Just Nibbles

nancymaro:

Turkey with ham and brie on a croissant nestled on a bed of mixed greens

“A pale consumption gave the fatal blow, 

The wound was certain, but the effects were slow,

With wasting pain God saw me long oppress’d,

Pitied my sighs and kindly sent me rest.”

I know some gravel pits in LA that could do with this sort of facelift.

Colwick Country Park.,which also lies within the City of Nottingham boundary,  was once gravel pits that have been landscaped into a wonderful parkland consisting of lakes, pathways, cycleways and acess to the River Trent. It provides opportunities for bird watching, fishing, water activities and walking and is one of Colwick’s hidden treasures ~ Colwick Parish Council http://colwickpc.org.uk/

mackenziestravels:

So, as always, my week went by way too fast for my liking.

On Tuesday, for my Communications class, we met some French students studying at this art school down the street. It was really interesting getting to chat with a couple of them and to get to know them and hear their stories. We are meeting with some more students this next Tuesday as well, and I am really looking forward to that. Also, for my wine class, we visited Lavinia. Lavinia is this huge wine seller in the business part of Paris. It was super huge and I adored it! Definitely going to go back, ASAP. 

On Thursday after class, I took the metro to Chateau Vincennes to meet Megan after her class. We meandered around the corner and found one of the most lovely parks on the outskirts of Paris. Bois de Vincennes is so green and has different places to have adventures. Besides the lush grass, and big trees (hehe, Redlands) there is a park where kids can go and play. I also enjoyed their super large slides and climbing bars. :) They had a whole section where you pay to get a harness, and you climb around the trees and in tree house-like things. It’s immense! Megan and I had a field day there! They also had a beautiful flower garden and a small theater that performed children’s plays. 

On Friday, Megan, Gabby, and myself decided to go to this open air market where food producers from the south came to Paris to sell their goods. It was near Notre Dame and we got a bunch of free samples. We were tempted to get the free escargot sample, until I saw an older man eat one. I couldn’t think of eating one after seeing the snail, still attached inside, being stretched and torn by the man’s teeth. gross (not to yuck anyone’s yum or anything.) We sat along the Seine River after that and just had a really good conversation, while watching this mini photoshoot right next to us. (no pictures were taken, because I thought that would be awkward to take a photo of a photoshoot) We decided to visit, what we heard was, “Chinatown” after that. Unfortunately it is not like Los Angeles or San Francisco “Chinatown,” but just a place where Chinese people lived. I felt incredibly rude for just assuming, and also for calling it “Chinatown.” Unusual how different cultures see things differently, but it was interesting to see the different architecture in that part of Paris. (very 70’s modern-esque)

Today (Saturday) we went to the TechnoParade. It was the most intense thing I have done (or seen) this entire month in the Paris. It was a parade of about 10 different trucks of different DJs. The headliner was Bob Sinclair, who was fricken superDOPE. (yes, I did just use that word) :D We walked from Republique to Bastille, took a quick lunch/bathroom break, and then rejoined at Bastille and walked to Place D’Italie. Needless to say, a lot of walking and a lot of dancing. It almost put San Francisco PRIDE to shame, ALMOST. ;) I am now a very large fan of techno/house music, and am planning on downloading a bit more than I already have. :D 

I really couldn’t have asked for better roommates this semester. I don’t think my time here would be nearly as entertaining without them. :) and thank goodness my actual roommate, Gabby, can deal with my weirdness… bahaha, and my weird random accents. 

“When you’re here, you’re family.” 

<3

Fabulous hour and 10 minute one-way talk with Kenzie as she had static on her end, but got to talk at her while we waited for these to upload  (:

mackenziestravels:

 

Bristol and…dun dun dun durum…. CARDIFF!

So, I left on August 9th at 9:15 pm on a direct flight to London Heathrow. (: I was fortunate enough to have a window seat, and semi fortunate enough to be seated next to a girl from Cardiff.  She was really friendly, but even though she claimed that California was where she wanted to be…she literally spent the 3-4 hours that we actually talked comparing the USA and the UK. (in her eyes, the UK had better crisps, chips, advertisements, blow dryers, public transportation, greenery, etc.) I don’t really see why she wanted to live in the USA, besides the sunny weather, but she was friendly regardless and recommended that at some point I venture to Wales. We slept for a bit and I was fortunate enough to watch the sun rise and as it got brighter I saw Greenland! (I of course knew it was Greenland because of the convenient map that shows exactly where we are on the seat monitors; quite nifty!) 

I landed in Heathrow and after 45 minutes in the passport check line, I got my baggage and a blended chai. (if you know me well enough, you know I am a sucker for a blended chai) Kaycee found me instantly and we drove about an hour and a half west to the lovely city of Bristol. Oh Bristol is completely adorable. I am lucky to have had my own room, where I had a lovely view of the other cute little houses around.

I have tried numerous dining options but my favorite was probably Nando’s. A south African-esque restaurant that catered to my spicy taste buds. (If you’re reading this mom, I know you just chuckled a bit.) I didn’t think about taking a picture of it before, but here’s the after shot.

It was chicken with a peri-peri hot sauce, with chips and partially mashed peas. It was delicious and so far the spiciest thing I have had in England. :P While driving through Bristol I was able to see some Banksy artwork, (of course…only getting a picture of one: ) 

So, as our bowling adventures, arcade journeys and movie nights progressed… Kaycee, Florence and I decided to make our way about 1.5 hours west to Cardiff. (of course, this is usually about a half an hour drive, but because of the England vs. Wales rugby match, there was plenty of traffic) Oh how I adored Cardiff! To think that at some point in my ancestry, my relatives frolicked on those beautiful hills (well, this is just an image, not reality…but ya) I am so envious! The landscape and buildings were gorgeous; the people were friendly and incredibly helpful & a couple ladies at the mall persuaded Florence and myself to get our toes sucked. Haha. It was the most bizarre feeling, but my feet felt a lot cleaner after those 10 minutes! (: 

Side note: Mexican food in Bristol (possibly all of England) is not authentic. Haha. I tried a beef chili enchilada plate with “spicy rice.” This consisted of 3 rolled tortillas with (literally) beef chili (no spice like they claimed) with a smidge of red sauce and “queso fresca” on a bed of… microwave-tasting “Mexican-inspired” rice. It was delicious tasting, but definitely not Hispanic AT ALL. Haha. I should have trusted my instincts on this one. (; 

I am now in London, and hopefully can update a bit more frequently. I am making my way to Brighton tomorrow to visit Ashley (: So, more pictures will come!