Laughter is the Best Medicine!

Everyone can agree that laughter really is the best medicine! I was very excited when I found out London has many comedy clubs, some of which are free! One comedy club in particular called Laughter for Free is free to attend then you pay at the end that amount you think the show was worth. I am definitely going to make my way over there at some point next spring!

The Application is in!

I finally passed in my application to study abroad!! Now all I need to do is wait for my reccommendations to be sent in and for the final decision to be made. This summer I will be working to save money for the spring and researching more about places to see in London.

Good news! I found out that the plane ticket is going to be cheaper then expected. Tickets run as low as $400 which is about $200 cheaper then I planned on spending!

Possibly the Best Ice Cream in the World

I am absolutely obsessed with ice cream and gelato is even better! From various people I have heard that the gelato in Italy is absolutely amazing, which would make sense since it's Italian ice cream. Hopefully when I am in Europe next spring I will have the chance to go to Italy, even if I only have time to get gelato! My cousin Alyssa is spending 4 months in France and recently went to Venice for a few days. She said it was an amazing place to be, traveling around the many canals that circulate through the city.


After looking at Alyssa's pictures from Italy a few places I would like to see in Venice are the grand canal, The palace of the Doges, and Basilica San Marco. I would also like to go to Burano, an island that is very colorful and beautiful.

Who doesn't love baklava?

Since my moms family is Greek I grew up eating different Greek foods, my favorite being the famous dessert baklava. If I do get a chance to go to Greece while in Europe I am definitely going to find some genuine baklava.

The Parthenon would definitely be the one place I would visit in Greece. It was built on the Acropolis of Athens thousands of years ago and is the most famous surviving building in Greece.

The Cliffs of Insanity!

Everyone who is a big fan of the movie "The Princess Bride" know about the Cliffs of Insanity. I happen to be a huge fan of the movie so when I saw that they filmed the Cliffs of Insanity in Ireland my interest in visiting this site grew. Even the pictures of the Cliffs of Moher (the cliffs actual name) are absolutely amazing.

Another place in Ireland that seemed really cool was the Dublin zoo. This zoo holds over 235 species of wild animals and tropical birds!

Bull Fight!

Ever since I started taking Spanish in middle school I wanted to go to Spain. Even thought my Spanish skills are not the greatest the pictures from Spain looked amazing. When in Spain I plan on visiting the city of Madrid because it seems like a fun city with a lot to offer. There are many galleries and museums in the city as well as shopping malls, restaurants, and parks. Here are some of the places I specifically want to go:

Las Ventas- the largest arena in Spain where bull fights are held daily. Since Spain is well known for bull fights and they seem pretty exciting I hope to be able to see one.

The Rastro- flea market shopping. I'm a huge bargain shopper but have yet to be to a flea market.

Tour the Royal Palace. Just to learn a little about Spanish culture

Trying different ethnic foods is also one of my favorite things. While in Spain I hope to have paella which is spanish rice with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and seafood.

1,000 Places to See Before You Die

While watching tv a few days ago I saw a commercial for a segment featuring 1,000 places to see before you die, based on the book by Patricia Schultz. When I looked at the list there were 58 places out of 1,000 in England. After looking at the list I saw pictures of a few places I wanted to try and see while studying abroad.

- St. Ives, Cornwall which is a beautiful town by the sea. It would be fun to visit St. Ives in May for the May Day festival.

-The Royal Pavilion located in Brighton, England was originally a home for the royal family but is now mainly a tourist site also used for banquets and weddings.

-Kew Gardens (pictured above) is located right in London. It contains conservatories, a herbarium, library and places to eat.

Fun in France

The Eiffel Tower alone is enough to draw me to France. My cousin is in France right now for a few months doing volunteer work and told me the Eiffel tower is amazing both during the day and at night. She actually took the picture to the left. The sparkling lights during the night are beautiful and I can't imagine what the amazing view from the top during the day must be like. As long as I get to see the Eiffel Tower when visiting London I will be satisfied.

Since I will probably only get to spend a day or two in France during my semester abroad I only chose a few things to see. Other then the Eiffel Tower I would like to see Notre Dame which is a church with amazing french Gothic architecture, sculptures, and stained glass. The Chateau of Versailles, also known as the Palace of Versailles is also on my list of sites to see. When it comes to eating in France from what I could see most of the food is similar to what we eat here but I do want to get crepes while in France.

Focusing back on London it was recommended to me to try the restaurant Tiger Lil's which is similar to Fire and Ice which is one of my favorite restaurants. Whild in London I am definitely going to try and eat there a few times.

A Look Through The London Eye

I had no idea London was such a busy city! It is packed with museums, galleries, restaurants, and so much more. Since I will be spending roughly 4 months in London I came up with a longer list of places to visit then for the other countries I plan to see as well. These are some of the places I would like to see and why:

Historical/Cultural:

-British Museum- Over 13 million objects from a wide range of countries.

-Buckingham Palace- Home of the Queen, and it would be fun to try to get one of the guards to talk.

-House of Parliament (Palace of Westminster)- famous clock tower "Big Ben".

-Royal Albert Hall- To see a concert or a play.

-The National Gallery- 2,300 paintings dating all the way back to 1250 with work by DaVinci, Monet, and more. And the admission is free!

Food:

-Toad-in-the-hole- sausages covered in better and roasted. I came across this and thought it sounded interesting and since we eat mostly the same thing as the British do I was excited to find something a little different.

-Afternoon Tea- I'm not a big fan of tea but it's big in England so I'll give it another try.

Just For Fun:

- The London Eye- At 443 feet tall it's the largest observation wheel in the world and the worlds most popular tourist attraction with a great view of the city!

Oh The Places I'll Go!

After being a student at Fitchburg State College for a year and a half I feel like it has gotten old and boring. Since the campus is small and after a while all the faces seem familiar I decided I wanted to try something new. A few months ago I began thinking about studying abroad for a semester and after meeting with a representative from the international office I decided on London, although the plans are not final yet. The fact that everyone speaks English was a big motivator for me to pick London over other locations and also the fact that once you are in Europe it is easy and relatively inexpensive to travel to other countries in the continent. My goal for the next few months is to plan out which countries to visit and figure out what specific places to see while I am in Europe for nearly four months. With the help of brochures, websites, books, and most importantly personal opinions I hope to plan and later experience an unforgettable trip to Europe!

Countries I plan on researching and possibly visiting:
-Ireland
-Spain
-France
-Germany
-Italy
-Greece
-Switzerland