Day 16

Today we started our trek to find interesting interior designs. We went through a ton of different retail stores and restaurants but my favorite was Stella McCartney’s. I loved the show room and the atrium room. We spent the rest of the day shopping and buying our souvenirs. A bunch of us went to dinner at Wagamama’s, it is this fabulous Asian noodle bar restaurant. It was so much fun and the desserts were great!

Day 15

Today was not the most exciting. I don’t think it helped that we were all too exhausted to enjoy it anyway. We visited the Syon House. The Syon House was originally an Abbey, surprise, surprise! But eventually was given to a Duke and remodeled by….. I’ve totally forgotten. It was a long day and I was a zombie through most of it. So, as you can tell, I obviously didn’t pay as good attention as I should have…..

But….

The night ended up being a lot of fun. After a quick power nap we all got dressed up and went to see WICKED! It was so much fun!

What a great day!!

Day 14

Today we went to Chatsworth. The first home of Elizabeth of Shoesbury, Bess of Hardwick. The interiors were on such a grand scale.

This was probably my favorite stately home we’ve seen. I particularly liked how even the present Duke and Dutchess collect artwork. Most of the other places we’ve been just have like 14 and 15 century artwork and sculptures. But this one had the best harmony between new and old. The gardens were amazing! Roaming the grounds is definitely were I spent most of my time. It was absolutely gorgeous! We also went through the maze! It was so hard! But we made it to the middle!

The weather, luckily, wasn’t too bad. The sun poked through for a bit- it was nice! To top off the day, when we got back to London we went shopping! Afterwards, Breanne and I went to a sushi bar called YO! It was so much fun and the design of the restaurant was great!

I'm looking pretty haggard in this picture- it really was a long day

Day 13

Today we went to see Blenheim Palace. It would have been even more amazing if the sun would have been shining. We were all pretty cold and tired. I thought it was interesting that although the Palace was built as a reward for the victory over France, a lot of the Décor was very French! There is even a portrait of Louis XIV in one of the Drawing Rooms. The landscaping was beautiful, like most of the palaces we’ve seen.

Weekend in Scotland Day 11 & 12

Day 11

Scotland here we come! When we finally arrived in Scotland we quickly found out that we didn’t bring enough clothes… it was freezing! Cold and wet! Muhammad (our taxi driver/ house keeper/ host) picked us up from the train station 30 minutes late and checked us into our lovely hostel. Then we all went out to dinner. It was the most amazing, flavorful meal I have ever eaten! Then a couple of us, on our trek to Edinburgh Castle, stopped at every Thrift Store along the way. It was such an adventure!

Our lovely, or not so lovely, Hostel. This is their official sign, it was hanging in the window....

This is our friend from Norway. We woke up to him and Zack singing in the Hall, waiting in line for the bathroom.

This is Edinburgh Castle.

Day 12

Well the plan was to go to a castle on the coast of Scotland but it turns out that after the three train ride there we figured out there wasn’t anytime. So, we hopped back on the train to London. Very Eventful! Luckily we got to see the beach for a minute.

At least I can say I went to Scotland!