Thoughts From Abroad | Part 31

• I have officially started my dissertation. Yep, words have actually been written down. Even though I've started, I don't feel experienced enough to be doing this. 
• I am now 23. Goodbye to the days of rocking out to Taylor Swift's 22. 
• Made in Chelsea is my new guilty pleasure. It's like The Hills, only more British.
• I woke up with the worst crink in my neck on Wednesday. It was so bad, that I felt sorry for myself and watched Made in Chelsea all day... I probably should have actually done work.
• I beat J at mini golf. Needless to say, I was very proud of myself. 
• Las Iguanas. WHY HAVE I ONLY JUST BEEN THERE?! Seriously amazing food.
• Unnecessary stress has appeared in my life. Life just loves throwing you curveballs. 
• My hair has gotten to the point of no return. I'm in desperate need of a hair cut!
• My parents brought me Velveeta and Rotel when they came to visit. It's taking all my strength to not immediately make myself queso! 
• Happy birthday to all the May babies! It seems May is a very popular month to be born :)

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Afternoon Tea

I'm back!
I had a wonderful week with my family here in England,
and I enjoyed every second of my much deserved break.

Afternoon tea is a must when family is in town.
I had heard about the Bridge Cafe in the Avon Gorge Hotel from quite a few people,
and decided to book us a table.
The cafe overlooks Clifton Suspension Bridge,
and after sitting down I decided it was probably the best view from a restaurant in all of Bristol.

Unfortunately,
it was hot.
And I mean Texas hot.
Having tea outside on the patio during a English heatwave probably wasn't the best idea.
But we enjoyed it anyway.

Four Americans having afternoon tea is always interesting.
My sister ate a big spoonful of butter thinking it was ice cream.
Yep, that happened.

All in all it was a lovely afternoon!

Happy Monday!
xoxo

The End of BEDM

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 19

I am afraid this is the last post of Blog Every Day in May.
My parents and sister arrive tomorrow, and to be honest I'm in desperate need of a break.
Now that my essays are turned in, I will be spending this week relaxing with my family before the craziness of writing my dissertation starts.

Blog Every Day in May was fun.
To be honest, I didn't think I was going to be able to produce as much content as I did.
I know I didn't complete the entire month,
but I've learned more about my blogging abilities these last 19 days than I have in the past 10 months.

Thank you everyone for putting up with me this month!
No if you don't mind,
I'll be going outside to enjoy this weather!

Happy Monday!
xoxo

Irish Fairies

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 18

Nothing beats a good folktale told by a local.

It was in Kinvara that our tour guide told us about Irish fairies.

Fairies, he said, are not the Tinkerbell-like creatures the rest of the world imagines today.

Fairies are tricky little creatures that have the ability to place curses on you.

Unexplained phenomenon is blamed on the fairies, and even today superstitions about them are everywhere.

In 1999, a motorway was being built in the Irish countryside.

Legend said the land was the meeting place of the Galway and Kerry fairies. 

After hearing the story, the motorway construction workers refused to build any further, concerned a fairy curse would be placed upon them.

The motorway was rerouted, costing millions of Euros, so that the fairies would be undisturbed.

A fence now protects the fairy land.

In honor of the Irish fairies, here are some 'lost' pictures of my trip to Ireland.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo

The Lady Chapel in St. Mary Redcliffe | Bristol, England

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 17

I have been in my fair share of medieval churches.
I have seen cathedrals and abbeys across the country,
but nothing compares to the Lady Chapel inside St. Mary Redcliffe.
It's hard to capture its immense beauty in just a picture,
so I'll just leave you with a quote by Elizabeth I in 1547.
"The fairest, goodliest, and most famous parish church in England".

Happy Saturday!
xoxo

Thoughts From Abroad | Part 30

• I can't believe this is my 30th Thoughts From Abroad post! These have become my most popular posts by far. It's amazing how y'all actually like reading my weekly shenanigans! 
• On Wednesday I took a little trip with J and his friends down to Weston-super-mare, where I saw the English coast for the very first time. In the 8 months I have lived in England, I had never actually seen the coast! It was a beautiful day on the Grand Pier. 
• I've been through dissertation hell this week. After my meeting with one of the world's leading Henry VII historians last week, I've been frantically trying to put together a slightly different topic (still Henry VII though). I'm thinking of dedicating a post to my dissertation ramblings soon. 
• On top of dissertation hell, I've been in essay hell as well. Essay hell ends on Monday, thank God.

• If you haven't noticed, I'm in desperate need of a break from my masters. My parents and my sister will be here all next week and I couldn't be more excited. This will be my mom's third time to the UK (she's helped me move in my previous two moves), while it will be the first time for my sister and dad! I'm so excited for them to finally see my crazy English lifestyle! 
• I finally finished Dracula! You remember how I stared it 4 months ago? Well, between all my university work, it had been pushed to the back of my book shelf, completely forgotten about. I rediscovered it Tuesday night and quickly finished it. I admit, it gets pretty slow towards the middle (which is one of the reasons I put it down 4 months ago and forgot about it) but the end is fantastic! 

• I'm not exactly sure how I feel about Blog Every Day in May now. At first it was fun, but I feel like the quality of my posts have gone down. I'm always a 'quality over quantity' type of girl, but I also hate backing down from a challenge. 
• I hate to self promote here, but if you need a cheap Sponsor spot, go check out my Sponsor page! I offer a blog introduction in a Thoughts From Abroad post for only $4! 
• Now that it's officially summer I'd like to plan a trip to mainland Europe sometime soon! Any suggestions?

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Waiting for the Ferry

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 15

For the past 7 months I have been a volunteer at the ss Great Britain.
It has been the most wonderful learning experience, as I hope to go into museum education after I turn in my dissertation.
To cut my walk time to the ss Great Britain in half,
I take the ferry.

Nothing beats a morning like this.

Happy Thursday!
xoxo

Bristol Cathedral | Bristol, England

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 14

Back in September I posted pictures of the exterior of Bristol Cathedral.

While I have been inside several times, I never managed to bring my camera. 

After a long day of writing essays I decided I needed a break, so I grabbed my camera and popped into the cathedral for a little peace and quiet. 

The original structure of Bristol Cathedral was built around 1140, however, little remains of that building today. It was originally an abbey founded by the Berekley family. Parts were added on throughout the years until construction stopped in 1539, during the dissolving of the monasteries. In 1542, the church was named a cathedral by Henry VIII, under the new Church of England. Construction continued with major renovations taking place in the late 19th century. The structure that stands today was completed in 1888.

Are you tired of my church posts yet?

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo

Banksy | Bristol, England

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 13

Banksy grew up in Bristol.

It's where most of his early work is located, tucked away all across the city.

Walking by Banksy graffiti on a daily basis never gets old.

Want to see more Banksy? Check out my Bristol Street Art post here.

Happy Tuesday!
xoxo

An Incoming Storm

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 12

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Kinvara, Ireland

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY | DAY 11

This is my last Ireland post! WAH! I guess it just means I should go back soon, right?
On our way to the Cliffs of Moher we stopped in a tiny village in Galway.
Kinvara's population is less than two thousand, and everything about the village was cute and personal.

We didn't spend more than 30 minutes here, but if we had more time I know I would have loved to sit in one of the cute cafes watching the tide come in.

I know I forgot to post yesterday, but no one is perfect y'all.

Happy Sunday!
xoxo