Victoria Monument

During our illustrious trip to Europe we had to go and see Buckingham Palace. It is a must see for any tourist in Britain. Of course the Victoria Monument must also be on this list, of course it is right outside Buckingham Palace and it is a monument dedicated to one of the greatest monarchs in British history. When I saw this monument, one I couldn't get over how large it really was and two, the likeness of statues to Queen Victoria was incredible. Now that I have seen multiple countries throughout Europe I cannot get over how well their statues look like the real person or thing. It is amazing to think someone sat and created this statue and designed it. Anyway, I had fun walking around the statue with my GoPro trying to get a 360 degree view of this amazing monument.

London

The first place we landed when we flew to Europe was London. It was my first taste of Europe and it was one of the best tastes of Europe I could have had. What a way to begin our trip. We saw all the sights every tourist must see: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye and the British Museum. We walked amongst the streets in Britain (which are absolutely amazing) and we went to a good old English pub. The architecture was something I could barely even believe, it all just seamlessly fit together and every building looked like fit together. 

The first day was probably the hardest as we had just been up for about 30 hours trying to fly to London and we arrived at 7am, an hour before we were suppose to arrive. So we almost fell asleep on the tube on our way to our hotel and when we finally got into our room we slept for about two hours and then headed to the British Museum. Now, most museums you can walk around aimlessly and be able to see everything you want to see. The British museum is one where you definitely need a guide or you have studied the map so well you know exactly where you are going. I know we didn't see everything, but what we did see (mostly Egyptian and Greek monuments) were extraordinary. I had never seen pieces so big and historic before in my life and it was amazing to be able to see that part of history that everyone knows about. 

The rest of the day we spent walking around London and then went to the London Eye as we had tickets for that day. The funniest part of that was when we came off the train Big Ben was literally right in front of us. It was perfect considering the next day we were going back down there to see all the places you want to see in London. The London Eye was really cool, especially to see everything. And the picture above is actually taken from the London Eye. 

I think one of the most surreal things for me while we were there was the fact that we were actually in Britain. I had studied Britain for so long in my history courses and just in general and it was fascinating for me to stand on those streets and in front of buildings like the Tower of London that has been so monumental in British and World History. I feel like Britain has been so huge in history as a whole, not just Canadian, and to finally have gone there and see it and experience it was something you cannot really explain to people. 

One day I will go back to London and maybe it won't be for just a visit. 

Europe Trip

So tomorrow begins the adventure of travelling Europe for two weeks with my sister and a group of random people from around the world. We are going to England, Amsterdam, Rhine Valley, Munich, Austrian Tyrol, Venice, Rome, Florence, Lucerne and then finally to Paris. I am beyond excited for this trip as it is something I have wanted to do for a very long time, but I am also super nervous. I guess I am one of those people who gets really nervous before a big trip (one across the ocean!), but not really because of the travel. I mean everyone gets nervous flying, even if they say they don't. I think it is more because of the people that are also coming on the trip. You never know who it is going to be, but every review I've read for this trip and other trips has stated they became really good friends with the people on the trip and that makes all the difference. It really helps to know that this is just me overworking myself, but I really cannot help it.

I am just so excited to finally see the places I have studied for years and watched movies and TV shows and documentaries about. It really is something I have always wanted to do and I have actually already started planning my next trip with Contiki (haha). I will hopefully be updating as much as possible as it may be difficult with the amount of travelling and of course being able to connect to wifi.

I think one of the things most people (or maybe just me) is not only going on the trip, but the excitement of coming back and sleeping in your own room and then telling your friends and family all about the trip and what you saw and the interesting people you met. You get to tell them the stories of the people you met and become friends with people from around the world you would have never met otherwise. It's fun being able to relay your experiences with other people and see them relive it with you even if they weren't there to witness it.

More posts to come!!!

Harry Potter and Pottermore

As with a lot of people my age we have grown up reading and re-reading the Harry Potter novels until the covers no longer stay on the book. We have grown up with not only the characters of the novels but also the actors who portrayed these characters on the screen. We have cried for our lost favourites (mostly Fred) and we have laughed with the Weasleys, we have rejoiced when the 'good' guys win and we cheer when Slytherin's lose (most of us anyway). We have waited in line for the books at midnight and we have worn our very own robes to the movie premieres. We are the Potter generation.

The one thing that utterly impresses me every time, especially when I go on Tumblr is the amount of people who have come up with extensive back stories for characters or places inside the Potter World.  The stories or even the fan fiction that has come out of this series completely astounds me. It just shows the dedication and pure love us readers and fans have for this series. Pottermore also gives us fans even more opportunity to delve into the world of Harry Potter and being sorted into a house as well as reading histories about wands, other wizarding schools, history of locations and history of other characters, among so much more. It creates this world that allows the reader to imagine that it actually exists. Sometimes people need that; they need that world to escape to and live inside of because they believe their world isn't magical enough.

Tumblr has amazing stories as well as gifsets that are just extraordinary. There is one blog that I absolutely love as it has a lot of different back stories for other wizarding schools around the world (and not just the new ones JK added to Pottermore). Take a look:
http://asheathes.tumblr.com/tagged/gif:hp

We, as a generation, have fallen in love with this story. To the point where we could not even imagine our lives without this series. Even though the books and the movies have ended the story continues to live on in the people it has enlightened.

European Adventure

As of today my sister and I have officially booked our trip to Europe!!! What an exciting day! Yeah, it was expensive, but it is totally worth it. I am beyond excited to go and visit a brand new continent and several countries I've only dreamed of visiting and now it is finally becoming a reality. We will be travelling to England, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Vatican City, Switzerland and France! 

We decided instead of travelling on our own and booking everything on our own to travel with Contiki. We have both heard amazing things about Contiki and we have had friends and family members both use it and coming back with amazing stories about how amazing their time was. Plus, it was about $4000 cheaper! Crazy how expensive travelling is! 

I cannot wait to fly to a new continent, to experience new cultures (even though Canada isn't much different from Europe), to meet new people, and just to have a brand new experience. This is a once in a lifetime type of trip, one where you can't schedule on a whim, especially with a full time job. Now is the time to travel, eventually it will cost so much money to fly and stay in Europe, and also I'm 24 and now is definitely the time to travel around. 

More information to come on what we are doing!! 

Europe- A Dream Away

Europe is my top pick for my first overseas trip. The beauty and the history of Europe intrigues me. It is inspiring and exciting and enormous. Being a history major, Europe is the cornerstone of my research and my interests. I want to visit the Edinburgh Castle all the way down to the Acropolis in Athens. I want to be able to walk the pebbled streets of England that the Romans built, I need to be able to see the Sagrada Familia and the Colosseum. These are places I dream about and cannot wait until I can book my ticket to Europe.

To spend an entire summer in Europe would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, travel is not free and neither is school. Next summer I will be going to Europe, it is a dream and a need for me. To stay here at home is hard, I wish I could just book a ticket and travel.

If traveling was free, I would never stop.