Pictures from the Painter Sister Vacation!!

Painter Girls at Hardrock London!

After they made me get on a chair for the restaurant to sing to me, they gave me a sundae!! (A sundae that Katie ate most of.....)

Megan and Katie by the Tower of London Bridge

Katie and I by the 21 and over bar we found in London!

Us with the Beefeater at the distillery!

My first drink being legal- a clover club (new drink for the summer!)

Being tourists on the London tour bus

At the whiskey experience in Scotland!

(had to crouch down for the self-timed camera to get a shot!)

My roomates and my sisters singing to me on my Birthday!!

Tower of London!

Each of us is impersonating eachother (Katie as Megan, Me as Katie, and Megan as me!)

Getting desserts (which you can see the edge of in the picture) and drinks at

the most fantastic Italian Bakery!!

Last two days with my sisters...

Lucy, Megan, and I waiting for the Parade to start!!

After we rested from our trip to Scotland, we woke up on Sunday and made our way down to Westminster Abbey. We attended the sung eucharist and it was really nice to attend a service in such a nice church. The space was beautiful and there were so many people in attendance, a great sight to see!

After the service ended, we made our way down to Trafalgar Square to witness the London version of a St. Patty's day parade. To be honest, it was not as good as the one in Pittsburgh....there were no drunks, jello shots. family friends, or the usual craziness associated with the parade! It was quite sad, but we stayed til the end and set out to find some lunch! We headed over to Soho and went to one of the best hole in the wall Chinese places!! We each got some dumplings, vegetable rolls, and some amazing green tea! With our stomachs full, we decided to work it off by doing some more shopping!!! We then headed home, but stopped at the grocery store to get some supplies for dinner. We made an awesome meal with corn casserole, skillet potatoes, and garlic chicken!! After that we just lounged around and made plans for the following day.

The next day we decided to rent a car and make our way to Bath to go to the Roman Bath/ Spa!! It took us awhile to get out of the city, but it was a beautiful trip! We stopped by Windsor castle, said hello to the queen and made our way back to the main road. When we got to Bath, we checked in and had 2 hours to spend in the 2 baths or the 4 flavoured saunas and one hour for our hot stone massage! It was very relaxing and very cool to say I was in the hot Roman baths!! We found a cool place for dinner and made our way back home to London.

After getting back pretty late, Megan and Katie started to pack up and check their flight statuses. More stress for Katie: due to the British Airway strikes, her flight back to L.A. from Paris has been cancelled. She spent most of the night trying to make calls and figure out how she would get home.

Before I knew they were waking me up to say goodbye (they had to catch a train to the airport at 4). It was sad to see them go, but I am so happy and grateful that they were able to come out and visit me!!

Just remember, WHO LOVES YOU!!! (if you know my family, you'll get this!)

Megan and I at Bath after our Relaxing day!

Edinburrah!!!!

Edinburgh Castle

Holyrood Palace

Megan with all the Scotch

Painter Sisters at the Whiskey Experience!

Edinburgh Castle

The Painter Sisters on the Edinburgh Castle!

Since my guest blogger, Megan or Katie, are taking forever to write an excerpt, I will have to proceed without them! (hopefully they will fill you in on their trip from Inverness to Edinburgh later)

On the Thursday after my birthday, I flew out to meet Katie and Megan in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were to pick me up at the airport in the car they rented, and I am not going to lie, I was a bit nervous. Picture Megan driving in the States regularly and then plant her in a vehicle in another country where they drive on the other side of the road.......SCARY!!! Surprisingly, they weren't bad navigating the roads and I managed to get to the hotel we were staying at in one piece! I also have to give them much love for getting me jacket potatoes for dinner!! (I was starving, but a lot of places were closed because it was late)

The next day started our sisterly adventures in the town of the Scotsmen! We decided that we would by a hop on, hop off tour bus ticket that gave us entrance into 3 big amusements- Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the Royal Yacht Britannia! The first stop we went to was the Edinburgh Castle! Fast Facts: In 1440, the castle became the first recorded meeting place of the Scottish Parliament. In 1566, it was the birthplace of the son of Mary Queen of Scots, James, who grew up to be King of both Scotland and England. In the castle we took a guided tour and saw the Crown Square, a pet cemetery, the Great Hall, and much more! We were also able to see the Stone of Destiny (stone which must be present at the crowning of a new monarch), the Crown jewels (not as impressive as England's), and the Honours of Scotland (which are the oldest in Europe!). When we were done touring, we stopped in the old feed house to have tea and scones!

After our tea break, we left the castle and ventured down the Royal Mile. This street connects the two castles together and is full of shops and things to do! We stopped in a tartan weaving mill and picked up some MacKay tartan scarves!! (who is our family clan, along with McElroy). After getting one piece of our family heritage, we decided to delve eve deeper- we went to the Scotch Whiskey Experience! We got a guided tour into how whiskey is made and then got to try out different flavours of whiskey. It was very potent, but interesting to try. We even got to keep our very own Scotch tasting glass! After the tour, we then found our way into a celtic jewelry store! I picked up a new claddagh ring and a forever knot locket!! (all very pretty at a reasonable price!) After going in some more shops, we made our way down the mile to the Palace of Holyrood. This is the current palace for the royal family when they visit Scotland and it we were able to tour it! It was very impressive, but I couldn't imagine living in such an old place! It is very outdated, but that is what keeps the charm I suppose! We then spent the rest of the day looking around in shops and finding a good place to eat!

The next day we finished up our bus tour and went to the Royal Yacht Britannia. (Dad- you would have loved this boat!!) The yacht was used as the sea home to the royal family for 44 years! We were able to view the Sun Lounge, the State Dining Room, the royal bedrooms, the crew's quarters, and the pristine engine room! After our great day out on the royal yacht, we did some more shopping (to get shortbread!!) and made our way back into town! Katie and I then proceeded to go to the Scott Monument (a building with 287 steps to the top- we did all of them and have a certificate to prove it!!) We then met Megan at the National Gallery- she couldn't handle the steps! After a long two days, we started to make our way to the airport to head back to London.....which is a whole other story...

On the bus to the airport, we needed to all arrange our bags so they fit into one. (Cheap flights are very strict with your allowance of one bag) Katie got bus sick and quickly finished and then sat down to close her eyes. We arrived to the airport and only had about 30 minutes to get through security and make it to our flight gate!! We ran to security and I made it to the metal detectors to only realize that Katie and Megan weren't behind me! I go back to the first check in point and see Katie looking frantically around. SHE CAN NOT FIND HER PASSPORT/PURSE!! Megan runs through the gate and doesn't look back until she gets to the metal detector and yells at me to look for her passport (Im waiting inside the checkpoint trying to help Katie, who can't get in the checkpoint without id) Im frantically looking around the area and look to Megan to say that I can't find hers. Surprise, surprise, she's not there- she forgot to tell me she found it and went on. At this point, the ladies let Katie give me her bags and she takes off to the bus we just got off of. (It's about a mile away) I am waiting and waiting when I hear them call her name on the loud speaker asking her to come claim her passport. Bad news- I can't leave the checkpoint because the security officers already scanned my tickets. I could leave, but only if I went back to the luggage counter and printed out a new ticket (update- we now have 5 minutes to our gate closes). I'm still waiting and Katie is still a no show, so I decide that I need leave the checkpoint and help her out. As soon as I sprint out and get to the top of the escalator, Katie comes running up and yells lets go!! I just yell and look back to the security ladies, who just wave to come back and they'll let me through...THANK GOD! Katie and I then sprint through security and the metal detectors and come face to face with Megan in the terminal side. She has a drink and a magazine and just laughs and says oops, we read the wrong time and still have another hour. HA HA HA, funny....After a near breakdown experience, Katie and I sit down on the nearest bench and lose it. (Katie more then I) She goes into explaining how she left it on the bus and they turned it into the info kiosk, who she went to and said they didn't have it. After running back and forth between the two, she ends up seeing it at the info desks and begs to have it. For some reason they won't give it to her until the manager happens to wander by and just hands it to her. After a few deep breaths, we make our way to the nearest airport bar for a pint. We make our flight and make it safely to London. Scotland= what an adventure!!

Katie on the steps of the Scott Memorial

A Bagpiper!!

Katie and I ringing the bell on the yacht!

Katie outside the Scott Memorial

Katie getting ready to play for the queen on the yacht

Megan and I in the Crew's quarters

Me with my pint after the passport dilemma

The stupid passport that caused all our troubles...

Katie also managed to misplace her train ticket (from the airport to London) for a minute!

Tower of London

Tower Bridge- Right by the Tower of London

The next day...meaning around 2 for me and 10:30 for Megan and Katie...we went to see the Tower of London! (Earlier, Katie and Megan visited St. Paul's Cathedral and my favorite Mexican joint- Chilanga!!) When you first enter the Tower, you are met by a Yeoman guard who takes you around and explains the history and stories of the place. Our guard was really informative and had an Uncle Ken sense of humor about him- dad I would have thought he was your twin! After the tour was over, we were given free range of the place and were able to see where Anne was Catherine (Henry VIII's wives) were beheaded, some secret tunnels, and my favorite- the crown jewels! The jewels were so big and the amount of crowns and scepters were unbelievable. They were gorgeous to look at and Megan, Katie and I went around the conveyor belts that surrounded them a few times! The Tower of London is very deep in its history and I can not wait to read the book I bought on it! (call me a nerd, but there are some interesting stories...for example- two princes mysteriously went missing in the tower and their uncle became the new king. Years later when remodeling part of the Tower, two skeletons were found of two boys!)

After our trip to the Tower, I showed Megan and Katie around the area of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. After a long day of recovering from my 21st, I took them to my favorite Italian restaurant that is right by my house. It is very good food, for very reasonable prices. After a filling dinner, we came back and Megan and Katie started to get ready for the trip to Scotland! They were going to leave the following day for Inverness and then proceed to drive down through the country and meet me in Edinburgh on Thursday night! Stay tuned for more pictures from Katie and a special visit from a guest blogger!! (if that doesn't make you want to read more, I don't know what will!!)

THE BIG 21!!!!!

Well it's official, I am legal!!! And everyone who is reading this better be ready to go out for a drink with me when I am back in the states!!! It hasn't really hit me yet that I can drink in the U.S., it has just been very surreal. The best part about turning 21, was that Megan and Katie came out to celebrate with me!!!

On Sunday, the day before my birthday, Megan, Katie and I went on one of the Big Red Bus tours!!! It was really sunny out, so we rode on the top and they got to see where I've been living for the past 3 months! (can't believe it has already been that long!) After the tour, we walked around different parts of the town.

The next day, my birthday!!!, started out with a private tour of the Beefeater Distillery right here in London! (Thanks to Megan for the hook up!) For those of you who don't know, they are one of the only gin distillers left in London. Our guide went through the process and it made me appreciate gin even more. After the tour, he took us to the bar and made me my first legal drink- a Clover Club! It is delicious!! Don't worry for all of you who wish to try it, because I got the recipe and am dying to make it for a nice dock day at the island!

After the distillery and some good food recommendations, we decided to head over to the Soho area and get a nice birthday dinner. We started out at a conveyor sushi place for appetizers and then headed to an amazing American eatery! Megan and Katie made sure to order me a few drinks to accompany the food! Lucy then met up with us and he headed over to the most authentic Italian bakery I will ever step foot in. They had hundreds upon hundreds of decisions and in the end I opted for a tiramisu! It was sooo good!! Megan then went up to the bar at the place and proceeded to teach the Italian bartender how to make a shot that looked like beer....Katie and I just rolled our eyes and tried it anyway. After the bakery, we made our way over to a bar that said 21 years olds and up only! Thinking that this would be the closest thing to an American bar, we headed in.....only to see all old people and women who probably liked the same sex. It was very interesting, so after a beer we quickly left! We then stayed on the street and went to about 4 other bars. I ended the night at a Irish pub.........and that is all that will be said as to how the night ended!!!

Stay tuned for pics from Katie and to hear about the next day!

Spring Break: Berlin

Our hostel

Where Germany's Government is- Lucy and I went in the dome at the top!

Me in East and West Berlin!

Chocolate Brandenburg Gate

Pretzels!!

Our tour guide!

The Berlin Wall

Ground above where Hitler's Bunker is

Me at Checkpoint Charlie

After arriving in Berlin, we made the most of our first day even though we were exhausted. It was absolutely freezing outside, so we tried to keep it in doors the first day. Our first stop was to one of the largest Botanical Gardens in the world and it was huge! If you have ever been to Phipps conservatory, imagine a place that is 3x the size. Towards the end of our visit, we stopped by the North American forest and it felt just like home- trees with no leaves and snow on the ground!

After visiting the gardens, I stopped by a street stand to have my first legit bratwurst! It was soooo good! After finishing that up, we headed over to the museum of Checkpoint Charlie, which tells the story of of escapees from East Berlin, while the wall was up. It was a huge museum and gave a lot of accounts of different stories. After the museum visit, we headed to Brauhaus Mitte- an amazing German restaurant. The only problem was that no one spoke spoke English to well and I ended up ordering a full, cold fish. It was very interesting...

The next day, we woke up early to go on a free 3 hour walking tour! Our tour guide was really interesting and made the tour fun and informational. She took us to the Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, Hitler's Bunker, the Holocaust Memorial, Book Burning Memorial, Potsdamer Platz, SS Headquarters, the Berlin Wall, TV tower, Gendarmenmarkt, Museum Island, Pariser Plats, and much more!

After the tour, we headed to the German History museum and the Holocaust memorial museum. It was interesting to see the German's point of view on everything from the World Wars and the Berlin Wall. It was very informational and I am glad we made our last stop Berlin.

Berlin's favorite bears! Kind of like Pittsburgh's Dinosaurs

Me in the North American part of the Botanical Gardens

Lucy and I in front of the Brandenburg Gate

Good German Beer

My whole fish dinner

The TV Tower

Spring Break: Amsterdam

Main bar we frequented

Anne Frank's House

The canals

A famous foot bridge

Rocking the wooden clogs

Ok, so I am very sorry that I have not updated in forever, but with my birthday, Megan and Katie being here, and midterm week, it has been very hard for me to find time to blog. But do not worry any more, I am back and ready to update you all on my past adventures!!

After a good time in Maastricht, we headed of by train to Amsterdam!! The trip took about two hours and we arrived early in the afternoon to our hotel- the Hotel Nadia. A fun fact to know about Amsterdam is that houses were taxed by the base square footage, so they are very small, but very tall and the staircases are very, very steep. Here is a picture to show a set:

After checking in, we then went on a canal cruise and saw all the main sights by boat. We lucked out cause it was a beautiful day to go around the canals. We then headed over to the Anne Frank house and it was really interesting to see all the information that the museum gathered together. They had video footage, notes, pictures, and floor plans. Having read the book, it was amazing to see the space in real life.

We spent the rest of the evening walking around the town, visiting cafes (if you know what I mean), and even visited the Red Light District briefly. THAT was an interesting place...lots of stores of women and crazy things going on. You are not allowed to take pictures in there, so sorry you can't get a true image of it all.

The next day we went to the Van Gogh Museum, which is one of my favorite painters. I got to see a few of my favorites and learned more about his life. We then stopped for lunch and had a giant pancake that was bigger then the plate it was on!! It was delicious though! After that, we headed to the train station and bought tickets to take us to Berlin.

The train ride was a whole other story.... we originally were planned to arrive in Berlin at 10:30 pm, but we missed our connecting train! We were then assigned to a night train that wouldn't arrive until 4:30 am!! It ended up working out though because we ended up in a handicap room with just the two of us and ended up being then our hostel in Berlin!

Pancake I had

Huge Tulip bulbs from the floating garden

Our beautiful room on the train

Lights marking the Red Light District