When In Rome!

When you are a poor college student (and living in London) who wants to travel to Italy for a week you have to get desperate. My disparity? Budget airlines! So when I was planning my trip to Italy I went for the cheapest flights possible...duh right? So when I came across the flight leaving London on Tuesday at 6:00am for $19 I HAD to take it. Sounds like a good deal right? Well I forgot to mention that public transportation doesn't open in London until 5:30am. Yeah I didn't just forget to mention that to you right here and right now...I forgot to remember that when I went through with the flights and bought them. Would you pass up that cheap of a flight to Rome? DIDN'T THINK SO. So Monday came around and at about 10:00pm we began our commute to the London Standsted Airport for the night. We made it there and found ourselves a nice corner right outside the bathroom where we would begin our attempt to sleep the night in the airport. Might sound crazy to you people at home but let me tell you this place was CROWDED, we weren't the only ones with the brilliant idea! Tuesday morning (4:00am) came quickly enough and we began our trip through security and to our gate. Now if you have been keeping up with me at all you know that I have had THE WORST travel experiences when it comes to flying. Well this time I got through no problem at all. But Phipps on the other hand? Her boarding pass wouldn't scan. We had a few minor panic attacks but finally got her on the same side of the gate as us and through security we went. Just three short hours later we were landed in Rome!! Yes you read that right!! ROME! This is what I saw when I got off the flight...

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So we drug our tired bums to customs where we easily got into Italy...no problem at all. After we got through customs? A blank room with not an ATM in sight. Now this proposed a problem because us Londoners had no euros on us for the bus ticket we were supposed to purchase to make our way to the hostel we would call home for the night. So we pulled out the plastic and bada-boom we had bus tickets. Out the door we went and literally got shoved on to a bus that was about to leave...three spots left and three girls? PERFECTION. Once we made it to our hostel we got all checked in and ditched the backpacks for a nice visit to the Vatican Museums. Now this wasn't exactly the trip that I was expecting. Don't get me wrong it was super pretty and the information was ideal but not for someone who was running on two hours of sleep and impatiently waiting for the Sistine Chapel. Yeah so just a side note to all of you that are interested in seeing the Sistine Chapel, don't get your hopes up when you see it listed on the signs. Literally saw it about 25 times before I actually entered the place. And the worst part? When you get in there you can't take any pictures and they rush you out so quickly, yelling and stuff. But the picture I did get? 

That my friends is proof that I did see the Sistine Chapel and go through it pretty darn quickly. And after that? We bee lined it to the closest gelato place to eat our heart out in the first of many gelato trips for the week. The best part about gelato in Rome? They always give you free cream on the top and it is so rich and creamy! Amazing! If your mouth isn't watering yet then you don't have good taste at all. Then it was straight to the hostel for a nap, or bedtime...at 4:30pm. Woke up once for a pizza at 6:00pm and back to bed until the morning. Best night sleep of my life in a room with the two other girls I traveled with and a rando male roomie who didn't say a word to us. I'm sure he was a nice man.

Day 2 in Rome was a lot more eventful than day one. We saw a lot of beautiful sites and stayed up past 8:30 so that was an accomplishment in itself. Here are some pictures of what we saw along the way!

We checked out of our hostel to head onto a new area of Rome for our second day adventures. As we were approaching the Metro station one of the girls I was with was beginning to get very antsy about missing the Papal Audience, since it was Wednesday in Rome! So after a ten minute discussion while watching thousands of people pass us on their way to do the same thing we decided to turn around to witness this blessing. Not only did we make it back in time, but I was able to capture this wonderful picture of the Pope himself roaming the crowds. He sent a blessing out to everyone in the audience plus their families and friends...and anything else that we wanted blessed. So yes folks my backpack is blessed by the Pope himself and if you're reading this you have a blessing being sent your way! You're welcome mom and dad! :)

 Although we didn't go inside, St. Peter's Basilica was BEAUTIFUL and the weather in Rome was perfect for the day that we chose. Such a gorgeous place to spend a Wednesday morning, we got inside the furthest away gate somehow and that was me inside with the nice scene behind.

 All that Pope business got us rather hungry so we ventured to our new hostel where we checked in and grabbed a bite to eat. That pizza was so tasty and yes I devoured it all by myself with ease! The food in Rome was so decadent and delicious. The pizza tastes a lot different than pizza from home, the crust has a lot less sugar and is so rich, plus all the ingredients are super fresh so that is a positive!

 After lunch? Off to the Trevi Fountain where every girl's dreams come true!...LITERALLY. That is me throwing my coin into the fountain while making a wish. What did I wish for? NOT TELLING SILLIES. But when it comes true I guess I can let you know that it did. :) There were so many tourists there...naturally...and tons of Asian folks taking selfies down by the fountain, but I managed to get a few shots on my own. Such a pretty place for a stroll along!

Lastly we went and saw this beauty! The Colosseum. It was under some construction and we were not able to actually go inside but it was so moving to see. Such an old and antique looking piece up for so long was great to see in person! Rome was a lot different than I expected but well worth the trip to get there. Not my favorite place in Italy but definitely glad that I went to do the whole Catholic thing. What's up next? My absolute favorite! FLORENCE! So more to come on my week spent in Italy, but for now I must keep you on your toes a little longer...plus I need to finish a few papers this week! Love you all and can't wait to share more stories about my experiences over seas! Keep looking out for Italy endeavors!

Grazie.
The Site-Seeing Softball Player

Jet Lag? No Time!

So yes I just got back from an extravagant week in Italy...no big deal right? haha But lets just go back in time to the Thursday before this amazing trip. Thursday, October 17th to be exact. I'm sure most of you already knew but in case you didn't this was the day that I was flying home (yes to the states) for my best friend's wedding! So Wednesday night came along...bags packed for a week now...and I was wide awake throughout the whole night. I mean could you sleep knowing that in 24 short hours you will be reunited with friends, family and US soil? Didn't think so! Thursday morning, 4:45am finally came and my alarm woke me from the lightest sleep of my life because today was finally THE DAY! I hopped down from my lofted bed and onto the ground I go, headed straight to the shower. Came out to find my roomie, Karlee, and neighbor Paige in the room excited to take me to the airport at 5:00 IN THE MORNING. haha so we head to Russell Square to catch the first tube ride of the morning. And to our surprise? It was really crowded!! Anyways we rode the tube to Heathrow where they took me all the way to security and we said our goodbyes. A (long) 7.5 hour ride to Toronto and then a short 2 hour ride to Kansas City was all I had in between my dad, four teammates and I reuniting at the Kansas City Airport. I survived them and yes we hugged and screamed and had  a great time! Want some proof? Look at how cute we are!!

So Thursday night I spent with my amazing teammates who came to see me...PRICELESS...and my lovely family, plus a little surprise from Ant. I could not have been more happy to have my friends in Kansas City with me for the short time I was home, we talked each others' ears off and then some. And want to know something funny? I stayed awake for about 26 hours straight! Yeah not even mad about it, love these girls to the moon and back! Friday morning I was sad to see them head back to Iowa, but I had family time to suck up and lots of wedding stuff to do!!

Friday was nails, nails and prepping the bride for her big day!...which if you know Kelsey at all consisted of nothing! haha talk about the worlds most calm bride! So we took it easy and relaxed, making sure she had things finished but wasn't stressing! Friday night was the rehersal and dinner and then back to my house for some family socializing. I GOT TO SEE GRANDMA! It was great to fill my grandma in on everything that I have done lately in the UK. Also got some great time in with Lisa and Dale and of course the good old Jeff! But off to bed early for me because Saturday was the big day!

Here are some pictures of the most perfect, wonderful, amazing, love-filled and adorable wedding in the world! Hands down the happiest bride and groom I have witnessed...SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO!!

Getting ready for her big day. Can't believe I have been best friends with this beauty for so long and I got to witness her walk down the isle to the man of her dreams!!  

 The most flawless bride I have ever seen in the world! Even when her husband wiped cake icing all over her face at the reception! :) I love you to the moon and back Kelsey, your wedding was nothing but perfect!!

 My amazing family and support system! So lucky to call such a good looking group my family! They are amazing and I can't wait to be home and with them for the holidays!

So what happened after the wedding? Well we went home, full of alcohol and everything! haha The next morning I said my goodbyes to Grandma and Jeff as they headed back to Omaha. And then a few hours later goodbye to Anthony...but something I have learned is that it isn't goodbye but just until next time! So I will see this lovely bunch soon and it will be amazing! That afternoon I arrived at the airport with mom and dad where I was denied to board my first flight to Toronto where I was supposed to meet Phipps. YES IT HAPPENED AGAIN! After many tears, screaming and some flight rearranging I made it to Heathrow Airport at 12:00noon on Monday to meet Ashley Phipps for a week adventure in London/Italy! Now what about Italy? Well I have to keep you all on your toes for a bit longer because work is calling and Starbucks is kicking me out for the day! I promise Italy pictures and stories are on their way! Love you all and can't wait to share my adventures with you!!

The Site-Seeing Softball Player

Don't have a title...

What in the world have I been doing here in London? Running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Yeah I know that is extreme for London, but yes I am doing it! This week flew by and I can't even figure out where it went. It is now Sunday evening-ish and I am about to chat with my lovely family. But Sunday evening Mallory? What happened to Monday-Saturday? That is my question! Monday and Tuesday were rather normal at my internship except, wait! I have some breaking news: I received my first official call at DBA....yes someone called the Design Business Association FOR ME! The receptionist phoned over to me to inform me that I had a call waiting and I just started at it. I was thinking am I supposed to answer that? Then I looked at her and she nodded so I picked up the phone to say hello but before I could talk, think or even better hear what she was saying she had transferred me over to the person calling. Who was I talking to and why did they call for me?! But then it hit me, I sent out emails to companies who need to get stuff in and they were from me personally so yes I got about eight more phone calls that day and every single one was just as terrifying! Brits are REALLY hard to understand over the phone, like REALLY HARD. Tuesday I also attended my first DBA event as a staff member which was interesting (Brits hate when you say interesting btw). I say interesting because I have not a better adjective for this event. It was great to be a part of something so official but I was sort of just a fly on the wall. But hey if you need any advice on how to make money at a large corporation, hit me up!! Wednesday and Thursday are pretty irrelevant as I just had class and class again but my professor on Wednesday was HILARIOUS. He was cracking jokes left and right and it just makes it even better that he is about 60 and just adorable...comes into class every time huffing and puffing with a full coat and jacket/tie with his glasses about to fall off, I think the stairs just do him in every time. But he is fun and super posh! Friday is a whole nother story! I went to a CASTLE! We took a trip with our program to Dover and Canterbury which was about an hour and a half commute out of London. Here are some great moments captured by me, myself and I...and some nice guy from Colorado!

 Dover Castle was the first place we visited. Of course while we were there good old Mother Nature decided to pour down on us, but we made the most of it. The castle was so beautiful and rustic, definitely nothing like in the Disney princess movies but that is a-okay with me! The castle had so many old underground tunnels and interesting things you could scavenge through, it was very fun!

And then we went on over to Canterbury to see the Cathedral there. We were supposed to take another trip to the White Cliffs of Dover, but due to the excessive amount of rain we had to cancel this from our agenda...what did we get in return? A free pint of alcoholic beverage on Central College. I swear they replace anything bad here with alcohol, but are any of us complaining? NOPE. So we toured the Cathedral, got some great fish and chips and then headed for our free alc. This was the end of a very long, cold and wet day but we got some great sight seeing in and lots of picture taking!

So what is on my schedule for this week? Well folks this is the week! Yes, I will be heading back home to the great USA for a short visit with friends, lots of catch-up with family and oh the main reason? MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING! You know there will be tons of blogging about that. And then what after I return to the UK? One day in London and FIVE in ITALY!!! Get ready for some master blogging about some of the best experiences of my life. Buckle your seat belts and hold on tight to your mouse because I am about to take on the world...as if I haven't been already! Thanks for reading this cheesy thing.

Love you all.
The Site-Seeing Softball Player

Third Times The Charm.

So yes I went to Paris this weekend...wait did you read that right? YES I WENT TO PARIS THIS WEEKEND!! But lets just rewind to the morning of Thursday...departure day. I went to class like normal and that lasted to 1:00 then I ran a few errands, had to mail a few letters and grab some snacks for the big trip. Finally I ventured back to Woburn to finish preparing for the 9 hour bus ride that was waiting for me that night. So I get to the door, get out my card and scan myself into the building. Walking past the front desk I looked straight ahead at the table that sits right in front of the stairs and I mentally noted that the girl sitting at the table was FOR SURE American. (Our program director always tells us that he can recognize Americans from a mile away, I'm starting to understand what he means, its a sixth sense). Then reality hit me in the face when I realized the American looking girl sitting at the table was a girl named Ciera that goes to CENTRAL. Then I really started putting the pieces together when it hit me again, she is studying in Wales this semester, the same program that one of my good friends Shannon is in, so what did I do? Look over to see who she was sitting at the table with. Yep. I look and guess who I saw? SHANNON COULSON! Yes. I screamed! And then she screamed, and then I screamed again and she did and this happened back and forth with a lot of hugging for a solid seven minutes! Then there were tears and more hugging and more screaming...basically people walking by were thinking "damn Americans." But it was so so so so amazing!! So we talked and talked and looked into each others eyes and talked some more and then later on had a cheeseburger and shake and talked some more! Then I handed over my room key to her and a friend so they could have a free stay in a full furnished room...I mean what hotel comes with two beds, sheets, towels (okay hotels have that stuff), two closets full of clothes, lap tops and best thing for London...RAIN COATS! They landed a good one huh? Yep!! And off to the bus station we went...Paris bound and super giddy! I mean seeing a dear friend and heading to Paris, what more could a girl want? Well I am about to tell you what I got!!

So just to put our trip in perspective...we left London on Thursday night at 9:30 and would arrive in Paris on Friday morning at 7:30. But how would we get there? Yep here is the kicker folks. We rode the bus for three hours, got woken up to go through customs, then another hour, then woken up to board a ferry for another hour and then back to the bus for another four hours to Paris. The ferry? Pretty darn sweet, until my head met the table and I was out cold! What about customs you ask? Well let me just tell you according to the people of customs and everyone in France and England Mallory Danielle Schulenberg of the United States never entered or left France...yep I was the only one without a stamp or paperwork either way. Yikes! No idea how this happened, but it did. Below is a picture of myself in the ferry and then the nice MegaBus we took. Seriously first class folks!

 Kind of reminded me of a cruise ship...or I guess a giant bus holder in the water which was what it was in reality!

This picture was taken at approximately 7:50 in the morning right after a ten minute giggle fest because we were in PARIS!! So what did we do when we got there?

DAY 1:
We arrived in Paris and like I said, had a giant giggle fest...we even saw a moving building. See the thing is, is that we all thought the building was moving and it was really funny when we got there, probably because we were so sleep deprived! So we decided to venture towards our hostel...that was a little over a hour of a walk. Well we had to start somewhere, so we did. Reading the maps that appeared every now and then we thought we knew what was going on, so we walked and walked and walked some more. Then we ran into this beauty:

In case you aren't familiar with this marvelous thing, it is the Arc de Triomphe. Have you ever watched the Tour de France? Yep light bulb, that's where you saw it! So we took some pictures here! And then kept walking to our hostel. Well we walked for another hour or so when we finally gave up, we were going the completely wrong way and were giving up. Like giving up to the point of making a group decision we would pitch in for a Taxi. So me being me decided to hail the Taxi for the group. It was cake. I got the dude and he pulled over and we showed him the address of where we needed to go, then it happened...he put the car into drive and sped off, no words, nothing, just left us! Hmmmm, okay? So I got another, showed him where and we got a little further, he asked how many. So I told him we had four girls, and yep it happened again, the car went into drive and sped off. And that is when we made the group choice to become Canadian for the weekend....and get Starbucks. We got Starbucks and a two day Metro pass because we were done with the mean taxis and worthless walking.

 After finding our hostel we ventured over to Notre Dame to see the beautiful place and all it had to offer, it was so amazing and worth all the sleep deprivation and walking that we had done.

 We also went to the Bridge of Secrets. This is a bridge that people bring locks to and lock their love (or whatever they want) onto it, then throw the key over into the canal. It was so fantastic and awesome to read all of the locks that had been put on there in the past.

 And we spotted the Eiffel Tower...just slightly, but we promised ourselves that we would go back later after we ate dinner. So we found a little Italian restaurant and had some dinner. That is when we decided that we were way too tired and nasty to go back and take pictures in that state of mind, so we waited until later on in the night.

We checked into our hostel and took a nice nap until our tour guide showed up to take us around Paris. Brandon is a guy from Central who is studying in Paris so he met us to show us a few of his favorite spots in Paris and hang out for a bit. And he took us to the Sacred Heart Basilica which is the highest spot in Paris, yep pretty much the most beautiful view in the world! Pictures: oh and by the way, we had to walk a ton of stairs to get to the top, yes we are getting our conditioning in but just in case we aren't, we walk millions of stairs a day!

 And after we did all of the walking and touring, we went back to the Eiffel Tower again, but just wait the third time we went is the money maker! Oh and this picture is sparkly in case you were wondering! The Eiffel Tower sparkles for ten minutes on every hour...this was at 8:00pm!

And we said goodbye to our great friend and amazing host for the night, he was awesome and we could really tell that he loves the place! Paris is perfect for him! Off to bed for us, since we never really even slept the day before!

DAY 2:
We woke up, ate and off to the Eiffel Tower. Gotta be first in line for pictures...too bad everyone in Paris goes to the Eiffel Tower every single day!! Here are some of mine:

What do you do when you are in France? Take millions of pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower! Well we did that and then some. Yes the last one is me having a romantic kiss in front of the most romantic piece of art in the world...with myself!! After that we ventured over to see the Moulin Rouge Windmill, home of the can-can dance. Then to the Luve where we didn't actually see Mona Lisa but were in the presence of her home! Good enough right? Day two went a lot quicker than day one but overall the trip was brilliant! Would I go back? Maybe not, but it was way worth the weekend trip! I don't want to spend another weekend pretending to be from Alberta, Canada in my life. I'm proud to be an American and I will flaunt it so take that Frenchies!!! Okay well that was it, Paris came and went and we experienced much more than I can put into words. There are some pretty hilarious stories that can be told in person, but for the record...I spent enough time in front of the Eiffel Tower for all of you out there reading!

Love you all.
XOXO
The Site-Seeing Softball Player

Is This Real Life?

I am posting to let you all know that my life has officially turned into a fairy-tale. Tomorrow (Thursday, October 3, 2013) I will fall asleep in London, on a bus in case you were wondering, and wake up on Friday in...wait for it...PARIS!!! Yes folks it's really happening! I might have already planned to visit the Eiffel Tower at every hour of the day. I mean don't judge me, I want as many pictures in front of it as possible and duh I need different angles of the sunlight! Yes I am excited to say the least. I will be roaming the land of love and dreaming about love, love and more love! I also have very high expectations that I will meet a random and super weird dude with black hair who will be wearing a white button down and red art hat with a super super super French mustache and the only words he will say? Bonjour! Yep. Okay I am totally being a tourist but hey that's my job right? Totally! Anyways I am going to Paris and am ecstatic about it but am done rubbing it in...for now, once the trip is over all bets are off!

So how did I focus throughout this week knowing that Paris was waiting for me? I DIDN'T! This week at my internship and class was a bit of a struggle but I made it through. I had a lot of work again at the DBA but continue to learn more and more each day and got invited to my very first event next Tuesday as part of the staff! Eeeeeek! So there's that and let me tell you about another experience we had here in lovely London. We (my three teammates and I) were able to get ourselves kicked out of yet another area in which we visioned ourselves throwing and (them) hitting this semester. Yep. The perfect place, about 45 seconds from our room doors and still on the property of Woburn Place was turned to mush in less than two hours. (Let me paint a picture for you...this is right out the back door of our student lounge, through the designated smoking section, up a small flight of stairs and right there! Down from this glorious location? The rubbish area. Yes our brilliant and new softball field was a tunnel surrounded by brick walls and cement, to the right was a fence and above the "tunnel-like" strip sat an overhead of glass. Perfect location right? Well at least I couldn't throw any wild pitches! They would kill something.) Here's what happened...we headed out to this new location that Paige and I discovered one Wednesday when we were throwing. This was yesterday evening after we all had a long day at our internships, what better to soothe stress than some nice catch and pitching with three teammates? So out we go and things were rolling great until it happened. A ball flew over the brick wall in slow motion, it was like one of those shit is this really happening? moments. But then nothing happened! We were good! So Kallie went to retrieve the ball while I began to pitch to Paige. After a solid 40 minutes of pitching our world came crashing down. Out came one of the front desk girls and in went us, gloves and all. Apparently there had been noise complaints from students living in Woburn Place. Now my argument? Who complains about noise at 6:00pm? LAME-Os!!! So our next attempt? Regent's Park where we know that ball play is acceptable! Wish us luck!

Okay well I need to go finish packing for PARIS!!! Love you all and thanks for reading, hope you are as excited to hear about Paris as I am to live through it.

The Site-Seeing Softball Player