Weekend Whirlwind

Big Ben

What a weekend! It was a Bank Holiday here in Andalucia on monday February 28th so we didn't have classes that day and my friends and I decided to enjoy the long weekend traveling. Since we don't have classes on fridays either, we took advantage and flew out of Sevilla on the afternoon of the 24th to London, England. That evening we decided to enjoy being able to be in one house all together for once, since in Sevilla it isn't custom to have friends over to one another's home. Mag, a good friend of my cousin Hillary, graciously let us stay in her home for the weekend since she was out of town and we couldn't have been more thankful. She has a beautiful home in Greenwich and she made it very accommodating for us. We had everything we needed and she made sure we knew how to get to everywhere we needed to go. So after we met with Hillary and she showed us to Mag's house, we got groceries, made a delicious meal, and watched the Best of Will Farrell on the couch until we fell asleep (at 10pm ha ha). It was a much needed night of relaxation and bonding for us girls! However, that was the last of the lounging and relaxing for the rest of the trip because starting bright and early the next day we began our journey! 

Aunt Jenny & me at Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

Not only were we all very excited to be able to spend time together in one spot that wasn't school or a cafe, but also that we would be back on a daily schedule that we were used to. Meaning we were going to be able to wake up at least an hour later than usual, have a full breakfast, eat lunch around noon, dinner around 6pm and then home by midnight or 1am. Well, unfortunately we forgot one little thing, the time change! Yes, we forgot that London is an hour behind Spain and therefore we ended up waking up even earlier than we would have if we were home. And to make it worse, we didn't even realize it until we were outside and noticed that no one was around and all of the shops were closed. Well of course they were! It was only 8am! Oh well, at least we got a nice start on our day and were able to take the extra time to figure out the tube (metro line) and where we needed to go. We had planned that day to meet with my Aunt Jenny for an infamous 'Aunt Jenny London Tour' at 10am, so while we waited to meet with her we enjoyed some coffee and muffins and walked around near Big Ben and Parliament. Aunt Jenny has been living in London for about a year and a half with my Uncle David and she has really enjoyed utilizing her time exploring the city and learning all of the interesting facts about it. She showed us around Big Ben & Parliament, Westminster Abby, Eye of London, Thymes River, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, and a wonderful food and clothing market. She treated us to such a nice day, it was wonderful! Afterwards we met with my cousin Hillary at her work and then had a delicious Indian meal for dinner. We spent a great night with Hillary and her husband Bevan and their friends that I had met at their wedding the year before. It was really nice to be around such great family and friends! 

Traditional English Breakfast, YUM!

Saturday we woke up early (and at the hour we intended!) and planned out our last day in London so that we would see everything we possibly could, and surprisingly we did just that! We started with a DELICIOUS traditional English Breakfast at a cafe that Mag had suggested close to her house. Unlike the day before, it was a very gloomy day in London so after breakfast Sarah decided to try and buy an umbrella from what seemed to be the only person with them and unfortunately ended up buying the worst one possible. The man had tried to sell her a very vibrant pink umbrella for 8 pounds (about $13, ridiculous!) but she refused and ended up buying one for only 3 but soon realized that it wasn't even worth that much. Before long the wind and rain had completely destroyed it and we were stuck switching off turns with the umbrellas. It was still a great day nonetheless and we enjoyed another market in Greenwich before hopping on the metro and going to an awesome food market called Burroughs. It was a great suggestion by Aunt Jenny and we enjoyed a good hour walking through it and sampling all of the delicious and exotic foods. Vendors from all over go there and sell all sorts of food from fresh fruit, pastries, wine, exotic meats such as ostrich, cheeses and much more! After walking through it we definitely got a little hungry and went on search for a local lunch of fish and chips. On our way we were able to see more of the river, walk over the Millennium Bridge, and see St. Peter's Cathedral. After a long lunch we utilized the passes Mag had generously provided us to the London Tower. We made it just in time to walk around the outside walls and towers, see the amazing Crown Jewels, and walk through the armory. We had made plans to go to the other side of town to have dinner with Aunt Jenny later that evening but we had just enough time for one more thing so we got back onto the tube and went to Camden Town. I had been there before and had been dying to show the girls what it was like and they never believed me until they saw it. It is truly a different part of London. Camden is a part of town that has tons of clothing and art vendors but is suited more towards what you would consider a typical London punk teen. It is very very interesting and we all had wished we had more time to spend there just exploring everything. After an hour long tube ride we got to the west side of town where Aunt Jenny and Uncle David live. Unfortunately my Uncle David wasn't in town but Aunt Jenny did an amazing job cooking up a delicious traditional Ciancio (my mom's italian family) meatball and spaghetti dinner. Their home is so beautiful and warm and I can't even explain how great it was to be around family that weekend. Thank you again Aunt Jenny! Although it was an amazing night, we realized just before dinner that we had a flight at 6:30 the next morning out of an airport on the complete opposite side of town. So not only did we have to take an hour long tube right back to the east side of town that night at 10:30, we had to pack, clean up around Mag's house, and find a way to the airport before 5am. We ended up hiring a cab to pick us up and drive us to the airport at 3am so unfortunately we barely got an hours worth of rest that evening. I don't know if I've ever been so tired in my life! And to make it worse, the flight was only one hour so we didn't even get much sleep on the flight. But in the words of my dad "[We're] young!" We could handle it! ha ha and once we landed we just kept on going! 

Banana covered in chocolates and nuts at the Greenwich Market

Tower Bridge

St. Patricks Cathedral

It was now sunday the 27th of February and we were ready to explore Dublin and Tullamore, Ireland. We found a bus going into town from the airport and decided to try a traditional Irish breakfast. Once we got some energy back into us we started walking all of over town and eventually ran into St. Patricks Cathedral. It was such a beautiful church and since it was sunday we sat and enjoyed the beautiful service. After that we continued our own walking tour of Dublin and decided to go and do the Guinness Brewery Tour. It was really interesting to learn all about one of the largest beer manufacturers in the world. We had booked a 4pm train to Tullamore where Bridget's family lives so we grabbed a lunch and enjoy a good nap on the way there. Tullamore is a beautiful rural town and Bridget's family was so amazing and nice to us the entire trip. Her cousin Ashlyn let us stay at her home for the weekend so we got very lucky again with our housing. That night we enjoyed a great homemade shepherd's pie, time around the fire with Bridget's family and some of the nightlife in a rural Irish town. The following day we got up and made ourselves breakfast and then went exploring the few sites around Tullamore with Ashlyn and Bridget's other cousin Alison. It was a great day and that night Ashlyn had planned for us to go to a local pub where Bridget would perform with an Irish band. Bridget is an amazing singer who is trying to make it big so this was a great opportunity for her. It was a really great ending to our mini vacation! 

St. Patricks Cathedral

Patrick Street

Christ Church Cathedral

Temple Bar, A really famous area in Dublin

Guinness Brewery

End of the tour at the rooftop lounge - it had a 360 degree view of  Dublin

Tullamore Castle

View during our drive through the "mountains"

Bridget performing in Tullamore

Tuesday we woke up bright and early again and flew back to Sevilla and back to school. We all had such an amazing time and we all couldn't more thankful to all of the amazing people who made our trip so great! THANK YOU!!!! Hopefully I will be able to make it back again someday!  

Map of London, England

Map of Dublin, Ireland (Tullamore is west of Dublin)