The Sacred Baths

The city of Bath was an interesting experience to say the least. After leaving Stonehenge we drove about 45 minutes to Bath to see the Roman Baths. On our trip there I saw a lot of the beautiful English countryside. We were told stories of the rise of Bath and tales of the healing waters in which the city was built around.

Once we arrived, we went into the Baths and were allowed to explore at our own speed. My favorite part would have to be the Sacred Bath, which both Rebecca and I touched! Haha. This bath is the coolest one because it is the hot bath and has steam that flows from it out into the cold weather. It is supposed to have healing powers.

Another part that I liked was the pond-like area that you could make a wish at. Lucky for me I made it into  the water...now we just have to wait and see if my wish is going to come true!

After going through the Baths, we went out into the city to explore on our own. I went to lunch in an Italian restaurant that had a really good view of the city. Then, I went to the church, St. Michael's Without. I know a really strange name...that fit the church itself perfectly. It was not only a church, but it was also a cafe. A little unorthodox but beautiful in its own way. I signed the book of prayers and then headed out.

On my way back to the bus, I stopped in a couple of shops and got a postcard or two to send back home. Then, I went into the Bath Abbey, which was gorgeous. It had an old British flag as well an American flag that only had 48 stars on it hanging in the church. The stain glass windows were really pretty as well.

The trip back was again lined with pretty, scenic routes of the countryside. Overall, it was a really cool trip that I do not think I would have discovered on my own.

Waiting for my wish to come true,
Johnni Z

Head Over Heels At Stonehenge

This week was a jam-packed week with a lot of fun things to do. On Wednesday, it was Cassie's 21st Birthday, so we had to celebrate! On Tuesday night we went to a bar in Piccadilly Circus called O'Neils. There was a live band that played every good cover song that you could imagine. It was a really good time and a really fun place. On Wednesday night we went to Roadhouse, which was really interesting. They had part of a fire truck coming out of the wall behind the stage. It was really fun because there was a Karaoke contest in which most of the participants were really good. I had a great time singing along to all the classics!

On Friday, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. in order to get to the bus and head to Stonehenge. The bus ride was about two hours. Half of the time our advisor talked on a loud microphone about numerous things that did not really excite anyone. She did point out a couple of interesting things while we were driving and explained the history of Stonehenge.

On our way we passed a lot of farm land and some beautiful scenery that looked as if light was pouring out from the clouds. We also saw the hills that were actually tombs of less important people who were not buried in the middle of Stonehenge. There were a lot of these hills, which was a little creepy but interesting at the same time.

When we got off the bus, it was freezing. It was really cold, I don't think I can even begin to explain how cold it was. Once we got in front of Stonehenge I noticed how strange it is that there are all these large stones in the center of fields. Stonehenge is absolutely stunning especially when the sun shines on it.

Surrounding Stonehenge is a field full of sheep who are just roaming around separated by a rope. It was a great experience to see the beautiful countryside and an iconic and very historical sight. It was freezing as I mentioned, so although it was really cool to see Stonehenge the wind made me very grateful to get back on the bus.

When we were all on the bus our guide said that when it is that cold they refer to it as being "brass monkey" outside. As soon as she said that all I could think about was Brass Monkey(that funky monkey) the song. So I have decided that when it is so cold that my mouth is frozen and will not move, it is safe to say it is brass monkey outside and I will then begin singing the song in my head...since I cannot move my lips.

Stunned by Stonehenge,
Johnni Z

Red Phone Booths and Shakespeare

On Friday I also visited a couple more places that could be reached by walking along the river. After walking for what seemed like forever, we located the Globe Theatre. The original Globe Theater is just a lot now with "the globe" written on it. It is crazy that people live where Shakespeare once performed his legendary plays.

Further down, we came across the new Globe Theater. Hopefully we will see an actual play there in April. It is a really cute place that is not really new but obviously it is not the original one either. It is located right next to the Tate Modern. You can also see St. Paul's Cathedral from the theater.

Since Rebecca(one of my roommates) is really into art, we ventured into the museum. The Tate Modern was really modern... hence the name and very unique. I really enjoyed the photography exhibits that included slides of Robert Frank's the Americans series. I also loved the Andy Warhol room because he is one of my favorite artists!


While I was wandering, Taylor and Rebecca were looking at the wall, which was covered with artists names from different periods, and they found a Macke. I thought that was amazing since it is rare that you find a Macke spelled the way we spell it, therefore I took a picture.

The last thing we looked at was the Millennium Bridge, which is from Harry Potter, and leads to St. Paul's Cathedral. The bridge is really strange and intriguing. Overall, it was a great, long, cold but awesome day.

My favorite part of the day however was finding all of the red phone booths and taking way too many pictures inside them!

Red Telephone Booth Lover,
Johnni Z

London Bridge is Falling Down

Another wonderful weekend of exploring the city. On Friday I went to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge!

It was a beautiful day in London...freezing but beautiful! As we got off the tube at Tower Hill, we explored the area surrounding the Tower of London. It is a huge mass of stone, which is very interesting to look at. The entire area is covered with pebble or stone roads. The view from the Tower of London is amazing and you can see the river and everything that lines it.

The Tower Bridge is extraordinary. Its blue and red colored designs and the amazing view was worth the wait. The river however, not so nice...brown water...gross. It took a lot of different tries but I eventually got a good picture of myself on the bridge. The sun was shining so bright it caused issues for my photography skills.

After this my roommates and I headed towards the London Bridge, which based on all the stories and songs I assumed would be amazing. I have concluded that all the tales are about the Tower Bridge but they are just mistaken about which bridge they are talking about.

Tower Bridge Fan,

Johnni Z

Shopping: London Style

After a rainy Friday and a lot of sight seeing, I decided to take it easy and SHOP! On Saturday I woke up, along with my roommates in the early afternoon to go shopping.

We did what every good tourist should... we went to Harrods. Harrods is a crazy, fantastic store full of different themed rooms, information people who wear sashes so you know who they are and tons of restaurants. My personal favorite was the Egyptian room, which is where the handbags were located.

Once we took advantage of the over-sized bears that were in the gift shop, we headed towards Top Shop... the greatest British shop ever (or at least a really cute one). We walked towards H&M and attacked their sale section. It is safe to say that we all purchased something from every store we entered that day.

To keep with our "eat somewhere new" plan, we went to Angel station and ate at Tortilla. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a wannabe Chipotle. It was good...but I'm not a huge Chipotle fan to begin with so I would say it was good, but I probably would not eat there on a regular basis.

To end the day we went to the grocery store...again where we all bought something including a large roll of bread, which not surprisingly is half way gone.

Shopaholic,
Johnni Z

The Search For A Hidden Palace

On Friday I had my first real day of sight seeing... and it was jam packed. I woke up at 11:30 and headed out for what would become the longest day ever. The main goal: find Buckingham Palace.

After riding the tube to Big Ben, which seemed a bit larger during the day, my roommates and I were on the hunt to find the palace. Along the way we discovered the House of Parliament, which is breathtaking and very large. It runs along the Thames River right next to Big Ben.

Across the street was the Gothic-style, iconic, Westminster Abbey. As we passed the abbey, we continued to search for the palace by walking along the Thames in hopes of stumbling upon it. What we found instead was a monument dedicated to the end of slavery and large statues of Japanese figures. Once we discovered we were not anywhere near the palace we turned back.

On our way back to the tube station we took a back way and stumbled upon Westminster Abbey. This time we explored the school yard where children go to class, so cool. The Abbey was marvelous and gigantic. We visited the gift shop and walked around the whole place. It was an amazing thing to witness.

Despite our inability to find the palace we decided to head in the opposite direction and try our luck that way. As we walked we saw a war museum with horses and soldiers who guarded the entrance. Back at Trafalgar's square we were again redirected.

After walking down a very long path, we finally reached the palace. Much to my surprise it did not look as historic as I thought it would. The gates that protect the palace are beautiful black with gold everywhere. Now that we had found the palace our mission was accomplished. As a reward we took the scenic walk back through the park where we encountered a pink pelican...rare creature...which you would never associate with London.

Mission Accomplished,
Johnni Z

Barnes For A Birthday

After my first day of classes, which was fine,  I headed back to Barnes... I know shocking. Tuesday was miss Sheridan's birthday... her 18th so we had to celebrate.

I made a cake (not an American cake... that would be too big and everything is smaller here in London including the cakes which is so sad). I jumped on the Tube, not literally because I rolled my ankle and cannot walk very fast let alone jump. Once I arrived at the Lay residence or my home that I show up at way too often, I helped make a banana cake!

We had dinner at the Red Lion, which is slowly becoming my favorite pub in Barnes... also the only one I have been to near there house. It was a great dinner with one of my favorite families... kind of like the Macke holidays except more girls and less American accents.

After dinner we went into town and celebrated the fact that Sheridan is legal... at least in Europe. We ended up at a club that reminded me of what it would be like to be on a tropical island. I did not let that fool me because it was absolutely freezing outside. It was a really good time and lots of dancing was involved, as usual.

Luckily I did not have class today so I took pictures of Olympic studios in honor of Lanse, since that is where Led Zeppelin recorded many of its songs... in Barnes! Then I headed back to my flat and spent the afternoon catching up on my sleep... long overdue. If all goes according to plan my ankle will be better soon and I will have more exciting adventures to tell you about. Until then.... I will try not to bore you any longer.

Crippled but walking in the rain,
Johnni Z

Taking On Bristol

This weekend I went back to the Lay household for the whole weekend! On Thursday we had a traditional Scottish dinner thanks to their amazing friends, who were so tall. I fell in love with the homemade shortbread.

On Friday we dropped Jen Bashian off at her destination...near the London Zoo, which I plan on going to (who knows maybe the animals look different across the pond). After a fun drive through London we headed home to get ready for lunch with Mr. Lay off of Liverpool St. (sadly no relation to Liverpool, home of the Beatles).

Not to be too boring I went to the only large shopping mall in London with Maddie's sister, Sheridan and her friend Mads (confusing I know). We had a SNOG after dinner...no kissing...but frozen yogurt--- very yummy. I got gloves and a very stylish hat in the process. To top off the night, we watched Nowhere Man, about John Lennon and I absolutely love the actor who plays John.

Saturday morning began the trek to Bristol. We took the Tube to Victoria and then caught the Coach with all of Maddie's best friends(mates to be British). We got to Bristol and went exploring and shopping around the large amount of shops. Went to dinner with all the girls and then out to a club. The next morning we had breakfast and made our way back to Barnes...my home away from home.

That's all for now,
Johnni Z

A Night Full of Sights

As a part of my first adventure out in London and on the Tube(pronounced ch-ooo-be... although I think I sound very odd while saying it this way) I saw a couple of amazing sights. Before orientation I decided to head down to the Thames river and see it at night.

A group of us took the District Line down to see Big Ben and the London Eye. Big Ben was beautiful at night and had a gorgeous glow. As soon as you turned the corner there was a large, towering building with the clock shining brightly. 

The London Eye is really cool to look at, I haven't quiet decided if I am going to take a ride on it however, seeing as I hate rides. Granted it only goes as slow as a snail's pace, it is still a ride. If I do ride it, trust me you will all know. 

After this we walked along the Thames River in order to get back to the Tube station. Along the way we ran into a pub dedicated to Sherlock Holmes. We also walked to Trafalgar's Square, which was really nice. The giant lions, pirate ship in a bottle and large statues were stunning at night.

Love Always,

Johnni Z

Foggy London Town

The stereotype of "foggy London town" is true and I can attest to that. This blog will be my guide to London and everything that I encounter while I am abroad starting with the first day I arrived. I have never been out of the country so this should be interesting. So, if you want, follow me on this journey through Europe and the Spring semester! Alright, so here it goes:

To start off the new year, I arrived in London on January 1. After a very long flight, which went really well, I showed up at the Lay's doorstep. On the 2nd of January I was reunited with Maddie Lay and her amazing family. I had my first British meal at a local pub and had a cup of tea afterwards.

On the 3rd, I walked the Thames River with Maddie, which was amazing. I moved into my flat the same day and have two amazing roommates, Taylor and Rebecca! We had Italian for dinner... I know not local food at all but it was pretty good.

It has not rained yet...thankfully, but it did start to snow, which was an experience, since I have never seen snow fall....ever! The weather has been mostly sunny(in British land that means gray or white sky's).

I know this first post is kind of boring, but it will get better. The exploring begins tonight so a new post will be coming in a couple of days. Talk to you soon!

From Across the Pond,
Johnni Z