Tag: Abraod

All Over the Map (Travels and Blood Sugar Alike)

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Nice, France

Bonjour from the South of France peeps. This place is beautiful, let me tell you–between the miles of ocean and color of the buildings in the city, to the decadent Italian-meets-French food, Nice has captured my heart, and blood sugar monitor.

But seriously, this place is amazing and a must-see on anyone’s bucket list of places to visit. However, visitor be warned, this is a romantic place. I know, most of France resembles some level of romance, but being here with my twin sister (twister, if you will) is hilarious. I guess the main plus to navigating the rocky beaches and steep hills with my twister is that my snarky/bitter/hopefully-witty comments are not lost on her. That, or she does a really good job of pretending to like my jokes. Sister love aside, (EL OH EL we fight all of the time, like we just fought an hour ago and probably the hour before that and basically we fight in our sleep, but it comes from such a loving place. Ugh I have the best family) Nice is, well… magnifique.

Of course, the omnipresent diabetes managed to creep in like a dark cloud over the last few days. Having to monitor what I eat so closely irritates me, especially whilst abroad. That being said, I have clearly been letting that slide (if my snapchats weren’t a giveaway to all of my snap-friends).

It’s a bummer having to consider and calculate/estimate the carbohydrates in everything I put into my body. Even more than that, that feeling, a pang of failure when I inevitably mess something up by giving myself the wrong estimated dose, and either have to binge to bring my sugar up, or drink more water than Sea-biscuit post race to try to dilute whatever mess I just ate (odds are, I enjoyed every bite). I digress. Diabetes sucks, this is no news to you or me, but sometimes a nice little rant can help anyone breathe a little easier after the whirlwind of pentup frustration tumbles out like when I opened my over-stuffed carry-on suitcase a few days ago. No idea how I fit everything in there. In fact, I’m not entirely sure everything will go back in. Any who, these are my late night thoughts.

As I sit here, a pump on either hip–feeling completely bionic, I just keep reminding myself that at least I have access to this technology, medication, medical attention, loving family and friends who make the days brighter and the ups and downs of diabetes a little more manageable. So, while I curse myself internally for deciding to give myself bionic hips instead of just putting my other pump on my arm (I refuse to give up my sleeveless tops!) I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to lay down tonight. This should be interesting. Oh well, at least I’m in Nice and heading to Monaco for the day tomorrow! Always a bright side people!

Lookout for a returning home post next week! My days abroad are numbered, and while I can’t wait to return home and see the people that mean the most to me, I have to say Europe, specifically London (yeah I consider it Europe as does the EU, sue me people!) added a piece to my heart that can never be changed or broken or tainted, forever cementing this amazing experience to my memory.

Wow I talk a lot.

Stay classy and don’t forget your sunscreen ladies and gents! (Lol, do boys even read this blog?)

xoxo

Vive La France, and Leaving London (for Now)

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Again, it’s been a long time since my last post- apologies. I’ve been galavanting around Paris and finishing up my junior year. Yup, that’s right, Abroad is just about over. *Begins sobbing* As much as I miss my friends and family in the States, i’ve made some great British friends as well. While i’ve been running around like crazy trying to fit a lifetime’s worth of London into my last few days here, I realized the magnitude of spending a term over 4000 miles away from my family, and over 3000 from my friends back in Boston.

So, in the spirit of reminiscing, I spent last week in Paris with my friend Kie

rsten, and fell in love all over again. Speaking of love, that city is full of it. I mean, couples literally rolling on the ground under the eiffel tower making out, couples making out on the street, couples making out in restaurants, couples making out in bars- okay, we get it, you’re in love! COME UP FOR AIR AND SMELL THE FLOWERS IN THE TUILERIES. I digress. My aversion to PDA aside, Paris was tres magnifique as usual. Wine, beautiful weather and shopping–what more could a girl want?

After Paris I came home (dear lord I just called London home…going to just keep going here), took my final, finished my papers, and took a lovely day trip to Brighton. I LOVE BRIGHTON. Let me tell you, it brought out the inner kid in me.

Bumper cars can be fun between two people, in case you were curious. I also went on a roller coaster that surprisingly spun. Like, can you say Carpe Diem? haha well for me that was carpe diem anyways. Sad, I know. Any who, Brighton is amazing and beautiful and just an all around must see for anyone thinking of visiting the UK.

And now, as I pack up my room and get all emotional (ew, feelings) about leaving this amazing city and even more amazing friends i’ve made here, I realize how quickly time flies. I’m about to drop some wisdom: YOLO really means You Only London Once (shoutout to you Abby), and even though that’s not entirely true, you don’t get to relive the best moments in life, so try to enjoy them if you’re lucky enough to realize they’re happening in the moment.

Today someone asked me to name my favorite place I visited while abroad. That stumped me. I loved just about every city and country I visited. I’m a strong believer in living life while you’re young and having fun. I realized that whether I’m in Jacksonville, Florida (home) hysterically laughing on my best friend’s sister’s floor, or hysterically laughing on a cliff in Scotland, it’s the people that make the places. Had I traveled with anyone else, gone anywhere else, the only thing that matters are the people you’re with. That being said, I’m so grateful for all of these amazing friends I’m bringing back to Boston, and those in London that I know i’ll meet up with sometime/somewhere down the line.

So, as I pack up my room (need to stop procrastinating), watch Will and Kate (the Lifetime Movie) with some of the coolest kids around, I’m smiling despite the ever-growing lump in my throat over leaving this historical magical amazing city of London. I know one day I’ll be back, maybe finally accept the PDA, and find a whole new reason to love the places I’ve been, and the places I will see.

London, you’ve been grand.

I’m off to France and Italy tomorrow until early May, so expect a post sometime around then.

Stay Classy and wear that sunscreen!

XOXO, or as my Brits do, xx

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Land of the Scots, Home of the Brave(heart) with a Sprinkle of London and Paris

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You take the high road and I’ll take the low road…. ugh love that song. I still have vivid memories of my parents and grandparents singing that to me throughout my younger years–enough of my adorable childhood.

Last weekend I spent a few days at a friend’s family’s home in Glasgow for the holidays. Obviously I had the best time (shoutout to Abby and Casey coming in clutch with the amazing Scottish family), but I also found Scotland one of the most breathtaking places in the world.

After climbing Arthur’s Seat, meandering through Edinburgh Castle, checking out Elephant’s Cafe (all you fellow Harry Potter nerds out there–that’s where J.K. Rowling wrote HP- holla), hitting up the modern museum and taking in Glasgow’s greatest sights tired me out, but was worth every step of the 10 miles we walked that day.

Check out some of the pics from the trip below!

As the trips wind down and my final 10 days appear at the doorstep of my overpriced posh pad in South Kensington, I’m forced to face the music, so to speak. I still have another 3 weeks left in Europe, but only a combined 5 days in England.

Don’t get me wrong, while I miss my friends and family from the States so much, London’s left an indent on my wallet and heart. I’ve met some of the most amazing people here, made some friends I hope to keep in touch with for quite some time. Ugh, don’t even get me started on the mems! These memories will just have to hold me over until my next hop skip across the pond.

Ok, enough of the bleery-eyed sentiments and onto the time I have left in Europe. Tomorrow I take a train to Paris, next week I take my finals, and then off to France and Italy.

It’s crazy how much this trip changed my outlook on life and people in general. If given the chance, and ability, go abroad. Do it– you know you want to.

Stay tuned for a Paris round-up and a teary cheers to London sometime next week!

Stay cool and beautiful peeps.

xoxo

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Rocking and Rolling and Crawling

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Hi hey there hello! This week’s adventures featured a pub crawl and showed me rural England, on a trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury (like the steak- didn’t have any there but I did have a nice “Sunday Roast”- nom).

The drive from Stonehenge to Salisbury is beautiful, with rolling hills of green grass and farmland, even some sheep scattered about the landscape. We managed to get a little turned around thanks to the GPS, and happened upon some lovely little towns along the way.

We also saw the gorgeous Salisbury Cathedral. That place is huge and so beautiful–I have a thing for some stained glass, it’s beautiful! Le sigh, gets me every time.

Oh right, we actually saw Stonehenge too. It’s really quite amazing physically and conceptually. Although people can no longer wander about the stones, but instead must gaze on from a distance, the land and structure itself exudes a kind of mystically beauty despite the distance and limiting wires. Overall, I think Stonehenge is a must see, despite what some people might say about it being overrated and touristy–I mean, yes it is touristy, but isn’t that the point of seeing something like that? I mean, no one heads to Stonehenge thinking, oh hey, I’ll go see this unheard of beauty that no one really knows about and I just happened upon it while I was gallivanting around the English countryside.

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Any who, I digress.

Next weekend I take a trip to Dublin to visit some friends and maybe find the luck of the Irish. I’ll see what I can do.

Also, My friends and I pub crawled around Camden–which was amazing and I cannot wait to do another crawl. Long live liquor, and long live the Queen. That is all.

Stay beautiful and warm

XOXO

T is for Tea

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Hello World! I’m basking in the aftermath of a lovely weekend with my parents who flew all the way from Florida to visit my twin sister and I. They are the cutest. We showed them around London, despite the fact that they took us here when we were 10, and each has been before on different occasions.  So, this time around we felt less rushed and focused more on what we all wanted to do- like see a show, 39 Steps, go to some amazing meals, the Victoria and Albert museums, and Spitalfields Market. (Or as my dad likes to call it, Spittle).

I know, I’m sure you’re wondering what my favorite part of the weekend was. Well, I won’t make you wait any longer… getting high tea at the Wellesley.

Cheers mate!

Cheers mate!

We’re talking some complimentary Champagne, (still don’t know how we swung that) cucumber sandwiches, mini brioche buns with smoked salmon fresh cream cheese and dill, buffalo mozzarella and sun-dried tomato mini bagels, an assortment of desserts ranging from Red Velvet cake to chocolate moose, some panna cotta, chocolate, raisin and regular scones, and to finish it all off? They gave us an extra desert as a belated birthday gift. It included a candle, so how could Laura and I turn it down? le sigh, I am still full thinking about it. Oh, and did I mention the lovely tea? My mom, dad and I ordered the Churchill blend, a yummy vanilla and basic tea flavor that was perfect, while my twister (twin sister-duh) proved her adventurous personality and went for the vanilla toffee, which she loved.

The first round

The first round

Needless to say, high tea at the Wellesley is a must when visiting London. Just make sure that you don’t eat for the week after, because I’m pretty sure my blood sugar and waistband went up. ha ha. But actually, insulin is my favorite.

On a completely different and randomly hilarious note, my roommate is discussing self-tanning, and I hear her say, “I did my ass cheeks and they look amazing.” Bravo world, now you can go to sleep happy. (before you freak out, she gave me permission to say that).

Stay on the lookout for a post next week on Stonehenge and perhaps a fashionable friend of the month.

Stay warm classy and beautiful people

XOXO