March Already?

I can't believe it's March! The time is flying by. My trip to Barcelona with Kelly was absolutely amazing. It's a tough call which city I liked better- Barcelona or Amsterdam.
I saw so many beautiful things and the weather was outstanding. The food was delicious. Kelly put up some great pictures and a well written recap so have a gander at that (link on right).
Dennis and Jillian came to England on Thursday and I hung out with them this weekend. We went to York on Friday, then came back to Leeds for an awesome Thai dinner. Definitely best restaurant material. Saturday we trained up to the gorgeous Lake District which took 3 hours on 3 trains. We explored the town a bit which is quaint and friendly and had tapas which turned into dinner at a "Spanish" bar. Lots of wine was had and we made many friends. Today, as I felt rather delicate, we slept in and took it easy. Dennis tried a traditional English breakfast complete with mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, sausage bacon....etc. I think he liked it. When he asked the waitress what kind of beans they were she simply replied "Heinz" which we found amusing.
Now its back to the last week of classes and then I'm back to join them Thursday night for the start of my Easter break.
Hope everyone is well and healthy! xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone enjoys spending time with loved ones today. Miss and love you! xoxo

Fancy Dress

So here at Leeds Uni, the students LOVE to go out in costume. If it's a pub crawl or just a night club, it is rare to go out at night without happening upon a group of smurfs or seeing a gang of school girls in the bathroom. Maybe even the cast of Harry Potter walking down the street if you're lucky. My flatmate Rachel has been a key motivator for getting us into the spirit of this student tradition. I've decided to include for your viewing pleasure a few pictures of the past fancy dress nights.

Exhibit One:
Sports Wear

A band of Superheroes were out that night:

Exhibit Two:
Moulin Rouge


Exhibit Three:
60's/Retro



Exhibit Four:
80's

Exhibit Five: Disney









Some other fun things I've been up to are Bordeaux wine tasting (as now I'm a Wine Society member, woowee) and using my new Sports Center membership. Also, I'm going for a long weekend trip with Kelly to Barcelona on the 27th!

Winter Break in one very large nutshell

Oh hi. Remember me?
Yeah, I have been missing for a bit but not to worry, all lost time will be accounted for
in what must be the longest post in history. Ladies and gentlemen, take a seat and make yourdelf a nice
cup of tea. You are about to embark on Brittany's Christmas Break 2007:

This journey has quite a few stops all around the UK.
First stop: Salford and Wilmslow, Manchester.
I stayed with Rachel for about a week, chilling out and enjoying some nice homemade meals
and TV (which is a luxury since we don't have it in the flat). Rachel had to work quite a bit
but on her off days we managed to see a bit of the city of Manchester and adorable Chester.
Like York, Chester is one of those historic towns with all the cute shops and architecture.
I also got to meet some of her friends one night and her brother Jamie.

the cute town of Chester

Rachel and her mom decorating the tree

Me and Rach out in Manchester

Second stop: Congleton and Macclesfield, Cheshire
Here I stayed with Daniel. He and his mom were nice enough to let me stay for about three days. The first night we stayed in and rented a movie and made sugar cookies.
We went to a town called Knutsford and walked around Tatton park, which was really pleasant.
There were the cutest sheep and deer. We also went out with some of his friends at their
usual local places. On the last day, we met up with some mutual friends from uni and went bowling and had dinner.

the cookiesthe boy with the cookies

Tatton Park-what I always though England would look like

sheep booties

my bootyout in Macclesfield

Third stop: High Wycombe, London area
I trained down to Bex's and was treated like a princess for a few days. Her mom
is so generous and loving-she even popped some bubbly for the occasion. There was some
more friend meeting and adventures. We went to Windsor but sadly didn't get to tour the castle
as it was quite expensive. Still we looked around some shops and enjoyed a cream tea.
I also got to see Brighton beach which is the pretty famous pier in England. I really loved
Brighton and wish there was more time to explore. I imagine it would be great in the summer
time. On Christmas eve, Bex's mom made me pancakes and bacon for breakfast one morning
to make me feel more at home. A gesture greatly appreciated and delicious too!

at The Blockheads concert in London with the hosts!

Windsor geese

castle backdrop, too bad it was foggy

so lovely to see the sea!

ahoy there bex!

me and a lobster

delicious donuts

Fourth stop: London
Day one:
On Christmas morning Bex drove me into London to get mom from the airport. It was so exciting drive up and actually see her there. After a big hug and some strategic luggage placement in Bex's small car, we drove off to find the hotel. Over an hour later we had to give up and get taxi from a different hotel. Driving in London is ridiculous! Finally, we made it to the hotel and had some champagne and a little Christmas morning celebration. We had a lunchtime
reservation at a pub called the Devonshire. The pub was really cute and the food was pretty good. My mom thought it was hilarious that British people wear paper crowns on Christmas. I did too the first time I was shown (at our own little Christmas dinner in the flat), but she couldn't
stop laughing. Towards the end of the meal, I could see mom was fading from jet lag so we
took the mince pies to go. Back at the hotel, mom crashed for the night at the very early hour
of five, leaving me to kill time for a good four hours before I was willing to try to sleep.
It was actually a lovely four hours of using the bath tub and reading some magazines, watching
Tv and chatting on the phone.

Christmas Lunch. that round thing is stuffing. eeeem not so good

the Dev

pondering the christmas cracker

Day Two:
We had tickets for the horse races for Boxing Day. If I remember correctly it's called boxing
day because in the old days people used to box up presents for those less fortunate on the day
after Christmas, but someone correct me if I'm misinformed. Anyways, so we had to figure
out how to get to the track, which was actually a bit far from our hotel. The front desk at the
hotel told us to take the train, but I guess he didn't realize the waterloo station was closed.
So instead we had to take like 4 buses just to get there. It took forever and we missed the first
race, but once we made arrived and started betting it was really fun. I won 4 quid on a horse
named Boomshakalaka. Pretty sweet. Mom did well too, as she normally gets lucky at the races.
After another 4 buses back to the hotel, we had to start getting ready for our most amazing dinner at Gordon Ramsey's. Mom described the meal as the best she's ever and probably will ever have. Such fine dining was the experience of a lifetime. The service was superb, the food fabulous and the company the best of course. At the end of the meal, which took about three hours, mom charmed her way into the kitchen! Though Gordon wasn't there that night (he was on Christmas!) we got to talk to the chefs and even take a photo with them.

oh ya know, just cooking with the Ramsey chefs, no biggie

doing there thing

the table set up

no way i could post every course, yes she made me take a photo of every thing, but this little ravioli was my favorite, aesthetically

At the races finally!

waiting for the bus, number 3 maybe?

view from the top

Day Three:
Checked out of the hotel and took the train which was running an hour late to Leeds from Kings
Cross. When we got to Leeds I showed mom around the city centre and we attempted to shop but it was terribly crowded due to January sales so we gave up and came back to the flat. Daniel trained in from Cheshire to meet us for dinner and a drink. We wanted to go to a fish and chips place but it was closed by the time we got there and settled for a burger place. Then we went to a pub called The Box and hung out for a couple drinks.


Day Four:
Trained from Leeds to London and then took the subway to get to our hotel. It was such a mission getting all our luggage on and off the subway. I almost got shut in the doors once and we went the wrong direction on the right line. Eventually we made it to what we thought was the closest stop but had to walk some more in the rain to find the hotel. Needless to say, we were so grateful when we found it. It was gorgeous and with our room we got access to the club level which basically meant free drinks, snacks, breakfast, and internet. We spent a lot of time up there and even made friends with the cute french waitress. After we checked in, we went out to explore a bit but the rain and difficulty in locating Harrods sent us back to the hotel. That night, we went to see The Lion King which was really good. It was hard for me not to compare things to the movie though and I couldn't get over the fact that little simba had an English accent. :) Like everyone says though, the costumes are astounding and the set too. Really cool experience. When we got back (after a minor freak out) Kelly was waiting in our hotel room! It was so good to see her, we exchanged Christmas gifts and talked for a bit before getting off to bed.

Day Five:
Kelly's 21st birthday! We woke up, had a glorious breakfast upstairs and then came back to get ready to go to Hampton Court Castle. It was a beautiful palace and really fun atmosphere, with people in costume and actually cooking using the tools they did back in the day. Kelly was wooed by one flirty actor as they danced in the great hall. After our palace adventure, we returned and got ready to go out for dinner and drinks. We had a unique dinner at a want to be Italian place and then headed to a pub. Mom hung out for a bit, but then headed back to the hotel. Kelly and I
stayed out a bit longer, walking around and seeing more than we ever thought we could in one evening. We saw Picadilly Circus, Trafalger Square, the Thames, The London Eye, and Big Ben. I was so thankful to get to spend Kelly's 21st with her, just the two of us soaking up the beauty of London.

Day shots:



Night shots:







Day Six:
This day was also special, as we got to see my cousins, Andi, Jason, Cody and Drake. It had been
years since we last saw them so it was a great day. Cody is a proper teenager now, listening to
his rock music and only occassionally forgetting the cool factor to give a sweet smile. Drake is
adorable, still tiny but full of fun. We went through either Green or Hyde Park, maybe both,
and the boys enjoyed a fair ride. We continued wandering seeing Parliment, Big Ben, Tower Bridge and riding the London Eye. The view from the Eye was amazing and not meaning to, we picked the perfect time to go. Night time let us see Parliment lit up beautifully and the Thames reflecting the colors of the city. While leaving the Tower Bridge, we got to see it go up for a ship which was awesome. Saying goodbye was sad but I reminded my mom how lucky we were to even see them for the day.

on the tube

Drake and Cody

the girls

on the Eye

Day Seven:
New Years Eve! Another fabulous day living like queens. We went for afternoon tea at the Ritz (sorry no pictures but the one, no photos allowed). We ate our fill of little sandwhiches and cakes and drank loads of tea. We also hit up Harrod's for a good four hours. Believe me, you need that much time, especially during Christmas time when its many themed floors are packed with people. It was my first time in Harrods and it was awesome. Seriously in a league of its own and a must for the serious shopper. After our shopping we went back and relaxed a bit, then started getting ready to go out for New Years Eve. Our original plan was to watch the fireworks but due to weather and travel restraints and with time ticking away we just made for the club. We made it inside just in time to hear the count down. Once 2008 arrived we got some drinks hung out. At one point I went to the bathroom and returned to find my little party had grown, mom and Kelly attracted friendly strangers. The one talking to Kelly I abrubtly asked "How old are you??", only
realizing my lack of tact when he asked if I cared to say hello how are you before the grilling. Woops. Mom left Kelly and I after a bit to get some rest since her flight was early in the morning. Not the way I wished I could have said goodbye, but at least I got to see her off half asleep in the morning. Kelly and I danced and people watched a little before heading off ourselves.

the Ritz before we were caught taking photos
waiting to get in. Rain? In London? Nooooo

purple shirt man is the one i questioned

Day Eight:
Kelly and I had a 21:00 train to Leeds, so took the whole day easy, eating breakfast and saying goodbye to our hotel room, and then checking out and taking off. We wanted to see a matinee play put nothing worth paying for was playing so we ditched the idea. Instead we went to the German market for some sausage and a pub for some beer. :) On our way we stumbled upon the New Years Day parade, which sad to say wasn't much compared to the Macy's. Haha.
Then we went to Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral, both beautiful. We also stopped by Buckingham palace before we left to say hi to the Queen but she didn't come out :(.
Once at King's Cross we found platform 9 and 3/4 to say whats up to Harry but he didn't come out either. Oh well. (speaking of Harry's, I still have not tracked down the Prince)
The train ride back was strangley fun, as Kelly and I were in a laughing mood.Got back to the flat and hit the hay.

senior pictures

if possible, i highly recommend zooming in on kelly's feet

amused at the sign

Westminster

ParadeBuckingham Palace from the park

Fifth stop: Leeds and York
Kelly and I checked out Leeds city center and went to the Royal Armouries museum for something weird to do. We met up with my friend Nicole for attempted Mexican food at a place called Caliente Cafe, but it was closed. We just went to the place next door and they happened to have some "mexican" food so we ate there. After, I took Kelly to Oceana, one of the clubs in Leeds, but since there were no students back it was pretty dead. Not even all the floors were open, so I was a bit disappointed but Kelly seemed to like it. We danced like crazy, literally like
crazy people. Kelly got the attention of some weird guy who was pretty out of it. He would not go away until she actually had to push him away with her hand on his face. It pretty much made my night. Later, we witnessed him conversing with his muscles on the edge of the dance floor. The next day we woke up to snow!!! This is the first and only snow I have seen in Leeds and I am
outraged that it hasn't again. I was so excited I went outside in my PJs like a 4 year old.
York was gorgeous, especially blanketed in white. We went to the Minster and ate an amazing French meal.

Royal Armories

top of the Minster

Sixth stop: Scotland
Trained to Glasgow to stay with Kelly's family friend Simon. He was so sweet to take us in and show us around. We went to the highlands and I tried Shepard's Pie for the first time. very yummy. Kelly and I went to Edinburgh one day too. The train wasn't working so we bussed on a rail replacement which turned out being fun because the bus driver played cool music. We walked on and the Mission Impossible theme song was playing. I had been for my orientation, and it was still just as cool. I really love that city. We went the castle and St. Giles and walked the Royal Mile. We also ate a pub lunch and tried whiskey (nasty stuff-never again). Kelly drank both because she is so hardcore. Kelly and I had to depart each other at the airport the next morning as she was off to Bologna and I to Leeds. But we will see each other soon, hopefully for another trip!

In St. Giles

The Highlands

Training

mwhahaha
American POW dungeon in Edinburgh castleLittle birdie from the castle

Once I returned to Leeds, I experienced the longest week of my life. Because I didn't do much school work over break, I was forced to cram it all in. I had a three hour exam, a portfolio due and a huge essay. Finished it all, even though it wasn't the best, but hopefully I'll do well. Friday night we went out to celebrate and Saturday we did a fun sports fancy dress (i wore an england football shirt, yesss). I started classes today. Well, I was supposed to, but my professor got stuck on the train so class was canceled. Oh in other news, I got my purse stolen including my phone and credit cards at a bar. Always watch your bag is the moral of the story.

Some tasks for 2008:
1. get a gym membership
2. experience more of leeds
3. go to more society meetings
4. write in this blog more often!!

Hope you enjoyed the novel. haha. And I should be seeing some of you this spring. Can't wait!! Lots of love.
-Brit