The Traveling Scholar

With the term coming to an end (my last final is tomorrow!), a few girls from my program and I have been throwing around the idea of a road trip! I know the notion of a road trip sounds very… American, but I can certainly see the appeal of a British road trip so I’m more than on board (and clearly spreading myself way too thin with the million other things I need to get done by July 3rd).

We initially considered doing a Stonehenge/Bath/Cardiff road trip with Cardiff being the final destination before heading back. Despite the fact that Wales is super close (relatively speaking; it’s about two hours driving), I still haven’t made the journey out there. I’ve heard good things about Cardiff: laden with history and a unique culture while having a vibrant, young feel. If I’m in the business of ticking boxes of newly- visited countries, certainly this is as good as any? Plus, I tend to feel that Wales is neglected. I mean, why is the Union Jack a composite of England’s flag and Scotland’s flag? Does Wales not count? (I’m not going to even mention Northern Ireland… poor neglected countries.)

While I was daydreaming about said road trip, another idea popped into my head… what about heading north into the heart of England? For having lived here for nine months, my journeys around England itself have been limited (sadly). Stratford, Warwick, Oxford and the Cotswolds are all pretty close to one another and could make for a great two-day adventure. Four places is too much, so Oxford would probably get knocked off the list, but Stratford is a quick stopover before heading to Warwick Castle and then ultimately to the Cotswolds to spend the night! If you’re not familiar with Warwick Castle, it’s probably the most bad ass of the castles that I’ve seen, in the sense that it’s really well-preserved. The trip would have an entirely different feel, I presume, but would still be an awesome road trip!

Any thoughts? Has anyone been to any of those cities?

We’re planning on (tentatively) going Sunday – Monday or Monday – Tuesday so any insight would be stellar!

Lots of love,

After getting thoroughly pumped writing yesterday’s post, I realized that I needed to further investigate a proper outing for a day trip from Athens. Greece is, of course, home to many great ancient cities, but how are they today? Which cities are worth visiting and which make the most worthwhile day trip when you only have one day to spare? I’ve looked through Frommer’s, Lonely Planet and a number of other random guides that dot the internet, but I can’t seem to decide. An island trip will happen on a separate day, but if we’re looking for a mainland excursion (1 – 2 hours away from Athens, preferably), what’s the best spot to hit up? New ideas and stories are more than welcome!

Lots of love,

Ugggh. I’m in a pickle.

Scratch that.

I need advice from people who have done some European sightseeing.

The “predicament” that I’m about to express is hardly a predicament. Truth be told, it sounds borderline bratty for me to even attempt to call this a ‘pickle,’ so I’ll refrain from that terminology for the time being.

I had anticipated quite a rough term and had entered week one with the underlying assumption that Social Shannon was going to be overshadowed by Solitary Shannon; that Sight-Seeing Shannon was going to be substituted with Studious Shannon. I actually had come to terms with this and surrendered any semblance of sociability for attending on-campus lectures and catching up on readings. Something interesting happened last week though: I came to the realization that of the three presentations and three formative essays that I thought I would have due, only the presentations were actually to happen. The formative essays, which would normally be due during the last week of February, are actually non-existent for me this term based on the classes that I have chosen… I had no idea! That being said, the presentation dates that I picked allow me to have all of my presentations handled by February 22nd! This is seriously fantastic news because I have decided to treat myself to a getaway during the last weekend of February! Thus, I’m planning a trip from the 25th of February through the 28th — a little four-day getaway to explore a part of Europe (or beyond?) that has gone untouched by me as of yet. So, here’s my predicament:

Where do I go for a four-day weekend?

[For more insight, the pinpoints on the map are clickable.]

I’ve hit up Scotland, Germany, Italy and Malta already and will be going to France and the Netherlands with my dad and sister during their visit. So, if I have a four-day break, I would like to spend it exploring a city I have yet to see. So, if any of you have a moment, I would love, LOVE, LOVE some feedback on this from people that have already done their fair share of exploring! I’ve semi-narrowed it down to Istanbul, Turkey; Barcelona (or Madrid?), Spain; or Marrakesh, Morocco. That being said, I am definitely open to alternatives. I’ve considered Vienna, Geneva & even Prague, but I’m still uncertain!

Any ideas or input? I’d love to hear from you!

As an adult, there is something so ridiculously exciting about getting mail that’s not a bill. I remember being twelve years old and getting Teen magazine and being overly ecstatic at the prospect of receiving mail with my name on it (versus my parents’). As I got older, I realized that I got plenty of mail, but it happened to be in the form of a Nordstrom bill, a Best Buy credit card payment, or an entirely-too-frequent parking ticket… somehow mail as an adult is much less exciting than it was as a child. Today, however, was amazing! I received my second package since arriving and it absolutely made my day!

Despite it’s rather petite size, it was surprisingly heavy and all the goodies tucked away inside put the hugest smile on my face:

Although you can’t tell, the box was full of American items that I’ve been absolutely missing! Two ridiculously huge jars of peanut butter (creamy, of course), three sticks of deodorant (so I can throw my spray deodorant away!), a coffee mug and the equivalent of eight boxes of Fiber One bars (mocha/chocolate, if you’re curious!)

My shelf is now covered with Fiber One bars (plus that box is full of as many as I could fit inside); I think I’ll have my fill of Fiber for the next few months!

You can probably now see how ridiculously huge these jars of peanut butter are. There’s enough to last through the year, if not longer! I am a peanut butter LOVER: PB&J is always a safe bet (plus a comfort food), PB&Carrots, PB&Apples, PB&Banana on an English muffin… there are so many brilliant ways to use it. Plus, American peanut butter (Jif, Skippy, etc.) is a million times better than Brit peanut butter; more processed, probably. Plus more sugar. Tastes a million times better.

In any case, I’m going to go to bed extremely happy and fulfilled tonight. Thank you, Chris!

If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make a PB&J.

Also, unrelated note: Please notice the new ‘Poll of the Week’ on the sidebar to the right. There are so many things I want to know and thus have created a weekly poll with random questions for the week. It takes two seconds to answer the poll, plus it’s an interesting turn out. If you’ve taken the time to read this entire post, you likely have the extra two seconds to answer, I’m sure. Plus, it’s fun. For me, at least. <3.

As bizarre as it will be spending the holidays away from my family, the thought of spending $1000+ to wallow on a 12 hour flight back to California for a week is more than a little daunting. Although I had assumed I would be home for the holidays, I have decided that I would rather use that money to travel around Europe and see some new places. Plus, let’s be honest: jet lag sucks. So, now I’ve come upon the real question.

Where should I go for Christmas?

London at Christmas

Paris at Christmas

I’ll be in Malta visiting my family from the 13th through the 18th of December, but I have nothing else scheduled for the rest of my break (which goes until the 10th of January). With such a huge gap in time, it seems advantageous to use that time to travel and see as many places as possible. From what I’ve heard, Paris is amazing during Christmas (with the Eiffel Tower all lit up!), but a London Christmas would probably be equally fantastic. I would like to book something within the next few weeks so I’ve been doing some serious investigating! Best deal so far: London to Paris on the Eurostar + 4 nights near the Champs Elysees runs about £233 during Christmas!

What do you guys think? London or Paris?
Is there another place that would make for an amazing Christmas?

My hearts pounding, my palms are sweating and I am remarkably giddy. No, it’s probably not what you’re thinking… it is, in fact, the result of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, my second favorite holiday, next to Christmas. There are very few things that cause me to wake up at 530A out of pure joy, but this is one of those very things. It’s like Disneyland as a child; you wake up every hour wondering if it’s time yet, if it’s time to go and discover this magical world. In grown-up land, that magical world happens to contain racks and racks of amazing fall and winter items at 40% off post-sale prices and the season’s cutest boots for a fraction of the cost.

This happy bag is full of goodies purchased at 7A!

My heart is still fluttering thinking about it the amazingness that is Nordstrom from July 17th through early August. The goodies that I nabbed are so awesomely perfect; I am in love! I managed to grab a new black jacket, a cute grey sweater, two new scarves (red and patterned black), a new knit cap and a belt… all for just a touch over $100. I have a number of things on hold, mind you, but I find that if I put the things that I’m 50/50 on, on hold, I am able to more logically think about whether or not I’ll actually use the items. There are so many times that I, in the midst of all the excitement, buy up everything I semi-love just to take it home and realize it’s not all that great. Knowing this, I try to keep the buyer’s remorse to a minimum and buy only the things that I love, love, love; the things that I know I will use over and over and pieces that are good for mixing and matching. I’ve decided to focus on the accessories (like I mentioned yesterday) because they tend to have the greatest impact on the reinvention of an outfit.

Now, here’s my real predicament. There are loads of handbags on sale that I absolutely adore. Trying to keep my handbag investment under $200, I have run across two bags that will probably make my life:

The Marciano Studded Satchel: So cute! I’m leaning towards the black, due to versatility, but I love the grey, as well!

- or -

 This darling croc-embossed bowler: The olive is cute, but not so much in real life. The rugged brown, however, is spot on!

What do you guys think?

Lots of love & happy shopping!

Due to the fact that I tend to become rather obsessive with things that I do, I have (inevitably) decided to create/order business cards for my blog! I have looked at a various designs to try to re-create something creative and cool to be able to distribute! I found a few that I thought were befitting of my blog and the overall travel/education theme.

I’m really diggin the design of these ones. They totally look like snazzy luggage tags — so perfect <3.

I like the postcard feel of these, but I’m not sure if they’d be my first choice. Again, fitting for the travel aspect!

These kind of remind me of the first ones, but more of a train ticket-feel. Still unique!

These guys are simple, but they have a cute shape. They may be lost more easily though…

Alternatively, I would like to make my own business cards with a cool picture on the front (an iconic landmark, or many iconic landmarks if I wanted different versions!) and simple wording on the back. I wish I could upload what I’ve created so far, but it includes my actual signature (which you can see in my blog sign off now!) with my website title, my name, the website URL and my email address. Super simple and clean but still cool.

Tell me — which is your favorite?
Vote or leave me a comment!

Hey Kids!

I have been playing with the idea of changing the look of my blog and I ran across this new Wordpress theme that I absolutely love! The colors are great, it’s easy to navigate & the style seems a little more befitting of my personality.

Is this new theme a winner or was the good old, tried-and-true Albeo theme a better match?
What do you guys think?

After looking through the (nearly) millions of pictures that I’ve taken over the past week, there is one thing that is extremely apparent: my hair needs a chop, and it needs it now. I’ve been grappling with this crucial issue for some time now as my long-ish hair is getting to the point of homeless chic. It’s gotten pretty bleh, and to top it off the extra weight that the blehness carries with it just weighs it down to the point that  it has become stuck-to-my-head-bleh; I think that’s where the homeless effect comes into play. Accordingly, I have decided to give my hair a good hack & enter the UK this fall with a super cool new hairstyle! After much deliberation I have decided to go with a slightly longer than chin-length layered/choppy bob with a modern choppy bang. Mind you, since bangs make me look like a 12 year old Zion Ranch escapee, they will be more of a side sweep than a blunt bang. And for the days that I don’t want the uber-posh sweep (read: the days that I’m lazy) I can push em to the side and call it a day. This will, of course, call for an investment in some new styling products, but I feel that my poor hair deserves that after years of beating it up with bleach, heat, flat irons, and sub-par shampoo. To top it off, my cosmetologist of a mom has gotten on my case about my lack of deep conditioning. The apparent wisps of dead hair poking out of my forehead were a dead giveaway, I guess … If I ask nicely, maybe she’ll hook me up with a super-powered conditioning treatment to counteract every other awful thing my hair has had to endure. I’m gonna wait to re-highlight since I have noticed that frequent hilights typically equal less hair; it has this bizarre tendency to get very straw-like and then fall out of my head in the shower if I bleach too much. Since that tends to freak me out a little (I have nightmares about bald patches), I’m going to vow to take care of my locks… at least for a while <3.

This is what I’ll kind of be going for. Add about 2″ to the length and get rid of some of the bang and we have a winner!
I’m not entirely sure who this girl is, but she has great hair :)

What do you guys think?

Wish me luck,

After holding my grandfather’s memorial yesterday and meeting so many amazing Maltese people, I cannot WAIT to head over to Malta later this year or early next year. Considering I will be a short four hours from the island, it seems logical that I’d be able to make it over there for a three or four day stint. I snagged an academic calendar off of the internet which I think should be pretty accurate when I’m there (although I still have to verify!):

Autumn Term
28 September – 11 December

Spring Term
8 January – 19 March
19 April – 18 June

Dissertation
19 June – September

—
Obviously, a chunk of that break time is dedicated to studying & writing papers, but some of it will definitely be used for exploring. March might be a nice month for a trip over to Malta, Sicily & Italy — take note, Staci & Stefanie! I definitely want to take a trip to see Mosta (where my grandpa was born) and Qormi (where my mom was born), but what else should we be visiting? For those of you that have been to Malta or have lived (or currently live) there… what are your suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestions — can’t wait to see my Maltese family sometime soon!