USA & CANADA 2016: PART V.

Here we are - the final photos of my summer trip! After Chicago I flew to Florida, where I stayed with Marisa and her family (including three adorable dogs, one of whom is featured). Most of the photos I took in Florida are at the same beach, including a photo shoot that Marisa and I had on said beach, because what else do you do when it's raining a little and you're right next to the ocean? If you're curious, I captured the photoshoot images by setting my camera on a signpost and using my phone as a remote control. Ah, technology. After Florida I flew back to Hamilton, NJ and the very next day Steph and I took a train to Obamatown Washington D.C. We met up with our friend Jelena, who I hadn't seen since early January 2014. Jelena studied abroad at King's in my first semester of university (as did Steph) and it was so much fun to be able to hang out with her again, even if only for a weekend. We stayed with Jelena's sister and fiancé and they showed us the sights, amidst an unfortunate 100-degree (PLUS) heat. Anyway, let's hit it.

Redington Shores, FL - 02.08.16 - 12.08.16:

USA & CANADA 2016: PART IV.

My penultimate summer photos post is going to feature all of my favourite pictures from Chicago! I arrived in Chicago on the 25th July and met up with my friend Libby and we both left on the 2nd August, with one day within that spent in Milwaukee (which I posted two photos of in Part III) and one evening in Tinley Park, which is about forty-five minutes outside of the city. We stayed in a hostel in a really cute part of the city and it wasn't as bad as the previous hostel experience we had shared (I don't wanna talk about it) - in fact, I'd maybe go so far as to say I'd stay there again if I ever returned. (Maybe I'd get a private room though.) (I just really like my own space.) Contrary to what you might believe from these photos, the weather wasn't actually too great, and it rained pretty much non-stop for a few days, but hey, you get to see the nice sunny sparkly side of my trip, so enjoy it. What you don't see is the hours we spent in this one particular Dunkin' Donuts that somehow became our sheltering-from-the-rain place. (I'm not complaining, we loved our special Dunkin'.) Prepare yourself for a lot of skyscraper photos. LET'S GO.

Chicago, IL - 25.07.16 - 02.08.16:

USA AND CANADA 2016: PART III

Here I am with the third part of my USA and Canada photo series. In this post you'll see my favourite photos from Syracuse, NYC, Milwaukee and a few spots in New Jersey. I also went to Philly at the end of this section of my trip but if I'm honest, for some reason all of my photos from Philadelphia are really bad, so you won't be seeing any of my pictures from there. (I posted a few of them on Instagram if you're desperate to see, but you probably aren't.)

Syracuse, NY - 14.07.16 & 15.07.16:

USA & CANADA 2016: PART II.

Today's post will feature a few pictures from when we visited a small, unknown waterfall called Niagara Falls, and a whole load of photos from My New Favourite Place, Toronto. O CANADA! For just under a week this summer I was in Canada and I had such an amazing time there. I don't know if it was their funky money, the polite people or the snazzy apartment we stayed in, but it stole my heart. Let me tell you RIGHT NOW that I love skylines, and I took a ridiculous amount of photos of the view from our Toronto apartment balcony and I'm including a lot of them right at the end of this post. I hope you like them, even though they're all quite literally of exactly the same thing.

Niagara, ON - 09.07.16 & 10.07.16:

USA & CANADA 2016: PART I.

Around two years ago I decided that in the summer I turned twenty-one I would go on a trip to America. I'm happy to say that I followed through on this promise to myself, and it was better than I could have ever imagined. Between the 3rd of July and the 16th of August this year I spent time all over the east coast of the US, and then also a little bit of the midwest and Canada. For the most part I stayed with friends; friends I'd made at uni, in high school, on the Internet and through bands - it was really cool. I had never planned such a big (and fairly ambitious) trip alone, so it was definitely a big thing for me, but I really did have the best time. Instead of rambling away at you with ridiculously long descriptions of the places I visited and the things that I saw, I'm going to show you some of my favourite photos from the trip.

I MOVED TO PARIS.

Hello! Just a quick update for you today. I've not had much time or head space to get around to writing a super wordy post this past week because...a few days ago I moved to Paris! I've decided to make this post really picture-heavy, because that's a little easier for me and maybe even nicer for you to not have to bother reading all my usual loquacious ramblings. I think I'm getting far too used to this moving-house malarkey. (Which would make sense actually, as this is the eighth property I've lived in since 2011, including both individual and family moves. WOW.) (On a side note, I don't think I've ever used the word 'malarkey' in writing before in my life, but I kind of dig it.) I haven't done much exploring of the city yet but I've got a whole ten months to get to know it so I don't feel like I'm missing out on much. Unfortunately I accidentally left my DSLR back in England (let's not talk about it) so the following pictures have only been taken on my iPhone. Alas, without further ado, allow me to give you a tour of my new bedroom in my little apartment in Montmartre.

YEAR ABROAD BUCKET LIST.

I'm about to up sticks and head to Paris for a year. Yep, Paris! Everyone around me seems more excited than I am, but then, that's understandable, because they are thinking of the good things, whereas I am going to be dealing with a whole bunch of potentially overwhelming and stressful stuff (think: setting up a bank account in French, trying to survive on the measly loan Student Finance gives me, attempting to not fail my classes, all of which are in French, et cetera). Don't get me wrong, I'm getting a little more excited each day (especially now I have an apartment sorted, which is a huge weight off my shoulders), but in order to keep this excitement brewing, I started to try and think of things to look forward to. Thence came the idea for my Year Abroad Bucket List. Some of the things on this list are Paris or France-specific, but others are just general things I'd like to accomplish/do during my year abroad.

FAVOURITE PLACES TO DRINK IN LONDON.

With the relative success of my Favourite Cafés in London post I decided to continue in a similar vein and offer you my wisdom in the form of a new post. For the benefit of my loyal readers (all five of you) (three of whom are underage) I have risked bankruptcy to compile a small list of my favourite places to drink in London. Enjoy. Drink responsibly. Do not blame me for any drunken misdemeanours that may or may not occur after having read this list.

THINGS I'VE LEARNT WHILE LIVING IN LONDON.

For anyone who doesn't know, a couple of weeks ago I moved out of London, and I won't be returning to live there until September NEXT YEAR!?!?!?! I only lived there for just under two years, but it really does feel like a home to me. I definitely carried a massive neon TOURIST sign for a few weeks at the start of my stay, but since then I'd like to think I've shaken that image, instead leaving everyone to assume I am a fellow London indigene. I love this city with all my heart and soul, and during my time as an inhabitant I have learnt a few things; some useful, some funny, some weird.

HOME.

Sorry I haven't updated in over a week, hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things again now. I've been super busy writing some coursework essays and spending time at home (I just returned to London this afternoon), which is what I'm going to talk a little bit about in this post.

My family have lived intermittently in Switzerland since 2006 (my dad lived there when I was 3 or 4 as well), and my current base is a little town/village just outside of Geneva. I never used to get homesick, but since I went to uni I found that the longer I spent away from our apartment in Switzerland (even though I've never lived there, don't have a bedroom there or any belongings whatsoever) the more I felt a kind of nagging feeling, one that was always appeased whenever I returned. I get to see my family usually about every two months as they often come back to England for various reasons, and it's always nice, but there's something about going home and not having to worry about any of the adult-y things I worry about when in London that's just so comforting.

FAVOURITE CAFÉS IN LONDON.

Well would you look at that? I'm back! Again! The outlook for this blog is not so bleak this time around. Recently my friends and I went to the Cereal Killer Café in Shoreditch and it inspired me to make a post, so here I stand today, writing a little compilation I've been working on of cute cafés I've come across in London.