Book Books Books!

Well, the papers are done and so is the semester! I can't believe it is already Easter break here. The school gives students a month off now to study and prepare for exams but since visiting students don't take exams I have a month to play!!

I started the week off by taking a trip into central London to buy some books. The first store I went to was Foyles on Charing Cross Road. This particular store is very popular because it is huge, four stories (no pun intented!) tall, sooooo big.

After that, I visited another shop, Blackwell's, to pick up Mythology for Dummies. Right now I am reading the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, so I am all interested in greek gods and such.
Charing Cross Road is pretty cool. There are a ton of book stores and music shops so it is a hoppin' place!

This week is supposed to be rainy so I don't know how many adventures I will make, but it was fun to get out even for a little bit!

<3

Stratford-Upon-Avon

So we made it back from Stratford safe and sound, but this girl brought home a cold :( Of course the one week I get sick is the week that essays are due and I have entirely too much to do! But enough of that pitty party. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on cold medicine and I have enough coffee to sustain me for awhile. However, I have a feeling this week I won't have too much time for blog updates. :(

In the meantime, here are a few photos from this weekend....

One side of the train.....



The other side :)








Freya and her mom ( or instructor brought his wife, his 6 year old son and 9 month old baby girl along for the trip)











Me and Freya playing. I was the only one should would stay with without getting upset :D











Walking through the garden at one of the Shakespeare Houses










Shakespeare's birthplace







Our class at the birthplace







While we were walking to our hotel ( 2 miles out of town) we took a moment to stop and enjoy the scenery. We really got to see some classic English countryside.

To Be, or Not To Be.....As long as you're not late!

It's 8:40 am here and I am getting ready to head out to Stratford-Upon-Avon, woo! The school is paying for my Shakespeare class to go, we only need to pay for food and lodging, pretty sweet eh?

The best part is that it isn't supposed rain all weekend! Ol' Willie Shakespeare is watching out for us ;)

Well I had better stop typing and get going!!

<3

Just a Few Things

For the past week I have been up to my nose is essay writing, so I haven't had time for exploring. However, I have been able to do a few things, exciting or not, that I thought would be fun to post.

Laundry day!

So doing laundry here is a BIG hassle and very expensive. Here is the run down:

1 wash =1 hour, and £1.60= $2.40
1 dry = £o.20 per 6 minutes: it usually takes at least 30 minutes to get a load mostly dry= £1.00=$1.50

SO...to do my whites it cost $3.90x brights, jeans, darks....yikes!

Because I would much rather spend $$ on a museum ticket I have learned the great art of doing the wash by hand!



Since I have been spending so much time at my computer, I decided to move it over a bit so I am facing out the window while I work. Even though the view isn't exceptional it is nice to watch the world go by! It also makes me feel like Carrie Bradshaw, so that helps inspire me ;p

The point of that story is that I recently realized a bit of special view that I have from my window.....
If you can get past the uber bright billboard, you can see the London Eye London Eye! Pretty cool eh??



Lastly, this past Saturday we went to see a rugby match with CIEE. It was a pretty nice day and fun experience but I have to say, Rugby is not a sport that I appreciate like so many people here.


The game

Some young boys play a short game between halves, they were sitting near us and were crawling around everywhere. They were cute though. It was really funny to see little dudes running around the field in Rugby uniforms.











These guys would run around to keep warm during breaks Here is a bit of the match

Confessions

Dear friends,

I have a confession to make: I am, and always have been in an abusive relationship with blogs. I start with a new blog, promising that this time it will different, the blog will not be neglected, used and forgotten. Unfortunately, I never change. It is a perpetual cycle of blog and abandon. I am a little surprised I have been as attentive to this one as I have (and that's saying something!).

Unfortunately, the only person this actually hurts is you. Checking this page, over and over with nothing but old and outdated posts. For this I apologize.

BUT. Since this blog has hung on longer than any before it, I am going to take a step in the right direction. It is my March resolution to post at least 3 times a week, even if it is only about daily doings.

So, thank you for your understanding and support, and I look forward to fulfilling your blog-checking expectations with new vigor!

xoxo

Grace

;)