Fly Through San Antonio

Jane and Me outside our lovely
hotel in the centre of San Antonio

San Antonio. What a city. We checked into our absolutely gorgeous 19th century hotel, The Menger, right in the heart of the city and proceeded to wander around the main sight of the city: The River Walk. Set below the main hustle and bustle of the streets the River Walk is a Venice like river (funnily enough!) with picturesque bridges and surrounded by cafes and restaurants. The walk, and the main part of the river itself, is entirely man made and so has a very Disney like feel to it, not helped by the boat loads of tourists floating by, and all the other tourists lining up on the river side in an attempt to get tickets for the aforementioned boats.

It was a lovely start to to our trip to San Antonio and a nice calm evening for what was to be a very, very exciting following day. Emily and I were returning to our childhood. We would once again be squeeling little giggly girls, jumping up and down in our excitement. You think I'm joking but no. Sea World is nothing to joke about...!

We arrived nice and early so that we beat the lunch time crowds and headed straight to Shamu. We were met not only by Shamu 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Sea World have never been original with names!) but also by baby Shamu - super duper cute! It was such a brilliant day involving, Whales, Dolphins, Alligators with turtles on their heads and the first roller-coaster I've been on in ages! It. Was. Fab.

Mummy Shamu and Baby Shamu!

Wandering along the River Walk

However, the real highlight of the day didn't involve water acrobatics, sea lions or Shamu - shocking I know. That evening some of Jane's friends had invited us over for supper. Driving to one of the neighbourhoods just outside the centre of the city we were welcomed by Jenna and her family and had one of the loveliest evenings since my time in America. Eating in the dining halls here at UConn takes all the fun out of a nice meal. While Emily, Rachel and I may occasionally linger over a meal chatting it's only usually when the dining hall is empty enough to do so. The majority of the time there is a constant flow of people and a continual hustle and bustle as they're getting up and down, scraping chairs back noisily. It's not the nicest environment. So to sit around a family table, eat yummy home cooked food, and chat about all our adventures was a very nice treat. 

The next day saw our final day in San Antonio on our whistle stop tour. It was another early morning to beat the Spring Break crowds and we made our way into The Alamo. A shrine dedicated to 200 soldiers who died fighting against 2000 men in their quest for Texas independence. Originally a mission set up by Spanish Catholic missionaries, the grounds of the Alamo were absolutely stunning and were so nice to wander around. After that we boarded a trolley bus in order to get a glimpse of the other sights that we hadn't had time to see. It was perfect. The city is absolutely stunning, especially as they're extending the River Walk all along the natural banks of the river.

One of the other Spanish Catholic Missions just outside central San Antonio. 

After that it was back on the roads. Having fought and argued with the Sat Nav, we finally made it to our next and final stop of our Texas tour... Austin.

Texas Road Trip

Having touched down in Texas and had a quick bite to eat, the lovely Jane - our tour guide and honorary mummy for the week- whisked us off to the first few stops of our adventure. We all piled into her fabulously, Texan truck and made out way to Salado, a sleepy town just down the road with natural springs and gorgeous gift shops. Oh and a few beat up old trucks to pose next to! The sun was shining, the birds were singing and it was amazing to get away from the chilly New England wind. The summer clothes came out for the first time in 2012 and we definitely made the most of it. After our first of many Texan Bar-B-Q's we crashed early into bed in preparation for the next morning's adventures. Caves. Caves and pie!

Longhorn Cavern State Park. If you don't know America very well then you won't know that the country is dotted with hundreds of national and state parks and protected areas. The big national ones being places like Yosemite (pronounced yos-em-itty by the way!) and Yellowstone and so on - both of which are definitely on my bucket list. Some of my fondest memories of my travels in America include these areas as they usually comprise of completely untouched and natural land - ie they're absolutely stunning! These caverns were no different. We disappeared into a hole in the ground and proceeded on our guided tour of below. Now I know rocks aren't that interesting but the history of the caverns was fascinating and the some of the formations were absolutely stunning. In the 1920's, when America was strangled by prohibition, the owner of the land  set up a speak easy - bascially an illegal, underground (literally) nightclub. We could still see the graffiti on some of the rocks from 1919 where some of his guests had written their names.

Next stop? The Blue Bonnet Cafe. Famous across Texas and with a queue almost out the door. Many of our fellow tour members obviously had the same idea as us and had also driven half an hour or so down the road to Marble Falls, another sleepy Texas town. It was however a town which hosted the best pie in Texas. And boy was it good. Now I think I may have mentioned my first introduction to Pumpkin Pie in November when I stayed with David's family and since then my love of pie has grown - just another great thing about America. However I have to say that my true love is Pecan Pie. One of my last meals in England before I set off for my year abroad back in August was followed by Granny's delicious Pecan Pie. Well Granny, I apologise. I think I've found better. For a mere $4 (about £2.50) I was granted an absolutely massive slice of the most mouth-wateringly, amazingly, scrumptuously, fantastic pie with an equally massive scoop of Vanilla Ice cream. I've never felt like such a fatty. It felt good!

After that we once again set off for our first big destination of the trip: San Antonio. A city I'd heard people absolutely rave about. But that wasn't the only reason I was excited. Oh no. We were going to see something far greater than San Antonio. Something even better than those beautiful State parks and, dare I say it, better than the Blue Bonnet pecan pie. That's right, we were off to see... SHAMU!

Shamu at Seaworld San Antonio!

Cowboys and Cacti

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get round to writing this blog but the moment has arrived where I will reveal all: my week in Texas and what a week it was! After quick goodbyes to Mummy on the Monday morning of Spring Break, her final day in New York, Emily and I trundled into a taxi on our way to La Guardia Airport, Texas bound. By midday we touched down in the tiny airport of Killeen, Texas, amidst helicopters and military personnel as we were to be staying in Fort Hood, (the largest military base in the world!) with an old family friend, Jane and her lovely, old dog, Meg.

Heart shaped Cactus - They really are everywhere!

Flying low over Texas and peering through the tiny aeroplane window, Emily and I were instantly struck with how flat the landscape was in comparison to the mountainous and hilly terrain that is Connecticut. Well, that's what we thought until we later learnt that we were to be travelling through the part of Texas known as 'Hill Country'! Just the beginning of a few Texas surprises. There were hills, baby ones, spread out between the vast landscape that is Texas. It is massive. Absolutely huge. So big that I think you can fit the thirteen smallest states into it - and there would probably still be room for a few European countries!

Texas is unlike any State I've ever been to before and I've now been lucky enough to experience a fair few. The Texas Lone Star adorns absolutely everything, as does the noticeable outline of the Texas state itself. Next to the few American flags flying in the wind a Texan flag will be right there beside it, in fact I saw countless more Lone Star flags than I did Star Spangled banners! And if that isn't enough to draw attention to where you are the numerous cowboy boots, trucks, Bar-B-Q restaurants and the thick drawling accents will!

Not only was the landscape and scenery different but the general atmosphere of the place was. After our numerous cultural adventures (which you will hear all about soon) we can to the conclusion that this is probably largely due to Texas' own individual history which Emily has done a fabulous job of summing up in her blog - so read it here. But basically to sum up her summing up Texas was Spanish, which was then Mexican, then they fought for and won their own independence and were a republic for nearly a decade before joining the good ol' US of A - the 28th State. So those were general impressions of the Lone Star State, stay tuned for what we got up to...

Texas Blue Bonnets, the state flower.
They were just coming out to bloom while we were there.

Bite Size Big Apple

So as I mentioned in my last blog I've decided to break down all the amazing places in New York that you must all add to your bucket lists! I'm not really much of a city girl. My home town is a very small city nestled in amongst the Wiltshire countryside and so I have the best of both worlds. Whenever I've gone to New York or London, or even having spent numerous weekends in Leicester last year with my boyfriend Nick, it made me realise how I could never live in a busy, bustling city. It's too claustrophobic. Which is why I always surprise myself when I tell people how much I love New York city. In my first trip to the city this year I wasn't at all that impressed. In fact reading back over my first blog it makes me laugh how much my opinion has changed. I again went in October, and November and it's only now that I think I truly appreciate it. The city is big; it's crowded, it's smelly and it's very, very dirty. On first impressions I think it's really scary, overwhelming and intimidating; your view of the sky is often really limited and so you do feel like you can easily get lost and forgotten about. But, having become more familiar with New York, I can now appreciate the hidden beauty beneath all the grime and the wonderful sights. Here are just a few of my favourite things...

• The Best Donuts in the City! When I went to Grand Central Station back in November, I bought a Donut from a little Mexican place called Zocalo's in the Grand Central food court. It was amazing. 'Nuf said.
• Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn: I can't believe this was the first time that I'd made it over to Broolyn. Asides from the absolutely stunning view that you get of the city skyline, just wandering around the streets of Brooklyn Heights is incredible. Many of the houses are still the old 18th Century buildings and are absolutely beautiful. After just a half hour walk or so out of the hustle and bustle you enter an entirely different atmosphere. We also ate at Caffe Buon Gusto on Montague street which was amazing. Freshly cooked pasta, amazing fish dishes and amazing staff! Definitely worth a trip across the water for lunch. 
• The Tenement Museum: For a little bit of culture, we headed to the corner of Orchard and Delancey in the Lower East Side. Here we watched a brief film about the vibrant history of the area and picked up tickets to have a look around one of the restored tenement buildings. The tour includes pictures and histories of the families who lived in the rooms of the building we saw as well as the social and cultural world in which they lived. It was fascinating! We followed this by a trip to The Merchant's House Museum on East 4th Street: a preserved 19th century home of a rich New York city merchant. Although lacking in money and slightly dilapidated, it's still quite interesting to see the stark differences between the two buildings when they're only a few blocks apart. 

• Bleecker Street: Just walk along it. There are great bars, restaurants, quirky shops and, walking West,  it takes you right into the beautiful districts of Chelsea and the West Village, what I think are the most beautiful areas of New York. While you're there grab a Cannoli from Rocco's
• The High Line: Quite literally a park in the sky, the High Line is yet another fantastic way to escape the city. Starting just below 14th Street on the very West side of the city and ending (at the moment) at 30th Street, the park is made up of the old railway line which carried goods into the meatpacking district - another area of the city well worth a wander through. 

• Central Park: I had to include it of course. Central Park is amazing and is almost a city in itself as there is so much to do there. Flanked by museum mile and containing numerous ice skating rinks, lakes and even a castle, it's well worth a day trip. We bought some food from the Whole Foods Market which is located on the south floor of the Columbus Circle Mall in the very South West corner of the park. It's like a buffet and you can fill up your tub with as much yummy food as you want, pay by the weight, and then sit and eat it in the park. Yum. To see more of the park you MUST rent a horse and carriage OR a bike... I did both.

• Ellis Island: Yes 'that place in Hitch'! New York's history as a gateway to the New World is fascinating. Grab a ferry from down in Battery Park and don't stop at Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty is great but you see it better from further away not on the actual island. At Ellis Island get an audio tour and start off in the exhibition on the ground floor "Journey's: The Peopling of America" which gives you the insight and background you need for the rest of the tour. We didn't do this so learn from our mistake! Follow the rest of the tour through the Immigrant Experience. 
• Broome Street Bar: On the corner of West Broadway and Broome Street, this bar was just round the corner from our hotel. Great food, great atmosphere, great nights. Well worth a visit if you're in the neighbourhood. Which you should be because SOHO is beautiful! If you want a nicer meal (or a very scrummy breakfast) then head to The Cupping Rooms which is next door. They had live Jazz on Saturday which was just amazing and it has a great atmosphere, completely the opposite to Broome Bar. 

So I think I'll leave it there, although I could easily go on for days. I have no doubt forgotten some brilliant things but there is just too much. Feel free to comment with some of your favourite places and memories in the Big Apple...

Four Mummies and a Molly

The week before Spring Break I took the week off and met my mother and three of her lovely friends in New York City. It. Was. Mad. We checked ourselves into a hotel near Soho and Chinatown, down in the south of the city, and spent the week exploring and eating our way around Manhattan. My kind of holiday!

It must have been my 5th or 6th trip to the city and so I think I can now safely say that I know it pretty well. In fact my knowledge of NYC is definitely far greater than that of London - shocking I know! I now know how to navigate the subway stations and have a fairly good grasp of where everything is and where there are good places to eat. As a result I spent the week guiding round my little tour group and taking them to all my favourite places and showing them all the sights, sounds and smells of the Big Apple.

Having spent a week there I managed to finally do everything I wanted to do - I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and spent a lovely sunny afternoon walking around Brooklyn Heights and filling myself with yummy home made pasta. I experienced the MoMA, not something I would particularly like to experience again, but something I can check off the list at least. I visited new museums, had a horse and carriage ride around Central Park, and once again saw the spectacular views from the Top of the Rock.

So to the lovely New York Nymphs who accompanied me thank you so much for another fabulous trip to New York. I had so much fun and I can't wait to see you all when I'm back in the UK!

For more photos of the trip please click HERE.

From Snow to Sun

So the past two weeks have been absolutely incredible. Words cannot even describe how much of an amazing time I've had and I'm going to do the brilliantly British thing and start by pointing out the weather. At the end of February and the beginning of March, the week before I went away to New York, Storrs was once again clouded in snow and transformed into a picturesque, Narnia like scene.

I was greeted everywhere with scenes of...

Photos courtesy of the brilliant Will So, a fellow exchange student from Australia -
http://www.facebook.com/WilliamSoPhotography 

and...

Will So Photography -
http://www.facebook.com/WilliamSoPhotography  

Will has obviously done a fabulous job of capturing the beauty of the snow but as you may of guessed I was horrified and trudged grumpily between classes, once again having to don my massive down snow coat and my Timberland boots. It was gorgeous but it wasn't giving me much hope for any signs of Spring. We've had it pretty easy this winter though if I'm honest. Connecticut usually averages around 50inches of snow during the winter season (according to http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2688&q=322366) and this winter we can't have had more than 15 inches with the main snowfall being during the freak snowstorm over Halloween last October. 

Having now returned back to Storrs, two weeks later, the sun is shining, I'm in a strappy top and my sunglasses are permanently balanced on my head. It is glorious. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and I'm hoping that this is the start of summer...

Coming Up Soon...

So I promise that I haven't completely abandoned my blog. I have been very busy gathering lots of exciting material and experiencing lots of new things to share with you. On Sunday I fly back to New York and from there I will get a bus back to UConn to complete the final stint of classes before the end of my year abroad! *sob! If you don't know where I'm flying from then tough - you'll have to wait and see! So when i'm back in good ol' Connecticut you will once again be plagued with numerous stories and exciting experiences including;

• What was hopefully the last snowfall in Connecticut (fingers crossed)
• What happens when you place 4 Mummies and a Molly in New York city for a week and all the exciting adventures that that includes
• My top ten things to do in New York and an all you need travel guide to the best places that I've found/experienced in the city
• My first internal/domestic flight within America
• And finally all I will reveal is that I'm in 'the South' and am only halfway through my amazing adventures so will hopefully have tonnes more to write about...