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Dublin Day 1

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Our last destination of the trip was Dublin. We only had two nights in Dublin and neither were a full free day. The first day of Dublin included a short flight from London. Then we walked around the town and explored on our own for a while. We saw the General Post Office (The GPO) which was super interesting. There are large columns in the front of the GPO which have divots in them from bullets. The Easter Rising in Dublin was when Dubliners fought to become an independent republic from the UK. During this rebellion they fired at the GPO, and the bullet holes can still be seen on the columns today.        Then we met at the hotel to go to our group dinner. Dinner was a Guinness Beef Stew. I wasn’t super hungry because we hadn’t eaten lunch but 3 hours before dinner. However, the stew was delicious. So I finished the whole thing hehehe. We also had a key lime cheesecake for dessert which was very good. I also ate the entire cheesecake. Later that night we went to a pub called The Old St
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The Rest of London

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  The second day of London was much better.     We had a bus tour with an amazing guide named Stuart. He was entertaining and kept our attention the whole time. We went to the Albert Memorial, Buckingham palace, drove by Big Ben, saw St. Paul’s Cathedral, and toured the Tower of London. All of the English Landmarks were incredible to see in person. My favorite place we saw on the second day was St. Paul’s Cathedral. We could also see the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London which was another one of my favorites from that day. I really liked seeing St. Paul’s Cathedral because of the history behind it. Firstly, it’s a huge and beautiful building that was built so long ago without any machinery. Also, during World War II, the Germans continuously targeted London with air raids. A lot of the area surrounding St. Paul’s Cathedral was destroyed from this, however, St. Paul’s Cathedral stayed standing. The Cathedral stood as a beacon of hope for the British during this time of war.   After
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The First Day in London

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As I have previously stated in other blogs, I have been waiting to visit London my entire life. The first day in London was partially a travel day. Once we had taken the train from Edinburgh to Kings Cross I waited in line with some friends to get a photo with the Platform 9 3/4 area, however we did not have enough time before the bus came which was upsetting. Then we went to the hotel, and then to Trafalgar Square.   In Trafalgar Square you can see many different monuments, and if you look out tou can even see Big Ben. When I saw Big Ben it all started to hit me. I had literally dreamed of seeing the phone booths, Big Ben, the Eye, the Tower Bridge, and everything else that screams London since I was young. Because of this, seeing Big Ben was an incredibly surreal moment that brought me to tears. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so many different emotions at one time in my life. It was an extreme mix of happiness and confusion, and accomplishment while all feeling completely unreal that I
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Scotland

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The first place we visited was Scotland. We flew from London into Glasgow and we were able to stay in Glasgow for about an hour. I quickly visited the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and then went to grab coffee. This was my first ever interaction with a Scottish person and it was almost difficult to understand what she was asking at first. Then the coffee shop played Keep Driving and Daylight by Harry Styles which made the whole experience even better.  After that we’re headed to our hotel in Edinburgh. I have never seen buildings like the ones in Scotland. I love the Georgian architecture and houses. Seeing the buildings in Edinburgh gave me the realization that we were actually in Scotland, not the United States. After getting to the hotel we then got dinner together as a group. We had chicken, mashed potatoes, and haggis. I tried the haggis as a rite of passage while visiting Scotland. The flavor of the haggis was delicious, but I was not a fan of the texture. Either way I was
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Happy FSAT Eve

 Hi everybody! It is currently the night before our flight to Scotland. As I am running through my mental checklists of making sure I have everything I need, I am also thinking about what I am looking forward to on the trip. For this blog post I figured I’d talk a bit about some things I’d like to do in each country we visit.  First: Scotland. I am incredibly excited for the trip as a whole, but I am extremely excited for Scotland in particular. I have heard that it is absolutely gorgeous, and while I don’t think we will get to see much of the countryside, I think the castles will be astonishing. One thing I am super excited to see is the castle that Mary Queen of Scots stayed in. I am also excited to see all the Harry Potter attractions that are scattered around Edinburgh. I have been a huge Harry Potter fan since I was in fourth grade (I mean a real fan too— not just someone who likes the movies), so anything Harry Potter related will make me happy.  Next: England. I have never been
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Mrs. Dalloway #2

 Mrs. Dalloway written by Virginia Woolf is a story that follows a woman named Clarissa and a man named Septimus for a single day. Throughout the story of Mrs. Dalloway , Woolf repetitively refers to flowers. I believe that the repetition of flowers in this novel is used as a way to symbolize aspects of Clarissa's personality, feelings, and more. Similarly to colors, the mentioning of flowers in writing are often a way to symbolize aspects of the story or character without having the author directly state said aspect.      In Mrs. Dalloway , the opening line of the book is, "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself". The immediate mention of flowers in the novel sets the stage for the fact that flowers will hold a certain type of significance throughout the story. The reader is then informed that Mrs. Dalloway is going to buy flowers for the dinner party she is hosting. At the flower shop, several flowers such as delphiniums, carnations, lilacs, and sweet pea
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Mrs. Dalloway #1

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      Virginia Woolf was an extremely influential English writer. One of the most popular features of Virginia Woolf's writing was her use of the stream of consciousness. Using a stream of consciousness in a text includes writing the entirety of the normal, extended thought process of a person or character. The use of a stream of consciousness by an author allows the reader to feel more connected to the narrator's thoughts and character. Readers can feel more connected to the narrator of a story because a stream of consciousness reflects the more natural thought process of a person.      Virginia Woolf's use of a stream of consciousness in her works was a technique not frequently seen in early 20th-century literature. Because of this, Woolf is considered one of the "pioneers" of using a stream of consciousness in writing. Woolf's writing throughout the story of Mrs. Dalloway  showcases her use of a stream of consciousness. Because most books are not written th
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