Amsterdam. Derbyshire. Stratford.

Hello from England...once again.

My camera had a little sassy fit so i lost my pictures from this past weekend. But i am hoping to obtain them when I get back to the states from my memory card. So I am sorry for that unfortunate event, because you will not be able to look at most of my pictures from this past weekend. Boo.

Wednesday morning at about 4am my friends Sara, Molly, Chelsea, and Jeremy took off in a taxi to the airport to catch our 6 am flight to Amsterdam! We arrived in Amsterdam and took the train to the center of town and walked to our Hostel (which I am never staying in again because it is nasty and awful) which so happened to be in the Red Light District. For those of you who dont know, this is where all of the prostitutes are and much of the marajuana coffee shops and selling goes on hahaha!!! So to our lovely surprise, we were staying there for the night! I actually didnt see any prostitutes to my knowledge, but I wasnt walked around our alley at night either. However, I did have the wonder pleasure of smelling weed everywhere, especially outside of the weed bars and coffe Shops (sarcasm). It was very fun though and quite halarious. When we got there, everyone was beat and really tired so they all laid down a took about a 4 hour nap, haha. I didnt want to waste the day because it was beautiful outside so I went walking around by myself. Now, before you freak out, Amsterdam is completely different than people think it is. Not everything is like th Red Light District, which is alleys and coffe shops and weed everywhere and prostitutes and stuff. It is actually and incredibly beautiful city and I felt very safe and not threatened at all. I walked up and down the wonderful canals and to Dam Square which was very cool. There were really cool buildings everywhere and food places too with tons of pizza (heaven.), so that was awsome. In Amsterdam EVERYONE...i mean EVERYONE rides bikes. There are separate roads for bikes. There are bikes everywhere. There is a hundred percent chance that you will get hit by a bike rather than a car. bikes. Bikes. and more Bikes! I also walked to Anne Franks huis (house) which was their hiding place from 1942 until they were captured during the war. It was an incredible tour and place to visit, and I really enjoyed being by myself. Its hard to be around everyone all the time. I went back to the hostel around 3 and woke everyone up to get ready for Dave Matthews Concert! We got ready and were frantic because we didnt think that we would have good places in the line to get into the concert. We arrived at Heiniken Music Hall at 4:30 and we were the 3rd people in line!!! As it came closer to opening the doors (which happened at 6:30) tons of people showed up. At 6:30 they opened 5 different doors at the same time and everyone rushed in...I got squeezed in between two huge guys and got picked up off of the floor and I didnt get to the security line with everyone else haha but I eventualy made it. After security, we bolted into the concert room and got Front Row, slightly left of the center!!! They were incredible places. We met some awsome people while we were waiting too. A guy from California who had been in Germany for 8 years getting his masters and phD in Mechanical Engineering. He was awsome. The lady who I ended up standing by (of course) in the concert was baout 50 years old, HUGE, and she had her hands planted on the gate in front of us and was in an army stance that took up about three-four normal people spaces. When we told her to move she said taht she need her space and that she knew that we would push her if she moved. ummm...YOUR ON THE FRONT ROW AT A CONERT CRAZY!!!!!!! Needless to say, it was extremely annoying. But it didnt stop me from having a great time! There was no smoking in the concert thank goodness, I wouldnt have been able to make it (from the smell and the fact that I would have been as high as a kite).  After the concert we went back to the hostel and pass out! We were so tired and I had to get up early and travel back to England all by myself haha! It went very smoothly which was a releif. It was, again, nice to be alone and dependent on myself.

Friday I went on a trip with my Meet-A-Family to Derbyshire (prounuciation: Darba-Sure (r's are silent)), which is a county. We went to Matlock, Hathersage, and Chatsworth which are all in Derbyshire. This is the place where Pride and Prejudice was filmed. It is also known as the Peak District. Chatsworth is where Mr. Darcy's house (Pemberly) is. UHMAZING! Hathersage is where the peaks that Elizabeth stood on in the movie are. It was such a beautiful countryside and lovely quaint towns. I wish I had the pictures to show you. The girl who is my "sister" got some pictures but they suck because they arent nearly as good as my pictures with my camera... because my camera is awsome :). But anyways it was a lovely day. We had two tea times...i didnt have tea, and one dinner. I was starving basically. So I have decided taht I am gaining weight here...because literally, all I eat is pre frozen and processed nastiness and it is repulsive. I am so ready to be back on my normal diet of fresh healthy food (aka raisen bran crunch and oatmeal). That night after we got back to the school I went to the goose with a couple friends for a few hours and then came back to school and got ready to go to Stratford the next morning!

Saturday morning we left for Stratford. This is the first time I met Cassie's boyfriend Chris!!! He is the sweetest and coolest guy. They are so cute and perfec for each other. We are best friends :) We stopped at Conventry to see a cathedral (whatelse is there to see in England but castles and cathedrals...nothing). This is also the place that Lady Godiva rode through the town naked on her horse to prove something to her husband. She told all of the town that she was going to do this so to close their curtains and to not look outside. Everyone did this except for one person....Guess who....PEEPING TOM! Yes, Godiva Chocolate and Peeping Tom come from Coventry England. And according to some English friends that we met, Coventry is an awful place and parents in the UK threatened their kids by telling them that they are going to send them to Coventry if they behave badly haha!! Next we went to Stratford and spent the day there. This is where the birthplace and home of Shakespeare and his family is, including his sister and wife and parents. This is also where is tomb is, which lays in Holy Trinity Church. Other than that we ate and waited for the play to start. This trip was required for shakespeare students, so we went and saw King Lear, which is a shakespearian play. It was 3 and 1/2 hours long. I had to stand up for the last 30 minutes because my knees hurt so bad. but the play was FANTASTIC! ... or so i hear from all of the theatre students that I go to school with haha! They were telling me all of this stuff that I didnt even notice. It was awsome (not sarcastic).

That basically ends my lovely weekend, full of pictures that you cant see. Sorry. It is Spring Break time over there! Im a little jealous, only because I know that so many people are going to the beach (excluding you chance) and I want some hot weather...im not even asking for hot...maybe 60 would be good. I would even go for 50. That would be fantastic! And an actual storm would be awsome too...not one of these half assed, wimpy rains that they have over here. I want some heavy duty thunder and lightening...I want to see some trees moving and some branches falling from the sky. Haha!

I miss all of you so much! I am getting excited for my up coming trips, but mostly coming home haha. Sad I know. But I'll have you know that there has been no moping or any taking granted of the time I am having here. Im living up this Party in the U.K.! (Not too much Daddy).

I love love love love yall so much. I miss you daddy and mommy :) I hope everyone has a great week this week!

Dont forget to stay tuned to Party in the U.K.

Coming Up This Weekend: Trip to Lake District (largest lake in England), where I will be rock climbing a water fall and mountain hiking! Nature! Woo!   
Next Weekend: London (going to see Phantom of the Opera & Legally Blonde on Broadway)
Weekend After: Paris!!!

Adios! (I miss Tex mexican food)

- Alejandra (...just for you daddy, even though I hate it :) )

Chatsworth House (Mr. Darcy's house)..this is the only good picture that the other girl had

Us with our new friend Sean (Germany man - right) on FRONT ROW

Note: Crazy lady to the left in her army stance

Me and Chelsea at the front of the line to get in Hieniken Music Hall!

Front Row with our Dave Matthews England Tour shirts on! (yes i know im a geek Chance)

Girls! and Jeremy in the background

(Chelsea, Me, Sara)

Dave. Awsome.

A trash can in McDonalds in Amsterdam! hahaha! Dank U

Canal in Amsterdam

Me in front of Shakespeares house

FUN FACT!!!

Hey YAll!!!

I have a little AMAZING Fun Fact for you guys that I kind of freeked out about. SOoooooo...The play that I went and saw in London, "The Little Dog Laughed" featured Rupert Friend a.k.a Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh My Gosh! My life is full of celebrities! Well, not really but it will suffice.

So I thought that that was an awsome little piece of wonderfulness for yall to enjoy this lovely weekend :)

I miss all of yall so much and I cant wait to come home. Dont forget to read my last post about Oxford, Bath, and Stonehenge!! And stay tuned for Amsterdam, Derbyshire (where Pride and Prejudice was filmed...ironically), and Stratford (where William Shakespeare was born)!

Love you Love you Love you Love you Love you!

Al

Oxford. Bath. Stonehenge. Flu

Hello from England! ... and the sickly.

I miss everyone so much...I want to come home more and more everyday. Which is a little sad, but im hanging in there. I only have two more months left and I am going to some amazing places :) This weekend was wonderful and full of beautiful sights. As always, I wish that everyone could have experienced it with me, but I guess it is good that I am by myself, Im growing haha. I hope that everyone is doing well...im sure that yall are all so busy. I wish that I was in Texas weather....it never stops raining here. What a surprise...right? School is going well...this week is going to be a breeze, unlike last week. Im hoping that things will slow down a little bit.

Wednesday Night was by best friend and roommate Cassies birthday! We went out to a pub in town with the "Theatre Kids" (as everyone refers to them as, but I am such goood friends with all of them) and it was a blast! We had so much fun. (Pictures below)

Before this weekend started I went to the Alice in Wonderland World Premiere in London!!!! This is where I stood without moving (only to shove people in front of me out of the way) for 6 hours in the pouring rain. But Hey!...it paid off because I got to see Tim Burton (creepy man..wierd movies) Anne Hathaway (love her) and I got the meet Johnny Depp (yes lauren...he is a bit greesy..yet hot at the same time) and I got his autograph and pictures too!!!! (as seen below) It was amazing, but also very cold and I had an afro at the end of the night :) But I would do it all over again. Crazy.

This weekend I went to Oxford, Bath, AND Stonehenge...busy busy weekend! First we went to Oxford on Friday morning and spent the afternoon there. We saw Christ Church, which is where Harry Potter Great Hall is! That was awsome to see. I also went to the Alice in Wonderland shop (how appropriate) because Oxford is where Lewis Carroll wrote and based his book Alice in Wonderland! So that was really cool as well. We also saw some of the cool architecture and buildings that we have been studying in British studies and Oxford University...which is all over Oxford because a ton of Colleges around the town make up the University. I got some good shopping in and some great pictures!

Friday Night and all of Saturday we spent in Bath. This was an amazing city. I didnt get that many pictures because there werent too many sites to see there except the Roman Baths and Jane Austen Centre (this was Jane Austen's home) and also Sally Lunn's house (which is the oldest house in Bath and now a famous restaurant with her famous bun recipe). We did alot of shopping in Bath and relaxing and good eating. It was a fun time but also not stressful because we didnt have a million sites that we had to see before the day was over. I also got my hair trimmed here, which was nice...it was getting a little ratty. We went out saturday night for my friend John's birthday and his parents paid for our dinner which was so nice of them, and it was a fabulous meal!!! Overall, a fantastic and relaxing time in Bath...though it was rainy.

Sunday...Sickness. I woke up and I was throwing up the whole day. We went on the Roman Bath tour before we left Bath which was great and really cool to see. I didnt pay too much attention to the rest of it haha. We left Bath and made our way to Stonehenge. Stonehenge was cool, but not really all the hype that everyone says it is. However, it was a very cool site to see. After this we headed back to the manor...where i continued to throw up all of my guts. Lovely....i know. However, you will be glad to know that I am feeling so much better now :)

Coming up on Party in the U.K. --> I am going to Amsterdam this Wednesday for a night to see Dave Matthews Band with a group of friends! I am also going on a day trip with my host family to Derbyshire (where Pride and Prejudice was filmed) on Friday. Then on Saturday I will be going to Conventry and Stratford with my Shakespeare class to see the towns and also see a play production of King Lear. So lots to look forward to and blog about! I hope all of you have a great week! And remember...you can click on the pictures and it will make them bigger and more clear for you to see :)

Well I hope all of you enjoy my post and my pictures!!! I love all of you very very much and I miss you even more! I cannot wait to come home and see al of you (especially you, Yawnen and Gookana (Spelling?...ask oma about it) ) ...i wish I could be there now :) I love you.

Yours Truly,
- Hannah Montana
P.S. (i miss the Disney Channel)

Me and Cassie at her Birthday!

me and my friend John White at Cassies birthday

Me and my friend Sam at Birthday party

Me and friends at Premiere

me at Platform 9 &3/4 at Kings Cross Station in London (in Harry Potter for those who dont know)

World Premiere Sign!

Me at World Premiere

Johnny Depp!!!

Incredible.

Awsome!

Me in the Great Hall

The Great Hall

Me at Christ Church in Oxford (where Harry Potter Great Hall is)

Tom Tower at Christ Church in Oxford

Me at Alice in Wonderland Shop in Oxford (where Lewis Carroll wrote the book)

Me at Roman Baths in Bath (as you can see im very pale - beginning of sickness)

Me at Stonehenge!

Again with the pile of rubble (as they call it here)

Stonehenge!

Worst Week of my life!

Hello Everyone...

As you can tell from the context of my title...I have had a rough week. And its only WEDNESDAY! I have had to write 2 papers, take 1 quiz, do 1 presentation, read 3 books, and have class from 8:30am - 5:30pm today. It has been awful! But....At least it is almost over and I dont have class for the next four days!

ANnnddddd.....I get to go to London Thursday to see the Alice in Wonderland premiere!!!!!!!!! Well not actually the premiere...but I am going to the red carpet to see all of the movie stars! I am so excited! hopefully I will get some good pictures from it to put on here...which could possibly include Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway! So yes...this week will have a happy Ending. I will also be going to Oxford, Stonehenge, and Bath this weekend...so stay tuned for a post this weekend!

Well, that is my life at the moment! I love all of you and I hope that yall have a wonderful week.

- Al Pal

Killarney & Dublin, Ireland...adventure of the Leprechaun!

Me at waterfall in Ring of Kerry

Me at waterfall in Ring of Kerry

Going out in Kilarney

Going out in Dublin

Longest City name in England

Me infront of the coast - Ring of Kerry

Ring of Kerry - about to be blown away

Chelsea and Me in a valley in Ring of Kerry

View from a cliff in Ring of Kerry

Beach on Ring of Kerry

Im in Atlantic touching Home!!!

At Blarney Castle...about to make my way up to kiss the stone :)

Me, Emilie, and Sara at Red Fox Inn having IRish COffee

View from cliff on RIng of KErry

John, Kara, Emily, Jessi, Me at water fall at Blarney Castle

Im having some trouble uploading the pictures..i will uplaod a TON more tongiht so stay tuned!

I added some more...i will try to keep adding. If you click on the picture then it will give you a better view :)

Top O' the morning to ya!

That is what you have to say in Ireland everytime you pass over a bridge...it is a little hello to the little people (Leprechauns) who live under the bridges.

This weekend was a LONG weekend to say the least. It all started Wednesday night at 6:30pm...We all boarded the coach to drive to Wales, where we arrived at 2 am! Needless to say, I was awake the whole bus ride. We got onto the ferry and it was like a cruise ship! There were restaurants and couches and lounges and everything! So guesssss what I did.....SLEPT! haha...my group was the only one on the ferry except for 10 other people so we spread like the plague on the couches. We arrived in Ireland at 6:30 am and went to a hotel to eat an "Irish" breakfast which consisted of baked beans, nasty sausage, some more poor quality English meat, and an egg. We freshened up and hit the road again for 2 hours. Next Stop...Blarney Castle. This is the location of the famous lucky Blarney Stone...which you have to KISS in order to get lucky!! Yes...I kissed the stone that millions of people (who probablly possess diseases unknown to man) kissed! It was quite exhilarating. I got my picture taken because it is quite an ordeal to get to the stone, so there are officials that help you. We walked around and saw the lovely sites of Blarney, had lunch, got some Euros, and boarded the bus again! Next Stop...Kilarney! Kilarney is a famous town, but small and quaint town in Ireland. It had lovely restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. It was so small and welcoming, we all knew our way around by the time we left! We spent the night here...more like crashed and burned.

NEXT DAY!! Wake up at 8am and board the bus once again...but this time is was a happy time. We took the Ring of Kerry tour from 9am until 4:30pm. This is a circuit of scenery sights along the Western Ireland coast that has some of the most amazing scenery that I have ever seen. I got to touch the Atlantic!! ... I was touching home :) We went to the Red Fox Inn which has some of the most famous Irish Coffe in Ireland. It also has ponies and the largest dogs in the world! I tried some Irish Coffee (which is Coffee and Irish Whiskey), a combination of two things that I never drink and dont enjoy. It was good, but I was tired of it after a couple sips. Next we went to some cliffs and beaches and valleys and waterfalls which all had breathtaking scenery...and all of which had some historical significance, but who cares about that?? HA Kidding! We got back to the hotel and got ready to PARTAY! We went to dinner at this small restaurant and had the best meal that I have had in the UK this whole trip. I had homemade Lasagna, mashed potatoes, and 4 different kinds of veggies (I had my 'Greens' Oma :)After that we went to a pub with live Irish music which was so much fun! We got the musicians to sing my friend Happy Birthday. Everyone had a Guinness (except me)...since it is brewed and apparently amazing in Ireland. The cool thing about this place was that the front was an Irish pub and the back was a night club with Hip hop and fun dance music. So if I may make a 'Hannah' reference...We got "The Best of Both Worlds" :)

NEXT DAY! Wake up at 8am and made our way to DUBLIN! Dublin is home of the Original Guinness Brewery and the Original Jameson Whiskey Distillary. It is also famous for the shopping and Temple Bar District...which is where all of the hoppin' bars and clubs are. Having Euros was awsome...it was like we were steeling everything...because the Pound is so expensive. However, in Dublin they didnt let us feel like we were steeling anything. Dublin was so much fun and a totally different feel than Kilarney. It was such a big city with some crazy people and Leprechauns...I saw them everywhere! We went shopping and site seeing most of the day and then went and ate at The Bad Ass Cafe! haha...we had to. After that we went to get ready to go out and 'Hit the City'! (Tik Tok anyone?...its a song for those who didnt get it :) We went to the famous Temple Bar in Temple Bar DIstrict, and it was packed like Bourbon Street when the Saints win the Superbowl! I met alot of really nice people...some Irish some from New York haha. I met a surprisingly large amount of people from the States that night. We got the Live Irish musicians to play Gallway Girl (This is the song in P.S. I Love you that Gerard Butler plays for Hilary Swank when she is in Ireland) It was awsome! The night was full of awsome memories and tons of great jokes!

Finally!!! Homeward Bound! Loaded the bus at 645 am...3 hours of sleep. Wonderful. By this time I was as homesick as anything, bothered. (Hello, its for you. Bothered.), and wanting to come back to Texas so bad!! This was mostly because I couldnt talk to mom and dad for 4 days because I couldnt get an internet connection. bummer. But I stuck it out and made it all the way back to the manor before crying!! Haha...yessss....We made our way to the ferry station and boarded the awsome ferry and took full advantage of it by sleeping the whole time again :) Got back on the bus at Wales and stopped at a city in Wales with the longest name in the whole United Kingdom

LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH.
Meaning: The Church of Mary in the Hollow of the White Hazel near the fierce Whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave.

No...there are no typos. That is the name of this city in Wales...which is basically a tiny as a needle, but an enormous tourist attraction. We stopped their for lunch and made the rest of our way back to the manor!

Now I have to give a Presentation tomorow and a test on Wednesday :) Hoooray! NOT!

I am staying at the manor this weekend... I was planning to go to Wales. But after that 5 day trip I just cant get the idea of anymore travel in my head. And I also have a heavy amount of work building up on my plate.

However, I have booked some exciting trips recently for the future. THese are not school trips...these are ones that I have decided to take with a separate group of friends. I am going to Prague in April and Amsterdam to see The Dave Matthews Band the beginning of March!! So I am very excited and cannot wait for that :)

I am missing home more than ever right now. I love it here and I am making some of the best freinds ever, but there is nothing like home...OR TEXAS! I miss it and everyone so dearly. I really miss the sweet girl and the little bug (a.k.a. Emma and Riley)...I think of them all the time. Especially when I see puppies...which is alot. I think of everyone all the time... and my bank account is depleting rapidly!! haha and my hair is getting a little ratty and unruly...suffice it to say that I will be in need of a severe highlight treatment when I get home :) I just cant beleive that it will be summer when I get home...like an 8 month vacation!!! Except not because school is kicking my little hiney right now. The food here isnt getting any better...but I have gotten to the point where I can stomach any kind of food...well maybe not any...Actually not that much at all. But im working on it! One thing that I have been fortunate is staying away from any and every sickness!! Even after kissing the Blarney Stone!

Well I have a presentation waiting for me that isnt going to finish itself. I will post soon! I love you all very much and I hope that all of you have been well and enjoying the Texas snow :)

Ali

P.S. I love you :)

Who Dat.

Hey everyone!!

GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What! What! Superbowl today and I cant wait! Kick off here is at 11:30 pm! Hooray for late night NFL, and it hurts me to not root for the Colts but I must support the homeland :) So, this weekend was uneventful in the fact that I did not take any trips, but it was nice to relax and not have any obligations. I slept until 11:30 am on saturday (and watched 3 movies) and 12 pm today. My sleep schedule has been radical here!
(LAuren and Christi: I watched Three mUskateers, feeling a little iffy thinking that maybe it wouldnt be as good as when i watched it when I was three years old...haha!! IT WAS BETTER!!! I was CRACKING UP!!! I cannot wait to get back and quote our favorite lines from it --> [Rochefort. Isn't that a smelly kind of cheese?]. haha I love it!

I dont have many interesting things to say. I am going to Ireland for 5 days and four nights this week so I will have an awsome post next weekend! I will be going to Dublin and Kilarney. I dont have much to post this time but I just wanted to keep you updated on my weekend! I tried to post pictures of all of my friends but since they werent from my camera, they wouldnt post. Bummer.

(This paragraph is after the super bowl)...WOOOO HOOO!!! Saints won! Great Game huh?I watched the whole thing in a room FULL of Colts fans...everyone here is from Indiana haha! So there was tons of heckling towards me to say the least, but I kept my little mouth shut and I guess it paid off in the long run :)

HAPPY BIRTHDDAY LAUREN AND CHRISTI!!!! 24!!!! YAY!
(I wish I could have been there so bad)

I miss everyone SO much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY!!! 21!!! (WISH I could be there!)
(You will be getting a little surprise in the mail...use it for your birthday!)

Alex and Christopher!
I miss both of you so much! I hope Nursing School and Law school are going great (you little brilliant couple) haha Give Maddie and Walle (Spelling?) a big hug and kiss for me! Im so glad they are best friends now! Love you.

Miss you Bailey & Chance! I cant wait to come stay with yall at SMU...i miss it alot, but I wish that yall were here to party! (and Chel)

I was SO Happy to see you this weekend Grandma Bagley :) Love you.

Aunt Jean & Uncle Jim,
Mom and Dad told me that yall are enjoying the posts...and I am SO glad!! I love that I can share this experience with everyone at home. When I come home we will have to come to Trophy Club and have dinner soon! I hope yall are doing well. Love you

Hi Oma! I know mom will show you this post so I thought that I would say hello and I miss you very much and I cannot wait to get your happy in her package! I hope it comes soon! Love you :)

Love you mommy and daddy...i miss home so much :( Im trying to study hard and stay focused haha its hard here. This is the most liberating and amazing experience that I have ever been through, and all of the amazing people that I have met so far have made it even better. I wish that both of you could be here. It isnt the same without you...but we will be back :)

I am Desparately sorry if I forgot to address anyone! (I cant see everyone who follows from this page)...but I LOVE all of you and you better look out for my next post about Ireland!!

Stay Tuned to Party in the U.K.!!! (Ireland will be CRAZY!...im finding Gerard Butler while im there :) at least my own version)

-The Bal-ster