Things are getting a bit "nutty"

Ok, so I know I already posted my goodbye, but I just took a walk around London for the last time and there's more. Also, I've been having some major camera withdrawals...then remembered there's a camera on my phone! How convenient! Not as good as quality but it will do for the story I have to tell...

So I started out my day by renting bikes in Hyde Park with 3 other girls, something I've been wanting to do for a while. I'll have to steal pictures to show you that one...

Then I went on to shopping, buying my last pastry, getting an extra carry-on for all the stuff I've accumulated, and packing.

I thought I was done for the day but it was only 5 pm and that seemed much too early :-)

So I decided to walk over to Hyde park with some girls but then split off from the group to go read by myself for a while. I was walking on my favorite garden path, stood under my favorite tree for a while, then carried on in my merry way. I was stopped by a squirrel. Not really an unusual occurrence. I mentioned in my last post that I would miss our silent conversations...but this squirrel wasn't silent. He looked at me...stepped a little closer...I shrugged as if to say, sorry little guy I don't have any food...and he POUNCED!! He jumped onto my leg, dug his little claws in and started to climb. I shook him off really fast. He jumped off gracefully, looked up at me as if to say, what?, and then walked lightly away as if nothing had happened.
I was in hysterical laughter for the next like 10 minutes. Completely hopeless. I must have looked like a crazy person walking around and laughing to myself.
My only regret is that I kind of wish I could have gotten a picture first but for some reason that wasn't really going through my mind while the furry rodent was attached to my leg. Stupid chelsea. Ah well... next time.

Here's my proof! As I was walking I realized my leg was bleeding. Luckily I'm pretty much a boy scout and had a band aid ready in my purse.

Kind of a weird angle but you get the picture. Who knows what germs he carried in those little talons?? I could have rabies!
Mostly I just sort of feel like London was giving me a hug goodbye...in the form of a squirrel...who maybe wanted to mate and thought my freshly-shaved legs looked pretty good.

Surprisingly this squirrel incident didn't keep me from my goal. I took the tube to Westminster


and continued walking until I got to the pier and national theater




And then I ended up crossing Millennium Bridge and going to St. Paul's


The great thing is that I never really intend for these journeys to happen. I'm walking towards the tube stop with a vague idea that I should say my farewell to the city, and then a couple hours later I find myself feet-sore and happy on the steps of St. Paul's. You really never know where you'll be swept off to :-)
Love you London. Crazed squirrels and all.
K, I'm officially done with posting today. Next time I write I will be state-side! Playing catch-up with all the posting I have neglected :-)

This is not a goodbye

I just finished packing most of my stuff up and I will be flying out tomorrow morning. I can hardly believe I'm writing these words right now... it's so surreal. Where did the last 7 weeks go??
But as much as I love my little London town, I think I'm ready to come back to the real world. I miss my family and friends and in-n-out. For some reason, everyone thought their lives should keep going while I was here so I feel a little out of the loop. It would have been awesome to have the world back home freeze and come back to everything exactly the way I left it. But I guess that was too much to ask?
Me and all the other people in my program have been kind of walking around in this dream-like state for the past week. We had a really touching testimony meeting on sunday and then finals and a a lovely day at Hampton Court Palace on wednesday. Unfortunately I think I'm finally palaced-out. I just sort of walked through and saw as much as I could as fast as possible I know, I know, that sounds like blasphemy and I'm sure two weeks from now, when I'm sitting in the Provo library wishing I had something to do I will be aching for those palaces! I also have a pretty bad sinus infection right now which doesn't really seem to be contributing to a whole lot. It would have been nice to have had more energy for my last week here but I unfortunately spent a lot of time resting. I just feel really tired and sick and my ear hurts :-( I think I need to stop complaining. Feel bad for me! Feel bad for me! I've spent the last 6 1/2 weeks in London!
Oh well. It's definitely better that I'm sick at the end of the trip instead of the beginning. That would have been killer. I think the only reason I'm sick right now is because my body finally gave up on me. It was like, hey chelsea, you've been running around non-stop, you don't sleep, you eat chocolate all the time, and I hate you. So take this. Thank you immune system for failing me in my final hour!
Anyways I guess I should start saying my last goodbyes to London... I still have a lot more I need to blog about but it'll have to wait until I get home and get my pictures off my broken camera.

London, you've been really good to me.
I'm going to miss the way everyone drives on the wrong side of the road. At first, it really concerned and terrified me but now it's been a good couple weeks since anyone's honked or cussed at me.
I'm going to miss the fact that everyone has dogs here, not wimpy little fluff rats, but actual dogs. And they run wild and free in the park looking happier than any other dogs on the planet.
I'm going to miss all the beautiful fashionable little children who dress better than me. I never saw a uniformed child that didn't look like he/she belonged in a J.Crew catalogue.
I'm going to miss my silent conversations with the squirrels. They would run right up to me and look at me with their expectant beady little eyes, then I'd shrug and they'd run away empty-handed.
I'm going to miss all the attractive well-dressed men. They were clean-cut, sharp, and totally strait. More please?
What will I do without the public transportation?
Who will I be without my comfy shoes, sun hat, and scarf?
Where will I go when I don't have a gigantic park directly across the street?
Where will I get my art/play/music/palace fix when I am gone?
I'm going to miss the way that every last building looks like it's haunted.
I'm going to miss the hundreds of musicians who play on the street and in the tube stops trying to make it in this crazy world.
I long for savory crepes, belgian waffles, eclairs, and baguettes.
I'm not going to miss the wind and pollen in my eyes, but I will miss the trees and flowers.
I'm definitely not going to miss the cigarette smoke (or the 13-year olds who smoke), but I will miss the way the river Thames smells as you walk across Millennium bridge.

Oh London...dear London...you have altered me to my very core. Don't you ever forget that we belong together. This is not the end, but the beginning. I will return someday with my millionaire husband and beautiful children to once more walk along Gloucester road with a baguette in my hand and a smile upon my face.

Until then, adieu.

I thought it would be fitting to close with a picture from my first night here...
I remember all of us wandering around completely clueless. We thought it would be fun to go to Westminster so we hopped on the tube, figured out our route then came out of the underground and there was Big Ben! I didn't even know these girls yet...this picture feels like it was taken months ago...

The soundtrack to my (London) life

So I thought I would do a post about music because it kind of is my everything. It is at the center of my life. I feel like I always have this thing I call "the soundtrack to my life" playing in the back of my head while I'm talking to people, while I'm walking around, in class, everywhere. And I love it. Seriously, I think the people in my program think I'm anti-social because of how much I listen to music. I'm not I promise! I'm just addicted! I have a problem!

Music is one of my best friends. It's always there for me :-) I love that when I can't put a name to my emotion music can. It's an escape but at the same time it grounds me and centers me. So this one is for you music...keep on keepin' on and doing your thaang.

Artists that have played a big role in my London trip:
Fleet Foxes, Mumford and Sons, Coldplay, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, The Beatles, Bon Iver, Jimi Hendrix, Adele, Nick Drake, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks

Artist that I listened to particularly in Scotland:
Dave Matthews Band
(There is something about the way Dave puts the different instruments together that worked so well in the Scotland setting. Imagine listening to "Bartender" while walking along the sea cliffs in Orkney...indescribable)

Songs I listened to while walking around the ruins of Coventry Cathedral:
My City of Ruins---Bruce Springsteen (To me, one of the most powerful songs ever written)
Death and All His Friends---Coldplay (I legitimately teared up the first time I heard this song...no joke)
And Pride---U2 ( A classic symbol of love and hope triumphing over evil which is what Coventry is all about)

Song I listened to in the London cemeteries:
Cemeteries Of London---Coldplay (Self explanatory)

Artists/albums I listened to while running or needing to feel cool as I walked down the street:
Eminem--- say what you will about him but the beat is addictive
Jaydiohead---Jay-Z's remix of a bunch of classic Radiohead songs. This album has really grown on me
Tor/Sufjan Stevens---Album title "Come on Feel the Illinoiz (Another remix album that I loooooove)

Songs that are specific to moments walking around Hyde Park:
January Rain---David Gray
Give Up The Ghost---Radiohead
Skinny Love---Bon Iver
Arms---Seabear
And the entire Garden State soundtrack....multiple times. I never get sick of it and I'm not ashamed.

I know I've mentioned a lot of music but there is soo soooo much more. I could seriously go on and on. Talk to me sometime. I'm not kidding :-)
There are a lot of people here with great taste in music and they've introduced me to some good things. You should know there is nothing I love more than sharing music (except maybe making it). Anyone want to jam out when I get home? I'm not a pro on the piano but I can try and I'm always willing to provide a sweet harmony!

Ok. I'm done. That was very sentimental and I'm gonna go put my headphones on now and fade away into some jazz vibes because I ran into this vender with a bunch of old jazz vinyls and I realize I've been neglecting it lately. Sorry babe.

Let me just end by showing you one song that kind of started out as a joke but it really sort of sums up the walking portion of my program and also is so romantic that it'll probably be in my wedding someday. It gets stuck in my head like NONE OTHER. You have been warned. From one of my favorite movies of all time, "Benny & Joon".... Don't you just love these Scottish goobers?

Busy bees...

Here are some of the pictures I was able to steal so far...




Our first stop was at Coventry Cathedral. It was bombed during the blitz of the second world war and has since then been a symbol of unity and hope. In the middle of the ruins, the cathedral stonemason saw two charred wooden beams lying in the shape of a cross and tied them together. It's on display in the new cathedral they built right next to this one. That's where this picture of me with the stained glass comes from. It was very touching to me. Something I wasn't expecting about traveling to London is that I now have a greater awareness of the two world wars. There's such history here that we don't really feel as much in America. I'll be walking down the street and notice that some of the buildings have chunks of them missing from the blitz. Evidence of the war is all over this place and it's impossible to ignore. It makes me so grateful that, at least for the time being, we don't have to deal with anything like that. I think about how life would be if all of my dear boy friends were shipped off to fight in a war and I get distraught just thinking about it. I can't imagine the horror and the sacrifice. I am just so grateful for the soldiers in those wars and grateful for the relative safety we enjoy now. I sincerely hope that nothing of that magnitude will ever happen in our world again.



This is Anne Hathaway's cottage. I wish I'd had my camera for this one! It was so enchanting and beautiful. I basically felt like snow white and I'd stumbled upon this beautiful little cottage in the middle of the woods. There were gardens and woods and statues surrounding it and you could wander around and get lost. So lovely!





These are some pictures from Kenilworth castle. It was originally built in the 1100's then added upon over the years. It used to have a huge moat around it but now there's just grass. I guess a lot of royalty used to live here? And there were parties and hunts and jousting tournaments. It was pretty fun to run around pretending like we were knights and princesses which I think is totally appropriate and not childish at all.


And this is Oxford!


Me climbing up the steps to the Great Hall...anyone recognize these steps? The first two harry potter movies perhaps? I felt like a first year waiting for Mcgonagall to come lead me to the sorting house... :-)



And here's the Great Hall! Pretty cool, eh? Kind of pricy to get in considering how small Oxford is, but you could really feel the history here. Harry Potter references aside, Louis Caroll, J.R.R. Tolkein, and C.S. Lewis all walked these halls among many others. And for me that makes it akin to a spiritual experience. Might be blasphemous to say...but oh well :-)




And Blenheim Palace. Very expensive and beautiful and ornate and the grounds were just HUGE. The gardens kind of reminded me of Versaille. Just beautiful. My favorite was this huge library they had inside that kind of looked like the one from Beauty and the Beast. Anyone who knows me knows that having a legit library is one of my life goals...all you boys out there. Take a note from the Beast. Giving a girl a library is the way to her heart :-)

In case you can't tell I am feeling a little bit crippled without my camera... :-(
There were SOOO many other cool things we saw this week and I guess I could go through more facebook photos and steal them but I don't know if I have the time... maybe later? But I did have such an amazing week and I can't believe it's almost over!

T minus 5 days...

I am counting down to the launch off right now...I mean the launch of my plane home, not a rocket.
In less than 5 days I will be home sitting on the beach with my parents. What does this mean?? How do I feel about this? Honestly I don't know. This week has been too busy for me to really stop and think about it. I cooooould tell you about all the awesome things I did this week, but I'll be honest with you. I don't think I'm going to tonight. I've had one of the biggest journal-writing days of my life (about 15 pages) about everything and this week and all my deep thoughts and random feelings none of you really want to hear about :-)
So I think I'm gonna keep my post short tonight. I just realized that I haven't been on here in a while and felt guilty...but I'll post tomorrow. I promise!

Anyways, what I really need to tell you is that I have some bad news. Can we all please join in a moment of silence...for my camera? I'm serious. I'm in mourning right now. I dropped the poor little guy on a hike in the countryside this tuesday and I haven't been able to get the lens to go all the way down. It might be something that will be easy to fix but I won't know until I get home. I don't have the money to get it fixed while I'm here :-(

So I had to go through the whole week of driving through England and visiting Stratford Upon Avon without a camera! Oh cruel fate!

Luckily, I'm on a study abroad program with like 30 other girls and most of them are better photographers than me so I think I might just steal their pictures and pretend their mine :-) I also managed to jump into a couple of other peoples pictures so I have proof that I was there. And isn't that the purpose of cameras anyways? To prove you really did the things you say you did?

Okey dokey, so more pictures, less talk tomorrow. I promise. But my mind is too tired right now and I think I might wake up early tomorrow morning to go to abbey road before class. YAY FOR MY LAST WEEK! And cramming in as many things as I possible can. Wish me luck!

SCOTLAND: The final chapter

Ok, here it goes. I'm gonna buck up and finally finish blogging about my Scotland trip! It's weird to think I got home from that trip a week ago...I can't tell if it's been a long week or a short one. Isn't it weird how traveling does that to you? In one way you feel like you've been gone forever and in another way the time has flown by. I only have 11 days left here! That seems like craziness to me. But then it also seems like I've lived here for months...huh.

Anyways, we're going on a hike through the countryside tomorrow then I'll be in Stratford Upon Avon for the rest of the week so I'm not sure if I'll get another chance to blog.
Here it goes. SCOTLAND: the end of my journey

I left off in Orkney. Once we got back from that crazy day of hiking and trying to catch buses in the cow fields we went to our hostel, cooked some frozen pizza and garlic bread, and made hot chocolate. It was so necessary. I thought that we were all just going to pass out right then and there because everyone looked SO exhausted. But we actually ended up talking for a couple hours in our beds and having a good old fashion slumber party moment :-) Got to love those.

The next morning we actually got to sleep in! Kind of. By sleep in I mean like 8:00 instead of 6:00. Isn't it sad what's happened to my sleeping habits? Oh the days when I would sleep until 11... Anyways, we caught the ferry back to Thurso then hopped on a bus for about a 4 hour drive to Inverness. Something I kind of hate and love about Scotland slash the UK in general is that they don't really have freeways, just highways. So it takes FOREVER to get anywhere but on the plus side you get to drive through beautiful towns and countryside. EXAMPLE: I would be reading my book then glance up for a moment to look out the window and there would be an old beautiful light-house on a cliff, or we'd be driving past a small cemetery. Unfortunately these moments would pass by so quickly that I didn't have time to grab my camera. I will just have to make do with my mental snapshots and hope I don't forget :-) Oh the flavor of Scotland...

So once we got to Inverness we had about 30 minutes to wander around before we caught a bus to Drumnadrochit. Another funny thing about Scotland, even in big cities like Edinburgh, is that everything basically closes at 6. Even big stores like H&M or Primark all close at 6! We figured out that the reason for this is that LITERALLY their only form of night life is pub-life. EVERYONE drops what they're doing at 6, goes home for some supper maybe, then goes to the pubs. It actually seems like kind of a cool little cultural thing. The pubs have a kind of homey feel to them, like everyone is completely comfortable. There are no strangers in pubs. I would consider that to be one of the only times in my entire life when I regret that I don't drink. I feel like it's hard to get a REAL feel for Scotish culture without experiencing the pubs but at least we got a couple of good pub meals while we were there.

So we took a short 30-minute bus ride to Drumnodrochit, the little town next to Loch Ness. It was raining and foggy and we could barely see the lake and the outline of the castle but when we got off the bus it cleared up just long enough for this...



One of the many rainbows we saw but this one seemed particularly beautiful...:-)
We had a brief moment of confusion when as struggled to find our hostel, but thanks to that friendly pub-culture I was talking about we were finally pointed in the right direction.



Kind of fun, huh? It was a really crowded, happy hostel. There actually families that lived there which sort of surprised me. Anyways, once we dropped our stuff off we had just enough time to grab something delicious to eat at the only pub in town then go on a quick hike in the rain to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. Here are some of the adorable sheep we saw along the way plus kristen and carolyn bringing up the rear




And then we came around the bend and through the rain we spotted Urquhart castle... it was kind of like a moment from a fairy tale...or at least Braveheart. SO COOL.

This is when I got my second wind. I'll be honest, all the traveling we were doing was wearing me down. I was ready to throw in the towel and go to bed early. But seeing this castle sort of lit my fire again.
After quickly jumping the fence...

We were free to roam around the castle!! We were the only ones there which added to that weird feeling of being in a fairy tale and I loved it. I was ready to scale the walls and everything but I guess there are rules against that or something...but really? I should have done it. You only live once and what are the chances I will EVER do these things again??





Goodbye sweet castle...loved you dearly. I WISH SO MUCH that we had had more time here. I could have explored these ruins forever. Not to mention how beautiful the lake was. Next time I go to Scotland I am definitely making Loch Ness more of a priority. OH! The WORST part was that when we were walking back I saw a farm with a herd of horses and a sign for riding tours around the lake. Kill me now how perfect would that be?? I am definitely feeling a little horse-deprived these days. Ah well. There is only so much you can do in 24 hours...trust me...we tested the limits :-)

Anyways, we went back to our hostel, slept, woke up, caught a bus a plane a bus then two trains and finally got home to our London flat in one piece. Let me tell you I haven't looked that grungy and unlady-like in a while... None of us washed our hair all week so THAT was interesting. Hahah backpacking is amazing but tiring. I kind of like staying in one place for a while...

Salsa night!

OOH! Before I forget. One more thing. Me and two other girls decided to go salsa dancing on Tuesday at this brazilian club. This guy in our Portuguese ward invited us. SOOOOO funny. I keep on discovering these little sub-cultures in London. Like, there are yoga masters who shop at whole foods and walk their dogs, there are grungy backpackers, there are asian tourists, nigerians, and apparently a whole community of Portuguese-speaking, fast-dancing, Brazilians. Did I understand anything they were saying? No. Did I know how to do the brazilian salsa? Of course not. Did I go anyways and dance with a million dirty older men? YES.

Luckily, the guy from our ward spoke english and basically OWNED that place. He got our friend in for free. She had forgotten her ID and they were going to send her home, then he pulled the guy aside and "took care of it". He showed us some sweet moves then went out there and he and this Brazilian girl tore the dance floor up. They were sooooo good. Watching how fast they moved and how intense it was makes me want to sign up for a salsa class when I get home. it's such a cool/beautiful dance!
Also, Paulo wouldn't stop buying us sprites. It was sweet but I was starting to get a stomach ache... :-)
A funny, unexpected night. Probably won't be going back anytime soon but it was still an adventure.


Here's a picture of the girls I went with! W're three out of the five blonde girls in our whole group. DEFINITELY a minority in that club and we were probably the only ones who had no idea what we were doing. hahah thank goodness for patient Brazilians.
Note: ignore Camille's cross eyes. She is crazy. Out to ruin all of my pictures....just kidding she's really gorgeous :-)