Tuesday, June 17, 2014

My last stop: London

I have one more pit stop before heading back to the good, ol' USA, and that is London. I have never been more thrilled to be surrounded by English speakers in my entire life. 

...we went to Warner Brother's Harry Potter world. it was the coolest thing. i fan-girled ridiculously...













  


...we then proceeded to chase around town visiting everything that we could. including Buckingham palace where we watched the changing of the guards...








...Neal's Yard...






...the Borough Market was one of the coolest markets that we went to...








...the houses of parliament and big ben were just as cool as advertised. i was amazed at how massive it all is...




...and of course the london eye...




...Picadilly Circus...






...how could we not stop at Kings Cross after our previous Harry Potter adventure...


 ...Hyde Park...


...kels and i had been dreaming about visiting Portobello Road since we decided a year ago that we were coming to europe. it exceeded our expectations...








...and i bought the coolest, 1920s london original film camera there...




...and for our final hoorah in Europe: we saw Wicked at the Apollo Victoria theatre. ps-we didn't plan the whole, dress-like-the-american-flag thing. serendipity...



london::june 13th-17th

I have grown more in the past two months than I ever dreamed I would. This excursion has taught me so much about the world, about people and especially about myself. I am coming home more open-minded, more driven, and with more faith in my Father in Heaven and His plan for me. I have been able to see so much of this awe-inspiring world that He created...for us! He loves us and wants us to experience the beauties of this earth. My testimony has grown in unexpected ways and I am stunned by how involved God is in my life. I am grateful for the experiences that have opened my eyes, the friendships I have made, the lessons I have learned and the unforgettable memories.

Goodbye, Europe!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Paris--round two

I am extremely spoiled and got to come back to Paris! It was fun to go back and truly explore and enjoy the typical touristy places in Paris minus the jet lag hangover that Kels and I arrived with. It was so fun to see it all again and I feel so lucky!


...we were just down the street from the Notre Dame. the interior is just as stunning as outside...




...this incredible pastry shop on the Champs gave me quite the allergic reaction...


...sadly that tasty croissant was full of nuts...
  

...never visit Paris without an umbrella. or you will get soaking wet...




...we also took a train out to Versailles. it is the most grand palace i've ever seen...


















...i love stained glass. so the Sainte Chapelle was overly photographed by me...




...Sacre Cour...




...and Moulin Rouge!...


 ...my Jimmy Fallon "thank you card" for the day: "thank you, Europe, for increasing my desire to own a mini cooper"...


...we put locks on the lock bridge! how could we resist..




...and we spent our last night on top of the Eiffel Tower and racing down its hundreds of steps to watch it sparkle...







paris::june 9th-june 12th