Thoughts From Abroad | Part 20

1) I'm almost done with Dracula. The second half has taken me a bit longer than expected but I LOVE IT!

2) I've managed to order every book known to man on Henry VII. Dissertation, I am ready for you.

3) I've been fighting a cold all week. Super fun, right?

4) Lush has a fantastic way of hiring the friendliest people. I am always impressed with how helpful they are!

5) I've come to the conclusion bread is very small in this country. When I go to buy sandwich bread, my options are small or smaller. 

6) I spent about 3 hours updating my resume/CV. It's fancy y'all. 

7) The Photo Hunt is tomorrow! AHHHHH! 

8) Leah freaking Sears is coming to England in 8 days! Get excited for TON of amazing posts because we are going to be busy tourists!

9) Last night I went to go see As You Like It with my boyfriend and his parents. As You Like It was one of the few Shakespeare plays I knew almost nothing about, but I absolutely loved it! By far one of my favorites!

10) Yesterday I was contacted by a man who had a beautiful story to tell about his wife. She was diagnosed with Mesothelioma and given only 15 months to live. Not only did she beat it, she has now been 8 years cancer free. To check out their amazing story and to face your fears, visit Lung Leaving Day.  

Happy Friday!
xoxo

Throwback | The Grand Canyon

I'm attempting to organize my life.

And when I say life, I mean the 'Travel' page of my blog. 

Most of the countries I have visited were pre-Bristol in my Pocket. I thought long and hard about how I should include some of those travels, and it dawned on me: Throwbacks.

So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the lovely pictures of me in my awkward years.

_____________________________________

March 2012: Age 20

The Grand Canyon 

A typical Davis family vacation involves either the beach or a nice modern city. Nature is never really on the agenda. However, there are certain things in America you can't  see without having to do some sort of outdoor activity.

The Grand Canyon is an American pilgrimage. It's impossible to even fathom its size, even if you are standing on its edge. Our trip to the Grand Canyon was different, seeing as none of us particularly enjoy the outdoors, but we sucked it up for the sake of its beauty.

I will never forget cruising down the Colorado River in the middle of the Grand Canyon. For being an such an indoor girl, I have to admit this was one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen.

What are some of your favorite outdoor destinations?

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo

Clifton Village | Bristol, England

It's almost impossible to stay indoors on beautiful days in England.
It's equally as impossible to get any reading done for classes on said beautiful days.
As the sun was out on Saturday, I procrastinated my reading and decided to take a stroll in Clifton.

Clifton Village is one of my favorite spots in Bristol. It's filled with independent cafes and shops, as well as a fresh produce stand or two. Although located in the heart of the Bristol, Clifton Village gives the feeling of escaping the bustling city.

Happy Sunday!
xoxo

Thoughts From Abroad | Part 19

1) A 1217 copy of the Magna Carta has left its home in Hereford Cathedral to spend six months in a Houston, Texas museum I used to volunteer for! How cool! It is the second known time to ever leave the cathedral!

2) Working in a museum during half term is exhausting. 

3) On the recommendation of some classmates of mine, I have started to read Dracula. Amazing! How have I never read this before?

4) I learned the hard way that English mustard is not like American mustard, it's more like horseradish. 

5) The weather here has been absolutely amazing these last few days. Let's hope it stays that way!

6) I'm mistaken for a Canadian more than anything. 

7) My boyfriend and I stumbled upon a lady playing 16th century music on her flute in the Old City. Needless to say it was amazing.

8) I have found a Tesco that sells American products. I can finally fulfill my craving for Kraft Mac and Cheese!

9) I had an amazing brunch with Bobbi and finally signed up for the Photo Hunt today! Yay!

10) Excuse my brief absence from the blogging world this week. Life has been a little crazy. I've had a TON of reading to do, not to mention I'm starting to prepare my first proposal for my dissertation. AHHH!

Happy Friday!
xoxo

Monday Morning Traditions

As a Southern sorority girl, traditions are important to me. When I first moved to England, everything was new and different. I had no sense of what my routine would be. 

My mom had come to England for a week in September to move me in. Not knowing where to go or what to do, we grabbed breakfast just up the road from my new flat in a place called Park Street Cafe. The staff were friendly and helpful, which was the welcoming feeling I needed in my new environment. 

Since that first breakfast in Park Street Cafe, I have tried to make an effort to go back every Monday morning. It has become a little tradition of mine. Obviously some days are busier than others and I don't always make it. But it's nice to walk into the cafe and the staff immediately put in my order without me even saying a word. 

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Thoughts From Abroad | Part 18

1) I almost stepped on a rat the other day. A RAT! You would think after hundreds of years of plagues and death, England would deal with the disgusting creature that is the rat. 

2) I stumbled into Lush and bought wayyyyy too much. The sad thing is I don't have a bath tub in my flat, which means I had to avoid the bath bomb section. Urgh, curse my tiny tiny shower! 

3) It seems to be getting colder and colder outside. I'm over this, where's spring?

4) I realized yesterday that there are so many parts of Bristol I haven't explored yet! 

5) Unless you live under a rock, you'd know that England is pretty much completely under water. I think we've lucked out in Bristol, the flooding hasn't been as bad as the rest of the country.

6) I don't know what it is about this weather but all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep. 

7) I miss having a puppy to cuddle with.

8) Hotel and flights are booked for Ireland in April! AH!!!

9) Who's idea was it to take tequila shots to celebrate passing our essays? 

10) Happy Valentine's Day!
Plans for today include reading lots of "How We Met" posts followed by dinner with my boo.

One of the few bits of sun we've had this week.

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Throwback | Mexico

I'm attempting to organize my life.

And when I say life, I mean the 'Travel' page of my blog. 

Most of the countries I have visited were pre-Bristol in my Pocket. I thought long and hard about how I should include some of those travels, and it dawned on me: Throwbacks.

So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the lovely pictures of me in my awkward years.

____________________________________

January 2013: Age 21

Cozumel & Progresso.

Another year, another trip to Mexico.

My college roommates and I were inseparable. In fact, they're still the best friends a girl can ask for.

We wanted to do something BIG for our senior year. Living in Texas, cruises are always an option. We ended up picking a cruise to Cozumel and Progresso. Sound familiar, right? I had actually done this cruise in 2009 with my girl scout troop (click here for that post). It was also my third time to Cozumel. But no matter where you go, a vacation is always determined by the people you go with, so I wasn't complaining.

I will never forget this vacation. Spending 5 days in Mexico with my best friends was more than I could have ever asked for. We had planned the trip perfectly, because the next cruise out on our ship turned out to be THE Triumph disaster. That's right. We were on the Triumph days before it was stranded in the gulf. You can read all about that story here.

Kissing a stingray gives you one year of good luck. So far I am not arguing with that!

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo

Old City | Bristol, England

As a masters student in History with a specialty in Medieval and Early Modern England, I find the history of my current city fascinating. It is unclear the precise date of Bristol's founding. Early records prove Bristol's existence dates back as far as the 11th century. The original medieval city was walled in, with churches acting as the gates to the city. 

As the city grew, medieval buildings were continuously rebuilt. Although the few remaining medieval buildings in Bristol are churches, most of the old city contains architecture that dates back to the 16-18th century. 

The Old City today is famous for St. Nicholas' Market and the amazing nightlife. My friends and I often find ourselves sitting in pubs within the Old City. This semester I am lucky enough to be taking a class on Medieval Bristol. It's a historians DREAM to learn a history then walk outside and physically see it!

This last picture is the only surviving gate into the city. On top of the gate sits St John the Baptist Church. I was lucky enough to explore the crypt below this church just a few days ago. One of the many perks of being a MA History student!

Don't forget to vote for me for Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs! Winner gets a UNICEF package donated in their name!

Happy Sunday!
xoxo

Thoughts From Abroad | Part 17

1) I've been nominated for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs! Cool, right? You can vote for me HERE.

2) Broncos... Why?
Just,
why? 

3) To my surprise, there were about 100 American football fans in the bar when I showed up to watch the game. What surprised me even more was about 90% of them actually knew what was going on!

4) There were 80 Year 1 students at work on Monday. EIGHTY! For those Americans out there, Year 1 students are 4-5 years old. You can imagine how exhausted I was. 

5) I bought a hat. You know, those big black floppy ones. I feel like I should be a part of the coven in American Horror Story.

6) I'm spending way too much money time in cafes. I can't help it though, I'm addicted to coffee and brunch! 

7) Tanya Burr's new lip gloss line is amazing. I have to admit, the colors I ordered weren't exactly what I was expecting, but the quality of the products are fantastic. 

8) The Starbucks just down the street from me closed today. Yes, a Starbucks went out of business. While I'm sad to see it go, I completely understand why it happened. Bristolians are very supportive of local businesses and let's face it, local cafes have better coffee. 

9) I made myself chicken curry last night and it was fab! I have to pat myself on the back for that one because it was amazing. 

10) If you missed it last week, I'm officially offering Sponsorships! While my blog baby is still growing, I wanted to provide a cheap and easy way for newbies to get their name out there! 

Happy Friday!
xoxo

Meet Van Berry

I'm a 22 year old student from Germany with the urge to see the world. I took a year off after my graduation to travel through Scandinavia and Britain before going to Uni again. I'd be glad if you follow me on my journeys through Northern Norway / The Arctic, Scotland, Sweden, The Baltic Region and maybe even further away..... Enjoy my travelogues and pictures on my blog, watch my travel videos on my youtube channel and enjoy my latest travel snapshots on Instagram.

BLOG | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM

Don't be shy, go check out her blog!