May in London

As a recap, in May I...

watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace

explored the Kensington area of London

visited the Sigmund Freud Museum, which was his home in London after escaping the Nazis

visited the Harry Potter Studios with my friend Teresa

where we got to see the dining hall

and the 4 Privet Drive set

and the Hogwarts model that took 40 people 8 weeks to create (used in all of the movies as the school that they put in front of a green screen for all outer shots of Hogwarts)

went to the Natural History Museum with Mevy

where we saw lots of dinosaur skeletons

and some actual moving recreations...including this big guy

And now I'm counting down the days until I come back home. I'm also procrastinating on actually packing my things. I wonder how long it'll take me to do that...

Nice, France and Hever Castle

Mevy and I finally took our trip to Nice France a week ago, and it was so fun. I didn't expect it to be as tropical as it was or as sunny, considering the weather forecast said rain for the whole time we were there. The first day it was cloudy, but besides that absolutely no rain. While that was good, it led to a big sunburn for me, and no hat or sunscreen available when I needed it (all the stores were closed because the first day of May is a holiday). We got the chance to find our favorite pizza place and our favorite gelato place. We got to tour the "Old Nice" side of town, relax on the beach, walk down to the lighthouse, hike up Castle Hill, have a wine tasting, and go shopping in the Marché aux Fleurs.

This past Saturday a few friends and I went on our last trip with our tour program to Canterbury and Hever Castle, which is where Ann Boleyn (beheaded second wife of Henry VIII) grew up. The gardens were gorgeous!

The view from our hotel room into a private garden

Exploring on the first day

Some fresh seafood in the market

The main beach

The walk down to the lighthouse

The Marché aux Fleurs

Pre-massive sunburn

Pizza at a beach restaurant

The sign at the entrance to the Castle Hill hike (not very tall, but the highest point in Nice)

View from the top

One of the few waterfalls on the way to the top of Castle Hill

A view of the other side of Nice (and the marina) from the top of Castle Hill

I'd never had fresh sangria like this on a beach before - so good!

And here are some photos from Canterbury and Hever Castle

 Celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Canterbury with some really good fajitas!

Hever Castle, Ann Boleyn's childhood home before she married Henry VIII

My friend Sarah before we watched the Mayfest dancing

The Hever Castle Gardens

Some Recap

I realize I haven't posted a lot of my random pictures from around London, so here's a go!

My friend Teresa and me after a play we saw starring the guy who played Fred Weasley in Harry Potter

Exploring Camden Market with some CIS friends

Teresa and me waiting to see celebrities walk the red carpet at the BAFTAs

Apparently there is a Lomas Distribution company in the UK!

Stonehenge (fields with sheep in the background)

Some friends and my first attempt at making scones. Super successful!

Kathy and me in York

Mevy and me at tea at the Langham

Mom and me outside Abbey Road Studios

Mid-way to the top of York Minster

Regents Park's complete 180 transformation since my visit in January

Some police on horses casually walking down the street in front of my flat

Exploring Regents Park with a heron that kept following me!

View from a cafe on High Marlyebone St