London.

As my time abroad begins to come to a close I think one of the things that I will never forget is that while I was here I fell in love...with the city of London.

In all seriousness, from the first time I got lost trying to navigate the double-decker buses back to the Arran House from Tower Bridge 5 hours after landing in August to my last journey into the city wandering the streets of Soho last Friday, I have loved every minute I have spent in London.

I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to share this city with Mom and Dad, John, and Dadda at Christmas-time, and as wonderful as I think London is in the cold, rain, and snow, there is nothing compared to London on a gorgeous, warm, sunny day which is exactly what Phoebe and I had this past Friday. Since last July when I read the opening chapter of A.N. Wilson’s London: A History, and he described the incredible view of the city from the top of Parliament Hill at Hampstead Heath all I wanted to do was see the view for myself. Having been so immersed in the city streets, I was looking forward to have the opportunity to step back and take it all in from afar. Our class was supposed to visit Hampstead Heath on our last day in London in September, but unfortunately it was one of the two days, during the 4 weeks that we had been there, that the rain was so terrible that we wouldn’t have even been able to see the cityscape. Finally I dragged Phoebe and after hiking the area for a while we found ourselves staring at the most gorgeous (fog free) view of the city. It is actually is the opposite view that you see if you are standing up at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich—and for me a perfect end, seeing the city in the exact opposite direction than I did the first time I saw the city from Greenwich in August.



These past few months I have been all over Europe. I have seen beautiful sights, eaten amazing food, and been with the most incredible people. One of my friends will say Barcelona is her favorite city, another loves Paris, just yesterday one friend told me when she visited Kilkenny she felt at home--- I loved traveling, and the places I visited, but there is just something about London that I will never forget.

I will always have a fond memory of the Goodge St Tube stop and nights at The Court with Humanities 309, sitting at Covent Garden on a cool summer evening listening to buskers and developing favorites all over the city (there is a string quartet on Jubilee Bridge that is incredible!), relaxing with a book or my journal in any of the green spaces—a hidden gem in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and emerging myself in the surrounding history, from museums, to cathedrals, to the old Roman wall scattered across the city.

I will never forget all that I learned about London; about travel, about food, about history, about pubs, about fashion, about fear, about love, about myself.

Boston, see you soon; but London, I’ll be back.

Xo.
-A

Sometimes Pictures Just Aren't Enough

Before I go into hibernation so that I can study for my three upcoming exams I decided to upload all of my photos from my trips over the past few months. It was actually really fun to look through the photos because I was able to finally sit and remember the incredible sights I saw, and the forever lasting memories that came with those trips. I did the best I could to journal most days during these trips, but figured rather than summarizing my trips in individual blog posts the best thing would be for me to share my photos so that you could see for yourself exactly what I experienced.

However, as I finished going through my HUNDREDS of photos I couldn't help but find myself a little disappointed. People always say, "A picture speaks a thousand words," but I got to tell you, these pictures DO NOT exude all of the beauty that I attempted to capture. For example one day in Florence my friends and I climbed this hill to see what our hostel owner described as "the best view of Florence", and let me tell you, he was right. From the top of this hill you could see the highest point of the Duomo, the Arno River running underneath the Ponte Vecchio, you could see it all; and it was breathtaking. I didn't want to miss any of it, so I did my best to take a panoramic view with my camera, and I truly thought I had captured it all. But I didn't. A picture never could.

A photo is great for keeping a memory, and I couldn't imagine not having kept the thousands of memories I did, but a photo is tough for sharing. You will be able to get the essence of what I have taken through a picture; but the smells, sounds, and the excitement felt inside the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Trevi Fountain, Big Ben, or Saint Patricks Cathedral---these are things I'm sad I can't share.

I feel so lucky that I have had the opportunity to travel and live in Europe. I cannot wait to come home, but I also can't wait to come back. There are more places that I want to visit than I already have, and there are so many places I want to return to so that I can share the moments with the ones I love. I want you all to remember: the incredible lasagna I had in Florence, the Croque Madame I savoured in Dublin, the unusual calm that surrounded me the first time I saw Buckingham Palace, the talented guitarist I stumbled upon in Madrid, the smell of Borough Market any day of the week in London--these are things I will always remember. And as much as I want the ones I love to understand these things too, they are the things that I will never take for granted.

My travles were amazing, and below I have included a few highlights from my trips. I am currently trying to figure out how to link all of my photo albums, but for now enjoy this brief glimpse into my journey.

xo.
-A



1. View of the city of Athens
2. Patsy, Me, and Phoebe in Oia
3. Me and Patsy throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain
4. Oia
5. Rialto Bridge, Venice
6. Rainbow over Piazza after thunderstorm in Florence
7. Me at castle in Lisbon
8. St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin