Meeting the new London gang...I mean my new flatmates (aka. suitemates)

I've made it all the way across the pond! I'm sorry I haven't sent and update sooner, but I've been going non stop since I landed! So I'm here safe and sound, and having an absolute BLAST. London is wonderful!

I finally got here with my 3 suitcases and 150 pounds of luggage, and moved in to my apartment at Great Dover Street. You walk in the "flat" aka. apartment, and it's basically a hallway with 8 doors with akitchen at the back. Each person has their own room, so I was worried that I would be making no friends if everyone left their doors shut on the hallway! Luckily the welcome party was out and about and I met two of my "flatmates" James and Manny. Once everyone moved in we totaled 3 boys (James, Manny and Chris) from England, and 5 girls from all over the world (Maggie and I are American, Emily is Australian, Ivy is Chineese, and Magdalena is Chilean).

Both Chris and James are from Wales, and are big rugby boys! So by the time I leave here I'm going to be a complete rugby expert. Manny's the big cricket player here, so I'm learning about that as well!

The first day here I met up with the UNC study abroad students and we walked around London to get the lay of the land. We happened to stumble across the Olympic cycling time trials, so we stopped to watch them ride by! Lots of people were out there cheering and yelling "COME ON MATE!" for encouragement :)  Then later we stumbled upon London Fashion Week going on at the Sommerset House, and walked in to see what was happening. There were obviously tons of famous models and designers there, and of course I had absolutely no idea who anyone was! So that was all very exciting for the first day! Then later that night I went to the pub with my flatmates to catch the big Manchester vs. Chelsea "football game"...we've already had many conversations about "football" vs. soccer vs. American Football as you can imagine! My flatmates were happy because their team, ManU won the game!

Since then I've been running errands trying to get set up...it took me 3 days to get a phone, and I still have yet to buy a blanket. All in all I'm pretty set up though, learning where I should go to buy what etc.

I also went to check out my "Uni" meaning University, and it's smack in the middle of London! We're right in the theatre district, around the corner from Covent Garden, down the street from Trafalgar Square, and our student cafe overlooks the Thames! Doesn't sound like it gets much better than that! I'm also working on running on military time, and getting the hang of using the tube!

I think my favorite outing so far was the Great Dover Boat Party where we went out for 4 hours on a boat on the Thames, and had a party. We traveled past the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and under Tower Bridge! We had the best time! So this next picture is of me, my flatmates, and some of our other friends from Great Dover.

I'm so glad to have recieved messages from some people alread, and can't wait to hear your comments on the blog!!! More to come soooon :)

Welcome to BAston...the city where Rs don't exist!

It's true...most people in Boston really don't pronounce their Rs. "Pah-ked the cah in Ha-vad yah-d?" Mom was curious if we'd actually hear any people talk like that...we did :) They could also pick the two of us out pretty quickly as "coming from the South".

We started out our trip by attending probably the biggest rivalry game in America. That's right, my mom, my dad and I went to see a New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox baseball game in Fenway Park (or Pah-k if you're from Boston). We had great seats, saw the Green Monster, and sang "Sweet Caroline" at the 6th inning. Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost, but it was great to witness America's "Greatest Summer Pastime".

The next morning we were able to check off my mom's #1 on her Bucket List: Whale Watching. That's right, we went out via the Boston Harbor on a ship and went whale watching. We were able to spot the whales when the came up for air, and they were HUGE. The water would turn greenish and bubble up when they started to appear because they were a lighter color against the water. We saw Fin Whales, the second largest whale in the world, and Humpback Whales. I personally liked the Humpback Whales the best because they were much more playful, and would appear right beside the boat! They were really impressive creatures to see in the wild, and I would definitely recommend going to see them.

We spent the afternoon walking around the Beacon Hill neighborhood, saw the Theatre District, went to the Public Gardens with the "Make Way for the Ducklings" statue, and learned from a Boston citizen that the public park is not called the "Boston CommonS"...it's the Boston CommoN...Singular. Oops. My mistake! Then we spent a lovely evening sitting on the dock at the Charles River watching the sailboats and Rufus the dog jump in the river after his Frisbee.

 That night we went to Charley's on Newbury Street for dinner. If you're ever visiting, I would definitely suggest this restaurant. It has a fun atmopshere, reasonable prices, and it's where a lot of locals go...so you know it's a good spot! Afterwards we walked Newbury Street to look at all of the shops. It's basically an out door mall, but lots of famous people go there to shop. We actually saw a bunch of black Escalades pull up in front of a store, and we learned later that it was Britney Spears' entourage. Newbury has everything from boutiques, to Armani, to H&M. Something for everyone :)

After a good night's sleep at the Double Tree with lots of fluffy pillows, the family and I met my friend Andre to go on the Freedom Trail tour around Boston. If you wanted to, you could actually follow the Freedom Trail around the city with out a guide because there is litterally a red painted trail on the street and sidewalk leading to the locations. However, this time around we opted for a guided tour complete with a guide in full 18th century costume! He did a great job leading us around and giving us historical information about the city of Boston during the time of the Revolution. At the end he told us that he was actually related to the the character he was playing...a great-great-great grandson. That was pretty cool.

Then we all went to eat in the Green Dragon Tavern, the oldest tavern in Boston where the Sons of Liberty would meet to plot the Revolution. We aslo learned the difference between a tavern and a pub. A tavern is heavier on the food side, whereas a pub is heavier on the bar side...and there's your random fact for the day! But all of a sudden, while we were eating, a British Red Coat walked in and ordered a beer, we were laughing because it was the most authentic thing we'd seen! Flashback to 1776! And then in walked a pirate as well.

After our historic lunch, we went over to Cambridge for the afternoon, and visited Harvard. Cambridge was a fun college town, with street bands and bars. Pretty much a glorified Franklin Street. And Harvard was a pretty campus, but it looked a lot like North Campus at UNC. I also had my picture taken with the statue of John Harvard, and you have to put your hand on his shoe for good luck. However, we learned later that since it was the first week of class, it was tradition for students to pee on the shoe...of course. But I wasn't too worried since a ton of other toursits had touched the shoe before I did that day! Also, second piece of random trivia, the statue of John Harvard is apparently the second most photographed statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty. Then we ended the day at John Harvard's Tavern with a piece of Boston Creme Pie....an obvious must. And it was delicious!

Just before we flew out the next morning we wondered around China Town, and found the only 24 hour diner left in the city of Boston on South Street. It was called South Street Diner, as you can imagine. It was a little whole in the wall place, but oh my gosh they made the best pancakes I have ever eaten in my life. They were so good, and I definitely recommend going there if you can as well.

Overall the weather in September is beautiful, the people were very helpful and nice, and there's a bunch of fun things to do in the city. Another amazing adventure!

Palaces, Elevator Malfunctions and Traveling 3 Continents in One Day! Oh My!

So, after I got hit by the car in Turkey, our group went on to visit the Dolmabache Palace that used to be long to the Sultans of Turkey. I was really hoping I might be mistaken for Turkish royalty...but unfortunately that wasn't the case!

The palace was absolutely incredible, and different from the few western Europe palaces I've seen. The inside was filled with room after room of crystal. Swarovski would have had a heart attack. Even the poles holding up the banister of the grand staircase were made out of crystal. It was meant to make everything sparkle in the candlelight before there was electricity. My favorite room for sure was the Ceremonial Hall. It was unlike anything I have ever seen. The rest of the palace was impressive, but this room took my breath away. You feel so small when you walk inside because it's an open room about 4 stories high with painted ceilings and columns. The best comparison I can make is the Grand Ballroom you see in the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast when Ms. Potts sings "Tale as Old as Time" (yes...I'm well versed in Disney trivia). Except 10 times as amazing. The crystal chandelier in the Ceremonial Hall weighs 4.5 TONS! That's 9000 pounds of crystal!!!! I could have stayed in that room for hours.

Next we went to the Grand Bazar. I had pictured it as some kind of open air market, but it's in this huge enclosed space. You can buy anything from silver, to Turkish tea sets, to 100% silk scarves, lamps (like from Aladdin)...pretty much anything you want! They also LOVE to bargain with you. One of the people in our group got a lecture from one of the shop keepers for not being a good bargainer. I had a great time bargaining :)

On the way to dinner at around 5PM you could hear all of the speakers from the mosques blaring with the call to prayer across the city. They read from the Qu'ran, but it sounds like singing. Then on the way up to dinner I got stuck on a tiny elevator with six people from our group. It was worse than getting hit by the car since I'm so claustrophobic. We were 7 floors up, the doors wouldn't open, we couldn't speak the language, no air conditioning, and no emergency button. Finally someone on the top floor who wanted to come down pressed the down button, and I guess that cleared up the jam because we rode down two floors and were able to get out. My advice...take the stairs in Turkey!

The next day we traveled over to the Asia side of Istanbul. (Istanbul is the only city that covers two continents!) We had Turkish coffee on the Asian side, and then we took a beautiful boat ride of the Bosphorus, the strait that seperates Europe from Asia. You had the best view of Istanbul from the water! You could see fortresses, palaces, and mosques. Like I said...16 MILLION people live in this city...twice the size of the 8 million people in NYC!

Anyway, Istanbul was fantastic, and it was filled with adventures! After visiting Turkey we traveled about 36 hours to go all the way from Asia to Europe back to North America!

More to come...

Istanbul Once Constantinople (Türkiye)

It's been a few weeks since I actually went, but at the end of my time in Bulgaria a few of us took a weekend trip to Istanbul, Turkey. It was about an 8 hour bus ride there, but it was totally worth it! It was interesting too because we had to drive across the Turkish border which is an experience in itself... for example, I learned that taking a picture of a sign that says "Turkiye" at the Turkish border is a huge no-no. I also wasn't really thinking straight either as it was 3am when we were crossing and had to show our passports etc. I felt like I was in a spy movie!

We were only in Istanbul for about a day and a half, but we saw most of the main attractions. So, as you can imagine, our day and a half was jam packed with adventure.

We started bright and early and went to the beautiful Blue Mosque. One of the most famous known for its gorgeous blue tiles that decorate the interior. It was the first time I had ever been into a mosque, and it was incredible. The inside was huge and vaulted, supported by 4 enormous columns the guide referenced as the "elephant legs" because... that's what they looked like. I had to remove my shoes and wear a shawl and wrap skirt they provided... even though I was just dressed in shorts and a t-shirt.

After that we saw the Hagia Sofia (or as they say Aya Sofya). We didn't get to go inside, but it was fantastic to see from the outside...it's one of the most magnificent pieces of architecture in the world (according to my guide book) and is over 1,400 years old!

Then we roamed the streets a little bit, and as my friend and I were looking at purchasing protective Evil Eyes from a street vendor, we both got hit by a car! Obviously we weren't really hurt...I did get a scrape on my knee, but the guy didn't stop and he totally looked at us as he proceeded to hit us with his car! My family thought this was extremely funny mostly becuase I wasn't hurt. Still...an interesting experience to add to my list of adventures.

Anyway that's only about half the day, but I'll write about the other half later!

"Dear Ladies and Gentlemen..."

This is the way our wonderful tour guide Julia greets us when we get on the bus, or when she wants to get our attention. She's so funny, and incredibly knowledgable about her country. Has any one ever seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? This lady looks like she was in that movie. Every time we talk about the history of the world or culture, the way she talks about it sounds like "You give me any part of history, and I show for you how it originate from Bulgaria"...just like the guy from "Big Fat Greek Wedding" says, "You give me any word, and I show you how that word come from Greek". It's hilarious. I want to tell you later about the people of Bulgaria. They have an extreme sense of national pride that's very touching.

So we went to the town north of Varna called Balchik to see the old Queen of Romania's summer palace called "Quiet Nest". Oh it was so beautiful. The palace itself is nothing special per--say, but the gardens she created around it are beautiful and so spiritual feeling. She built a little church for herself in the garden, and made her navy bring her crosses from Romanian graves and grave markers from muslim burrial sights. Yes, she may have defaced some graves, but it's beautiful to walk through these gardens in full bloom with waterfalls and decorated crosses.

There are also some great stories attached with this place. The queen really disliked her husband and she built this palace for herself, and filled it with anything she wanted (she was very eclectic). She was a fantastic mother though and always liked for her kids to be with her. Her two sons ended up falling in love with the same married woman, and they decided to duel over her. The queen found out at the last second, and she ran out and pushed the two apart. One of them had already fired, and the bullet killed her right on the steps of her church.  It sounds like something out of a movie doesn't it? It's a factual story, the only part that is unknown is which brother's shot actually killed her because the royal family kept it very secret. They believe it was the oldest brother, and that they were trying to protect his image by hiding this information because he was next in line to be king of Romania.

This whole country is beautiful, and so incredibly scenic. The highway we use while going up and down the coast is directly parallel to the Black Sea, so you can usually see the water as you drive. Everywhere we've been to, there are plains surrounded by mountains, and you can see the mountains from the beach. Also the whole country is 70% forest land, so there are beautiful green trees everywhere. The Golden Sands resort we stay at actually is located in what they call the Bulgarian Jungle, which is actually a national park area... Again, greenery everywhere adding to the truly fantastic view everywhere you go.

I finally went swimming for the first time in the Black Sea yesterday. So I'll have to update everyone on that, the wine tour we went on, and the opera performance of The Magic Flute I'm in tomorrow night!!!!

Wish me luck! More to come...

and I think to myself...what a wonderful world...

You lucky people...getting two blog posts in one day! I have to catch up since I didn't get to write yesterday. A lot of adventures happened between today and yesterday!

This morning we went to Euxinograd Palace, which is hidden off of the highway. It was originally built in the 1800s for the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand, and the construction was completed by their next monarch Boris I believe. It was this beautiful light red brick, oversized mansion. It wasn't really a "huge" palace, but that was part of the attractiveness of it. The inside had huge windows, a pastel interior color palate, and it was a manageable size. It provided an R&R feel. The best part were it's English and French gardens that lead straight to the Black Sea. You would walk down the path and end up at a pool that overlooked the private beach. I was hoping someone might mistake me for Bulgarian royalty so I could go swim in that pool! It really was a lot of fun to walk around and see...they had their own working winery and greenhouses too!

After that we grabbed a quick lunch and then went to rehearse The Magic Flute with the Varna Opera House orchestra. I wish you all could be here to hear them because they sounded beautiful, and the conductor is absolutely WONDERFUL to work with (and he's not to bad on the eyes either!) Our cast and the orchestra all sounded great together, and in my opinion there is no feeling in the world than singing your heart out with a full orchestra backing you up. I had a great time today because I had the chance to sing the Queen of the Night's aria "Der Holle Rache", (which if you all don't recognize the name I promise if you youtube it, you will recognize the tune). Anyway, I had a blast singing with the beautiful orchestra, and there were a few "bravas" from them afterward. They were just being nice, but the Bulgarians sure can make a girl feel special! (Our tour guide Galina told me I almost made her cry "beh-cauz it vas beautiful"... She's precious, and I'll talk more about her later!) 

After rehearsal we went to eat at a restaurant where we could see the beach and all of the nightlife. We had really yummy mediteranean food. Then someone in our group noticed there was something starting to cover the moon. We asked our waiter if there was supposed to be an eclipse tonight, and he told us that there was in fact a lunar eclipse occurring tonight. He said that the "full" eclipse was occurring in Lebanon, and that's not very far away from Bulgaria at all. So we watched the moon turn bright red, and when I just went to look out there I almost couldn't find it because it was essentially a total eclipse even from Bulgaria! 

So palaces, orchestra rehearsals, and lunar eclipses! Quite an adventurous day!!!

European Vegas

Alright everyone, today was quite the adventure, but first I will start by trying to describe the beach to you as promised.

The best way I can think of to describe what it looks like at the Golden Sands is the European Las Vegas. Not quite what you expected me to say? It wasn't quite what I was expecting either, but that doesn't mean it's not absolutely fabulous. A little bit of history behind the Golden Sands resort:
1. It's made up of about 40 hotels which are positioned in 3 horizontal rows as you move up the hill. The first strip was purposefully made for the college age/young adults to come party, club etc. The second strip was for those who wanted a quieter experience while remaining relatively close to the beach. The last strip was little cottages meant for people who wanted total rest and relaxation.
2. This land used to be filled with snakes when they were building, but to eliminate this problem the smart people of Bulgaria apparently gathered and shipped in hedgehogs from all over their country to eat the snakes.
3. The hotels are all really nice, and as you leave them to walk down the hill to the beach, you essentially encounter what I can only describe as a mix of "China Town" (where you can buy all kinds of things), and a weird state fair.
4. On the beach there are casinos for DAYS, restaurants, carnival rides (yes I totally rode on the ferris wheel because there is an awesome view from the top), and there is even a replica of the Eiffel Tower...yup it's true.

After you make it through all of that...you have finally reached the golden sands and the Black Sea herself. It's beautiful water that I have only had the chance to stick my feet in thus far, but I fully intend to go swimming. The water is very chilly!

So basically...that's the beach for you. Don't get me wrong though, all of this craziness you have to pass on the way to the beach actually creates a really fun and lively atmosphere.