Pubs for dayz (flashback 3)

Pubs are one of the things I'll miss about Europe. Sure, America has its bars, those hole in the walls which one has claimed as their niche while they're in college, or the place down the road with the cheap beer and good music, but we don't have the same thing over here...

For one of my newfound American friends in England, we celebrated her 21st with, what else? Pubs, quality beer, cheap shots, and a group of great people. The times you look back on and think damn, this is my life right now and it's pretty freakin' awesome.

Electrified at the Fighting Cocks!

Family

Ram's Head, The Fighting Cocks, The Mill, Weatherspoons, O'Neil's....birthday girl and those accompanying all had a great time. Wimbledon adventure in the morning for burritos and the famous tennis fields!

Then it was off to Oxford shortly after!

The lodgings of our own Former President Bill Clinton...
and where he liked to smoke weed.

Oxford....the school of my dreams since I was about 10. Unfortunately, they do not offer International Business, and so this was the mental justification I gave myself as to why I did not look here as a potential college (aside from the fact I most likely wouldn't get in and holy shite, expensive, and also Mum would never have let me study for a full BA in another state, let alone another country.

In memorandum of those priests burned
to death by Bloody Mary

I saw the office window of one of the most genius literary authors and ate in the very seats graced with the presence of The Inklings, of which two of my favorite authors were members: JRR Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. I was in bookworm heaven.

Tolkien's office

Illegal picture taken of Tolkien's sketches

Pub of choice for The Inklings

Chicken Wellington...YES

Standing with my boyfriend on the steps in Christ
Church which were featured in Harry Potter

"Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." (Flashback 2)

Harry Potter Studios...my heart was beating so fast in anticipation.

A long train ride and bus ride later....

FYI: I cried before and after the tour.

Kelsey & I learning proper wand etiquette

*cold* Butterbeer!

Had to commit to the theatrical pose

"...curious, but where to put you?"

"After all this time?"

"Always."

Wir sind in Berlin!! (Flashback 1)

Post-post happening #1....taking you back to Berlin via journal ramblings from those days...

"Wir sind in Berlin!

Crazy journey but so worth it....

Kelsey and I had a long, hectic evening. Today we can relax more and joke about it. So close to tears many times. Missed our coach [bus to Americans] to the airport, harassed by a couple guys, successfully hailed a cab, had a great cabbie, couldn't buy a ticket in time, a (shady) man sold them to us for £30 (£15 each), ran in the airport (sprinted), misguided a few times, made it to the gate (delay!!!), had to sprint to get Visas approved, sprint back, and just made our flight."

____________________________________________

"We went to see Checkpoint Charlie and I got my passport stamped with all the stamps from the time period! We walked to Unter den Linden and saw many shops along there.

The Brandenburg Tor was massive!

We hit up all of the big touristy/historic places:

Homosexual Memorial

Holocaust Memorial

Berlin Victory Column

Bundesrathaus where Angela Merkel works

Pictures taken with as many of these Berliner Bären as we could find...we found about 20!

Schloß Charlottenburg

 Ein anderer Berliner Bär

Humbling remembrances...

This train station sent thousands to their deaths...

TV Tower

St. Mari's Cathedral

...ending up in Potsdamm."

Other notables: Columbia concentration camp, where Hitler made many speeches. Eerie how it has become a mark with little markings...Sony arena, which was an incredible place, quite alive at night.

and the top of the Berliner Dom

as well as the Topography of Terror.

Walking around Berlin...wow. One of my favorite European cities, although each one seems to have a special little place in my heart...

Souvenir for my Fajer, who was not allowed in Berlin during
his military tours because he knew too much

Cozy hat for chilly walks...

Ich bin ein Berliner

"I am a jelly-filled doughnut."

Very insightful, JFK.

Right now I'm polishing off some Oreos [original stuffed] for my lunch and getting ready to head to Berlin for a long weekend!

Need to figure out how to get from the airport to our hostel....oops. This shall be fun. It's all part of the adventure.

Oreos for lunch. Best decision of the day. I may be down one friend, though...he said he doesn't like Oreos. That's weird.

In need of updated posts when I return. I feel as though I've constantly been on the move or holing myself up to get homework done, which is what I plan on doing until 3 or so unless my friend finishes his sandwich and distracts me from my homework. 

Berlin and then the Walking Dead begins when I get back! Great weekend!!

What it means to be a student

Classes have begun and I'm now an "official" British student.....and naturally, I'm doing my homework during the week so I can run off on the weekends.

Two penny. New penny. 

Asked an English friend about this and he didn't even know the answer...

Friend making 101: wear a cool belt.

Lovely sends me updates on the fluffy beasts :)

Cannot wait to see these little goobers when I return!

I finally got my tourist phone booth shot! Kelsey and I went into the city on Friday to explore and hit up a bunch of sights.

So much London in one shot...

The new Victoria's Secret on New Bond Street is absolutely gorgeous.....four stories with chandeliers and great staircase. Heaven.

Our trip down New Bond Street and Regent Street wouldn't be complete without a trip to Hamley's. Naturally, we played with everything.

I was explaining Marshmallow fluff to an English friend who said it sounded amazing but he had never seen it here. Ta-da!

If it didn't cost me over $10 [after conversion] for a jar, I would have bought some....

Classes are so much nicer than in America in that we don't need to go as frequently! And can't beat a three-day weekend! Hehehe

I'm taking a history course on gender roles, British life and culture, area studies [concentration on the Middle East for first term], and international trade and finance. Woot woot! Geeking it up whilst enjoying life.

Not going to lie, that Star Wars belt and my Star Wars shirt [so sad I only brought 1 out of the many that I own] have made for some gooood conversation starters.

I've been able to start ticking off sights from my list of things to see....hoping to go to Berlin soon! In the meantime, I'll be hitting up Wetherspoons....my favourite pub chain.

DELICIOUS NACHOS AND CHOCOLATE CAKE.

Thank goodness I walk everywhere.....