Lost Vlogmas Footage

Merry Christmas everyone!

So, I wanted to finally upload the last of the vlogmas footage that I attempted in December of 2014 after my study abroad semester at Harlaxton. I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you for watching!

Happy Travels and all the love,

Alexandria

xx

5 Things to LOVE about Studying Abroad in England

Hey everyone!

This week, Rachel visited and we decided to countdown the 5 things that we liked and the 5 things that we didn't like so much about studying abroad experience in England. Make sure to check out Rachel's video while your perusing Youtube. Also, make sure to comment your questions, like the video, and subscribe for more!

All the love and happy travels,

Alexandria xx

Things I Learned While Studying Abroad

Hey everyone!

So I know that I haven't posted this week like I wanted to, but I was finishing up my thesis. Finishing that was definitely important for me. This semester has been a bit more crazy then I thought it would be, but I guess I should have expected my last semester to be crazy. Today, however, I want to just to have a quite chatty post. I want to be completely honest and open about how my time in my first study abroad experience changed me. Now that I've had three years to reminisce, I've really been in tune with the ways that that experience changed me and my life.

I think I've said this before, and I don't know what it is, but I've been missing my semester in England a lot this fall. I think that passing through the Grantham train station on the train this summer made me homesick for it. It felt so weird to see it and not stop there and head back to the manor for another week for classes. So, I've been racking my brain trying to think of why I still think of that semester everyday.  I mention my semester in England in almost every conversation, and I know that people are probably annoyed, but they can't possibly understand what that semester gave me and how it changed everything.

I have to admit that I've retreated a bit. I gained so much confidence when I was there. I grew up a lot. In the year following, I lost some of that. Nursing school has helped me gain some of that back though. I'm growing, and I'm working on myself to get back all of that confidence and more. I'm almost there, and I am proud of how far I've come back from that following year.

When I was England, it was the first time that I was living away from home and depending on myself for everything and that was a valuable experience in itself. I got myself a routine with travel included in that routine every weekend. Honestly, that life I had there is really #goals haha. How great would it be to travel somewhere new almost every weekend like I did whilst I was there? It truly was the life, but honestly, when I got home, I realized how tired I was.

During my semester, I also learned the hard truth about some things in my personal life. Now that I've been able to look back on it for the past three years, I realize that I was also in the wrong as well. Conflict is a two-way street, and no matter how much you think it's the other person, it could be you as well. I think that I definitely didn't handle the situation very well, and that is really something that I would go back and change. Conflict management is actually something that I've learned in nursing school, and I should've handled that situation before I even went to England. Conflict always has a better outcome when you go to the person and discuss it. I wish that the particular situation that I'm thinking about would have turned out differently. I truly do.

With all of that being said, I learned a lot about other people. When you learn about other people, you also learn about yourself. I did learn a lot about myself, though. The way I interact with people and the way that I treat myself. I was definitely in a dream like state during my semester. Going to Harlaxton was something that I had wanted to do since I was fifteen. Going to England was something I had wanted to do since I was little. I was in my element. I was in the place that felt like home in almost every way (almost because the only thing that was missing was my family). It was like a dream. Memories are so strange. I'll be thinking of some random memory from that semester, like just sitting in my tiny room, and it seems like something that wasn't even real. That experience was so surreal that it seems like exactly that when I look back on it.

Lastly, post study abroad depression is actually real. I'm thinking of writing a whole post on this, so I won't give too much away, but it seriously is real. Because of everything that happened, the next year felt strange and foreign to me. I went from traveling somewhere new every weekend to not doing anything on the weekends but sitting at home. I went from having all these friends and people around me to practically being alone. Part of that was definitely my fault, but it's in the past now. All of those things combined made me feel so empty. All I wanted was to be back in my tiny room in the carriage house with the window open, letting in the crisp English autumn air and hearing the muffled conversations from the rooms around me. It was quite the lifestyle change.

I knew that I had to get back to England somehow, so last December, I was able to go back. Even though I didn't know anyone on the trip with me, I still made the best of it. There was one day where I took a chance and ventured out on my own in London. Suddenly, I was back in that semester. I knew my way around London, and I had no fear. I felt completely in my element taking the underground and walking around the quiet Sunday streets of St. John's Wood and Kensington. For just a moment, I could've closed my eyes and thought that I was back during my Harlaxton semester and taking a quick weekend trip to London.

I hope that you guys enjoyed today's chatty post. I hope my stream of consciousness style of writing for this post made sense. All of this is just something that I've had in my mind for a while. I just wanted to explain the things I've learned during and since living in England. I get quite emotional thinking about all of the things I got to do and experience that semester and how it changed and shaped me. Honestly, people that haven't had an experience like that truly can't understand. I hope that I brought a little insight to those of you who haven't. I'm thinking of doing a few posts focusing on study abroad and some tips that I've learned from my two study abroad experiences. Be sure you tell me in the comments what you learned from study abroad if you've experienced it!

Thank you so much for reading! See you next time.

All the love and happy travels,

Alexandria xx

Autumn Travel Playlist

Hey guys!

I'm so excited about today's post because music has always been a huge part of my life. I believe that the right playlist can really change your mood. I've put together some new songs, as well as some songs that I've loved for awhile in an autumn travel playlist that will set the right mood for your plane ride, road trip, or train journey. I've been driving back and forth to Nashville, so I've gotten to test out this playlist on the road, and it really is perfect. I hope that you guys enjoy it as well. Listed below is the tracklist, and I put it together on YouTube for you guys as well. I couldn't find the first song on YouTube, which is a bummer since it's one of my favorite songs, but I posted a link to it on iTunes. Hope you enjoy it and travel to it!

Click here to listen to the playlist on my YouTube Channel

1. On the Road - The Tide Rose

          Get this song here (it's track two on this album)

2. Take Me - Aly & AJ

3. Free But Hollow - Hidinin

4. Back Down South - Kings of Leon

5. Ever Since New York - Harry Styles

6. Indiana, Rust & Bone (Hamburg Edit) - evanjack

7. Gravity - Leo Stannard & Frances

8. My Hurricane - Jamie Scott

9. Kids - OneRepublic

10. Blackbird - The Beatles

11. Too Good - Mariscans

12. Bibia Be Ye Ye - Ed Sheeran

13. Made It Fly - Cookhouse

14. So Far (It's Alright) - The 1975

15.  Cross My Mind - A R I Z O N A

16. California - COAV

17. Found It In Silence - HAIM

18. The World Is Ours - Volunteer

19. Nothing but a Dream - Jess Delgado

20. Turning to Gold - Michael Barrow & the Tourists

21. Get Free - Lana Del Rey

22. Brand New Day - Kodaline

23. Dive In - KYKO

24. Running with the Wolves - MyKey

25. All My Life - WILD

26. Budapest - George Ezra

27. Steel  - The Tin Pigeons

28. Youngblood - Little India

Don't forget that I am posting a blog post every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday in the month of October for Blogtober. Thank you so much for reading! Before you go, let me know some songs that would be on your autumn travel playlist.

All the love,

Alexandria xx.

The Perfect Day Trip from Edinburgh

Hey guys!

I'm so excited excited about today's post. Not only is it the second day of Blogtober, but I get to post a video along with it. You can view that below. So, grab yourself a cup of tea and Walker's shortbread biscuit, and read on!

So, it was my second time in Edinburgh, but this time I decided to venture out into the countryside a bit more. I took a tour with the company Rabbie's, and it was very nice. They have a lot of different tours, but I decided to go on the Glencoe, Loch Ness, and Highlands tour. Overall, the tour lasted about twelve hours, and the views were absolutely gorgeous.

First stop was a quick toliet and coffee break in the cutest little village I had ever seen. By the way, it was a rainy day, which just made it so perfect.

Then, we drove straight on to Loch Ness. At the loch, you could shop in the village or take a boat tour of the loch. It was beautiful there, and the water in Loch Ness was black because of its depth. It was a great thing to see.

 

Next, we kept driving through the highlands, taking short photo or toliet breaks, then we finally arrived at Glencoe. It was some of the most breath-taking views I had ever seen. It reminded me of Connemara National Park in Ireland, but it was different at the same time.

The air was so crisp and clean. There were sheep there! And since it had been raining, the waterfalls for visible in the mountains. It was stunning, and I'm so glad that I got to experience it.

So, watch my video to see some of the highlights and don't forget to comment what your favorite part was. Also, are there any day trips that you have been on from anywhere that were really worth it? Let me know!

All the love,

Alexandria xx.

Autumn Travel Bucket List

Hey guys!

Before I start off this post, I want to tell you about something exciting that I am doing this October. I'm calling it Blogtober, and I'll be posting a three new blog posts every week in the month of October. I miss blogging a lot, and I haven't been able to do it as much because of being so busy this September. It's my last semester of college, so I'm gearing up for the end. I can't let my blog fall by the wayside anymore, so I'm back. It's going to be so fun. Autumn happens to be my favorite season, and October is the most autumnal time of the year, especially where I live.

For this first day of Blogtober, I want to share with you my ultimate autumn travel bucket list. I've been pretty lucky in my life to be able to travel to some pretty amazing places, and most of them happened to fall in the autumn time. When I studied abroad, it was during the fall semester, so I was basically in heaven with that great autumn weather that England gets to claim.

I'm so grateful for the places I've gotten to see, and all the changing leaves in all the different places that I got to admire.  However, there are PLENTY of places that I haven't been that I think would be absolutely perfect in the autumn. It was pretty hard to narrow it down, but I have complied a list of ten places that would be an absolute dream to visit in the autumn.

1. New York City and Upstate New York

I had a hard time with this one because I think that these places, especially the city, would be perfect around Christmastime as well. But one look at some of the photos of New York during the fall, and you'll be falling in love. Central Park looks absolutely perfect with the changing and falling leaves and the city skyline in the background.

I would love to explore the small towns in upstate New York, grabbing a coffee and walking down the leaf-covered sidewalks while I window shop. It sounds too amazing to pass up.

2. Vermont

The fall festivities that look so dreamy belong to Vermont. I often forget about some of the smaller New England states as places to take a quick trip. It would be so lovely to rent a convertible and drive around the whole state, looking for the most autumnal things to do while feeling the crisp, fall air.  Through my searching to autumnal things to do in the U.S., I found the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, where they sell a variety of fall treats, including warm apple cider donuts.

3. Virginia and North Carolina

 

I'm grouping these two states together because the are connected by the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway. Come on, this is probably the best road trip route for the autumn that I've ever seen. I've been to North Carolina, but I was small, I don't remember it very well, and I don't think we went in the fall. There are lots of fun fall pit stops you could make on this road trip. You could even stop by the famous Biltmore Estate is Asheville, North Carolina.

4. Gatlinburg, Tennessee

So, I'm cheating a little bit because I have been here but never in autumn. With this being just a short drive from my hometown, I'm not sure why I haven't utilized it during the fall. October would be the perfect month to get a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains, curl up by the fire, and enjoy some hot tea while watching the leaves fall. There are lots of fun activities to do in Gatlinburg, which you can find here on their website. If you're not from around here, you could fly into Nashville and rent a car. The drive from Nashville to Gatlinburg is stunning.

5. Portland, Oregon

Portland is one of those places that just looks so gorgeous and picturesque. The town itself is just really beautiful, and you could venture out into other parts of the state while staying in Portland. I've been looking up things to do there in the fall, and you can take a ride through the state of Oregon on a vintage train. Sign me up!

6. Switzerland 

So, for this half of the list, I'm venturing out of the U.S., and we're going international. I put the whole country of Switzerland because there are so many towns and villages that I would love to visit. I feel like a lot of people consider this country more of a winter destination because of skiing and snowboarding, but one look at  it in the fall, and I'm sure it will change your mind. Switzerland is one of those places that I didn't get a chance to visit when I was living in England, and I would love to go.

7. Amsterdam, Netherlands

There are so many picture-perfect spots in Amsterdam. I would love to do as the locals do and grab a bike to ride around the city. A cruise on the canals would also be great to see all the fall foliage.

8. Olso, Norway

Before the weather gets very cold, Oslo would be perfect in the fall. During study abroad, my roommate, Rachel, and I almost took an extremely impromptu trip to Oslo. It may or may not have been to see the 1975 perform there, but I still regret that we just didn't catch a plane and go. It looks so great there. I can't wait to visit someday.

9. Budapest, Hungary

Budapest looks like it does autumn the right way.  It's one of those places that I've always been intrigued by. The history and the architecture seems so beautiful, especially when paired with the gorgeous changing leaves on the trees. Going to a little market on a crisp fall day seems like the perfect day to me.

10. Manchester, England, United Kingdom

I couldn't dare leave England off this list. I drove through Manchester several times during my semester in England, but I didn't get a chance to stay there. I know it would be perfect in autumn just like the rest of the UK. I would love to go shopping, then maybe pop over for an autumn walk in Cringle Park. Just like the other major cities in the UK, it would be a great home base for travel to other parts of the country. Manchester could be a great gateway for day trips to northern England, North Wales, and maybe even parts of Scotland. It's also pretty close to Cheshire County, which happens to be my favorite county in the UK. On my next trip to the UK, I will definitely be visiting Manchester.

Thank you guys so much for reading the first post of Blogtober. There are so many more places in the world that would be great to visit in the autumn, but there's simply not enough time to list them all. I would love to know what is on your autumn travel bucket list, so let me know some of them in the comments.

All the love, 

Alexandria xx.

H A R L A X T O N

The most life changing experience summed up in one second clips from my vlogs from that semester. Three years ago today, I arrived at the manor, and lately, I've been missing it more than ever.
Get Free. xx

London Calling || New Vlog

Check out my recent vlog for the start of part 2 of my recent trip to Europe. I'm back in my favorite place, the beautiful city of London!

Don't forget to subscribe, check out more videos on my channel, and like and comment. Thank you!

All the love,

Alexandria xx

Back on Youtube

Hey guys!

So, when I was Harlaxton, I vlogged all of my trips, and while I could definitely roast myself on some of the decisions that I made in the vlogging world (lol), I really looked forward to filming and editing the videos. I also love the fact that I can look back on the videos and reminisce, but mostly laugh and cringe at myself.

I just got back from an amazing trip to Europe, so I thought that I would go old school on you and vlog. I really enjoy YouTube, and it's something that I've been telling myself to commit to since I created my channel in November of 2012. Looks like I'm finally going to commit.

I'll be posting a video everyday for two weeks, and I do hope that you'll watch. Thank you!

All the love,

Alexandria

10 Most Instagram-Worthy Places

Hey Everyone!

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far. My second to last semester is winding down now (thank goodness - it's been too busy), and I'm gearing up for an exciting summer full of new experiences and traveling!

It seems that when you're traveling, you're posting pictures on social media and editing them to be perfect enough to get those beloved double-taps. Some places that I've been are definitely the most Instagram-worthy places in the world, and they are sure to make you rack up those likes and followers, not just on Instagram but across all social media.

Being Instagram-worthy simply means that the place is just beautiful and picture perfect! Here are my top 10 picture perfect places that I've been that are sure to get those likes.

1. London, England

Okay, so maybe I'm a bit bias with this one, but London has everything you would ever need to get fabulous photos for you Instagram. There's green spaces, city skylines, and interesting people. Not to mention the cuisine in London is every Instagram foodie's dream.

2. Venice, Italy

Venice is just absolutely gorgeous. The color of the water in the canals is unlike any color I've seen.  If you go to Venice, your guaranteed to get likeable pictures. It's so unique and your followers won't be able to resist scrolling past it without liking.

3. Paris, France

Bottom line, everyone wishes they were in Paris sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower.

4. Scotland

Edinburgh is amazing, and I'm dying to take pictures in the highlands this summer. Stay tuned!

5. Ireland

All you have to do is see a picture of how beautiful and green Ireland is to want to be there exploring the country side and having a night out at the pubs.

6. Snowdonia, North Wales

Before I traveled here, I had no idea what it was, and I was surely surprised. Everywhere you turn is a photo-op that looks like it should be on a postcard. It will warm your nature-loving heart.

7. Florence, Italy

In a city filled with art, there's no denying that there are plenty of places to capture that photo that would make your followers jealous.

8.  Disney World

 

It just seems like it's always sunny at Disney, even when it's raining. When you're at the happiest place on Earth, you'll have great lighting, cute backdrops, and the biggest smile.

9. Bath, England

One of my most favorite autumn photo that I've ever seen was this one that I took in Bath. It's gorgeous and every autumn-obsessed person's dream in September - November. It's also a great city for those Roman history buffs to capture some stills in.

10. Greece

I haven't been to Greece yet, but I leaving in just a few months to step foot in the country where my family came from. I'm so excited for all of the photo opportunities that await me. Just from the pictures that I've seen of the country side, the cities, and the islands, I can't wait to get out my camera and never put it away the eight days that I'm there. So, until then, I'll leave this place blank for a photo.

Thanks for reading my post this week! Share all your Instagram worthy places with me in the comments and make sure you show me those photos!

All the love, 

Alexandria

xx

Did Dublin redeem itself? Rediscovering Dublin!

Hey everyone!

Hopefully everyone's having a great week so far. I can't believe it's already March. It just seems like the year is flying by. I promised I would let you know how I liked Dublin the second time around. I was quite nervous to go back considering that it didn't impress me much the first time around. A lot of that had to do with the accommodation and the location of said accommodation. I believe now, after traveling so much, that where you stay in the place you're visiting really does make a huge difference in the outcome.

To say the least, I didn't give the city of Dublin a proper chance because of the situation of the "palace" of a hostel we were staying in, but I believe it deserves a second chance. After all, it is the capitol city of one of the most beautiful countries I've been to.

The week in the Dublin started with a painful "so long for now" to my favorite city, London. No worries, however, because I'm going back in just a few short months!  The only thing that made the goodbye a bit less painful was the exciting fact that we were flying British Airways to Dublin. Maybe I'm bias, but British Airways has to be my favorite airline. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting the flight to be so quick. Maybe it's because the last time I went to Dublin it was a full overnight trip on the ferry. We flew over Liverpool, my second favorite city in the world, which made me super excited. I wanted the plane to land there as we flew over it.

We were met at the Dublin airport by a great guide named John.  He took our class on a mini bus tour f the city, and then we stopped for a free lunch at the oldest pub in Dublin, The Brazen Head. As we were leaving the pub, there was a police officer standing outside, who informed our tour guide that Prince Albert of Monaco was eating in the pub. That was very cool!

After eating, we headed over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Part of me never gets tired of looking at churches in Europe, and this one didn't disappoint.

Later that night, I went to Grafton Street, which I had never ventured over to the first time I was in Dublin, but I loved the lights and shops lining the streets.

The next day, we were scheduled to go to the Epic Ireland museum. We walked there from our hotel, which wasn't far.  The morning was a bit foggy and cloudy, and walking by the river Liffey   reminded me so much of walking by the Mersey in Liverpool. It was nice to get that feeling of familiarity.

Epic Ireland was one of THE best museums I have ever been too. Our guide was informative, and the museum was interactive and organized. It really opened my eyes to all that Ireland has contributed to many things around the world.

Leaving the museum, we accidentally joined a protest march through the city against the homeless epidemic.  It was so interesting to be a part of that, and it led us right to our next destination. Seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College was an experience. I thought the Book of Kells was great being so old and all, but I enjoyed going into the library more. The library was gorgeous and gave me all the Harry Potter feels.

That night I returned to a spot that I had actually been before, Henry Street. I went into the first Lush I had ever been in and bought some things for sentimental reasons as well as general obsession with Lush.

My third day in Dublin really wasn't a day in Dublin at all. We were taken out to the Glendalough to see an old settlement. It just blows my mind still to this day, that Europe has kept up with all of theses things from centuries and centuries ago.  We went on a short hike out to the lake, and was almost late getting back to the bus, which gave me flashbacks from narrowly escaping being left behind at the Cliffs of Moher.

After Glendalough, we ventured to Powerscourt for an unimpressive lunch. Powerscourt is a manor house with gorgeous gardens. It was honestly worth it just because of the fact that I got to walk around the gardens and talk and laugh with new friends.  It was great for pictures too! Glendalough and Powerscourt were a great day trip from Dublin that I'll recommend to anyone wanting to get out of the city and see some of Ireland for the day.  That night, I had to eat dinner at Nando's, which I didn't know was in Dublin and got really excited when I found out.

The day after started with a trip to Newgrange, which is apparently older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids. It was an interesting and claustrophobic experience to say the least, but the views were breathtaking.

That afternoon, being the beer connoisseur  I am (sarcasm, I really don't like beer!), we went to the Guinness Storehouse. It was a good museum, and I got to pour my own pint, which is exciting. I drank my pint to the top of the word Guinness, and I just couldn't drink anymore.  The view of Dublin from the top was quite impressive though.

The second to last morning in Dublin, we went to a hospital in Dublin to learn about Irish healthcare. I won't bore you with the class aspect of my trip, so I'll just fast forward to that night. Our program had arranged for us to go to an Irish music concert at one of the local pubs.  We got to learn some Irish dancing, which made the three-year old me, who was obsessed with River Dance, very happy. We walked back together, stopped in another pub, then walked to get some pizza for the night.

The last day in Dublin was more of a relaxing kind of day. I slept in, then met two friends downstairs for lunch in the hotel restaurant. We then went to see Big! The musical, which we luckily scored free tickets for at the box office when the man there said that there were three tickets that another group wasn't using. The musical was based off the 80's Tom Hanks movie, and it was really good.  That evening, everyone headed to the hotel to pack up for the flight the next day. We ate one last meal across the street, and then said goodnight and goodbye to Dublin!

All in all, Dublin did deserve a second chance. I'm so glad that it redeemed itself. I had such a good time rediscovering the city and finding new places as well. Ireland continued to be one of the most gorgeous countries, and the Irish people are the friendliest, most welcoming people of all the countries I've been to.

So, my question for you this week is, have you given something or somewhere a second chance after being dissapointed by it the first time? Did you like it?

It's safe to say that I really enjoy Dublin. My favorite part of the week was listening and dancing to the Irish music. My favorite place in Dublin is probably walking along the river Liffey. What's your favorite part of Dublin if you've been?

All the love,
Alexandria
xx

To read about my first time in Dublin and all the other Irish adventures of that weekend, click here.

Two Years Too Long: My Return to London

Hey everyone!

I'm back, and I'm so excited to share the next chapters in my life (which include lots of traveling, I might add). My semester abroad nearly three years ago made me catch the travel bug, and also the blogging bug. One of my absolute favorite things of the semester was sharing my experiences online so that hopefully, people can learn my from my hits and misses of traveling. There's just something about writing about your experiences online that helps put things in perspective. I learn so much about myself when I'm writing and reflecting through this blog.

As I fall back into the groove of things on here, I can't wait to take you guys on very exciting journeys with me. 2017 will be the year of discovering new places, and...graduating college. A scary thought, but I'm confident that I'm ready to enter the real world (errr...maybe).

A month ago, I got home from my second study abroad adventure of university.  This one wasn't quite as long, a mere two weeks that left me wanting more, but it was still fun!

On this trip, I returned to London for the fifth...no wait sixth time. I'm not sure, but all I know is that it's definitely not enough times to visit my favorite city in the world. The second week was spent in Dublin, which if you'll remember wasn't the best experience the first time around. Find out if Dublin redeemed itself next week!

My return to London for the first time in two years was actually long overdue. I fell back into the London stride easily. I felt at home as soon as I landed at Heathrow (too cheesy? sorry).

But seriously, it was crazy easy to fall back into the swing of things. Even though I hadn't been there in two years, I navigated the tube with ease, and the map of London came back to the forefront of my mind. It was all so familiar, but I feel like it's something I'll never forget. Kind of like riding a bike.

The week started the day after Christmas. One thing I don't miss about going to London is the flying. I'm anxious at first, but then I try and just survive the overnight flight to London. I got two hours of sleep on the plane, which I believe is more than last time, but still not enough. The plane over this time didn't have the greatest amount of leg room, and I was in the aisle (boo!), but it didn't matter as soon as I landed in London again.

After waiting in the UK Border line at The Queen's Terminal forever, we were greeted by a native Londoner to be our tour guide for London.  We boarded the coach to head to our hotel. I was overwhelmed driving through London again. I just couldn't believe that I was back in my favorite city. It was truly one of those "pinch me" moments.

So, the class that I was in to get to go to London and Dublin over winter break dealt with the difference in healthcare systems. I'm a nursing major, and so that topic interests me quite a bit. Healthcare is also a hot topic in politics right now, and I feel that it's important that nurses know what healthcare systems would work best for their patients. I won't bore you with political things and healthcare talk, but it might help you understand why I went to some of the places I did whilst in the two cities.

Before actually settling into the hotel, I took some of my classmates to Nando's. You know I can't go to England and not have a Nando's.

So, the first afternoon in London, after getting settled in to our hotel room at the Courthouse Hotel in Soho (more details on that soon), I met up with the rest of my class in the lobby to travel over to Chelsea to visit the Royal Hospital Chelsea. It turned out to be a sort of retirement home for veterans, and much to mine and the rest of the class's surprise, it is the site of Margaret Thatcher's grave.

After a short visit here, we headed back to the hotel and had our class meeting to get to know one another and the expectations of class. If you want to know more about focusing on class and assignments while abroad (it's not easy), feel free to ask me any questions.

I decided to take some of my classmates to the Westminster area. The stairs out of the tube station that run right into the Elizabeth II tower (Big Ben) is my favorite place to take people who have never been to London before. Nothing says "I'm actually in London" more than walking out of an underground station into this...

I love seeing first time London goer's faces. After walking across the bridge for photo-ops with Parliament, we headed back to our hotel, and I ran into a Boots close to the hotel to get some things for the week.

The hotel I stayed in this time around was The Courthouse Hotel in Soho. Our hotel was literally right across the street from Carnaby Street and right around the corner from Oxford Street and Regent Street. The location was incredible and the history of the hotel was fascinating. It used to be an actual courthouse and jail. It was crazy to know that the likes of John Lennon and Mick Jagger were tried here. The bar of the hotel was actually the old jail cells, which was super interesting.

The study abroad program that I was with this time around set up a coach tour around London the nest day, which definitely reminded me of my Harlaxton days. The lady that greeted us at the airport was our tour guide. I got to see things and parts of London that I hadn't seen before, and that is what I love about London. Every time I go, I discover new parts of the city that I fall in love with just like the rest of it. Speaking of places I had never been before, this tour provided me with my first time in St. James's Park. I know, crazy! I think it may be my favorite green space in London that I've been to so far. I think this picture does a pretty good job at explaining why.

My classmates and I decided to go find some lunch after the tour. I suggested one of my favorite places for fish and chips (and anything on their menu, really). The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead is one of my favorite spots in the city. Hampstead in general is my favorite, and if you've read my blog posts from a couple years ago, you know how much I love it. We sat outside in the garden under the warmers. I ate my first fish and chips of the trip and washed it down with mulled wine, which I missed too much. After lunch, we walked down the high street in Hampstead, and then headed back to the hotel because some of the other girls wanted to take a nap.

My second full day in London was focused around my class. We visited Royal Hospital London in East London. As a future registered nurse, it was so interesting to go into a British hospital and see the differences and similarities.

I sort of became the tour guide during this trip, but I didn't mind. I love showing people London. I consider England my second home. It has been since August 2014, and it will be forever and ever. So, I took everyone to another London landmark, Tower Bridge. I love it at dusk when the lights start to come up on it. I love the views of the other iconic buildings in the city behind you when you're looking at the bridge like the Gherkin and cheese grater, and the view of the Shard directly in front of you.

That night, I went with my class to see In the Heights at the King's Cross Theatre.  You know the Broadway show Hamilton? Who I am kidding?! Everyone knows Hamilton! Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mastermind behind Hamilton, was also the mastermind behind this show. It was so good, and it's always a good idea to get to a show while you're in London.

Unfortunately, I woke up the next morning feeling sick, so I sadly missed out on the day-trip to Canterbury and Dover, but it's all the more reason to go back to England! It was nice, however to hang out in the hotel, watching a day-long marathon of the Great British Bake-Off and catch up on assignments for the class.

By the next day, New Year's Eve, I was well rested and feeling a lot better. We got up early to go to the Foundling museum with class. We had to get to the Russell Square station to get to the museum, which was so nice because that was my home station the first time I was London. After the museum, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. We decided to check out Covent Garden. Right across from the tube station is the cutest pub. The dining is upstairs, like in most pubs, and the food was delicious. The decorating was quirky, with different wallpapers on every wall and a variety of light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.

After lunch, we did some shopping in the Covent Garden area. It was busy, chilly, and had various street performers providing entertainment for all the shoppers.

That night, I decided to go up to the rooftop bar at our hotel with some friends to eat appetizers and have a Pimm's before heading to see the fireworks. We decided to head over to Buckingham Palace to see the fireworks. When the clock struck midnight, the firework display off of the London Eye started, but sadly the trees covered most of it. So, we grabbed our things and practically ran over to St. James's Park to get a good view. 2017 was probably the best New Year's I've had. I mean, what's better than ringing in the New Year in the most beautiful park in front of Buckingham Palace watching the glorious display of fireworks off the London Eye. I had another "pinch me" moment, but honestly, who wouldn't?

The next morning, myself, and from what I could tell, everyone else, slept in after New Year's Eve. Once I was up and ready for the day, I decided to venture out on my own for a little while. I feel comfortable enough with London to do so. I headed over to Abbey Road to take some vintage looking polaroid pictures and get away from the hustle and bustle of the area around the hotel to a quieter area of London that I loved a lot from a previous visit. I then headed over to Kensington and checked out that area over there. Newsflash! I loved it, just like every other part of London I've been too, haha!

The class activities for this day was to go to the Florence Nightingale museum. When I was at Harlaxton, I wrote my honors paper over her, and really, she's the reason that nursing is the career that I want to go into. She paved the way for nurses and nursing research and education. I'm a sucker for old things, and there was a recording of her voice circa 1890, recorded by Thomas Edison.

We went to an Old Operating Theatre after that, and that was really interesting to learn about as well. It was pouring down rain by then, but what's London without a little rain? It was fine though because we decided to have early night because we got up super early the next day to leave for London.

At Heathrow, I grabbed a full English fry-up for brekkie as I awaited my British Airways flight to give Dublin a well-deserved second chance. See you in 5 months, London. I won't stay away two years ever again.

So, my question for you this week is this: What's your favorite city in the world, and what's your favorite things to do there? What makes it your favorite? I would love to know, so make sure you leave it in the comments below.

I'll be back next week to let you know how I found Dublin the second time around!

All the love,
Alexandria
xx.

If you liked this post, check out my first time in London here.