A bit of London...

London is wonderful so far. I still am in awe that I am here.

In the short amount of time we've done and seen so much and I can not believe we still have 2 full days left of being here! It is simply wonderful.

Yesterday we were major tourists and did the double decker bus tour. Though it was quite cold we sat on the top deck and had a great time for the first hour. Once our fingers lost feeling and lips were too cold to speak words we found a little coffee shop that was one to be expected to be found in Europe. Once we warmed up from sipping on our mochas we got back on the bus tour and saw the rest of London from the outside. At the end of the afternoon Betsy and I came back to the hotel and got glamed up for our night out courtesy of her parents. 

 We found frozen yoghurt! First time enjoying it in months!

   

 Coffee & cafe goodness. 

 We ate a delicious 3 course dinner and enjoyed a fabulously preformed play called Billy Elliot. The kids in it were amazing and though we were exhausted from the day we had a great time. 

Today our day consisted of much walking. We first went through Westminster Abby. It was extraordinarily beautiful and the whole time is was in amazement of the whole place. We saw where the royals like Princess Diana were given their crowns, where they were married and where they were laid to rest. We learned interesting facts like Queen Elizabeth had Queen Mary put to death because of her dislike for her and they are now ironically buried directly across from each other. Though all this was amazing to see I loved the corner honoring famous writers like William Shakespeare, Jane Austin and Emily Bronte. 

Later we went for an hour and a half long rock and roll tour. Though we were skeptical of being out in the cold that long it proved to be worth it. We saw where the Beatles had their final rooftop concert, the places they recorded their records and where the start of their end began. We walked in front of Mozart's home and saw the office where Ozzy and Sharon fell in love. And all that would have been satisfying enough to be in the cold that long but then we went to the recording studio Florence and the Machine work at. I was in heaven and secretly the whole time wishing Flor would pop out the door. 

The Beatles partied here...

Where Florence and the Machine record albums!

As if that wasn't a full day itself we then made our way to the National Art Gallery. There were more rooms and paintings than our tired feet could carry us to but we saw many that I enjoyed, Van Gough being a few of my favorites. After an hour we decided to call it a day and made our way back to the hotel for the night. 

Its been a great couple of very busy days. I am so thankful and blessed for this opportunity. We still have much planned for the next few days here like seeing the changing of the guards, Shakespeare Globe theater, Princes Dianas memorial, riding the London eye and touring the Tower of London. We're trying to fill as much as possible into the time we are here because though we are tired Betsy and I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

I hope you all have enjoyed your week!

xoxo

Lions and Tigers and...

The past week has brought some bright days to our drab February.

Last Friday we were given the day off of volleyball and used the time to go to the zoo. At least three times a week we bike past the Odense Zoo to get to practice and each time I tell myself "one day I'll go". It was the perfect day with a hint of sunshine and a free pass to get in. We walked the park and I almost felt as though I was home. If there was no snow on the ground and the weather was a littler higher than the 20s it would have been seemed like I was at the Wild Animal Park. When our walk through warm "South America" was over and our double socks and down gloves no longer did the trick of keeping us warm we called it a day. We went to a tasty 200kr ($40) dinner [I still cant believe I spent that much on a dinner that would have been maybe $15 in the States, cray!] and tried to get our monies worth. We ate nearly more than our bellies could hold which we found out the next day was not the best prematch meal.

The next morning we woke up bright and early and made our way to Gentofte to play in one of our final matches. It was an easy win for us in under an hour even with our food coma still lingering from the night before.

We're coming down to the last week of league play with only 2 games left. It looks as though with the point system we'll be playing the number one team Holte the first round of playoffs. We've seen them more times than any other team and call their gym our home away from home. The play off system is best out of 5 matches so we'll see them 3 times for sure. Hopefully it'll only be 3 times with us being the victors.

With league play coming to an end and time before playoffs start a break has been given to us. And with break comes travel! So our tickets have been booked and in a week I will be in... LONDON! 

It has been a dream of mine to go to the UK and I am so blessed to have the chance to. General plans are being made but with so much to see and minimal time and budget nothing has been set in stone. It hasn't fully set in that I am going, just like the fact that I'm living in Europe has not seemed to be a reality, but I am so very excited. Outfits are being decided and days are quickly dwindling. Many photos will be taken and instagram will be in overload so don't worry I will share Westminster Abby and the Queens Castle with all my fellow Downton Abby lovers.

The sun showed itself a few times this week but mother nature soon remembered it was winter and decided to take it away. Snow has fallen once again and the wind seems to constantly blow against us when biking but none of that matters because in a week I'll be in London! 

I hope you are all enjoying your weeks. Eat a few yummy American Valentines candy for me and don't forget to give a loved one a hug and a kiss.

xoxo

Rinse and Repeat

Its been a couple weeks and not much has happened. Our days are a constant repetition of volleyball, TV show marathons, and sleep. Some days we spend downtown exploring the city and finding new places to enjoy lunch, but with our tight budget and need to travel those days have dwindled.

 Our $20 soup

We've had a few games in the past couple weeks and already it is clear our new coach is pushing us to be better. Friday night we celebrated our win over Lyngby by having a girls night. The team came over to our apartment and we enjoyed a night of cocktail dresses and good company. Another game was played last night against the number one team Holte. Though we lost 1-3 we played what I think was some of the best volleyball we have all season. We frustrated the girls on the other side by making them earn every point and keeping their best hitter at a low hitting percentage. We battled and though we didn't come out on top I'm proud of the strides we made this week.

With the Super Bowl playing Sunday a group of Americans (and a few Euros) from our mens and womens teams got together and threw ourselves a little party in the late night to wee hours of the morning. We made some tastey wings and other Americanized food and streamed the game. Though the commercials brought such disappointment this year and my eyes threatened to close from the added hour of the blackout it was great to have a night like home.

The weather is changing and the sun is shinning a bit more. The snow has melted for the most part. Some nights bring more snow but with the sun it is usually sparse by morning. Bike rides can be long with the wind in our face but Betsy and I try and continuously laugh to keep our spirits up. On days with nothing to do I find myself missing home and a busy routine.

 I am still learning so much about life and myself and I am still blessed to be where I am at. The Lord is good and I am so thankful for my blessings. Enjoy your week friends and soak up some warm Cali sun for me.

xoxo