and got some dinner. It was really nice inside, and yummy. Chargrilled chicken ceasar salads for two...mmmm.
Saturday morning we ventured to Borough Market and Portabello Market. Lots of shopping was done. Christmas presents galore- Done. Unfortunately it started to get dark and cold really fast as we were walking Portabello, so we headed back and caught the Big Bus again. We hit up Buckingham Palace just so mom could see it, and check it off the list. We went back to her place and relaxed for a while. We were exhausted. Originally we had planned to head to the Piano Bar, but we both kind of died out by the afternoon. We went to Sainsbury's, bought some dinner and went back to her hotel room. We also bought a bottle of Asti and a carton of grapefruit juice and to make our own cocktails. For Sunday. Early to bed because we were both over tired and had another big day ahead of us. It was wonderful.
Sunday morning we went to Spitalfield Market, where i bought the coolest shirt ever. You all will either laugh or think its rockstar material. either way i paid an arm and a leg for it, and the girl is altering it for me, and im gonna pick it up this coming Sunday. Another excuse to go back to the East End :) After Spitalfields, we headed back home and stopped at Speakers' Corner. Unfortunately it was raining still so it wasn't too exciting. We hit up Oxford Street, and then came back home. We kind of had another night in, drank our Asti and then went to get dinner at Med Kitchen at like 10 pm. It was really really good. HUGE salmon steak, and bellinis. Thank god mom was footing the bill.
Monday was her last day. It was awful weather outside. But we braved it and i took her to my secret spot in Hyde Park to see the Cavalrey walk by. "We waited in the rain for that?...No! No! I mean, it was wonderful!" yeah. thanks mom. So we grabbed some coffee, then headed to Tower of London for the afternoon. On our way home mom had her first authentic English pub experience with her half pint of lager. so classy. We went back to her hotel and changed, and then made plans to go to the piano bar and ice bar. scott serenaded my mom with some classics. way to be. then we tried to get to ice bar. we were late. it was raining. we got lost. we turned back and hung out with the cool kids at piano bar instead. Perfect end to a great, but rainy, weekend.
Met mom at her hotel yesterday morning to say goodbye...already miss her :( and im really sad about missing thanksgiving and the macys day parade. but its going to be that much better when i get home in 3 weeks. im still loving it here, but work is just getting tedious and boring. I'm over it. lol. its not the event planning i was looking for in the slightest, but its been an amazing experience. i just want to be free to explore london more now, since we have such little time left. have to live it up to the fullest. We're having an intern thanksgiving on Tuesday that I've been planning *the most event planning i've done since we've been here* and its going to rock your socks off. can't wait. Danielle and Scott's Families will be here this weekend so im sure that theres lots in store for everyone. Tomorrow Karaoke night...with Skuttle and his other half, Lohmeyer Number Two. Things are about to get a little musically crazy, i have a feeling.
Later gators
x Krista
I woke up at the ass crack of dawn and caught the first tube over to heathrow to go pick her up from the airport. I won't lie. I cried when I saw her. I took her to London and we made our first trip to Sainsbury's to get coffee and some breakfast. Then walked to work. And left her to roam Harrod's and Hyde Park. We had lunch and after work we came back to Richmond where she met all my friends and I showed her around. Then we went to whole foods so she could get the amazing experience of cheap huge salads with salmon. Mom made it an early night, but I went out to Kavanaugh's with the interns, and had a blast dancing the night away once again.
Friday we hit up the Big Bus Tour. Before hand, we stoppped off at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and I bought us tickets for Wicked :) The Big Bus Tour was awesome. We got to see a lot of sights that I haven't had a chance to see since I've been here. Big Ben, Parlaiment, Westminster Abbey, The Eye, etc...We sat on the top of the bus and it was open air and i got to video tape a bunch. We got a free river cruise out of it as well, which was fun. We went back to my room after because we hadn't eaten and were cranky, so we got something to eat and took a rest before Wicked that night. Wicked was amazing. Elphaba was incredible. Her voice amazes me. Didn't miss a note. Mom loved it. She was so happy. On our way home we went to Black and Blue on Gloucester, and got some dinner. It was really nice inside, and yummy. Chargrilled chicken ceasar salads for two...mmmm.
Saturday morning we ventured to Borough Market and Portabello Market. Lots of shopping was done. Christmas presents galore- Done. Unfortunately it started to get dark and cold really fast as we were walking Portabello, so we headed back and caught the Big Bus again. We hit up Buckingham Palace just so mom could see it, and check it off the list. We went back to her place and relaxed for a while. We were exhausted. Originally we had planned to head to the Piano Bar, but we both kind of died out by the afternoon. We went to Sainsbury's, bought some dinner and went back to her hotel room. We also bought a bottle of Asti and a carton of grapefruit juice and to make our own cocktails. For Sunday. Early to bed because we were both over tired and had another big day ahead of us. It was wonderful.
Sunday morning we went to Spitalfield Market, where i bought the coolest shirt ever. You all will either laugh or think its rockstar material. either way i paid an arm and a leg for it, and the girl is altering it for me, and im gonna pick it up this coming Sunday. Another excuse to go back to the East End :) After Spitalfields, we headed back home and stopped at Speakers' Corner. Unfortunately it was raining still so it wasn't too exciting. We hit up Oxford Street, and then came back home. We kind of had another night in, drank our Asti and then went to get dinner at Med Kitchen at like 10 pm. It was really really good. HUGE salmon steak, and bellinis. Thank god mom was footing the bill.
Monday was her last day. It was awful weather outside. But we braved it and i took her to my secret spot in Hyde Park to see the Cavalrey walk by. "We waited in the rain for that?...No! No! I mean, it was wonderful!" yeah. thanks mom. So we grabbed some coffee, then headed to Tower of London for the afternoon. On our way home mom had her first authentic English pub experience with her half pint of lager. so classy. We went back to her hotel and changed, and then made plans to go to the piano bar and ice bar. scott serenaded my mom with some classics. way to be. then we tried to get to ice bar. we were late. it was raining. we got lost. we turned back and hung out with the cool kids at piano bar instead. Perfect end to a great, but rainy, weekend.
Met mom at her hotel yesterday morning to say goodbye...already miss her :( and im really sad about missing thanksgiving and the macys day parade. but its going to be that much better when i get home in 3 weeks. im still loving it here, but work is just getting tedious and boring. I'm over it. lol. its not the event planning i was looking for in the slightest, but its been an amazing experience. i just want to be free to explore london more now, since we have such little time left. have to live it up to the fullest. We're having an intern thanksgiving on Tuesday that I've been planning *the most event planning i've done since we've been here* and its going to rock your socks off. can't wait. Danielle and Scott's Families will be here this weekend so im sure that theres lots in store for everyone. Tomorrow Karaoke night...with Skuttle and his other half, Lohmeyer Number Two. Things are about to get a little musically crazy, i have a feeling.
Later gators
x Krista
Saturday, November 17, 2007
I Found the Craic (Crack) In Eire
Ireland was absolutely amazing. Just beautiful. Very much like Scotland. Kelsey and I took a Shamrocker Tour, and went all along the west--South and back up to Dublin in 3 days. It was busy and tiring but ultimately incredible.
The stories I have to tell are just so extensive, so instead I'll bullet some highlighted events and destinations covered you can ask me about...
*Thursday we had an insane traveling day, almost missing our bus to Dublin and then our 12 and a half hour over night bus/ferry ride via National Express.
*Free breakfast at the Kinlay House Hostel
*Whiskey Brewery
*I won the whiskey identity taste competition and got a free bottle
*The Shannon River/Church yard
*Doolin for an over night in the cute farmhouse with Fecking awesome tshirts
*Doolin pub with a fiddle player, flute, and guitar...and then additional musicians that jumped in
*Irish Coffee
*Dingle Peninsula!
*Beach and splashing in the atlantic, in which Ireland claimed a part of my soul
*Leprecaun myths, faerie tales, and banshees
*Cliff Rock climbing
*Killarney, the town where no one sleeps
*Being sung to by an old drunken irish or dutch man in a santa suit, 'Pretty Woman'
*Asked by a 12 year old irish boy to do a packy run for him
*Dinner with the Shamrockers
*Pub Theatre
*My first *half* pint of Guinness
*Witnessing a man chug 3/4 of a pint in less than 10 seconds. not once, but three times.
*The Grand Hotel (pub/bar/disco)
*Dancing and being twirled by Sean my big sweaty drunken irish friend...'you have the prettiest smile', 'you have gorgeous hair', 'you're a great dancer'....wow. take it down a notch kiddo. I just wanted to twirl lol.
*Roaming the streets trying to find my irish drunk boy kiss....to no avail.
*CEREAL CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST WITH COFFEE <3
*Blarney Castle
*Making out with the Blarney Stone
*Shopping and spending way too much money (on other people), but getting my very own pretty Cladddah ring
*Dublin, where kids run the streets like wild animals.
*the LONG national rail bus/ferry ride home.
*almost losing my student oyster
It was an awesome weekend over all. Our Tour Guide rocked our faces and our bus driver was way awesome. I can't wait to go back
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
MIA Ten Days + But I'm Back in Black!
Wow. Sorry I haven't kept up with this at all in the past two weeks almost. So much has been going on and I've been so busy. Balancing a life in london, a life back in the states, with work, class, side trips/social life here, trying to maintain a social life with friends and family back home, as well as trying to sleep? It's tough lemme tell ya.
I guess I'll go back to after Paris...Halloween!!
Awesome costumes all around. I was Pippy Longstocking, or mistaken as Rainbow Bright. But it was the most comfortable costume EVER. loved it. We all headed to the Hard Rock Cafe London for this so called Monster Ball. It was like a high school dance, but we all still had a good time because we were all together. I had my first ever party foul, because our free 'witches brew' was in an icy cold glass, with a salted rim (give you one guess as to the main ingredient in that sucker.) the whole glass slipped out of my hand on the dance floor. I had little red splotches all over my legs the next morning. That grenadine can stain like none other apparently. We danced the night away and I made some awesome phone calls to some very special people. Number one being Jodie because it was technically her birthday UK time. Gave Sean a ring and then dialed up Mr. Dangelo. Who will be my next victim? I believe someone has a birthday this sunday ;)....watch out.
Went to a drinks going away party for Danielle's co-worker alex and got to mingle and meet a bunch of her other co-workers. that was a lot of fun. I got in a huge debate with one of her boss's and told him i thought that UK Take Away sandwich boxes were completely disgusting. Then we got into a debate and apparently he concluded that E wasn't bad. Crack, stay away from. Alcohol indulge in, and Coke try to avoid. (the topic began when we told him we had been to Fabric...that club back from first week i told you all about)
Saturday i got to explore Borough Market for the first time. Oh my god. My new favorite place. Its a HUGE food market. Everything is fresh, farm grown, or hand made. Fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, pastries, chocolates, breads, jams, jellies, butters...you name it. It's there. Free samples all around. I got to have the most amazing warm apple cider, bought a huge bucket of cherry tomatoes for a pound, and then 1/4 bushel of english apples for 4 pounds. it was incredible. i think it will be our new saturday morning ritual. they even have a juice bar. with CRAZY combinations you would never even think of. its amazing. Betsy would be in heaven.
Saturday night we went to see fireworks at Battersea Park for Guy Faulkes Night (V for Vendetta anyone?) They were wicked cool. Afterward we ventured to Covent Garden, and ended up at the Belushi's there. The rest of the night is a story on its own. If you want the whole thing let me know. Otherwise it's not worth getting fired up about again. Let's just say i didn't get home until 9 am Sunday. Not a happy camper to say the least.
Over the next few days we were all going crazy with our huge final paper due for British Cultures. I was writing about how i think UK newspapers are a reflection of British Culture. We all were procrastinating like crazy and just gave up caring at one point. Monday Scott and I got to go to BBC (British Broadcasting Channel...the oldest broadcasting news station in the world and England's most prominent TV channel) it was awesome to get to go on a field trip. and the studio was really neat. HUGE. I got to fake-broadcast the news, it was pretty sick.
The rest of the week at work was relatively low key. I was busy preparing for Ireland as well (which will be a new post of its own very soon...) Kelsey and I left Thursday after I got out of work, and had an amazing time. Pictures are being posted as we speak.
My mom is coming Thursday, but technically leaving tomorrow US time. I can't wait. I'm so excited, so I've been busy scheduling how she can get here and preparing an itinerary and all the information she'll need while she's here. Should be talking to her any minute now to finalize everything. It should be a great weekend. I can't wait.
That's all for now. Ireland posting to come shortly. Lots of love <3
x Krista
I guess I'll go back to after Paris...Halloween!!
Awesome costumes all around. I was Pippy Longstocking, or mistaken as Rainbow Bright. But it was the most comfortable costume EVER. loved it. We all headed to the Hard Rock Cafe London for this so called Monster Ball. It was like a high school dance, but we all still had a good time because we were all together. I had my first ever party foul, because our free 'witches brew' was in an icy cold glass, with a salted rim (give you one guess as to the main ingredient in that sucker.) the whole glass slipped out of my hand on the dance floor. I had little red splotches all over my legs the next morning. That grenadine can stain like none other apparently. We danced the night away and I made some awesome phone calls to some very special people. Number one being Jodie because it was technically her birthday UK time. Gave Sean a ring and then dialed up Mr. Dangelo. Who will be my next victim? I believe someone has a birthday this sunday ;)....watch out.
Went to a drinks going away party for Danielle's co-worker alex and got to mingle and meet a bunch of her other co-workers. that was a lot of fun. I got in a huge debate with one of her boss's and told him i thought that UK Take Away sandwich boxes were completely disgusting. Then we got into a debate and apparently he concluded that E wasn't bad. Crack, stay away from. Alcohol indulge in, and Coke try to avoid. (the topic began when we told him we had been to Fabric...that club back from first week i told you all about)
Saturday i got to explore Borough Market for the first time. Oh my god. My new favorite place. Its a HUGE food market. Everything is fresh, farm grown, or hand made. Fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, pastries, chocolates, breads, jams, jellies, butters...you name it. It's there. Free samples all around. I got to have the most amazing warm apple cider, bought a huge bucket of cherry tomatoes for a pound, and then 1/4 bushel of english apples for 4 pounds. it was incredible. i think it will be our new saturday morning ritual. they even have a juice bar. with CRAZY combinations you would never even think of. its amazing. Betsy would be in heaven.
Saturday night we went to see fireworks at Battersea Park for Guy Faulkes Night (V for Vendetta anyone?) They were wicked cool. Afterward we ventured to Covent Garden, and ended up at the Belushi's there. The rest of the night is a story on its own. If you want the whole thing let me know. Otherwise it's not worth getting fired up about again. Let's just say i didn't get home until 9 am Sunday. Not a happy camper to say the least.
Over the next few days we were all going crazy with our huge final paper due for British Cultures. I was writing about how i think UK newspapers are a reflection of British Culture. We all were procrastinating like crazy and just gave up caring at one point. Monday Scott and I got to go to BBC (British Broadcasting Channel...the oldest broadcasting news station in the world and England's most prominent TV channel) it was awesome to get to go on a field trip. and the studio was really neat. HUGE. I got to fake-broadcast the news, it was pretty sick.
The rest of the week at work was relatively low key. I was busy preparing for Ireland as well (which will be a new post of its own very soon...) Kelsey and I left Thursday after I got out of work, and had an amazing time. Pictures are being posted as we speak.
My mom is coming Thursday, but technically leaving tomorrow US time. I can't wait. I'm so excited, so I've been busy scheduling how she can get here and preparing an itinerary and all the information she'll need while she's here. Should be talking to her any minute now to finalize everything. It should be a great weekend. I can't wait.
That's all for now. Ireland posting to come shortly. Lots of love <3
x Krista
Saturday, November 3, 2007
J'adore Paris
Paris weekend with the interns 26th October-28th October was great. It was nice to all go on holiday together like one big happy family.
We took the a bus to waterloo from Gloucester, (very early in the morning...we all had our starbucks needless to say), then hopped on the EuroStar. Woot! It just felt like a normal train ride, except when you couldn't see anything because we were under water. Once we got to Paris, we took another bus to the Gare de Lyon / The Mercure Gare de Lyon which was another train station and also attached to the hotel we were staying at for the weekend. Very nice hotel, and quite different from being in a hostel.
We pretty much had the entire weekend to do whatever we wanted. Which we spent, wandering, sometimes getting a bit cranky, exploring, sightseeing, and shopping. Friday afternoon we found our way to Notre Dame Cathedral. Once again: Small F-ing World. Who do i come across? None other than the wonderful Catherine Rinaldi from URI. I saw a girl that I could have sworn was her, but tossed the idea away and didnt have the guts to randomly walk up to someone (in Paris mind you...) and see if it was her. However i probably kept creepily staring...a bit of facebooking when i got home and sure enough it was her. wow. unbelievable. you're never too far from home. On our way back, we found the f-ing Harry Potter Knight Bus. for real. it was AMAZING. and free!! it was sooo cool. the 7th book had debuted in France that day (i guess it takes that long to translate?) free posters and everything. totally made my weekend. friday night we went out to go get some grub, and it was happy hour. Rock on. mojitos, and someone got a strawberry mule. once again, for protection of reputation i won't mention his name. we all got french onion soup, but it is THE THING to have when youre in paris. it was amazing. scott and christie gave escargot a try, and said it was like shrimp or mussels and really garlicy. i wish i had gotten around to trying it. where was my can-do attitude and video camera on that one. slacker. we ended up on a road full of dive bars and clubs which was cool, but were too tired to go into any. so we popped in the local mini-mart and experimented with a few cheap champagnes, sparkling cider and cheap white wine. and brought it back to the hotel. we're classy like that.
saturday morning we hopped onto a bus tour with all the interns and that was fun to see most of the city and take a few photo ops at the eiffel tower, where i did cartwheels (in the mud) for a special someone. we ended at the louvre, and got to go there for free, which was really cool. Mona Lisa, as expected, was over rated. tons of people surrounding it from 50 feet away because its harder to get near than Fort Knox. Seriously, theres like 10 feet of glass protecting it on top of a 50 ft blockaded perameter. rediculous. but i got to see a lot of roman and greek sculptures, which were really neat. we also stopped by the oriental rug section haha. and i found the first starbucks to be found in France as we were leaving. but i refuse to pay 4.50 euros for a cup of coffee...Translation: $7 for a tall chai tea latte. no thanks. the rest of the afternoon was spent looking for some food, looking for a place to shop (which was never found and we just spent hours roaming around aimlessly and grumpy) and then we ended up at the eiffel tower to climb it :). However, i got in the wrong line and we had to take the lift. lame. AND they closed the top tier before i could get my ticket, and it was re-opening in merely an hour. i could have waited, but it was too late, and the group wouldnt want to wait too. so we took the lift, and it was beautiful. the lights went on right as we were on the second tier. it was gorgeous. i took the stairs down, because i thought the girls had left already...but apparently they hadn't and i was all alone at the base for about a half hour, kind of freaking out after the first 10 minutes. it was dark, and there are gypsies everywhere pickpocketing and trying to sell you things and scare the hell out of me. pushy and very forward. not cool. luckily i got ahold of danielle, and they made it down to rescue me finally. we met back up with the others and got some dinner at a cool family style restaurant. then came back to the room and finished some of the drinks from the night before and played the clap clap game. and watched Scrubs in french (briefly) before Dani chose to remain on the French version of American Idol 'Popstars'
Sunday was a better day. we got breakfast and headed off on the metro to Sac de Cure? A really big and beautiful church up on a hill. There was a painter's market and tons of cafes that we explored as well. We grabbed lunch at a little italian style bistro and I got a glass of vin chaude (hot wine) it was really cool. you add a bit of sugar and its like hot apple cider, but wine. We then walked down to the moulin rouge, which was on Sex St. USA pretty much. every porn shop, sex toy shop and "gentleman's club" you could think of. but we got to the moulin rouge (which is now apparently a restaurant) and took some provocative pics. thats how we roll. Then we headed back to the hotel, to meet up with the crew and head back to the UK.
Over all it was an awesome weekend but I was really glad to be back in London actually. I don't know why but Paris just didn't 'do-it' for me. It just wasnt exactly what I expected. Don't get me wrong. It was awesome because we had a holiday weekend together and it was Paris. But I don't think I'd ever want to live there. It was nice to visit, but didn't live up to expectations unfortunately. Ireland won't let me down I'm hoping. Woot. Can't wait.
We took the a bus to waterloo from Gloucester, (very early in the morning...we all had our starbucks needless to say), then hopped on the EuroStar. Woot! It just felt like a normal train ride, except when you couldn't see anything because we were under water. Once we got to Paris, we took another bus to the Gare de Lyon / The Mercure Gare de Lyon which was another train station and also attached to the hotel we were staying at for the weekend. Very nice hotel, and quite different from being in a hostel.
We pretty much had the entire weekend to do whatever we wanted. Which we spent, wandering, sometimes getting a bit cranky, exploring, sightseeing, and shopping. Friday afternoon we found our way to Notre Dame Cathedral. Once again: Small F-ing World. Who do i come across? None other than the wonderful Catherine Rinaldi from URI. I saw a girl that I could have sworn was her, but tossed the idea away and didnt have the guts to randomly walk up to someone (in Paris mind you...) and see if it was her. However i probably kept creepily staring...a bit of facebooking when i got home and sure enough it was her. wow. unbelievable. you're never too far from home. On our way back, we found the f-ing Harry Potter Knight Bus. for real. it was AMAZING. and free!! it was sooo cool. the 7th book had debuted in France that day (i guess it takes that long to translate?) free posters and everything. totally made my weekend. friday night we went out to go get some grub, and it was happy hour. Rock on. mojitos, and someone got a strawberry mule. once again, for protection of reputation i won't mention his name. we all got french onion soup, but it is THE THING to have when youre in paris. it was amazing. scott and christie gave escargot a try, and said it was like shrimp or mussels and really garlicy. i wish i had gotten around to trying it. where was my can-do attitude and video camera on that one. slacker. we ended up on a road full of dive bars and clubs which was cool, but were too tired to go into any. so we popped in the local mini-mart and experimented with a few cheap champagnes, sparkling cider and cheap white wine. and brought it back to the hotel. we're classy like that.
saturday morning we hopped onto a bus tour with all the interns and that was fun to see most of the city and take a few photo ops at the eiffel tower, where i did cartwheels (in the mud) for a special someone. we ended at the louvre, and got to go there for free, which was really cool. Mona Lisa, as expected, was over rated. tons of people surrounding it from 50 feet away because its harder to get near than Fort Knox. Seriously, theres like 10 feet of glass protecting it on top of a 50 ft blockaded perameter. rediculous. but i got to see a lot of roman and greek sculptures, which were really neat. we also stopped by the oriental rug section haha. and i found the first starbucks to be found in France as we were leaving. but i refuse to pay 4.50 euros for a cup of coffee...Translation: $7 for a tall chai tea latte. no thanks. the rest of the afternoon was spent looking for some food, looking for a place to shop (which was never found and we just spent hours roaming around aimlessly and grumpy) and then we ended up at the eiffel tower to climb it :). However, i got in the wrong line and we had to take the lift. lame. AND they closed the top tier before i could get my ticket, and it was re-opening in merely an hour. i could have waited, but it was too late, and the group wouldnt want to wait too. so we took the lift, and it was beautiful. the lights went on right as we were on the second tier. it was gorgeous. i took the stairs down, because i thought the girls had left already...but apparently they hadn't and i was all alone at the base for about a half hour, kind of freaking out after the first 10 minutes. it was dark, and there are gypsies everywhere pickpocketing and trying to sell you things and scare the hell out of me. pushy and very forward. not cool. luckily i got ahold of danielle, and they made it down to rescue me finally. we met back up with the others and got some dinner at a cool family style restaurant. then came back to the room and finished some of the drinks from the night before and played the clap clap game. and watched Scrubs in french (briefly) before Dani chose to remain on the French version of American Idol 'Popstars'
Sunday was a better day. we got breakfast and headed off on the metro to Sac de Cure? A really big and beautiful church up on a hill. There was a painter's market and tons of cafes that we explored as well. We grabbed lunch at a little italian style bistro and I got a glass of vin chaude (hot wine) it was really cool. you add a bit of sugar and its like hot apple cider, but wine. We then walked down to the moulin rouge, which was on Sex St. USA pretty much. every porn shop, sex toy shop and "gentleman's club" you could think of. but we got to the moulin rouge (which is now apparently a restaurant) and took some provocative pics. thats how we roll. Then we headed back to the hotel, to meet up with the crew and head back to the UK.
Over all it was an awesome weekend but I was really glad to be back in London actually. I don't know why but Paris just didn't 'do-it' for me. It just wasnt exactly what I expected. Don't get me wrong. It was awesome because we had a holiday weekend together and it was Paris. But I don't think I'd ever want to live there. It was nice to visit, but didn't live up to expectations unfortunately. Ireland won't let me down I'm hoping. Woot. Can't wait.
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