Finals.

The only thing that sucks about a Study Abroad?

The studying part.

Finals are this weekend, and the center is a madhouse. 



Yes, this is currently where I live.

I’m keeping myself going with numerous McDonald’s runs, spoonfuls of Jet Puff,

and lots and lots of Dr. Pepper.

Wish me luck.

On a happier note…it snowed this morning :)

Madrid.

This Thanksgiving, in order to avoid homesickness at all possible costs, I decided to take a vacation from my vacation, and head to Madrid, Spain for the long weekend. And I LOVED IT! It was warm(er) and sunny, the people were loud and friendly, we ate chocolate con churros every morning for breakfast, and with my dark hair, skin, and eyes…I fit right in! It was fabulous.

Day 1 consisted of a trip to Toledo—the most adorable little Spanish town I’ve ever seen. We stopped in the Lladro store first, where we discovered that they offer a 25% discount to Mormons (thank you missionaries), and then it was off to the Cathedral of Toledo, which was honestly the most incredible cathedral that I have ever seen. And I can say that, because I have seen A LOT of cathedrals. Sadly, I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside (just like everywhere else in that country), but I may have snuck one or two from my pocket.

Next we happened to stumble upon the jewelry makers of the town, so we sat and watched that for a while, and then it was on to the sword maker’s shop, where we got a tour from a nice Spanish man who was missing a number of fingers.

Next we toured a synagogue, which at this point I have also seen way too many of, and then we had lunch at McDonald’s…where I successfully managed to order a number 7 sin salsa in Español. My papa would have been proud.

Then it was back to Madrid and on to the Prado, which is basically the Louvre of Spain and was filled to the brim with some of my favorite works. Sadly, no pictures in there either, so I bought lots of postcards from the gift shop instead. Then we found a restaurant out of our guidebook and tracked it down for our Thanksgiving feast. The food was decent, but the portions were tiny, and our waiter hated us for not ordering any alcohol, so it was slightly disappointing. So where did we go after for dessert? McDonald’s of course. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Day 2 consisted of a tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid

Lunch at Mercado de San Miguel, my favorite food market ever

Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor

And a quick stop at the Real Madrid football stadium.

Day 3 we only had a few hours before we had to leave to the airport for our flight back to London, so we decided to make a quick trip to the temple first thing in the morning, which was beautiful and I loved. I’m so grateful we made the time to go see it.

And then a quick visit to the Reina Sofia, which houses one of Picasso’s most famous works, Guernica, which was awesome to see, even if it only was for a second.

And then we were on our way back to London. I had such an incredible Thanksgiving and the only other place I could have wished to be was at home eating my mama’s chocolate pie. But I’d have to say that this was a pretty decent replacement. Happy Thanksgiving!

London Lovers.

Remember how a few weeks ago I told you that I had had the best week in London yet? Well, I lied. This week tops them all. Why? Because JUSTIN CAME TO VISIT!!!  After three loooooooong months of being apart, I finally got to pick him up from the airport and show him around my favorite city. And I can honestly say that I love this place even more now than I did before. As great as all of my adventures here have been, it just means so much more when you can share those things with someone that you love.

So I spent nine days dragging him around to all my favorite spots. Seriously, what could be better than a week and a half in London with your fiancé? It was the best thing ever, and as my mother put it, we got to enjoy a “sexless honeymoon.” (Direct quote from Lori…no judging me.) 

I showed him all of my favorite sites—we climbed to the top of St. Paul’s, toured Westminster Abby, saw the Christmas lights on Regent’s Street, watched fireworks on the Thames, and rode the London Eye.

We spent a day exploring Cambridge, watched the Lord Mayor’s Show Parade, and wandered through Harrods.   

I showed him Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge, and we ate bratwursts from Borough Market. 

We even went to an Opera! We both hated it, and we may have left halfway through, but at least now we can say we’ve been.

I introduced him to Nando’s and we ate there almost every single day. Seriously though, I think we ate there 8 out of the 9 days he was here. We even found one on our day trip to Cambridge. Just another reason why I love that boy.

And we had the amazing opportunity of having our engagement pictures taken while he was here. Our photographer was incredible, and she put up with me wanting to wander all over the city to get to my favorite spots. They turned out even better than we had hoped, and it will be so great to have those pictures to remember this trip forever. THANKS MOM AND DAD!

The past week and a half was the best time that I’ve had here my entire trip, and even though I’m so sad it’s over, I’m so glad that I got to share my experiences here with Justin. If it’s possible, I love him and this city even more than I did before. Only three more weeks!