Innsbruck - Day 2

So today I got up in the morning and went paragliding! The weather was pretty ominous, but they said as long as it is not pouring then we would be ok. I road to the site with Amber, Mallory, and Rachel with the driver that picked us up. The drive there was so pretty. I literally felt like I was in The Sound of Music and if I looked out of my window I would see Maria running through the hills. The city/town is just so nice and relaxing and has a different feel to it than everyother place we have been so far. So when we got there we had to suit up in these things that looked like astronaut suits. Then we all, with our guides who would be flying us, went up a gondola ski lift thing to the top of the mountain. I pictured us having to run off of a mountain to get in the air, but it was alot easier than that. It is pretty much just a steep hill that you run down and then the wind picks you up. It was really easy to get up and I had my guide, Fred, with me the whole time. The feeling I got once I was up in the air was amazing! We were seriously in fog/clouds at the beginning and were so high. We got to take some really cool pictures and I really was not scared at all. I asked him to spin us so we did circles in the air which were intense. He said we were going about 30 feet down per second. I got a little sick from it, but it was totally worth it. The landing also wasnt bad at all. He just steered us and we landed gracefully. We were up in the air for about 15 minutes which all depended on the wind gusts.

After paragliding, a man drove us back to the hotel and I got ready for canyoning. I didnt have much time so I just ate fast, put my swimsuit on under my clothes, and headed downstairs. There was a big bus waiting for us and it transferred us (about 50 people went) to a location to get ready for canyoning. We all had to put on wetsuits, helmets, harnesses, and water shoes before we could go. When we were all ready, we loaded the bus again and transferred us to the site for canyoning. So when we first got off of the bus they separated us into two groups to make it go faster. They told us to start we would be repelling off of the bridge we were standing on which I thought was a joke... it wasnt. So I had no idea what to expect canyoning and if I did I probably would not have gone. It was an amazing experience, but I dont know if I would ever do it again. The only way to describe it I think is extreme hiking in water. So like I said, first off we repelled off of the bridge on a rope into the river. That really wasnt too scary for me, but it only got worse after that. We walked through the rivers, had to climb with our harnesses on the side of cliffs, repel off cliffs, slide down the river, and jump off of cliffs. The jumping parts were really fun for me just getting sucked under the water by the gusts was not. It was pretty scary one time when we slid down the river because they didnt tell us that there was a cliff that we were going to fall off of into the water. When I saw it for that split second before I was terrified. Then once you get into the water the gusts are so strong that it pushed you down far and you have to swim for dear life to get out. That part I was not a fan of, but everything was not too bad. Oh and by the way it was freezing cold! The worst part about it was that since there were so many people there was alot of waiting time in between advances down the river. That made everyone more cold and by the end of it I couldnt feel my body like at all. I now know how people on the Titanic must have felt because it was miserable. In total it was a 2 hour hike, but it felt alot longer.

I know it sounds like I had a terrible time, but I am glad I did it. It was very liberating and I will always be able to say that I did it. Also, I felt like our group really bonded through the experience. Everyone watched out for the person in front and behind them and came together to ensure our safety.

We didnt get back to the hotel until 8:15 pm, since we had to drive back to change clothes and then back to the hotel from there. Everyone wanted to take showers, but Caitlin, Amanda, Courtney, Taylor, Jay, and I went straight to wat because we were starving. We ate and the same place that everyone ate at the night before, but this time I got rump steak, potatoes, and green beans :) It was my favorite meal so far (I also was super hungry, but still). We beat the crown which was good, so we just went back to the hotel and took showers. Now I am exhausted and writing this all down so I wont forget!

Innsbruck - Day 1

So today was our travel day to Innsbruck. We had to be downstairs by 6:45 am to load up the bus and eat breakfast. The drive was pretty long, but not as bad as I expected. We stopped once before lunch, for lunch, and then once after lunch. We travelled through Italy to get to Innsbruck so that was neat to at least see Italy (even though only at rest stops). Which by the way, it is so weird here because at rest stops its not mandatory to pay to go to the restroom, but they have trays set out with the cleaning attendant when you walk in and you are supposed to drop in change. I just find that odd, but I guess thats their job and how they get paid. Anyway, so driving through Italy was alot prettier than I expected. There were alot of mountains with villages and houses just sitting on the mountains. It was kind of funny though because everyone finally got used to saying merci (thank you in French) and then when we stopped we would say merci when buying something, but then remembered we were in Italy so then we would say gratsi. When we were driving into Austria our bus driver (Gee) put on some songs from The Sound of Music which made all of the girls days. Alot of us sang along and we are actually only 2 hours away from where it was filmed, but I dont think we are going to have time to go.


We got to the hotel around 5:30 pm and got all settled. Rachel, Sydney, Brittney, Laura, Jake, and Ben went to eat at a really good restaurant. I got this bowl of potatoes, vegetables, and pork all mixed together and it was only 5.90 euros!! It was the cheapest thing I have gotten so far and it was by far the best. From there we had a business meeting with Nicholas Bokdrucker who is an international marketing manager for Innsbruck. I really liked his presentation and he just explained the different ways of getting markets and how to market the city. We also signed up for outdoor things to do for the next two days. Its supposed to rain tomorrow, but more of a chance on Monday which is why we are trying to do most of the stuff tomorrow. I am going to go paragliding in the morning and then canyoning in the afternoon. Canyoning apparently is illegal in the United States haha. I dont really know the extent of it, but we are in wet suits and an helmet and we slide down rocks in water and jump off cliffs I think. I am really excited about both of them!

From the meeting practically the whole study abroad group went back to the place that I had dinner and ate. I got icecream (which ended up being 4 scoopes) and chocolate syrup and it was only 3.80 euros. Everyone fell in love with that place so I'm pretty sure we will be going back again! After that I just came back to the hotel and now In writingthis journal. Good night!

Nice - Day 3

This morning we went to the EDHEC Business School for a presentation. It was really interesting because they talked about the difference between luxury and non luxury products dealing mostly with perfume. The school is ranked 5th on France for business schools and 1st in population. It is a private school so you have to meet certain requirements to get in versus a public university so its more prestigious. After that it was lunch time so Laura, Brittney, and Audrey went and ate our lunches (that we packed from breakfast) on the beach. It's really gloomy today and there sun is not out which stinks for our last day in Nice.

After we ate, we went and walked around at some shops. I didnt get anything the whole time (surprising I know), but they got some things from Galeries. We stopped and got gelato and then it started to rain (yes rain in Nice). Apparently it only rains 65 days a year and of course we are here one of those days. Everything is outside here so its hard to do things when its raining. So we ended up coming back to the hotel and going down to the lobby to cath up on journals and to talk.

In the evening, Amanda, Caitlin, Kinsie, Jay, Taylor and I went to eat at this place called Buffalo Grill. We got a waitress that spoke no english (or so we thought). We used the French that we knew and ordered, but when it came out she had gotten it all wrong. We were really polite about it, but she didnt take it well and was really rude to us. The food was ok, but not as good as we expected. After we paid we were sitting there and she comes up to us in perfect english "excuse me, but I have a party of 6 waiting of you all could leave soon." So either thats all she knows in english or she was playing dumb the whole time. We left of course, even though a little upset, and then walked around. More people came and we tried to go in shops and they wanted to go into bars, but everything was full since it was the opening of the World Cup. We ended up just going back to the hotel and all sat around and talked. Later we all went to this club for salsa dancing, which ended up being everyone just sitting and talking while like 2 locals danced. It was cool to watch the locals because its just such a different culture and atmosphere. I left not long after that because I was tired and wasnt going to dance. I am now just sitting in my hotel room finishing my journal!

Monaco (Monte Carlo)

So today we got up and went to the Parfumerie Fragonard center for a tour and presentation. This is what my group did our presentation on so I was really excited to see it in person. While there we toured the factory and learned how they made all of the perfumes which was really interesting. We also had a presentation about their marketing tactics and also had time shop :)

From there, we travelled to Monaco (which is a country) and Monte Carlo (the city and rock that it sits on) to see the city. We were let out and given tickets to go to the castle there where the prince lives and to aquarium. The castle was not that cool just because it was not very elaborate. I also think its because I have seen so many castles and they loose their coolness after a while, but this one just looked like a house. Everyone seriously got through the whole castle in like 30 minutes, so from there we went to the aquarium. It is the largest aquarium in Europe and it was not even that big. It is the smallest one I have ever been to so I have decided that Europe does not know what big is haha. It was still really neat though just because I really like looking at exotic fish. We had like 2 hours before we were going to get on the bus and go to the Monte Carlo casino so Laura and I (yes there is another Laura on the trip) got crepes and sat in the gardens and talked. I like groups of people, but it was nice to just have a one on one long conversation.

So once we loaded on the bus, we went to the Monte Carlo casino. The streets are too windy so the bus had to drop us off low and we had to walk up. The actaully just had the Grand Prix a little over a week ago, so the streets still had the barriers and there were no street signs which I thought was really cool. Monaco (even though so small) has the highest per capita of all countries and that was obvious because I have never seen so many nice cars in my life. SOme of them I had never heard of, but they were so lavish. So once we got up to the top, some people went into the Monte Carlo casno, but it was 10 euros to get in so I didnt pay it. We did though into a casino next door which was cool to see. I played the slot machine once and won 9 euros haha but stopped there. There was a boy, Michael, on our trip who played this dice game and by the time he was done won 855 euros. Crazy right? We left around 7:30 pm and from there we jhust went back to the hotel.

Once at the hotel, CJ, Callen, Amanda, and I went to eat at the same kabob place and it was just as good as the first time. We were all really tired so I just came back to my room and am writing journals now. So thats all!

Nice - Day 2

So today was amazing! We had a free day in Nice so we went to the beach. We woke up, ate breakfast, and then went and got mats for the beach. The hotel would not let us use their towels and the beaches are rocky so we had to find something to lay on. From there, we went to the beach and stayed until like 4 pm. It was so nice to be able to relax. Almost all of the people on our trip, so about 70 people, were there throughout the day. We just talked, ate, layed out, played frisbee, and swam in the Meditterranean. The water was so cold! It got better when I stayed in the water for an extended period of time, but it was really shocking when I first got into the water.


In the afternoon, Caitlyn, Kinsie, Amanda, CJ, and I went to walk around the city and to do some shopping. The city of Nice is really pretty and quaint with not alot of tourists. We went into Zara which is an offshoot of design clothes for cheaper and I got a really cute cheap pairs of sandals. I also got some gifts for people and some postcards. We all just went back to the hotel after and I worked on my journals and washed clothes in my tub. That was an experience! It took alot more time than I thought to rinse everything out and now I have clothes everywhere trying to dry in our room.


All of the people who have to move tomorrow had dinner tonight (that was provided as an "Im sorry" from the hotel). The food was good, but it was all appetizer foods. There were about 10 different foods to chose from, but I would have rather had a full meal. From there, Caitlyn, Amanda, CJ, Kinsie, and I went to take pictures at the beach because we were all dressed up in nice dresses. It didnt last long though because since we always take pictures, the idea of pictures is not as appealing anymore. We then all went up to Caitlyn and Amanda's room and just talked and did our journals. It was really fun because we showed eachother pictures of our family's and had alot of meaningful conversations. That is pretty much all I did because we were going to go out to find something to do, but no one could make up their minds so I am back in Amanda and Caitlyn's room working on this journal. SO thats all for today!

p.s. Amanda showed me how to upload more than one picture!

Nice - Day 1

We had a free morning today in Avignon before we travelled to Nice so CJ, Amanda, Kinsie, Caitlyn, Taylor, Sam, Jay, and I got up and did some shopping. We walked around the town and looked at the local shops which were really neat. They had alot of antiques and original things in the shops. There also was an H&M which is like a Forever 21, but cheaper so we dragged the boys there. Needless to say, alot of girls did alot of damage in the store. I only got a shirt and a dress which were noth really cheap. They had alot of other really cute clothes boutiques, but alot of them were more expensive so I stayed away from those. SO after we ate lunch, everyone loaded onto the buses and we headed toward Nice. The drive was not bad at all, only about 4 hours. We took one stop at another really nice rest stop. Since we stop at really big places there are always alot of truck drivers. The truck drivers in Europe are so weird because they all just sit outside of their trucks without there shirts on and chill with really vulgar attitudes. I know that was really random, but I just thought I would add that in.

When we got to our hotel, Brittney and I soon realized that our hotel room is right on the water!! Our view is beautiful and we can hear the waves when we sleep. After we sat at our window for like 30 minutes haha, we went to a presentation from Barbara Wilson who discussed about the differences in culture in France. I thought it was really interesting because she talked about how to approach and deal with the differences. After the presentation, we had our Parfumerie Fragonard presentation and it went really well. I am so glad it is over so now I can relax and dont have to worry about it. There was also the Nice/Monaco presentation and a group meeting afterwards. At the meeting we were told that half of us are going to have to move to a hotel down the street. Apparently, France invited all presidents from the countries in Africa for a conference in Nice. The president of Tanzania and the president of Nigeria are staying in our hotel so the government quartenteed our rooms for all of their staff and for the presidents. So since our room is so nice we of course have to move to a new hotel. It's ok though because they are moving our things for us, giving us a free dinner, and our hotel is even nicer than this one. It stinks though because we are going to be away from the other people, but I am just accepting it.

After that, Sam, Katlyn, Brittney, Drew, Melissa, and I went out to eat and all got lamb. It was good surprisingly and our waitor was really nice and accomodating. While we were eating we met a French guy who could barely speak English, but wanted to pay for our drinks so they got a bottle of wine and I got a coke haha. It was really interesting to talk to him and to see the differences in culture. He actually sang to us when we left so it made for an interesting night. From there, Haley, Melissa, Brittney, and I went to the beach at night and took a few pictures. The water is really pretty at night and our pictures turned out really well. Thats all for today!

Avignon

So today was our travel day to Avignon. We had to be ready by 6:45 am which came way too fast this morning. We loaded up and left by 7:30 am. The trip was not as long as I thought it was going to be. I slept for the first part of the trip until lunch. We stopped at a rest stop which was super nice. The rest stops in Europe are ten times nicer than here. The ones that we have stopped in have multiple places to eat, multiple levels, and really nice bathrooms and ammenities. I think it might be because they have alot more travellers in Europe so they are just nicer I guess. After lunch, I caught up on journals and did some of the comparisons and assignments that we have to do for each city. The trip was pretty fast and we got to Avignon around 5 pm.

After we got settled into our rooms, a big group of us went to just walk around and see the city. I really like Avignon because it is very quaint and not touristy. The streets are small with brick paved roads and alot of vendors and shops around. We walked up to the Castle here and it was really pretty. It looked like a castle in the movies and fit the picturesqe idea of what I thought it would look like. There were also gardens around the castle which were also really pretty. We had an incredible view from the top and took alot of good pictures. The weather is also really nice here. It was warm when we got here but warmed up in the evening to be really pleasant. After we walked around, about 10 of us and the Macs went to have dinner. It was a 4 course meal for only 14 euros which was alot for our money. I got steak which is not like steak from Texas, but it was still pretty good. After dinner we walked to the river and hung out with a big group. We played with the frisbee (which I am terible at) and just relaxed. I think the Avignon and Nice are placed at a nice time in our trip. We are all exhausted and coming to a quieter place will allow us all to relax and not run around all of the time. I cant wait until I am on the beach and have nothing to do, but soak up the sun.

From playing outside, Ashley, Jen, Brittney, and I worked on our presentation thats tomorrow. It should not be too bad because we are all well prepared. We just have to fully memorize our parts since we cant have notecards, but I think its going to go really well. Thats all that we did today! I am going to go to bed early and I get to sleep until 9 am tomorrow :) Goodnight!

Paris - Day 4

So this morning we went on a bike tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours of Paris which I loved. I forgot how much I like to ride a bike and you can see so much more on a bike. We saw all of the major attractions and took alot of cool pictures throughout the city. Fat Tire is actually owned by an Aggiw who went on this Marketing Trip and came up with the idea and now how companies in major cities in Europe and the United States. Our tour guide was really good and told us interesting facts such as Napolean is the third most painted or drawn person in history behind 1) Jesus and 2) Mary which I thought was crazy. It was about three hours long and it was my favorite thing of the day!

After that CJ and I went to the Museum De Orsay which is a museum of contemporary (after 1800s) art. It was alot of impressionism and we saw alot of paintings from Van Gogh and Rembrandt which I really enjoyed. From there, we tried to walk to the Arc de Triomphe, but were unsuccessful. There was like an flower exhibit on the street where the Arc was and they were expecting about 2 million people. We didnt know that beforehand and the street was crazy. We pretty much gave up because it was stressful with all those people sp we just took a picture of it from a little ways and got on the Metro. CJ then wanted to go see Notre Dame, but we realized it was closed since it was a Sunday so we couldnt do that. We did though go to a really cool bookstore called Shakespeare's bookstore. It was FILLED withvall sorts of books and I could have stayed there for hours, but we left after a little while. The Pantheon was close by so we stopped by there and took some pictures.

That evening I just ate at the hotel because they had a 5 euro salad which is the cheapest I have found. Around 8 pm a large group of us went to Mont Parnase which is this really tall black building in Paris. It was built to start a metroplex around it, but after it was built the Parisians said it was ugly so stopped all further building. So its the only tall building around, but the view was gorgeous and I could see the whole city in a 360 view. We again obviously took alot of pictures. On our way back to the Metro we all stopped and got a Nutella Crepe which was amazing :) It is so bad for you, but it tasted so good. It pretty much made my night and so now I am just doing journals and catching up!

Paris - Day 3

This morning we went to the Palace of Versailles. It located outside of the city so we had to buy a special pass to get there. It was not as confusing to get there as I thought which was a pleasant surprise. When we got there the line was not too long so we got a Chateau ticket and a gardens ticket. The palace of Versailles in all honesty was not as cool as I expected. I mean it was prety and the ceilings were all intricately painted, but it wasnt my favorite place. This also could be because I have seen so many places like that in the past couple days that the coolness factor isnt there as much anymore, but I did still like it. The gardens though were amazing. The stretch on for miles and its not possible to see them all. When I thought of gardens I thought of flowers, biut its actually just alot of plants and trees, but they are all beautiful. Sam and I took a really cool picture in a spot which we dont know if it was supposed allowed, but there was no signs saying no and it was worth it.



We left there and ate at McDonald's on the way back. It looked really funny and just to let yall know the ketcup in France tastes. Also, its more expensive because I got a large fry and large drink and it was 5 euros which is way more than the United States. After that we went back to the train station that we got off at and it was closed! Luckily we saw people who knew where they were going so we had to walk like 20 minutes to a new station. Once there though, we couldnt figure out what train to get on so had ask. That train though only took us to Mont Parnasse and ended. So when we got of fwe were really lost. We knew where we wanted to go, but sisnt know how to get there. So we got out of the crazy train station and found a Metro and finally got to our destination, Galeries Lafayette. On a side note, apparently today in France there was a really big soccer game and so there were literally thousands of annoying fans everywhere, screaming and clogging the Metro and trains.



Once we got to Galeries Lafayette, Amanda and I separated to get the Longchamp bags that we wanted. We went into Galeries Lafayette and it was crazy crowded so a man directed us to the department store next door. So we got our bags :) and the line was not long at all. From there we went back to the mad house (Galeries Lafayette) and I decided to get my shoes. I am only going to be here once and I will wear them alot because they are brown so I got them :)



Later in the evening (after a break at the hotel) we had our river cruise on the Seine River. It was really nice and the weather was great! From there, Sam, Caitlyn, and I went to go up the Eiffel Tower. We thought it would be cool to go up at night to see the skyline. The line was not long, but we could only go to the first level because it was too late at night. We got some good pictures and we were on it at midnight when the lights went off. After we got back down we realized that the Metro closed at 12:30 am so we ran to two different stations and they were already closed.... so we decided to get a taxi. There were so many people trying to get taxis so there was a personal driver who said he would charge 10 euros per person. We knew that was expensive, but was just wanted to get back since it was late. So we told him where and gave him the address and within 5 minutes he said we were there. It didnt look like the place, but he said we had to walk a litle ways because the road was closed. So quickly after we got off we reallized he took us to the wrong Mariott. It was in a way funny, but also scary because we had no ideaa where we were and it was late at night. Thankfully though we found another cab that was a had a meter and he took us back to our hotel for a 1/3 of the price. We learned our lesson!

p.s. I uploaded more pictures on my Paris days

Paris - Day 2

So today we got to sleep in (relatively speaking) and had to be ready by 8:55 am. We travelled on the metro to our business meeting with Galeries Lafayette which is the largest department store in Paris. We got to shop first which was a bad idea for me. I got a cute brown scarf that I can where alot with and I also found these super cute high heels. They are pretty pricy, but I probably will only be in Paris once and I can say when people ask that I got them in Paris, cool right? So thats still undecided. After we shopped we had a fashion show for us at the Galeries Lafayette. It was really neat and I felt really important watching it. We then went to the top floor which had an amazing view of Paris. We took so many group pictures and my legs were sore after from leaning down so much.

That afternoon we were allowed to go out on our own so Ashley, Callen, Amanda, Caitlyn, and I walked from Galeries Lafayette to the Louvre. It is breathtaking when you first see it and just so large. There was no line so after we took pictures (of course) we went inside. We saw all the major things that I knew I wanted to see such as the Mona Lisa, Hammurabi's Code, VVenus de Milo, Les Noces de Cana, and The Victory at Samothrace. We sawbalot more, but those were my highlights. You could always tell you were coming up on something really famous because there was huge crowds in front os us. It look like 10 minutes to get to the front to take a good picture of the Mona Lisa. After about 2 and a half hours we walked over and saw Notre Dame. The was beautiful and I learned about it in Art History so it made me appreciate it even more. We didnt go in because by that time we were exhausted and hot (still is business formal) so we went and got icecream.

That evening we had a business meeting with Apple. It was actuallyt not as cool as I expected. They did not really show us around at all, we just sat in a hot room and they talked to us about there marketing tactics and what separates them from there competitors. So after that a large group of us went to go have Vietnemese food, but of course the place was really small. So Sam, Jay, Daniel, Caitlyn, Kelsie, and I went and ate at a Chinese food place on the corner. It was actually really good and cheap which was a pleasant surprise because Paris is more expensive than London. From there, we decided to go back to the hotel and 45 minutes later after getting lost we finally got back. Thats all for today!

p.s. I just uploaded a picture for each London blog because I got the pictures downloaded yesterday if yall want to look!

Paris - Day 1

So I looked at my journals thus far and I realized hom bad my typos are. I normally type them really late at night ad don't edit them so I am apologizing beforehand.

So today we travelled to London. We had to be ready by 6:45 am :( which was way too early. We drove to the water border of England and then travelled under the channel to France. The channel is my least favorite thing so far. Our bus drove onto it and you can't see anything. The walls are seriously like 2 feet from each side of the window and we had to turn the bus off so it was super hot. I get car sick easily and it was moving alot, but I just tried not to pay attention and I was fine. The trip was only about 35 minutes and then we just drove off into France. We sisnt have to stop at all and they have no security at the border of England or France. We stopped for lunch after that and then kept driving. We got to the hotel around 6:15 pm so the frive was long, but I slept most of the way. Apparently strikes are realy common here because we have encountered them already 3 times so far. Our hotel called Dr. Mac yesterday and said their employees were going on strike so we had to find another place to stay. We are staying at acutally a nicer place now, but it was still inconvenient. Also, London is supposed to have a workers strike on the Tube in a couple of days. It is going to put London is a grid lock because the streets cant hold all of the cars and alot of people dont even know how to drive so they will have to walk. Thankfully though we averted that. Lastly, the British Airways strike might detain us in Zurich because we are supposed to fly from there to London and then London home. I just hope it gets resolved because that will definitely be a fiasco.

So after we got here we had group presentations from Paris, Galeries Lafeyette, and Apple, and also an orientation meeting. After that a large took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower :) It was so pretty and alot bigger than I thought. Kensie, Caitlyn, Jen Ashley, CJ, Amanda, and I stayed until it got dark and saw it light up and tooks tons of pictures. We just grabbed food and then walked around and did some window shopping. London is alot more shady which I dont like so I am constantly o the guard. I know though that I will love it and cant wait for what the next couple days bring!

London - Day 4

So today was our last day and full free day in London. I group of about 20 of us decided to go on an all day guided tour of Windsor Castle, Stonhenge, and Bathe. Our first stop was Windsor Castle after about a 30 minuted bus drive. Windsor Castle was really neat and is the other home of the queen. Windosr is actually the Queen's last name which I didn't know. Once we got there we an audio tour and walked around. It was really pretty and we saw the doll exhibit and when through all the main halls of the castle. London has been plagued by fires is the theme that I have gotten the last couple of days. They pointed out things that had to be rebuilt because of the fire, but still was made to look old. It was a little rushed there because we had to make it to Bathe (a two hour drive), but I really enjoyed it.

So next was Bathe. On the was there we got to go through the countryside of England which was gorgeous. They grow canola there and all you can see for miles is rich yellow fields and hills. of Bathe was settled by the Romans. They found a source of hot mineral water and people came from all across England to come and cleanse their bodies. The water now is nasty and green, but then it was a great refreshment and thought to be good for your body and soul. They also had mineral hot water that you could buy for 50 pence which I got. It was really nasty, but its supposed to be good for your body so I took one for the team. The town had alot of Roamn architecture which I learned about it Art History in high school so alot of what they talked about I recognized and understood.

The last place was went was Stonehenge. I thought it would be like really far away in a distant field, but no it was right off the side of the road. It was not as big as I expected, but it was really neat to see. Supposedly it was made for look at the starts and sun because the sun rises exactly behind one of the stones, but no one is for sure. We took tons of pictures and it was cool that it was one of the 7 wonders of the world and I saw it.

The bus ride back was not too bad because we all mostly slept. The company dropped us off at the hotel and then we ate dinner. Tonight we went to this place called Ice Bar. It seriously was one of the coolest places ever. Everything was made of ice! The walls, cups, tables, and chairs were all just ice. You had to wear a clask thing and gloves to go in and you got a free drink. They had a nonalcoholic drink so my friend Caitlyn and I got that one. Also you could only be in there for 45 minutes or else you would get too cold. Thats pretty much all for today and tomorrow we are headed under the English Channel to France!

London - Day 3

Today we had to be ready by 8:25 am for the Tube. The ride took forever because it was on the other side of town, but well worth it because we had a business meeting at Bloomberg Media. Bloomberg is owned by the now major of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. It is only 28 years old and it is worldwide. Bloomberg's main product is the Bloomberg Terminal which is the master of all information. You can type in anything and it will show up instantly. Recent news events, locations of things presently, past journeys of products, personal information of people (scary I know), and much more can be viewed in lightening spped. The product is used for journalists and bankers mostly, for trading stocks and getting breaking news. Well we went to their London office and toured the facilities, as well as talked to three employees. The company is very innovative and the offices were so cool. The tour is on the list of tops things so far that I have done here.

After that we had an hour break to eat lunch and then meet back to go to Harrod's (largest department store in the world). Harrod's I have to say was also really cool. The employee that talked to us, Nigel (so British) was really interesting and kept our attention. He talked about customer service and how they are know all over the world with just one store. The store seriously has everything from shoes, clothes, atheltic gear, electronics, food, a pharmacy, a clinic, and much more. Something interesting he said was that they an opera singer and taught him how to need bread to work in the bakery so that he could sing and add to the customer's experience.

That afternoon Jen and I tried to go to the Sherlock Holme's Museum, but of course got lost because things aren't label well. We finally found it and as we walked up the lady at the front door looked at us and just said "No" and closed the door. How rude right? Well so that didn't work out so we just went back to the hotel and a bunch of us went to the Texas Embassy (a restaurant) which was really good. They even had Dr. Pepper which made my day :) From there we walked around and then went to a pub with some other people on the trip (of course I didnt drink). It was pretty fun to people watch for awhile and then we just went back to the hotel. That's all for today!

London - Day 2

So today we had to be ready by 7:25 am for our tour which was really early. We rode the Tube to Parliament Square where we had a tour of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and just around the square. Our tour guide was funny and very knowledgable. He said that tour guides have to go through a two year program with alot of tests to be able to be a tour guide. We first started out by taking pictures in front of Parliament and him telling of information about the House of Lords and House of Commons. Then we just kind of walked around the area and he pointed out building where major events happened such as where the first meeting of the League of Nations and where WInston Churchill was married. My favovorite part of the tour was going into Westminster Abbey. It was so interesting and I felt that I was in a history book. Thre is actually a school still active connected to it which I thought was cool. After that we went and saw Big Ben, which is actually the name of the bell inside not the tower.

We were allowed to separate after that so Kristin, Callen, and I went to the London Eye. If you don't know what it is then google it because it is a site to see. It is like a incredibly large ferris wheel made all of glass to be able to see the whole city. It was really cool to see the city from so high and I got alot of good pictures. After that we went to Harrod's :) It is the largest deparment store in the world and was just sold to royalty in Quatar. The guy who owned to before was actually the father of the guy who died in the car with Princess Diana. Everything there was too expensive, but I got a really good cupcake.

That night I went to Ellen, Julia, Talia, Jennifer, and Kristen to eat at a really good Italian food restaurant. From there we went to go see Wicked :) It was sooo good and was better than I expected. The actors had beautiful voices and the special effects were so good. Thats all for now!

London - Day 1

Today was my first full day in London. We had group presentations in the morning (London, Bloomberg Media, Parliament, and Harrods) and then left for our bus tour of London. That was really cool because the tour guide was very informative and told us alot of interesting facts. We saw a piece of the Roman wall still standing from when they founded London, nice places for shopping, Princess Diana's favorite street to shop (Beachen Place), and much much more. We got off the bus and saw the changing of the guards in front of Buckingham Palace. After that, we were allowed to break off of the group so Kristin, Ashley, Callen, Jen, and I decided to go exploring. It took us a while to get used to the streets and the Tube of London so we got lost a couple of times. During our journey we went to Tate Modern, a museum, which was cool but a little to abstract for me. We also went to the replica of Shakespeare's globe, but there was a play going on then so we couldn't go inside. We finally found the Tower of London which was my favorite thing we did today. It is an old castle where a prison was held and also where King Henry VIII beheaded many of his wives (including Anne Boleyn). There was also the jewelry and artifacts of royalty there which was crazy to see in person. The only downfall was that it was raining and most of the stuff was outside. After that we decided to venture out and went to eat at an Indian food place. Apparantly in London Indian food is how Mexican food is here. It's weird though because the workers stand outside and bargain with you about your meal. I got pretty good at it and we got a three course meal, bread, and drinks for 9 pounds. The food was not my favorite, but it definitely was an experience. Alot of things are closed on Sundays so we couldn't do as much as we wanted, but we did after dinner get to go to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. In the gargen there was Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived. Her memorial was also there and the park was really quaint and just a good place to have a picnic. We ended up getting lost there too, but got to walk through Nottinghill (accidentally) and saw the houses that look like what were in the movie which was pretty sweet. I feel pretty safe in London and it very clean. There are quarks here though like there is not a trash can to be found for like 5 miles (that might be an exaggeration, but for real they are no where to be found), the steps are smaller so I take two at a time, the label restrooms as toilets, and they only use one piece of ice, just to name a few. Well thats all for today and can't wait for what tomorrow brings!