Part 4! I promise these posts will not go on forever :) After I decided to go to Oxford I knew that I wanted to go punting. Punting is quintessentially English. It consists of a long shallow boat and one massively long pole. Someone stands on the back of the boat and uses the pole to push along the bottom of the river, propelling the boat along. When I got to Oxford I was excited to see that punting was planned into our schedule. It was so fun! I didn't actually do the punting because I didn't want to fall in, but just riding in the boat was amazing! 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The colleges at Oxford are to die for! I cannot imagine going to school at a place that looked like this. Each time we went to a new college I stood in awe of how beautiful the buildings were, how stunning the gardens were, how picturesque the whole set up was. Here's what I mean (and let's remember that students live here!):

As I was sitting in airport in London, I realized that I still had a ten-pound note, just burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought a book. I heard from several people that The Fault in Our Stars was THE book to read. It fit the £10 budget so I bought it. I read this book in one day. At one point I was sobbing on the plane and I swear the woman next to me tried to scoot as far away as possible. 

Normally I shy away from books that I know are going to make me cry, but I decided to take a chance on this one--it was well worth the risk. This book is AMAZING. The writing was wonderful. John Green was witty and believable. I really felt like I was listening to a 17-year-old girl . The storyline was just as great as the writing. Heavy stories like this are often overdone, but I thought Green found the perfect balance. It was heart-wrenching without ruining my whole day. I highly recommend this book--so so good. I am so glad I read the book before I saw the movie, which I am now counting down the days to see. 

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As promised, more posts from les adventures of Angela. Seriously, Oxford is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I think part of the reason I loved it is that I felt like I was at Hogwarts. Parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed in Oxford--I stood on the staircase where Malfoy and Harry become mortal enemies. Yeah, that was real life! Also, the students have to wear their robes for exams and formal dinners so they all look like wizards. Every day. 

Most of the movies were filmed at Christ Church College, which automatically makes it the best college. The grounds were amazing! I'm not sure how they get their lawns so green. Seriously, it was unreal; Martha Stewart would kill for that secret. We were friends with the head grounds keeper (Hagrid) and he allowed us to see some of the private gardens. I want to be at student at Christ Church just so I can hang in those gardens. I would spend my whole pretending I was either at Hogwarts or Downton Abbey; either way it's a win. 




Jet lag: It's a real thing. I had this mega-fantasy that I would I would escape its perilous jaws, but, alas, here I am at 6:30-ish wide awake and writing a blog. It's 11:30am in London-town, so naturally my body thinks I should be out touring or royalty-watching. (Wow, so many hyphens!)
My trip back was a whopping 24 hours yesterday. I knew that it was going to be the longest day of my life, but I was hoping that if I stayed up the whole time I would get home and just pass out, sleep for a normal amount of time, bounce back, and laugh in Jet Lag's defeated face. The joke's on me people: I did not come home and pass out. Instead I stared at the ceiling for 45 minutes before falling asleep and woke up a measly 5 hours later. (Also, spelling is way hard when your jet lagged. Like, waay hard.) No one else is awake so I guess I'll catch up on some Jimmy Fallon and mentally prepare to be obnoxiously tired as I go white water rafting today, because isn't that how everyone gets over jet lag?
PS. I edited soooo many pictures on planes yesterday so I'll be backtracking the last few weeks of my trip!
PPS. Here's what I was listening to on the plane, mostly on repeat. They don't go together, but that's ok.

Maya Angelou was such a cool lady. I adore this quote! Makes you think about life, huh?

The Cotswolds are something out of a fairy tale. I cannot tell you how many pins on my Pinterest travel board feature this part of England. When I found out that we would be visiting as part of my Oxford program I thought I had died and gone to heaven. As we drove along the winding roads my face was plastered to the window. The rolling green hills went on forever and I was one happy camper. We stopped and explored this little village called Burton-on-Water. It was perfection itself. I think I might just sell all my possessions (minus my camera and sewing machine), move to Burton-on-Water and open a bakery. 

Ok, can we just talk about English gardens for a second? Hello, amazing! This makes me want to put in an amazing garden at my parents place. I am in love with them! 

Before coming to Oxford, I spent just one day in London. I'll be heading back to the glorious city where I'll be having many more adventures. My day was spent perusing the flea markets (highly recommended) and just walking around. There isn't too much to report, just pictures :)

Oxford is amazing! I know that I have said that about every place that I have been to, but I really love this little town. Our schedule has been non-stop here, hence the lack of posts, but I will try to catch up.

I spent my first few days in Oxford were spent exploring. Oxford is full of crooked streets that never seem to intersect. I am so surprised that I haven't gotten insanely lost yet, although I wouldn't mind it one bit. All of the colleges at Oxford are stunning! Each is filled with perfectly manicured lawns, lush gardens, and honey-colored buildings. I am not surprised that so many scholars come out of Oxford. How can you not be inspired with so much beauty around you?! Since I have arrived here I have been trying to figure out how I can stay. I love it so much. Also, Harry Potter was partially filmed here, so there's that too. 

I have the absolute best dad in the world. He is honestly more than our family could ask for. I can't describe it, but he's perfect. Pops is so much fun, an amazing cook, and keeps our family going. Since I'm in England I can't spend the day with Dad, so I'm sending Jimmy on my behalf. Love you, Pops!

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So sorry for the lack of posts! Getting to London and Oxford has been crazy and I have fallen behind, but I'm alive and well :)

My last day in Paris was only a half day because we were heading to London in the afternoon. In the morning we went headed to the flea market to see if we could score some awesome finds. I have heard such good things about the Paris flea markets. The really large one wasn't open the day we were there, but we found a smaller one that worked just fine. I bought this BEAUTIFUL briefcase. It's this wonderful honey-colored leather with a gold lock. Ah, I love it.

I also wanted to see the Sacré-Cœur, so we headed up to the Montmarte neighborhood. The basilica is beautiful! You also get an amazing view of Paris from the top of the hill. I would definitely put this on your list if you are going to Paris! We tried to make it to the Catacombs, but the line went on for days! When you've got only a few days in Paris you have to carefully plan your time. I loooooved this city. Definitely give yourself way more time than two days. I didn't get to just sit and enjoy Paris as much as I wanted to, but that just gives me a reason to go back :)

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