Day Along the River/ Greenwich

Standing on both sides of the hemisphere!!

Leandra and I at Greenwich!

View of Greenwich from the Observatory

Looking into the stars!

On Friday, March 26th, I took a trip with a few CAPA students to Greenwich!! Greenwich is located about 20 minutes outside of London and is very easy to get to by any mode of transportation. CAPA decided to pay for tour boat tickets for us, which takes about an hours, but was really beautiful!

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is known as the home of Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line and is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. It was founded by Charles II in 1675 and is, by international decree, the official starting point for each new day, year, and millennium. Visitors to the Observatory can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously by placing feet either side of the Prime Meridian- the centre of world time and space!! My friend Leandra and I trekked it up the hill and got to see the Prime Meridian for ourselves!! It was a beautiful day, and the view from the Observatory was breathtaking!! You could see the city very clearly along the Thames and the park below sprawled out for a good while!

After seeing the Meridian, we made our way into the center of Greenwich and did a little market shopping! We had amazing food and found unbelievable prices on some good stuff! It started to rain a little, so we made our way over to one of England's oldest pubs- The Trafalgar Tavern. They made an amazing cup of tea and after we got dry, we made our way back to the river boat to go back home! It was a nice day trip and I am glad I decided to venture out to Greenwich! I have seen so many amazing things already, that I figured I needed to add the Prime Meridian to the list!

After we got back, my roomate Gwen and I decided on a quick whim to go catch the show Billy Elliot! Based on the smash hit film, Billy Elliot the Musical is an inspirational story of one boy's dream to realize his ambitions against the odds. Set in the North East of England against the background of the historic 1984/85 miner's strike, Billy pursues his passion for dance in secret to avoid disapproval from his struggling family. It was an amazing show and it was an extra fun night because it was the first show of the newly casted Billy Elliot (also the youngest ever!) He was amazing to watch and after his first big scene and big applause, he started to laugh and got really excited! His family was also in attendance and they made their presence well known!

Barcelona!!

Parc Guell

example of the tile pieces

Casa Calvet

Casa Batllo

Parc Guell

Parc Guell

tunnel from America's Next Top Model at Parc Guell

At Parc Guell!

America's Next top model?!?

After my sisters left, I quickly began to get ready for my next adventure to Barcelona! I was leaving Friday to have a weekend of fun with my sorority sister, Allie. She has been studying in Barcelona and I was hoping I would be able to visit her!! I am so glad I did, because it was one of the most fun, relaxing weekends!!

After touching down, via Ryanair, I made my way to Allie's flat. I unloaded my stuff and we set out for La Ramblas- the main action packed street in Barcelona. We found a nice place to have tapas and Sangria and we were able to catch up with each other on the past semester. It was so nice to see a familiar face over here and we had a lot to tell each other! After finishing our meal, we went and got some gelato and we made our way back to the flat for the night.

The next day Allie decided to take me up to Park Guell, a park designed by Eusebi Guell who wanted to create a stylish park for the Spanish/ Barcelona aristocracy. The park contains amazing stone, stunning tiling and fascinating buildings. It is famous for the dragon fountain and the tunnel which was featured in America's next top model!! It was a really hot and sunny day, so we thought the next logical location to go was the beach! We decided to stop at the grocery store beforehand and pick up a picnic lunch. We spent the next two hours on the beach eating cheese, bread, strawberries, and champagne!

After our picnic, we made our way to the Passeig de Gracia and took in a few sights and shops. Allie showed me la Casa Batllo and la Casa Calvet, both designed by Guell for the feuding families on the street. They were very unique and I wouldn't mind living in one of them!! They were huge and full of the different, beautiful mosaic pieces. We then made our way to the fresh market, La Boqueria. If you could name any type of fresh food, this place would have it! They had everything from fish to candy to odd looking fruit. It was a neat place and it was cool to see the different things.

After our nice day, we began to get ready for a night out on the town! We hung out with her roommates in the flat for awhile and then made our way to Chupitos (shot in Spanish)!! This was the coolest bar ever and they had over 500 shots to chose from. The first one we took was a boy scout and they set a bonfire around the glasses and gave you a marshmallow to roast! The second one was a Harry Potter, which had flames and sparks flying out of the top, like a wand! It was a cool place, but very crowded, so we made our way over to another bar. Here we met up with more of her friends and stayed til we closed the place down!! It was a fun and exhausting night and definitely an experience to have while in Barcelona!

The next day, we made our way to a small cafe and had hot chocolate (where you actually had to keep stirring the chocolate) and a hot croissant. After this deliciousness, we headed over to the Picasso museum, which was free on Sundays!! The paintings were amazing to see in person and I definitely developed a greater appreciation for his work. We had a nice day out, so we headed back to the flat to catch up on work and sleep.

On Monday Allie had class, so I was on my own for the first half of the day!! I made my way over to Sagrada Familia, meaning Sacred Family and it will not be finished until another decade or more! It is a unique building and it represents Cataluna from the XX and XXI centuries. After that, I made my way over to the bull fighting arena and then to the Parc de la Ciutadella to meet Allie. After meeting up with her, we headed down the beach front to the statue of Christopher Columbus. This then led to Las Ramblas, were we met my other sorority sister. Becca, for lunch!! It was fun to eat with them, but before I knew it I had to leave to go to the airport. I managed to get back safe and sound and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to travel to Spain. It was interesting to see how fast my Spanish came flooding back to me and I was impressed with the conversations I was able to have! Overall, Spain was beautiful and I can not wait to visit again someday!

Sagrada Familia

Hot Chocolate and croissant!

Steph, Allie, and I

Different shots offered at Chupitos

Mercat Boqueria

Allie, Becca, and I!

Christopher Columbus statue

Beautiful fountain at the Parc de la Ciutadella

Bull Fighting Arena

Our picnic on the beach!

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!!)