gifs {part two}

i could NOT help myself. i spent my saturday morning laughing my head off. honestly. these are so great. {especially preston's}. my apologies everyone. 

 blenheim palace, england. 

 blenheim palace, england.

hyde park, london.

 portobello road, london.

 cliffs of moher, ireland.

 cliffs of moher, ireland. 

 some garden, ireland. 

edinburgh, scotland.

rome, italy.

 florence, italy.

amboise, france. 

 chiang mai, thailand.

 chiang rai, thailand.

chiang rai, thailand. 

Travel Guide {Edition I}

well here it is. some of you have asked specifically for it so this is my attempt at rating the places i have been thus far in my nineteen years of life. why edition one? well i figure there will be more added for each year i travel. enjoy and keep in mind that this is my opinion and i have talked with many others who would differ depending on their experiences. {also, i would like to note how incredibly hard this was to do because i like each place for different reasons and it is hard to say one is better than the other}.

COUNTRIES:

12. Burma {Myanmar}

It was definitely a very interesting and insightful experience but I would not want to go again. It is war-torn and extremely poor, but the countryside is beautiful. {see the post here}

11. Grand Cayman Islands

I went here as a part of a Caribbean cruise I went on. Pretty but since we spent most of our time at Sting Ray City I did not enjoy it too much. {i mean who wants hundreds of sting rays swarming them and rubbing all over their body? how do you think steve irwin died?!}

10. Canada

I haven't been to Canada in a while, but I do remember that is can be gorgeous, green, and great for people who like nature. Last time I was there we went to Niagara Falls, which is cold and wet and magnificent.  

 9. Ireland

Part of my time spent in Ireland was awesome and part of it not so awesome, but it was an adventure that's for sure. If you want to see the Ireland they show you in the movies you need to get far away from civilization and plan on getting lost because tourism information is not Ireland's forte. But once you get out into the green rolling countryside it really is breathtaking. 

{posts one, two, three, and four from ireland}

8. Mexico

Mexico is great for many reasons. First and most important of which being the food. Mexican food is a gift from God. REAL Mexican food...nothing is better. And now I am hungry. I have been to Mexico a couple of times I think, but more recently on a cruise where we stopped in Cozumel and Costa Maya. The snorkeling was the best I have had so far (comparing to Florida and Thailand), souvenirs are cheap, there are ancient ruins just waiting to be explored, and the people are generally nice and humble. 

7. Belize

Man, Belize was so much fun. It was also part of the cruise and while we were there we went cave tubing in the rainforest. Dream come true? Yes. At that point in life I was obsessed with rainforests so this was perfect. We saw a lot of wildlife and got to float down a river, in and out of caves, on an inner tube. So awesome. The people in Belize were also nice and we got some good food there too. 

6. Scotland

My trip to Scotland was perfect, but too short. We only got to go to Edinburgh for a day and a half but we did a lot in that time. Including hiking to the top of an inactive volcano for sunrise at 3:30 in the morning, where I got to be the highest person in Scotland for just long enough to have one of the more incredible experiences of my life. We went on a ghost tour at night and visited the cafe that J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series in. Bonus: Scotland is gorgeous. {posts one and two} 

5. Costa Rica

One word: amazing. Loved every moment of Costa Rica. I convinced my parents to do a trip here during my rainforest phase. We were there for two weeks in the town of Jaco {a major surfer destination} and stayed in an awesome hotel complete with a private beach, huge pools, and hammocks. Our days consisted of horseback riding to waterfalls, kayaking, zip-lining, rainforests, national parks, beaches, and lots of monkeys. Oh and really really good food. Plus I loved the people there, they even sang me happy birthday at one of the dinners. GO TO COSTA RICA. Can I emphasize it enough? They are also one of the countries that are preserving their surroundings instead of destroying precious and rare life, and by doing so they make all their money through tourism. 

{some of the pictures are in this flickr photo album}

4. England

Oh England, what can I say to some you up? Well I spent about two months in this country and I have my likes and dislikes, but mostly fond memories. Six of those weeks were spent in lovely London on my theatre study abroad through BYU, where I also went to Dover, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon. And the other two were spent in Harrogate with my sister and her family, enjoying the countryside, during which time we went to Bath on the way to France. England is simply beautiful. It looks just like it does in all the movies- green, rolling, and full of sheep. Combine their accents, their sophistication, their history, and their wonderful array of sporting events and you have a must-see. Plus the weather was quite enjoyable whilst I was there. Oh and it doesn't help that I am a Jane Austen addict either. {I am not about to link every post about England because there would be like a hundred but here are some of the posts on my side trips: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And if you want to read about London you will just have to dig through the archives or my facebook pictures}. 

3. Italy

Three cities, two days each, six days of jam-packed tourism. I loved Italy, and I think I would have loved it even more if I had gotten to take it slow and spend some time in the country too. Rome was perfect to us the first day, and the second day was a bit interesting hahaha. Florence was breathtaking and full of art {most of which I didn't get to see}. Venice was sunny complete with clear blue waters, fascinating architecture, and slow times riding bikes to the beach on a quaint little island. And the best part of Italy? Food, of course, but mostly GELATO. And it helps that there are lots of good looking men with great fashion taste and excellent glasses.

 {see the posts for all three cities here: one, two, three, four, five}. 

2. Thailand

Six weeks in Thailand, and it only took one day to fall in love. Riding elephants and ostriches, playing with adult and baby tigers, lighting thai floating lanterns, side trip to the beaches in the south, temples, and lots and lots of rain. However, my favorite aspect of this was the children we taught at the orphanage through HELP International. Northern Thailand is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, the skys are gorgeous, the hills are a perfect shade of green, and it is almost always sunny. The food is delicious, the markets have everything you could want and it is incredibly inexpensive, and the people are the most friendly of all. {again, to read more you'll need to search past posts because there are a lot of them}

1. France

Been there twice and it is still my favorite country so far. I love everything about French culture- the language, the food, the pastries, the lifestyle, the art, the architecture, and the countryside. What more is there to say? Paris, Loire Valley, and Normandy. C'est bon. 

{see the posts here: one, two, and three}

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!

And now for some less detailed lists:

CITIES:

1. London

everything you could ever want at your fingertips: culture, music, theatre, art, food- and all in an incredibly quiet, clean, and efficient city of its size.

2. The cities of the Loire Valley in France {Amboise, Beaune, Blois, Chinon, Tours}

3. Florence

4. Venice

5. Rome

6. Paris

7. Chiang Mai, Thailand

8. The Normandy Region of France

9. Edinburgh

10. Jaco, Costa Rica

11. Harrogate, UK

12. Chiang Rai, Thailand

13. Phuket, Thailand

14. Tachileik, Myanmar

100,000,000. Dublin, Ireland

PEOPLE:

1. Thai

2. Costa Ricans

3. Italians

4. Scottish

5. British

6. Burmese

7. Irish

8. all the other ones i will not list because i have no opinion slash too much bias

la fin de la FRANCE

hey folks so i am in thailand but before i blog about that imma finish my posts about france. sorry if this is sloppy, long, and filled with crooked pictures. i am not perfect and this slow internet is slowing crushing my soul.

FRANCE DAY 6

After we left Dinsneyland we drove to Amboise to stay the night. The next morning we to the Château de Amboise. I had already been there before (basically everything we did this day was a repeat) but we love it so we wanted to show it to Amber’s family as well. This is the “castle” that the movie “Ever After” takes place at in real life and I am pretty sure some of the scenes from the movie were filmed there. It has a great view and because Leonardo da Vinci was friends with the king he is also buried in the chapel there. 

i told him to stop kicking the bush and be nice, so he gave it a kiss haha

Then we went to Leonardo’s actual house that the he lived the last years of his life, given to him by the king so that he would be close enough to counsel with. They also say that there are underground tunnels connecting the two. They recreated some of his inventions and have lots of walkways through the woods surrounding the grounds.

Next we went to the Château de Chenonceau for a picnic lunch before we went in. Unfortunately for them part of it was under construction and it was a bit crowded but the place is still pretty awesome, and it even has its own labyrinth.

 we were both going to make a gofer face, but amber made her's too late. so i get to be the special one.

We then drove to our next place, we were staying at the Fontevraud Abbey and by the time we got in it was a bit late to go back out and find food for dinner so we decided to eat at the hotel. We figured it would be a bit more expensive but little did we know. It was a very very expensive not kid-friendly restaurant at all. Let the embarrassment began. One of the starters they brought out to us was a special made by the chef. It was a piece of sushi, a shot of this cold mushroom concoction, and one of those sucker syringe things {you know what i'm talking about}, and a little orange {nemo i’m guessing} fish egg right on the top. yummm. For dinner I ordered a steak and they brought it out cooking on pine needles. It was so good, although I ordered it medium-well and it came out bleeding, like a lot, I would hate to see what rare looked like {maybe they would’ve brought out a cow}. And for dessert they brought out these magical looking creations, I however ordered the cheese dish to be authentic of course, and I get a smattering of their best cheeses. Some were good but the goat cheeses were the hardest to swallow they were the strongest I had ever had and tasted like a dead goat wrapped in gym socks. But I ate them giving quite the show for my family. I ate lots of bread that night to get it all down. Stressful? Yes. Interesting experience? Definitely. Expensive? Most abso-freaking-lutely. 

FRANCE DAY 7

In the morning we explored the abbey which we just had to walk to through the grounds. Inside there are 2 sets of kings and queens buried, all of which my family are related to {one of which is Richard the Lion-Hearted}. The courtyard in the middle of the abbey had a sculpture by Vincent Lamouroux that was winding boardwalk in the air resembling a roller coaster. Once you get on you don’t get off until the very end so the artist has you experience the entire work of art {which I love}. At one point the stairs are at such an angle that it looks like if you keep walking that you’ll ascend into the sky. We walked around the gardens and orchards on the grounds and then kept driving on to the next château. On the way we stopped by a huge field of sunflowers {further concreted my view that France is made of sunshine and happiness}. Next we made it to the Château de Chinon {Joan of Arc walked through those very halls to talk to the king about leading France into battle}. It had some pretty amazing views of the city below from the castle towers. 

That night we stayed in a hotel in a place called Brittany and went to a crêpe place for dinner. Except in this part of France {particularly this restaurant} they served a variation called a “gallete.” It comes out looking like a square and the batter is a little different. It was good but the best crêpes i’ve had are still the ones at the stand in London. 

FRANCE DAY 8

That Sunday morning we drove to Normandy {I had already done this whole day last time as well} to see Mont St Michel Abbey. The last time I had went we didn’t go inside for the tour and I wanted to this time but we were in a hurry I guess so I still haven’t been inside, but it is situated on a huge hill and is lined by narrow streets filled with souvenir shops. I’ve always loved the view from the top. It overlooks the flat wet land and fields covered in sheep. During high tide the water even covers up the parking lot. 

After Mont St Michel we went to the WWII Cemetery which is right above Omaha Beach. We walked through the memorial inside, read, and watch clips on the war and the walked out to the cemetery to look at those who were buried. If I remember correctly around 9,000 men from the United States that died on D-Day have been put to rest there. We went down to the beach, upon my request, {i always have to touch the water} and it was quite a way down but definitely worth it. The water and sky were perfect shades of blue and the sand was a huge blanket of gold. I have never seen a wider beach before. After we hiked back up to the top we drove to our next hotel near the northern coast.

FRANCE DAY 9

That morning we took the chunnel back into England and I was definitely happy to be back. We drove until the evening and when we got in I went straight to my computer to edit pictures, blog, and relax. That day it was the fourth of july so we had a cookout and tried to eat as american of food we could get. It was kind of ironic being in England on our day of independence from them but I feel like we celebrated our country the day before and it was the perfect weekend to do it.