Sunday, May 12, 2013
New flat
Hi everyone! I'm posting pictures of my new flat in West Hampstead. I have loads of space, so start planning your trips! Enjoy :)
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Devon
Hi everyone!
This past weekend, I went to the beautiful village of Okehampton in Devon. It was a 4 and a half hour coach ride from London. I went through a hosting program at my university, which is only for international students. At first, I wasn't too sure about staying with strangers but I couldn't have been luckier! The couple I stayed with were in there late 60's, have two grown children, two horses, two dogs, and an absolutely beautiful home.
Sue, one of my lovely hosts, picked me up from the coach station in Exeter on Friday evening and brought me straight to their village pub. Once I got there, they introduced me to all their friends (who conveniently happened to be at the pub!) We had dinner at their house and enjoyed chatting.
On Saturday, they let me ride one of their horses. It was my first time ever riding "English saddle". It was hard at first, mostly because you don't have as many things to grab onto in case the horse goes wild, but I got used to it after a while. We went on a two hour ride through the village and country. I wish I could've taken pictures because it was so beautiful but my hands were preoccupied with a very large horse!
After that, we went on a drive so I could see more of Devon and had a traditional afternoon "cream tea" (which is a scone served with clotted cream, strawberry jam, and a cup of tea). It was so yummy!
Sue and Ken had a dinner party that night with their friends and I had a great time chatting to their friends. Everyone there was so warm and friendly....a nice change from the sometimes rough life in London!
On Sunday morning, it was time for me to head back. I had a great time and will definitely be going back to visit them again soon.
Enjoy the pictures!
My love,
K
This past weekend, I went to the beautiful village of Okehampton in Devon. It was a 4 and a half hour coach ride from London. I went through a hosting program at my university, which is only for international students. At first, I wasn't too sure about staying with strangers but I couldn't have been luckier! The couple I stayed with were in there late 60's, have two grown children, two horses, two dogs, and an absolutely beautiful home.
Sue, one of my lovely hosts, picked me up from the coach station in Exeter on Friday evening and brought me straight to their village pub. Once I got there, they introduced me to all their friends (who conveniently happened to be at the pub!) We had dinner at their house and enjoyed chatting.
On Saturday, they let me ride one of their horses. It was my first time ever riding "English saddle". It was hard at first, mostly because you don't have as many things to grab onto in case the horse goes wild, but I got used to it after a while. We went on a two hour ride through the village and country. I wish I could've taken pictures because it was so beautiful but my hands were preoccupied with a very large horse!
After that, we went on a drive so I could see more of Devon and had a traditional afternoon "cream tea" (which is a scone served with clotted cream, strawberry jam, and a cup of tea). It was so yummy!
Sue and Ken had a dinner party that night with their friends and I had a great time chatting to their friends. Everyone there was so warm and friendly....a nice change from the sometimes rough life in London!
On Sunday morning, it was time for me to head back. I had a great time and will definitely be going back to visit them again soon.
Enjoy the pictures!
My love,
K
Monday, April 22, 2013
it's been a while...
Hi everyone! Wow...where has April gone?! These last few weeks have flown by.
After my friend Whitley left and I got back from Italy, I quickly hopped on another plane to go to Barcelona. I was there for 4 days and had a great time!
Once I got back, I had lots of paper writing and work to do. Then I moved into a new flat weekend before last. My new neighborhood is so pretty and clean and safe...definitely an upgrade from my old neighborhood! I will post pictures soon of my new place but I'm still working on getting it decorated and organized.
Last week I went back to work after having a few weeks off for spring break. It was hard going back but I was really looking forward to teaching again.
This past weekend was my dear friend Jennifer's 29th birthday celebration here in London. I'm sure I've mentioned her before but she's a fellow UNCW alum and a very good friend of mine from college...and she lives in London! Lucky me! I also got to spend some time with my friend from NC, Andrea and her husband James.
This week is back to work (teaching) and back to work (papers). I'm happy to be back in the groove though.
Also, wanting to wish a very special 1st birthday to the cutest baby I know - Townsend! :) Sending you and your momma lots of love from London!
xoxo,
Kristen
After my friend Whitley left and I got back from Italy, I quickly hopped on another plane to go to Barcelona. I was there for 4 days and had a great time!
Once I got back, I had lots of paper writing and work to do. Then I moved into a new flat weekend before last. My new neighborhood is so pretty and clean and safe...definitely an upgrade from my old neighborhood! I will post pictures soon of my new place but I'm still working on getting it decorated and organized.
Last week I went back to work after having a few weeks off for spring break. It was hard going back but I was really looking forward to teaching again.
This past weekend was my dear friend Jennifer's 29th birthday celebration here in London. I'm sure I've mentioned her before but she's a fellow UNCW alum and a very good friend of mine from college...and she lives in London! Lucky me! I also got to spend some time with my friend from NC, Andrea and her husband James.
This week is back to work (teaching) and back to work (papers). I'm happy to be back in the groove though.
Also, wanting to wish a very special 1st birthday to the cutest baby I know - Townsend! :) Sending you and your momma lots of love from London!
xoxo,
Kristen
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
London Visitor and Cinque Terre
Hi again! Last week, my friend Whitley came to London to visit. On Thursday, Whitley, my friend Jennifer, and I all went to Cinque Terre Italy for a long weekend. I'll start first with Whitley's trip here!
On my birthday (last Monday), we walked around in the freezing cold and saw some of the major sites of London...Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. That night, we went to an old pub that actually serves Thai food called the Churchill Arms in Kensington. Winston Churchill used to address England from this pub during the war over radio. How cool is that?
On Tuesday, we went found shelter from the cold in the department store, Harrod's. I had never been before but had always heard it was a "must do" experience in London. I can definitely understand why. It's a huge store with everything you could possibly imagine! The best part was the "Millionaires Gallery" where they have all these signed pictures and movie posters from people like Muhammed Ali and Al Pacino. The gorgeous (and very expensive) clothes weren't too bad to look at either! That night we went to a pub called The Fox and Anchor for dinner so Whitley could experience a real British dinner.
On Wednesday, we went to the top of a new building in London called "The Shard". If you don't know what it is, definitely google it. It's the tallest building in Western Europe and it's really cool looking. Much like Rockefeller Center or the Empire State, they allow people to go to the top so you can see the entire city. It was an amazing view! Later that day, we went to Covent Garden to see Mamma Mia! I loved it!
So now for Cinque Terre...I really didn't know anything about this part of Italy when my friend Jennifer asked me to go with her a few months ago. I just said that I would tag along. Well after I did a little research, I realized that it is incredibly gorgeous. It is made up of 5 villages that are all either a short train ride or a 5 hour walk down a coastal path. Sadly, the coastal path was closed because we had some serious rain on our trip but Jen and I still made it to the villages. The food was amazing and in spite of the rain, the weather wasn't that bad! On Sunday and Monday, we had lots of sunshine and I even got a little tan on my face (which is unbelievably exciting for me since I haven't seen warm sun in about 6 months!)
Enjoy the pictures! Lots of love! K
On my birthday (last Monday), we walked around in the freezing cold and saw some of the major sites of London...Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. That night, we went to an old pub that actually serves Thai food called the Churchill Arms in Kensington. Winston Churchill used to address England from this pub during the war over radio. How cool is that?
On Tuesday, we went found shelter from the cold in the department store, Harrod's. I had never been before but had always heard it was a "must do" experience in London. I can definitely understand why. It's a huge store with everything you could possibly imagine! The best part was the "Millionaires Gallery" where they have all these signed pictures and movie posters from people like Muhammed Ali and Al Pacino. The gorgeous (and very expensive) clothes weren't too bad to look at either! That night we went to a pub called The Fox and Anchor for dinner so Whitley could experience a real British dinner.
On Wednesday, we went to the top of a new building in London called "The Shard". If you don't know what it is, definitely google it. It's the tallest building in Western Europe and it's really cool looking. Much like Rockefeller Center or the Empire State, they allow people to go to the top so you can see the entire city. It was an amazing view! Later that day, we went to Covent Garden to see Mamma Mia! I loved it!
So now for Cinque Terre...I really didn't know anything about this part of Italy when my friend Jennifer asked me to go with her a few months ago. I just said that I would tag along. Well after I did a little research, I realized that it is incredibly gorgeous. It is made up of 5 villages that are all either a short train ride or a 5 hour walk down a coastal path. Sadly, the coastal path was closed because we had some serious rain on our trip but Jen and I still made it to the villages. The food was amazing and in spite of the rain, the weather wasn't that bad! On Sunday and Monday, we had lots of sunshine and I even got a little tan on my face (which is unbelievably exciting for me since I haven't seen warm sun in about 6 months!)
Enjoy the pictures! Lots of love! K
Monday, March 25, 2013
Birthday weekend fun!
This past weekend was so much fun! On Friday night, Adam and I went on a cruise down the River Thames. It was a two-hour ride and there was a band on board.
On Saturday, my friend Whitley arrived from NC! I picked her up from the airport and we ventured back to my flat. We dropped off her things and went to brunch at my favorite place...the wet fish cafe. That night, we went out with lots of friends to celebrate my 28th birthday! It was a blast!
On Sunday, we went to lunch at a famous deli called "Harry Morgan's" in the gorgeous neighborhood of St John's Wood. Afterwards, we went to the British museum and wandered around for a couple hours. It was a very cold day but we braved the weather to walk all the way down the famous Oxford Street. Finally, we ended our day with a bottle of wine, a very silly game of scrabble and some delicious Indian food!
Today is my 28th birthday and I'm looking forward to doing some touristy things with Whitley. It's so nice to have a friend from home here! (All the rest of you need to start buying your tickets!) :)
Lots of love,
K
On Saturday, my friend Whitley arrived from NC! I picked her up from the airport and we ventured back to my flat. We dropped off her things and went to brunch at my favorite place...the wet fish cafe. That night, we went out with lots of friends to celebrate my 28th birthday! It was a blast!
On Sunday, we went to lunch at a famous deli called "Harry Morgan's" in the gorgeous neighborhood of St John's Wood. Afterwards, we went to the British museum and wandered around for a couple hours. It was a very cold day but we braved the weather to walk all the way down the famous Oxford Street. Finally, we ended our day with a bottle of wine, a very silly game of scrabble and some delicious Indian food!
Today is my 28th birthday and I'm looking forward to doing some touristy things with Whitley. It's so nice to have a friend from home here! (All the rest of you need to start buying your tickets!) :)
Lots of love,
K
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