What I'd Missed

I have been back from Europe now for a week. During this week I have noticed the things that I miss from Europe and also the things I had missed here, such as Mexican food and soft crust pizza. 

It's interesting to notice how much I've changed since being back. It feels as if reality hit me while I was there. I noticed the silence of everyone else's opinions which helped give me clarity as to where I want to go next in my life, how I want to be. During this trip I feel as if I got a completely clean slate. I don't really know where I want to go or what I want to do now. I know what I like and don't like, and though it may be scary to not know there's also a relief that I don't have to know.   

In all it was an absolutely incredible, life changing experience that I will never forget. I now have memories that will last my lifetime and that all life really measures out to be, is the memories that were worth remembering your entire life. 

Never the Same (part two)

This is the British portion of things that are not the same in San Diego or do not exist.

 Tributes to Olympian champions via post boxes (plus their post boxes are just cooler)

 Castles are unfortunately not to ones convenience to visit anywhere in California or even the US really, at least not castles with ancient histories. Due to the fact that the US is not old enough to have ancient history.

 Ruins can not really exist, yet again due to the fact that the US is not old enough for castles to have been built AND destroyed, weathered.

NANDOS!! Though it exists in the US it does not exist in California, much to everyone's misfortune.

I will be doing a post when I get back of all the things I missed while away.

Never the Same (part one)

I come home to San Diego tomorrow so thought i'd do a post on all the things I will miss when back, or will just not be quite the same. This is the France portion of the post will do a separate one for England. 

 Rest stops. This was rest stop in Switzerland on the way to the Alps. Firstly that slice of pizza was a quarter of the pizza, secondly look at that view!

 The alps. Yes you may get mountains in San Diego but not to this scale. The little villages and view while driving up was absolutely astounding.   

 Eclairs. Yes we have many places in San Diego to purchase an eclair, but nothing like this. It doesn't even compare. It melts in your mouth like cotton candy and tastes like a little bit of heaven.  

 I don't think there's very many places in the world let alone San Diego where you can walk around with hundreds of monkeys and feed them while they are totally free of captivity.  

 Yet again like the eclairs crepes are commonly found in SD but French crepes are other worldly, understandably. 

Raclette is a wonderful invention, where you can heat up any choice of meat and melt your raclette cheese and pour it over potatoes literally fresh from the pan!

Many steps taken

Have had a really lovely past two days walking around both Eastbourne and Hastings. My moms old high school friend (or secondary school in the UK) Amanda and her husband Alan have been very kind in showing me around. Yesterday we went to a small little festival that was happening. There was drumming and some sort of dancing I had only seen in the movie "The Man Who Knew Too Little"

We then went for some really yummy Italian food and got to watch a bridge split in half so that boats are able to go under

 Then walked along Eastbourne pier during dusk. I have discovered that no matter where you may be, no matter what it looks like during the day can be absolutely beautiful during dusk. Eastbourne is beautiful all day around but there is something so magical about dusk. Everything glows as if the world has been touched by a paintbrush. 

Today we went to Hastings, a small fishing town. It truly felt and looked like a fishing village from the movies. With antique shops everywhere and little fish shops that have been in the family for ages. It was especially cool because it was something that had always been seen from someone elses  point of view and I then got to see it from my point of view and it was just as charming as you could imagine! On our way back from Hastings we stopped in the little village of Pevencey which is known for its castle ruins. 

It was really surreal walking around the ruins (something else I had only seen in movies) because you could come up with some epic story in your mind as I did not already know the history. It was a very large ruin and you could just imagine it bustling with people hundreds of years ago before it came to a new place of beauty, overgrown and mysterious. 

There was also a small farm type place next door with baby piglets! We got there at feeding time.

I ended the day with Creme Brulee and a hot chocolate looking over the ocean, yet again at dusk.

Stratford Upon Avon

Spent a lovely day in the town of Stratford Upon Avon (there are two Stratfords) it is where William Shakespeare was born and where the Royal Shakespeare Company is located. I got to take a behind the scenes tour of the theater, which was really interesting. We could not take pictures but learned a little about the wigs and costumes which are all made there. We then got to see the original theater (swan theater) which is now used as a rehearsal stage and for smaller performances. We also got to see the main theater while they were testing sound which was pretty amazing.

The town itself is very enjoyable to walk around. 

A Day by the Sea

When you have an expectation of something it's all already in your mind. You piece together all the little parts of something you've seen like a puzzle, a puzzle with missing pieces that you disregard. And once you actually look up at the cover of the box you see everything that's there and it can either be a disappointment or a fulfillment, and for me today it was a bit of both.

There are always two sides to places, the parts that you want to see and the parts that you wish were hidden away, much like people really. Today I saw all of Brighton and there were parts that made my eyes light up and other parts that made me turn my eyes to ground. This gave me something though, that there will always be two sides to a situation, a place, and a person and you don't have to love all of it the same but you learn to except it all. Sometimes I wish it could all be perfect but then the perfect things that come into your life wouldn't be nearly as jaw dropping and awe inspiring.

I did love my day in Brighton though. It has a rustic charm and reminded me much of San Francisco. The pier I must say is much more impressive than anything I have ever seen in San Diego and going back to a pier without roller coasters or ice cream shops every five seconds will be rather disappointing. But I suppose you have to get used to things becoming less extraordinary once you've seen something that in your eyes is more extraordinary.

A Day At The Hamptons

It was my first day in England today and I got to spend it at Hampton Court as it is just a ten minute drive from where I am staying. We spent five hours wandering around the palace and gardens yet still did not see all of it. It's amazing that there are places so big and old yet still standing. It's like walking into history. The most amazing parts for me were the gardens and ceilings.

Rain Makes Corn

Last night was my first real experience of a summer storm, and it was amazing! It was so cool being able to sit outside on the porch listening to the thunder, watching the rain and lightening but still be warm. That was the first part of it. It then got sunny again and the birds started chirping. About half an hour later it all began again except stronger. The wind picked up and there were leaves flying everywhere. And watching it all from the window was better than watching a movie.

After a while of watching the storm we had to go into the cellar as it had started flooding and sweep water into a hole in the ground for half an hour. Though it might not have been fun it was definitely an experience. An experience that I will probably remember every time a storm shows up in my life.

As for the title of this post it comes from a song that is as country as it comes, but I thought it appropriate for being in the country and it having just rained. The link to the song is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vogS-Fp2QVI  

Walking Into The Past

It's amazing when a place is more than you're expecting, when you see it and your jaw drops. I had an experience like this yesterday when I went to a little medieval town in the French alps. It was truly like going back in time, something i'm sure a lot of us have wanted to do. Though there are pictures to show the scenery they do not really portray the experience when you're in it as very few images can, but they can maybe give you a little peak into the past. All of the photo credits go to my wonderful friend Kellie whom without I could not be experiencing any of these things. Thanks Kellie!

  Trying my first French crepe! Also had the best ice cream of my life.

 Kitten!!

 I had to

Steinsoultz

Bonjour! For the last week I have been in the small village of Steinsoultz. During my time here so far I have come to appreciate the simple beauty of everything. It makes me happy that there are still places that have hay bales, cows grazing, and nothing but fields for miles. When you live in a city such as San Diego you start to think those places no longer exist. Life in the country has made me appreciate that simplicity can still make you happy, and I hope to take that with me when I come back. It has also made me realize that I am not someone who could live in a town of 600 people, that though it is wonderful to visit I would feel trapped after a while, that everyone has their own place to live forever in and the country is not mine.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful little town of Steinsoultz.

Into the Horizon

It's amazing when you're flying into a sunrise, and you can see this light in front of you, so close but not quite there and then you look behind you and there's pure darkness. I feel like it's a symbol of our pasts and futures. We are leaving everything behind in darkness, all the things we wish to forget flying behind us and our futures always right in front of us, showing us that the dark is always guiding us forward into our futures.

An Overview

My name is Taya and I am a 16 year old girl who has always had a passion for traveling the world and telling others about it through my writing. I was given the opportunity to go to France this summer for three weeks with one of my best friends, so obviously I took it. The idea then arose for me to hop over to England as half of my family lives there. The France portion of the trip will consist more of friends and not worrying about what the future holds. The second portion of the trip, in England will consist of my search for the perfect University and focus much more on my future. But both will include plenty of epic adventure. 

 This is a blog to tell the stories I see everyday during my time in France and England. It is a documentation for me and for anyone who chooses to travel along with me through my words. I hope for it to spark inspiration and adventure in all that follow along.