JE SUIS UNE PAMPLEMOUSSE

that is my signature french phrase. it means: i am a grapefruit. why the french you ask? well me and my family are off to FRANCE for a while. ten days+ or something like that. i have no idea and the reason is...is because i don't have to plan a single dang thing. uh huh. so excited. it'll be me, my parents, my sister, and her husband and two sons. so that means i get to sleep in hotels and châteaux, eat real food, be stress free, and let the real adults take care of things for a while. because i'll admit that i was getting kinda sick of the whole independent travel on your own get no sleep in hostels and airports type of thing. and i don't have to worry about the language barrier because TA DA my dad speaks fluent french! so yeah i am liking the way this trip is turning out already. although i should probably use some of the french i learned last semester...oh and did you know that in france they have amazing pastries and cheese and bread? of course you did. oh france how i've missed you so.

the plan: we all get into a small european car together...yes it will be a tight fit...and head south and stop in bath on the way to the chunnel. we will take the chunnel, which usually i take airplanes so i am quite excited about this. we drop amber and ben off in paris for a little alone time while we take the kids to castles and such. then we pick them up and go to disneyland paris (i know) for a couple of days (confession: i am not obsessed with disneyworld/land like everyone else but maybe i will be converted in france) and then head to the loire valley and then the coast and back up to the chunnel and to england once more. and apparently my family has been to paris too much? so we are not even stopping there except to drop my sister and her husband off...kinda sad about that...i mean i would like to say hi to eiffel again...maybe we will stop by and take a quick picture on the way out. sigh. but i love the country so no worries. so far in the world london is my favorite city and france my country, so i hope this trip concretes that even more.

so you know how i kinda sorta planned on blogging about italy before i left for france? well i still don't have all the pictures gathered from people who travelled with me so those will have to wait...maybe i will just save them in drafts until they are ready and then post them all at the same time. something to look forward to and i bet the suspense is killing you. i also found out that people i had no idea were reading my blog were actually keeping up with my travels, so bishop lindsay if you are reading this, hi! hahaha.

cheers england, i am going to france. see you soon!

and in the meantime...
here are some of my favorite french music selections for you to listen to: 

Tumblr + Pinterest

I have had a tumblr for a while and have just started with Pinterest. I can't post on them as much when I am travelling but you still can check them out in the meantime! Enjoy.

{PREVIEW}
whats on my pinterest: (http://pinterest.com/andreabelle/)

christinebauer.com

bhldn.com

whats on my tumblr: (http://xoxoandreabelle.tumblr.com/)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34881092@N03/5032639611/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovedoodle/5836060285/

Blue Spotted Tail || Fleet Foxes

more pretty music for you to enjoy.

[Why in the night sky are the lights hung?]

Stay Young Go Dancing || Death Cab for Cutie

Ben Gibbard wrote a love song about Zooey Deschanel. And it is beautiful.

Lost in a maze of a thousand rainy days

Of a thousand rainy days

But when I heard her voice, oh it led me to the end

Yes it led me to the end

Cause when she sings I hear a symphony

And I'm swallowed in sound as it echoes through me

I'm renewed, oh how I feel alive and through autumn's advancing

We'll stay young, go dancing

.:cheers london:.

a blog post on my last week in london...here it goes, with a heavy heart.

MONDAY, JUNE 6TH. DAY 41. 
This day started out with school, our last lecture and our penultimate class. We had a woman come in and teach us about movement, which included some exercices with rhythm and...I am awful at moving my body to a rhythm so that was interesting haha. After class I headed over to the Hammersmith Primark and spent way to much money. 3 pairs of trousers (pants), 4 shirts, shorts, a belt, a pair of white oxfords, and that might be it. This took most of the day and then I met up with the group later to go to "Pygmalion" (what My Fair Lady originates from except it is not a musical). It starred Rupert Everett, who plays Jules' gay friend George in "My Best Friend's Wedding." I was excited to see him act live and the whole time I was expecting him to break out into a chorus starting with "The moment I wake up..." The show was okay and was pretty entertaining but nothing great. Afterwards we waited outside to get his autograph but he totally ditched his fans and hopped into a cab (I am quite disappointed in him). Then we concluded the night with a trip down to Westminster Pier to hear our friend Big Ben chime eleven. Always a good way to conclude an evening. 

TUESDAY, JUNE 7TH. DAY 42.
It was our last day of class...we took our finals and then I was off to the flat to figure out what I wanted to do on one of my last free days in London. I sat on the couch for a while chugging orange juice and booking hostels for Italy and then eventually I set off to Harrod's and Topshop to check them out before it was too late. But in my sick and weakened condition I could barely breathe, what with all the parfum and such, so I came home and waited about until people came back. We ate dinner at "Tortilla" and it was really really good especially for it being Mexican food in the UK. I got a large steak burrito and ate it ALL, because that's just how I do it. Before our last show as a group we went to a little place by the theatre overlooking the water and talked. We saw "Haunting Julia" it was supposed to be a scary thriller but actually it was really lame. Mostly talking and then when the climax came it was just a bunch of rustling of papers and doors banging. But a lot of the people in the group did a good job of scaring themselves from all the tension. And then for like the first time ever I went to bed incredibly early surprising myself and everyone in the room...I guess I finally realized that when you are sick you need sleep.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8TH. DAY 43.
My last day in London :( We started the day off by going to Hampton Court. A palace that Henry the VIII inhabited at some point. They gave us audio guides but...I can't handle those things. It is way too much nonsensical information for me. So I turned it back in and walked around with the others who still had them on, and it made for a quiet day haha. Plus by that time in the program I was getting restless with tours about old things. So I did what I always do- I headed for the gardens and left some of the others behind. Also because it was my last day in London, that meant lots of packing and I needed to get home to sort it all out because if you've ever seen one of my rooms it looks like a hurricane hit it. So I hopped on the train back to the city and from there bought my tickets to a play called "London Road" before it sold out. Except we got DRENCHED in the rain walking from the tube stop to the theatre and it was freezing and incredibly windy. I pretty much hated my life at that point. I was sick, tired, and wet. Plus the irony of it all...I had brought an umbrella to Hampton Court and put in Amberly's backpack because it never rained and then when I split up from her I forgot it. So unfortunate. (ps- some of these pictures are crooked but i am too lazy and busy to straighten them. oh well.)

let's talk about this picture for a second. this is preston listening to the audio on a large pillow. if it looks like he is dead it's because he is. and that's the exact way i felt. and still every time i see this picture i laugh out loud. 

good ol' henry

actors role playing and such

But I finally got home, got warm, packed, and drank some soothing liquid before we had to go to the show. We had standing tickets at London Road but I still really enjoyed it. It was a based on a true story about the murder of prostitutes but it mostly dealt with the response of the people in the town. The music and way they sung was really beautiful as well. Dezi, Megan, and Ari were also at the show so me and Holly walked back with them and me and Dez went to Westminster Pier to see Big Ben one last time because we realized tonight would be the night we had to say goodbye to London. While there we found Amber and Lauren. Me, Dezi, and Lauren were all leaving for Italy the next day and we all had the same idea and ended up at the same place. We stayed till 11 to hear the bells and sat there pondering in silence for what seemed like too short of a period of time. I realized that I can come to London again in the future but it will never be the same. That time in my life, with those people, studying that exact subject...no never again. It was a sad realization and my heart broke a little because I still am in love with it all so much. But I had many adventures to look forward too and still do. And life goes on and I will always remember the time I studied theatre abroad in London as one of the best in my life. I said goodnight to London then and I will say goodbye officially on my blog now.

me and dez with the national theatre in the background

Goodbye London. I love you and will forever miss you. You will always be my city ♥

Our Last Goonie Weekend in London

If you know me well you know that I love the movie "The Goonies", my sloth shirt can testify. And in the words of a very wise young man named Mikey:

Come on, guys. 

This is our last weekend together. 

Our last Goonie weekend. 

We gotta be going out in style.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4TH. DAY 39. 

It was Carolyn's birthday so of course I had to do something special to help her celebrate. I stayed up really late the night before after our dance party and went to Sainsbury's to get decorations and food along with Holly, Amberly, and Liz. And we were there so late we got locked in haha. I was always the last one to be up in the flat regularly so I just decided to wait until everyone was asleep to decorate her door and bathroom. And then I woke up early to make breakfast for the two of us. The menu featured omelettes, strawberries, a baguette, chocolate muffins, and orange juice. 

After that it was off to Portobello Road for one last Saturday looking for treasures in a sea of trinkets. And boy did I find treasures. I spent a lot of time there and money...I bought bracelets, two pairs of earrings, a watch, sunglasses, and two shirts. Someday I will do a post on all my purchases, until then. Carolyn wanted to have lunch at The Orangery in Kensington Gardens (one of my most favorite places in all of London). I was still sick at this point and had been downing cartons of orange juice, so the chamomile tea helped to sooth my throat. We fed the ducks at the pond (all by Amber's instruction) and then I am not sure what happened after that but I do know that we went to Nando's for dinner (a portuguese restaurant that specializes in chicken). The for dessert Amberly made a pazookie! mmmhmm. 

the birthday girl

me and amy aren't wearing tights...yeah we are just that white

SUNDAY, JUNE 5TH. DAY 40.

Our last Sunday in the portuguese ward. It was sad to leave the members and girls we met in the short time we had there. They were really sweet, strong, and friendly and I am glad we were able to meet them. After church me and Kiersten went to St. Paul's to listen to the organ recital. The inside of the cathedral was gorgeous. I snuck some pictures too, most are blurry because it was dark so I will only put up two. And that night we had a testimony meeting for our last time together as a group.