A Royal Affair

Every night there was something different in the news, Twitter was blowing up with royal fever, and people were buzzing about it for months. It was one of the most watched events of all time...the wedding of the century. And there I was, in the country at the center of it all...England!

Everyone kept asking me whether or not I was going to go to Westminster and try to fight my way through millions of people to get a glimpse of the happy couple. Although it sounds like a good idea, the second part of that sentence is the real kicker: millions of people.  So instead of camping out on the streets for a couple days to see some cars drive by...I had a front row seat and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

You couldn't escape the Royal Wedding excitement no matter how far away from London that you went.  And just 30 minutes outside the city center, my university was no exception. I woke up that morning and ran down the hall to Ed's room yelling, "Wake up, wake up! It's wedding day!!" (Note to self: Bad idea to yell anything about weddings to your boyfriend, especially in the morning. Kind of freaks them out  a bit haha) I was just so excited and didn't want to miss any of the action. 

Me, Ed, and a few friends (and when I say a few friends, I mean what seemed like nearly half the university) went to the bar in the Union to watch the wedding.  I don't think I had ever seen so many people there! The atmosphere was awesome.  My favorite part was when the queen stepped out of the car and the whole place clapped and cheered.  Where else in the world are you going to get that?! It was seriously so much fun and really, really exciting!

I laughed when I first saw this picture because the similarities are just too funny:

But really, it was quite a fairytale event.  As if I wasn't in love with this place already, it made me love England even more.  The royal family and everything that goes along with it is unlike anything else you could experience in the whole world. And what a wonderful concept: Millions of people gathered together to celebrate the union of two people in love.  For at least just one day, the world was uplifted by the encouragement of hope and love in a royal affair.

A Little Change of Pace

I have been seriously slacking on my blogging lately and I am really sorry for those of you who actually take the time to read it! Even though it was nearly three weeks ago now...I can't forget about the end of my mom's trip to England!

The beach! With Brighton Pier off on the distance!

For the last leg of my mom's journey through the UK, we went down to the southern coast of England to a town called Brighton.  Brighton is said to be like the San Francisco of the UK and I can definitely see why.  Going down there was a totally different atmosphere than anywhere else that I have been in the UK.  Everyone was so happy and carefree, it seemed like a 24/7 vacation.

It was a pebble beach, of course I had to make that again! :)

My mom and I took a much different approach to Brighton than we did for the rest of our trip.  Instead of walking all around and seeing as much as we could, we took our last few days together to just relax and enjoy the sunshine.  Our hotel was right on the beach so it was really nice to just walk out the front door and be right next to the water.

Mom and I outside Brighton Pavilion

Besides all of our relaxing on the beach, eating delicious food, and shopping around town...We did manage to see Brighton Pavilion.  It was a really cool place, but not exactly something you would expect to see in England.  It was Indian style on the outside, and Chinese on the inside.  I guess it goes along with the theme of Brighton being different!

Loving that beach :)

I absolutely loved getting to spend Easter with my mom.  We went to a church that was recommended to me by one of my good friends at Reading and it really was a great service.  I'm glad that I got to have a special Easter with family so it really meant a lot to me.

One of my favorite pictures of my mommy!

I am so incredibly blessed that I have such a wonderful mother who I got to spend over a week traveling around the UK with. We saw nearly the entire United Kingdom traveling all the way from London to Edinburgh to Brighton! I think that she really got a great taste of the UK and can see why I love it so much here. Thank you for everything, Mom! You are the absolute greatest! :)

Luckiest girl ever :)

So although I was disappointed that I didn't get to finish my big European vacation like I had planned, I think I got something much better...Love. Love from my family, love from my friends, love from boyfriend...Love from the people who mean the most to me.  Isn't that what life is all about? I think once you figure that out, everything else just falls into place.  I am one lucky girl to be traveling all around and seeing all these great places, but what makes me really lucky is the amazing people that I have in my life to enjoy it with.

Imagination At Its Finest

We made it to Scotland! And it was beautiful!

Since before I even landed in the United Kingdom, I had always wanted to go to Scotland.  I heard so many great things about Edinburgh and all that it had to offer so it was on the top of my list of places to see.  So when my mom told me that we could go anywhere I wanted, I was not hesitant at all to book the next train to Edinburgh.

The train ride to Edinburgh was amazing.  We traveled through some of the prettiest parts of England including the Lakes District and continued on into the rolling hills of Scotland.  Besides the occasional difficulty of handling my mom's giant suitcase (which she jokingly claimed to have brought the rest of the family in), it was overall a very easy and enjoyable trip.  I must say that I don't think I have ever seen as many sheep in my life as I did on that train ride.

The Royal Mile in Edinburgh

When we got to Edinburgh, we were instantly taken back by the beauty of it all. It was like we stepped off the train and back in time a few hundred years.  There was really no part of that city that seemed to be spoiled by modernity. I took a bit of a shot in the dark with the hotel choice, but it ended up being an awesome hotel right at the foot of the castle.  We really couldn't have asked for anything better.

We spent the rest of our first day in Scotland taking a trip down the Royal Mile to Hollyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen when she is living in Scotland.  Along the way we passed so many cute shops selling real Scottish wool and cashmere as well as the Scottish Parliament (which might I add has nothing on the Houses of Parliament in London).

Outside the gardens of Hollyrood Palace

Throughout our tour of Hollyrood, I couldn't help but think to myself how it was not the most impressive palace that I had ever seen. Sounds ridiculous, right? I think that's one of those times when you realize you might have become a little bit architecturally spoiled when somehow a royal palace really just doesn't do it for you.  But I really enjoyed it nonetheless, especially the beautiful, colorful gardens and the majestic King Arthur's seat.

King Arthur's Seat...AMAZING!

After a delicious authentic Italian meal and a good night's sleep, we were ready to take on Edinburgh castle the next day.

The National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle

The castle is like the heart and soul of Edinburgh.  It is set up on a mountaintop overlooking the city, so you can pretty much see it from any part of the city. My mom and I had a really awesome time getting a great guided tour around the castle and exploring the many different buildings and museums of this fortress.  It is amazing the amount of history a place like that has.

A foggy view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill

Next stop of the day: Calton Hill! Calton Hill is a big open area on the top of a hill on the other side of the city from the castle.  It is a tribute to the Scottish Enlightenment where new ways of thinking and intelligence is celebrated. There was everything from the old City Observatory to the unfinished National Monument.  Which, was quite a feat to climb up and I am very proud of myself for making it, even if I did need a little boost from Mom.

I made it! On top of the National Monument

There was only one downside to our second day in Edinburgh: THE FOG! It was so dense all day that you could barely see ten feet in front of you, forget the views from the top of the castle or Calton Hill.  My mom and I eventually just started living by the motto, "Well at least we know this view would be pretty!"  Definitely imagination at its finest. I bought a real Scottish wool scarf and some cashmere gloves to try to help with my inadequate cold weather clothes, which helped a lot.

For the rest of the day, my mom and I just walked around and explored the rest of the city.  There was so much to see and take in.  I think we could have just dedicated an entire day to simply walking around and talking.  I love spending time with my mom.  There is not a single other person in the world who knows me like she does, so it is always nice to talk to someone who just gets me.

Just walking down the streets of Edinburgh

We spent our last night in Edinburgh enjoying dinner  and wine at the restaurant on the top floor of our hotel.  We had the best view of the castle and got to watch it light up the sky when it became darker.  It really was a great way to end our time in the wonderful country of Scotland.

Even though we had a canceled train the next morning, nothing got in the way of getting to the next adventure with my mom. I knew we were in for a treat when we headed back to England and down to the beach! Next stop: Brighton, England!

"Where Mother Is"

A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is." 

 ~Keith L. Brooks

I have the best mom in the whole world.  I know that may seem like a pretty bold statement, but I really think it's true.  I don't know many people who work as hard as my mom does, yet would drop everything and do anything for her kids. She has taught me so much and still continues to teach me important lessons in life, even if she doesn't realize it.

I love my mommy :)

When my mom found out how sick I was, she decided to fly out to England and be with me.  By the time she got here, I was pretty much fully recovered but a mom always knows when her daughter needs her.  Even though I was better, she knew how disappointed I would be about not getting to continue traveling, and she just wasn't going to let that happen.

Mom's first day in England!

When I was on my way to the airport to pick her up, I had so many butterflies in my stomach.  I honestly couldn't tell you why I did, but I think it may have been a combination of wanting to make sure my mom had a nice time, her and my new boyfriend meeting each other for the first time, or the possibility that maybe I had changed in the four months since she last saw me. But when I ran up to my mom at the arrival gate of Terminal 5 and gave her a huge hug, all of those nerves instantly went away. I  wasn't expecting to shed any tears, but I cried like a little baby.  I guess moms can do that to you.

The beautiful town of Henley-on-Thames

My mom was understandably really tired and jet lagged from her flight, so the first day we spent a nice relaxing day in Ed's hometown of Henley.  We walked around town and Ed gave my mom the grand tour, including one of his favorite sandwich shops for lunch.  Then, Ed and I took our moms out on a boat ride up and down the Thames.  It was so fun to just cruise around the water on such a beautiful English day, especially with our oh-so handsome driver :)

Loving the boat ride...So much fun!

That evening, my mom and I made our way back to Reading for a bit of rest and relaxation before heading out to dinner with Ed and his family. It was really nice to have everyone together and for my mom to meet Ed's lovely family as well as them meeting the person I had been constantly talking about for the past week. 

Ed's mom and my mom!!

My mom, Ed, and I all headed into London the next day with our first stop at one of my favorite places, St. Paul's Cathedral.  I know that I have been there before and I raved about it the first time, but the second time was just as amazing, if not more. And I am really happy that my mom got to visit on of the many cathedrals that I have been telling her all about. 

Top of St. Paul's Cathedral

We then make a quick stop over to Buckingham Palace before heading out to dinner in Covent Garden. The three of us had a great time having some delicious food and wonderful conversation.  I'm really glad that my mom and Ed got to spend so much time together.  Really makes a girl smile to have two important people together in one place! :)

Outside Buckingham Palace

The next morning was a much needed sleep in day.  We wandered around Reading for a bit and I showed my mom a little bit of the university.  We planned trains and hotels for the rest of my mom's time here while we waited for Ed to get finished with a football meeting. 

Big Ben!!

Ed and I finished up the quick "must- see" tour of London with my mom by taking her to see Harrods, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye.  I loved seeing the look on my mom's face when Big Ben struck 8pm.  It was just one of those times where you know you are doing something right and you get satisfaction in knowing you made someone's day.

Being silly outside Westminster Abbey

My mom couldn't believe that in a week's time, she went from just reading all about these wonderful places to actually being here, a totally different country all the way across the pond.  But little did she know, she would be in TWO countries because the next day...We went to SCOTLAND! But a whole different country deserves a whole post of it's own, still yet to come. :)