Hasta La Proxima, Tabs

My dear friend, Tabea Luttmer, has returned to Germany. Yes, I know, this exchange must come to an end eventually, but that doesn't make goodbye any easier. Our parting has come sooner than expected (for reasons that are not interesting to you, but ridiculous), but since Tabs is huge Elvis fan and her family has a house in Florida for the summer, this was just hasta la proxima until Graceland later this summer.

The White Cliffs of Dover (!!!)

In Pictures: London

Summer

Summer is officially upon us! For me it is at least.

Last week I finished high school. I never have to go back again, no matter what country I'm in!

Since school has finished, I have plenty of time to hang out with friends and enjoy my last few weeks in Spain. I don't have much time left, so every second counts. And all these seconds since school has ended have been filled with my exchange friends, applying for scholarships, trying to cram in more Spanish, and just enjoying life.

I plan on coming home June 7th (as I write this, I still don't have a plan ticket, but this will most likely change soon) so I have a lot to do in that time. My exchange friends and I have (yet another) vacation planned, this time for a week on Spain's southern coast in Malaga. Before that trip, we'd like to see some more of this part of the world and we're hoping to hit up some towns in southern France before heading off to Malaga.

But before all of that, I'll have to find a place to stay for a couple days after we get back from Malaga. And of course, resolve the never ending saga that is my college decision. I know, I'd like that to be done with too.

SO: Enjoy Pamplona this month, then off to Malaga May 28th-June 4th, then (possibly, most likely) back to the US June 7th. It's terrifying to think it's all coming to an end so soon.

London (For Real)

So here it is...everything we did, saw, experienced and loved about London!

My friends Elle and Mitchell joined me for 12 days in London over our Easter break. We left Spain April 22 and planned to return to Pamplona May 4th.

After a two hour bus ride to Zaragoza, Spain for our flight, flying to Stanstedn, England, waiting in line at passport check for 45 minutes, taking another bus for an hour and half to London, we finally arrived at our final destination: my mom's friend's house. At 3 am. Lucky for me, my mom has a friend from high school who lives in London and agreed to host us for twelve days.

Our first two days in London were more relaxing, though we still saw a lot of the city. Monday thru Wednesday we saw every site, palace, and castle possible. The London Eye? check. Tower of London? Done. Westminster Abbey (where William and Kate got married a few days later)? Seen and pictures taken.

We didn't limit ourselves to London either, taking in the cute college town of Oxford, Brighton, Canterbury, and Dover.

The entire time we were there, we compared England not the US, but to Spain. They're certainly different countries and lifestyles. The English live a life much more similar to US, and being there for twelve days was sort of like going home.

Unlike Spain, there is actual variety. Don't get me wrong, I love Spain, but everything is Spanish. The people, the food, the language, etc. London on the other hand, offers diversity--which was kind of shocking after being surrounded by everything Spanish for so long. We ate Thai, Indian, Chinese, and Mexican food when we were there, things that could maybe be found in bigger cities like Madrid or Barcelona (but certainly not Pamplona). And people weren't just Spanish! Well, English. There were people of all colors and races--very much like the US. And their style is quite different from the Spanish too.

London was good to us, and we loved the city. This was my third time there, but I still love it and London continues to entertain me.

London

I'm back from London! But I'm too lazy slash tired to blog about it now.