London, Paris, We live in Bordeaux!

Bonjour y'ally y'all! wow I have been seriously lackin on this blog. but now I have new and exciting things to regale to you! I just got back from a weekend in London. I went with my 4 friends from California and it was so amazing!!! It's such a beautiful city with tons of cool things to see and do. We got really lucky with the weather- it was cold as balls, but clear skies and no rain! unfortunately, we didn't have much time, and we are all broke students, so it was kind of limited. But, nonetheless, we made it an excursion jam-packed with fun and craziness! Ok so first, we arrived on Friday at like 6pm. and i thought we were gonna die between the janky plane/bus ride. And then when the bus dropped us off, we asked how long it would take to walk to our hostel. we were told one hour, but since we are young wild and free, (and poor) we said why not!!! and walked, and walked and walked..... and then finally arrived. Throughout the weekend, we walked an insane amount. We actually didn't take public transportation or a cab once. My butt and legs are well-toned.
        So first thing we did: stop for a little break and eat some fish and chips! They were definitely not top-of-the-line, but I still got the experience. After we refueled, we settled in to our hostel. Our auberge de jeunesse was really cool!  and in a super-posh neighborhood. Ferraris, Bentleys and Rolls Royces rolled by us on the regular. I mean, obviously very fitting for us. That's a joke, because if you saw us 5 trudging down the street with our stuffed back packs, hunched over with  exhausted facial expressions, you might think we were homeless. Once we arrived, we chilled and got ready to go out. We planned to go to the club G-A-Y, which if you couldn't gather, is a famous gay club in London. So not long after claiming our bunk beds in our hostel, we set out again on a 2+ mile walk (I told you we walked freakin everywhere!) Eventually we got there (after taking a few breaks) and it was definitely worth the hike. It lived it up to its crazy, flamboyant reputation! We danced up a storm and saw some interesting sights/people. Since the next day, Saturday, was our only full day to see the city, we headed home fairly early...well, early on our terms. We got home around 3 AM after walking the marathon back. Needless to say, I passed out and was semi-well rested for our adventure the next day!
        Saturday morning, the absolute MOST important thing on our list was to eat a traditional English breakfast (something that we sorely miss in France). We stumbled upon a charming restaurant called Henry's that boasted literally 'a traditional English breakfast', complete with toast, ham, beans and hash browns. We were sold. It turned out to be the most delicious thing EVER! And for broke college students who don't get to eat out much, it was worth the splurge. Here is a picture to prove how delicious our breakfast was :

Yumm!!! Call us pathetic, but we considered that one of the top highlights of our trip. ok i'll move on. So for the rest of the day, we decided the best way to use our time was to take a tour bus that stopped at all the famous sights and locations in London. It was definitely a good idea, because otherwise there was no way we could have gotten everything in. We took a traditional double-decker bus and had a great view of all the beautiful monuments- even if my face was almost torn off by the bitter cold and wind. Our tour guide was a gregarious, interesting man who knew a lot about the city. He also used to work on cruise ships going down the Californian coast, so he was glad to have some natives on his tour! We saw everything from Big Ben to Buckingham Palace to the Tower Bridge to Westminister Abbey. Here are some highlights of the tour:

 Sara and I on the bus

 Trafalgar Square

 Westminster Abbey

 Big Ben

 Houses of Parliament

 The River Thames

Buckingham Palace (the queen wasn't home)

By the afternoon, we were all pretty cold and tired. But we had to stop by a traditional English pub and have a pint. So we found a famous pub called the Albert, which had a charming and cozy feel inside. I tried mulled wine, which is like warm red wine cider. So yummy!!!!! after a few drinks, we braced the cold and started our walk back to the hostel. On the way home though, we HAD to visit the world-famous Harrods. Since we couldn't afford to even look at anything, we grabbed some dinner at the food court there. It was surprisingly cheap! So I still felt classy that I could at least eat at this amazingly beautiful mecca of shopping. Look how beautiful it is at night:

Amazing, right? Oh oh, and after we ate we went to STARBUCKS!!!!!!!! which i have been desperately missing. I got my usual mocha and it was the best one I've ever had. That expression 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' really applied to this situation. Is it sad that the best parts of our trip involved the food we ate? Well whatever, it was really really good. We were all pretty wiped out after all these adventures, so we made it back pretty early since we had to get up at the ass crack of dawn Sunday morning to walk to the bus, take the bus to the airport and head back to Bordeaux.

        Though it was a very quick trip, I really had a great time. Traveling (even on a tight budget) is so much fun and such an interesting experience. I wish I could do it all the time! But I'd definitely like to go back to London and see more things. It was great company and an awesome weekend : )

Alright, so besides this weekend, the French life has been chuggin along. I have almost hit the half way mark of my time here!! it is insane how quickly the time has passed. I'll be spending Christmas here, and hopefully my mommy will be able to visit me and have christmas in Bordeaux! I'm in the process of looking for an apartment for the second semester. it's not as easy as one may think. School is getting a little easier too. I feel like I'm getting the hang of France's crazy university system, slowly but surely. And I really think my French has improved- French people have confirmed that, but who knows, they may just be being polite. It was a trip being in England where everyone was speaking English! I could actually understand conversations! It made me a little homesick- i guess the reminder of my native language got me thinkin about everyone I miss at home. But before I left for the weekend, I received a HUGEEEE care package from my darling and sweet mother! it was filled with layer upon layer of necessities like warm clothes and candy. I was so grateful to have a treasure box of things from home! Oh, and last week, my two friends from high school came to visit Bordeaux. They are actually currently both living in Europe- Anthony's in Ireland and Elliot's in Lyon, France. I got to play tour guide and it was really fun! they were impressed with Bordeaux, and I felt proud to call this my home.  So I got my fill of California! Hmm quoi d'autre... oh it was Sara's birthday right before we left so we properly celebrated that of course :) It's so crazy that my friends here who are only staying 1 semester are leaving in 1 month. I cannot imagine going back home at this point! I'm really gonna miss them : ( but never forget them!

      Okay I know this post is a doozy so I'll call it quits. I really do miss and love everyone and anyone who might be reading this. and thanks for being interested in ma vie francaise :) now it's time to do what I actually came here to do- study!!!! à bientôt mes amis!