Happy Thanksgiving!!

Yesterday, I spent my first Thanksgiving ever away from my family. It was sad to be so far away but luckily I got to spend the day with my extended family (Iman, Jeremy, Jess, Jenny and Janetta) We all prepared a dish we usually have with our families on Thanksgiving. My contribution was green bean casserole. Jess and I both missed our mom's broccoli and rice casserole but all in all it was an excellent meal.

After dinner we went to see Kanye West!! We had wonderful seats thanks to a friend of Jessica's. The concert was awesome. He is a really good performer and unlike most rappers who just run back and forth across the stage with a tall T and a gold chain, Kanye had multiple costume changes, a live band and cool lighting effects. It was really hard to watch him perform "Hey Mama", he started to cry we started to cry. I am sure his mom was very proud of him and his performance would have made her proud. Iman and I are off on a four day trip to Berlin and then Krakow. For more Thanksgiving and concert pictures click the link!

Happy Thanksgiving!! I am thankful all of you!!

Cheers!

J'adore Paris

On Tuesday, Jess, her sisters (who were visiting from the US) and I took a girls trip to Paris for the day. We went on the Eurostar which travels from London to Paris in two hours and 15 minutes! Even neater than traveling at 150 mph under the English channel is traveling 150 mph under the English channel in first class!! That's right our tour company gave me a free upgrade to first class. Unfortunately, Jess and her sister were unable to join me. ( I think the tour company felt bad that everyone else on our tour had booked their tickets with others and I looked to be all alone). I got to enjoy a free breakfast and dinner on the way back.


Once in Paris we went straight to the main event...the Eiffel tower. Our tour guide warned us to be careful because around the tower gypsies ask if you speak English and then hand you a piece of paper and refuse to leave unless you give the money. It was interesting to watch them though because they seemed unable to speak English other than to ask if you speak English. We took the elevator to the observation deck from which you can see all of Paris. I walked around relatively quickly because besides that it was cold and rainy, I am terrified of heights. After the Eiffel Tower, we took a boat cruise up the Seine and then we took a tour of the famous Notre Dame. (Sanctuary!) I totally want stained glass windows in my house one day.




We had a little time to shop since our tour guide decided to give us an extended tour. We found Janetta (jessica's youngest sister) an "artist hat" (beret). LOL!
We returned to London around 11pm. Paris was nicer than I remember from my last trip there but Prague and Barcelona are still my favorite!! Click the link to the rest of the pictures!

Girls About Town

My mom came to visit me in London. So we had four fabulous days of fun!!



I got to see a bunch of stuff I hadn't already seen and it was cool to do it with my mom who had never travelled overseas (and of course she paid!) We had a wonderful time click the picture link to see all of our "Wicked" fun around town including our celebrity run-ins!!

Photo disclaimer: My mom never has her eyes open in pictures. She can't help it.

Cheers!

An Enchanted Christmas

Since our friends across the pond don't celebrate Thanksgiving. The city and its shops have begun gearing up for Christmas. Last night, Jess and I went to the celebration of the Christmas lights being lighted on Oxford Street (the main shopping area in London) Thousands of people turned out and the winner of the X-Factor (American Idol) Leona Lewis performed although from where Jessica and I were standing we weren't really able to see her. The theme of the lights is from a new Disney movie called Enchanted.

Enchanted follows the beautiful princess Giselle as she is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid-- even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home-- she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world. From IMDB









More Pictures on ShutterFly

Prague Pictures

Prague pictures have now been posted! Just click the pictures tab. Enjoy!

Last Day in Prague

So on Sunday, I went to the museum of Medieval Torture Instruments. Let me just say EWWW! My personal favorite was this helmet device with a huge screw on the top that was twisted until a large stone within the helmet crushed your skull until your brains actually came out of your head.



Afterwards,I visited the Charles Bridge which is one of the most famous landmarks in Prague. On the bridge, I stopped to enjoy a jazz quartet and concert violinist who it turns out was doing the violin version of lip-syncing.I then wandered around Wenclesas Square and did some shopping. Things are much cheaper in Prague than in London and I was able to get some pretty good deals. Sunday night, Iman and I went to a Czech sports bar to watch the Colts vs. the Patriots. (It's okay Tony we'll get them in the playoffs!) I am now back in London but I absolutely adored Prague and they have the BEST Hot Chocolate Ever!!!

Communism and Tex-Mex

Prague is a beautiful city with lots of rich history from the days of Bohemia to end of communism. This place has lots of stories to tell.

Today, we visited the museum of communism where we learned about life under the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. The highlights were communist area proganda which depicted Americans as a lazy consumer driven society as opposed to the hardworking simple life of a happy communist laborer. My other favorite was a poster that read: You couldn't buy laundry detergent but you could get your brainwashed! We complain about life in America but we have never had to worry about secret police or being sent to work in labor camps.

For dinner Jess, Jerm and I went to Buffalo Bill's, an "authentic" Tex-Mex resturant. They did play lots of country music and the decor was definitely western (think saloon)The food was surprisingly good and I was able to satisfy my craving for chips and queso. Still upon return to the States I will literally run to Pappasitos or On the Border!

Greetings from Praha!

We arrived in Prague (Praha) yesterday. So far I have loved it by far my favorite city in Europe. The people are so friendly and its beautiful. The language thing is a little difficult since we butcher all of the words we attempt to say, but the people are really gracious and try and help anyway. Our hotel is really cool, you have to take a tram from the bottom of the hill to the top where are rooms are and they have the best hash browns I have ever had. Today, we took a coach tour of Old Town and New Town. I will be posting pictures soon.