FOOD GALORE

Let me start off by telling you that this massive food binge your about to see was all caused for the reason that I didn't have any bread to make a sandwich...

Therefore I decided to go to Borough Market to "check things out" because I heard they had food and I was looking for some lunch.

Boy was I in for a surprise!

How could I ever chose right?

Well since it's my birthday week, I told myself it was okay to treat myself to a day full of food! And that's just what I did!

Appetizer- Chicken Empanada 

Lately I've been dying for some Mexican, so when I saw this I just couldn't resist. Definitely a tasty pick!

Lunch- Veggie Burger

 I'm not really a fan of real burgers so I've had my fair share of veggie burgers. Hands down this has to be the best and freshest I've ever tasted. I think this was my favorite food of my visit.

Dessert- Meringue

Okay so I've always wondered what these white fluffy looking things actually tasted like so I'd thought I'd try one today... Let's just say not what I was expecting.

It's not that I didn't like it but it definitely wouldn't be my first choice. I would described it as having a chalky out side covering with a marshmallow middle.

A few seconds after that third picture it fell from my hands and onto the ground... I think that was God telling me either 1. Go get something better or 2. Stop eating!

So I kinda did both. I went the healthier route and grabbed some luscious raspberries!

After that you can probably guess that all I want to do was nap, and I did!

As I mentioned my 21ST BIRTHDAY is this weekend!!!!!

I'll be traveling to Amsterdam to celebrate and do a little sight seeing. So watch out for a fun blog to come! Until then, I'll be at the gym working off the 1.000 calorie meal I just devoured!

Here's a song from one of my favorite english artists. Make sure to watch the video cause its really cute and creative!

Foundations : Kate Nash 

To Be, or Not to Be

6 AM

That's what time my morning started on Saturday....

Thankfully I got a good nights rest, so by the time 6 AM rolled around I was ready to go.  So after showering, getting ready, then tubin' it to Baker Street, I was ready to start the day ahead of me!

The company I am traveling with, ISA, has arranged to take us on little day trips during our time here. This trip was devoted to Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford upon-Avon and the Warwick Castle. 

After my friend Joe secured our front row seats on our double decker coach bus, we sat back and relaxed for two hours and enjoyed the beautiful views along the way.

We rolled into Stratford right around 10:30. We all eagerly jumped off the bus and headed to Shakespeare's house. Along the way our lovely tour guide pointed out various locations that were also relevant to Shakespeare and his family. Some spots included his school, his daughter's and granddaughter's houses, the location of his second house, the church he was baptized and buried in.

King Edward VI School

Shakespeare's Granddaughter's (Eilizabeth) House

The Shakespeare Family Coat of Arms

The house Shakespeare grew up in and raised his family in.

Back of the House

 Interior of the house

 The Man himself

Holy Trinity Church

The font Shakespeare was baptized in.

Shakespeare's Grave

After a long bus ride and walking around, we were ready for some food! So we stopped at Barnaby's Restaurant where I had my first taste of legit fish and chips! And let me tell you, I was not disappointed!

Once I could eat no more, I made my way back over to the group where we loaded back onto the bus. This time we had a quick 25 minute bus ride that ended right in front of Warwick Castle.

Here's a quick history for those of you who have never heard of Warwick Castle. (If your not interested, be my guest and skip to the pictures!)

Also along the river Avon, Warwick Castle was built by William the Conquerer in 1068. The Castle's position made it strategically important in safeguarding the Midlands against rebellion.

From 1088 the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick. But in 1153, King Henry II took back the castle and used it to hold prisoners. During the Summer of 1469 Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, rebelled against the King Edward IV and imprisoned him in the castle, leading to the restoration of Henry VI.ests by the Edward IV's supporters forced the Earl to release the king who took exile in France until he raisedDuring the Summer of 1469 Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, rebelled against the King Edward IV and imprisoned him in the castle, leading to the restoration of Henry VI. an army defeating Henry VI and Neville at the Battle of Barnet in 1471.

The castle's defenses were enhanced in 1642 in preparation for attack during the English Civil War. In 1700's Sir Fuelke Greville took the castle and converted it into a country house. Greville spent over what now today would be 3 million pounds (almost 5 million dollars) renovating the castle. 

Nowadays, Warwick Castle is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in recognition of its status as a "nationally important" archaeological site and historic building.

In 1978, Warwick Castle was bought by the Tussauds Group, who opened it as a tourist attraction. They performed extensive restorations to the castle and the grounds, also adding their famous wax figures to help tell the history of those who once lived there.

At 4:00 we headed back to the bus to start our trip back. Many of us fell asleep, exhausted from the long day we had. By 6:30 and about 12 hours later, I was safely back home and finally done with my tourist duties!

Now your probably tired from just reading that long post! So it's time I leave you with a good tune. I know this song has no British relation whatsoever but I heard it everywhere I went on Saturday... and it just makes me so HAPPY!

Happy : Pharrell Williams

Pinkies Up

Wednesday was filled with all sorts of fun! 

After having a stressful morning of homework, deadlines and meetings, all I wanted to do was kick back and relax a little with my friends.

The fun started off with one of London's most renowned pastimes:

High Tea

We went to La Brasserie out by Kensington Palace. I crossed my fingers in hope that my girl Kate would make an appearance. Obviously that didn't happen.... But delicious tea and treats did!

I'm happy to say that I've caught onto British ways and am starting to really like tea! I haven't tried much but English Breakfast tea is my favorite so far.

For five people, we were given 3 platters of food and 3 big tea pots!

All the food wasn't a problem though, as you can see we gobbled it all up!

 And this is just me just trying to be trendy... 

My favorite blogger, Rosie aka The Londoner, likes show off her outfits so I'd thought I'd try it out too!

 Again, the time flew by and I found myself rushing to get back and get ready for the night ahead.

Don't get too excited, my date for the night was Ellen! We met up with eight of our friends and headed over to Gem Bar to see a stand-up show put on by The Comedy Biscuit!

My friends up top found this sweet deal on living social. For 15 pounds you got 2 tickets for the show and a bucket of beer!

To our surprise, our reserved table was right up front! Picture that:

10 Americans front row at a British comedy show....

Needless to say we were the butt of many jokes, but that's what made the experience so fun!

Afterwards we headed upstairs and ended the night with a little dancing!

Oh, and Simone and I had a photoshoot ... Who could resist those chairs?!

 I bet you were wondering when I was gonna pull out the Spice Girls!

THE TIME IS NOW.

Stop : Spice Girls

GIRL POWER!