Pubs, Flowers & Guns

Kirsten and I got a Groupon deal for a makeup course in the Hackney/Shoreditch area one weekend and decided to try out some "hidden bars." The first one is a normal cocktail bar, but then you are given a secret code and go through a passage and up the stairs to punch in the certain code. The code changes each night. The current theme for that secret bar was "Choose your own adventure" where the drink menu was like a story and you had to made a decision and go to a certain page which in the end would give you a certain drink for you to order. They were all very unique concoctions with some ingredients I had never heard of but tasted good!

Next we went to another pub where you go through the wardrobe to get to the secret room. It was fun exploring new places. We ended with a big club in Shoreditch. I find some of the best nights are ones where you don't have much planned and are spontaneous.

Sometimes it looks funny when we stand together with how short I am and how tall Kirsten is

I went to the Columbia Road Flower Market which runs every Sunday morning in East London. I had briefly been once before when my mom visited but it was so overwhelming and too busy.

My purchases from the market

Katy and I went clay pigeon shooting just outside of London from another Groupon deal. We did not exactly fit in with everyone else who was shooting there which was all rugged men. We got 25 rounds and did three different courses. Once you got the hang of shooting it was really fun... (shooting the clay pigeons I mean.) We both were so surprised at how heavy the shotgun was and halfway through our session our arms started getting tired. Later that day we both had quite a few bruises from the kickback and weren't able to lift our arms.

One Year

September 23rd was my one year anniversary of living in London, England! I spent the day reflecting on all that I have learned and experienced during this past year. I have moved three times, been to 8 different countries and travelled all around England, accepted a full time job teaching, gained new friends from around the world and met a special someone. It has been one of the hardest experiences moving so far away from home and having to do everything myself, but I couldn't have done it without the support from my family and friends back home. Sometimes I do get bummed out as I have missed out on some special events such as friends moving, my sister's engagement, birthdays and holidays but I have no regrets about living in England. I can't wait to see what the next year of my life will bring me!

I started school early September but the kids weren't coming in for another week. I helped set up display boards around the school.

Katy and I celebrated our one year of living in London by going to our favourite place for tea and some treats

Cocomaya in Chelsea

Goodbye Summer

There was an art installation titled "Heartbeat" in Covent Garden for the summer where 10,000 white balloons filled the interior of the market. At night the balloons lit up and created a heartbeat like pulse. I wasn't able to see the installation at night but it will still incredible during the day.

Also in Covent Garden for the summer was the Magnum Pleasure Store where you can choose your ice cream bar flavour and choose your own toppings.

Marcel and I went to Bristol for the night and found this awesome restaurant called Za Za Bazaar. It's a buffet which has foods from all over the world.

My (hopefully last) move in was the day where Ireland played Canada in the Rugby World Cup. Marcel and I spent the morning trying to move in and then took a break to watch the game. While it was obvious Canada was not going to win, I still had to cheer them on. We went to the Maple Leaf Pub which was packed with Canadians and Irish fans.

During the summer the Queen stays in Scotland which allows visitors to tour Buckingham Palace. There were a certain number of rooms you were allowed to visit and they were strict on enforcing no pictures being taken. 

Home - Round Three

I went home - for the third time for a few weeks in the summer before my trip to Spain. There is quite the dilemma during the summer - it's the perfect time to travel as you're off for 6 weeks, but during that time you don't get paid and still have to pay for rent so it can be really tight at the end of summer. I was lucky enough to be able to go home (again) as it actually worked out cheaper for me to live there for the summer instead of stay in London, plus it is always nice to be with my family and friends. This time, I wanted to surprise my Nana, so everyone was in on it we had this great plan on how we would surprise her. I hid around the corner at her house and went my parents went on FaceTime with her pretending I was in London. Then I snuck up behind her and it took her a minute to comprehend that I was actually standing in front of her. I think she was pleasantly surprised!

I got my Nana a wooden "shit stirrer" spoon when I went to see Mrs. Browns Boys live

My goal for the summer was to lounge in the pool, relax and catch up with some friends. One of my good friends was living in Calgary for a year and this was the first time I had seen her since before she left, my other friend has been in vet school in the Carribean so it was nice catching up with them. My other friend also asked me to be a bridesmaid and Holly went wedding dress shopping, so it was really nice to be home for all of that! 

No visit home is complete without a Wacky Wings trip for some reason

I flew back to London with Air Transat into Gatwick as it's usually the cheapest option. I even ended up getting an upgrade on my flight which was a nice surprise as I changed seats so someone could sit with their family. I got in around noon on the Monday of the 17th, and was flying to Madrid the next morning at 10:30 from the same airport. Since Gatwick is quite the hike from where I live, it was easier to rent a hotel room at the airport and ship my luggage to my house. I stayed right in the South Terminal in Gatwick and had my own little pod room. The standard cabin was made for one person, and you literally could not fit another person in there with your luggage as the room is 75 square feet. But it was the perfect size for me and helped me rest to try and get rid of my jet lag before my adventure in Spain!

The North West

At the start of summer I made the journey up to North West England to visit Marcel working in Liverpool and then took a day trip to the Lake District, one of the most popular holiday destinations famous for its scenery. Liverpool is where the Beatles started so it was pretty cool to see all the Beatlemania stuff, even though I am not a huge Beatles fan. I spent my first day exploring the downtown area and found Matthew Street which has the famous Cavern Club where the Beatles often played. 

I took a day trip to the Lake District, though I am pretty certain it was for Senior citizens, as I was by far the youngest by at least 40 years. I can't remember the bus company I went with, but it was pretty good for the price! We went on a cruise along Lake Windermere and I didn't dress for the weather but luckily the bus driver let me borrow is sweater or else I would've froze! Next we had a few hours in Ambleside, an adorable little town full of different hiking and outdoor sport shops. It was interesting to travel somewhere on your own, it made me appreciate travelling with friends because its much more enjoyable to share the experience.

boat cruise Lake Windermere

Ambleside

Even the rest stops in the Lake District are beautiful!

Lake Windermere

Ambleside

I had a full day in Liverpool, and explored Albert Dock and wasted some time exploring "The Beatles Story" a museum that tells the story of how John, George, Ringo and Paul formed the city's most famous band.

In the museum they had recreated what The Cavern Club would've looked like back when the Beatles played, so of course later that night Marcel and I had to check out what the real Cavern Club looks like. They had a Beatles tribute band that was pretty good!

The fake/recreated "Cavern Club" back when the Beatles played

The real Cavern Club