spring has sprung in the freezing cold

So it's been a few weeks since I have posted on my blog and there is a LOT of catching up to do! I went to Paris to visit some friends and had a really amazing time there. I got to see the Eiffel Tower, eat crepes, see the Mona Lisa, and hang out with just great people in general. It was nice to see friends I met while in Madrid and be able to visit them and have them show me around. Oh, and I got to see Versailles which was super duper cool! Before Paris I visited Florence and Pisa. I don't think I liked the two cities as much as Rome but they were cool to go visit and experience a different part of Italy.

So after the trips around Italy and to France I had one week left in Rome. I ended up going to the top of Saint Peter's Basilica which was a breathtaking view of all of Rome. But beware! It's 551 steps and I do not advise going on the hottest day in March lol (it was 70 degrees!). I explored as much as I could in the last week and hung out with my friends from CIEE. I ate the most gelato ever in the last week. Btw if you were wondering, Cookies at Mo's is the best so go try it :). A lot of my friends ended up leaving on last Saturday so I had a couple of days to myself before I left for the UK. I got to move at my own pace and even went to mass at Saint Peter's on the last day which was really nice although I didn't know what the priest was saying since it was in Italian. Still, I enjoyed it and it was a really cool experience. They blocked off a large section for the mass so there were still tourists in the Basilica but not near the mass which was pretty nice.

I finally made it to London which is my last stop on my three block trip! This semester has flown by; I mean Madrid seems ages ago now. I have been loving London so far. I love the blend of old and new it has and it's been the biggest city I have been in, in Europe. I have gotten to go to the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Camden Market, the London Eye, Greenwich, the Prime Meridian Line, and Big Ben (although you can only see the clock from the construction) all in one week! I am living close to King's Cross so I walk by where they filmed Harry Potter literally everyday. Supposedly Kit Harrington also lives near me along with other Game of Thrones and Harry Potter actors so I will be on the lookout for a celebrity sighting! My classes have been awesome so far and the school has done some really nice trips like cream tea in the British Museum. I am living in this giant dorm place that houses students studying all over London and it's kind of nice being back in a dorm situation and having a study area and a gym. I love that it's also super close to the tube and restaurants so I don't have to walk far to get a quick bite to eat.

Other stuff thats been happening.....my mom and sisters all have their birthday's this week so I'm sending them love from the UK. I know my mom is already happy that I'm here since she studied in London and is somehow living through me still even though she already actually lived through this part of my trip! I'm also awaiting the royal baby although my chances of snapping a pic of the baby are decreasing by the day since Meghan and Harry moved out of London and aren't even going to pose for a pic or use the usual hospital. Disappointed is an understatement haha. Hopefully I will get a royal sighting which I am here though! I am going to see the play Edward II with my class this week and am hoping to travel more around the city. I love all of the little pubs and bars too and will be taking as much advantage of them as possible for the next few weeks while I'm still legal here!

That pretty much wraps up the last few weeks. Oh also spring has officially sprung here although it is so cold i have no idea how things are sprouting but they are; It's nice to see some life though in the dreary weather here haha. I can't wait to travel around the UK and see as much as possible while I'm here. Hard to believe this semester is wrapping up in just 5 weeks but I can't wait to make the most of them.