This is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! - C. Joybell C.

Sunday 10th May 2015 - Long time, no speak.

I realised today, that once upon a time, I owned a blog. I did not write a blog for anyone but myself as I did not, and do not, expect anyone to read it. Yet I wrote it in times of enjoyment and in times of stress. A not so personal diary if you will.

My sister rehomed a dog in my year absence. He is the most precious thing ever, even if he smells awful, has two teeth and a bladder of an 80 year old man (turns out, that's what 16 dog years equates to in human years!)

There has not been much time for creativity in my life during the past year. The final year of university has been challenging and I have not even had time to read for fun, let alone write my own work - but with a week to go, I turn back to this blog. 

My boyfriend is part of the reason why I decided to write again. He's convinced I'm going to be discovered and make lots of money therefore being able to afford to live in East London. Specifically Wapping. I'd happily follow him there. But here we are my love, this one's for you.

Here he is. My 'restarting blog' inspiration. Looking very dapper in his shirt post-PhD interview. Sorry for including your picture...even if no-one will see it anyway!

I began this blog at the start of a new chapter in my life. At the time, I did not realise it was a new chapter. I did not realise how much I would change and still didn't once I'd finished. Now I know I am beginning a new chapter. I graduate university. I'm trying to find a job. I'm seeing how employment will work with a relationship (if everyone else can do it, why can't I?) I'm decorating my room after 12 years of lipstick pink walls (yes mum, 11 year old me loved my colour scheme, 22 year old me...not so much.) The last part is probably the most important. Definitely a sign I've grown up!!

This blog will not be about travelling unfortunately. I hope to go away for my birthday - I'm pushing for Amsterdam, Rome or Venice...I feel Walt Disney World is asking too much! Thus, this blog will be about me. It shall not be a weekly occurrence but I'll drop in from time to time (until I'm discovered at least!!) It may also contain the occassional book I've read (currently Caitlin Moran's 'How To Build A Girl' - it's alright). I'll try to add excitement through spontaneity! 

I rescued a kitten in April. Came home from the theatre (where above picture was taken) to find him on my walk home clearly too young to be separated from his mother. I named him Emerson. He keeps trying to go outside. 

Now to turn my attention back to revision. You're almost there Sophie. Until next time.

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving - Terry Pratchett

Wednesday 4th June - Monday 9th June; from New England back to the old.

Salem - Everything was closed last time I went in January. And by everything, I mean everything apart from like one café and 3 witchcraft shops. Salem wasn't as alive as I assumed it would be in June but then again, it was raining. Things were open and I finally got to go on the Salem witch walk. I don't know what I was expecting but to be standing around a ritual table with an Australian to my left and a male witch to my right wasn't one of them. We took part in a spell and we got to keep one of the crystals that had been blessed (now kept in my purse to aid me through my journey). It wasn't so much of a historical tour and more of a 'this is what witchcraft is now' kind of a tour but it used the events of 1692 to show how stereotyping and how tourism in the city started.

Things Sophie spots in Salem; statue of Samantha  in Bewitched.

Things Sophie spots in Salem; a statue of Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

Concord; I would easily say this is my favourite place in America but then where would my time at Walt Disney World sit? That aside, Concord in the sunshine is beautiful. So beautiful that once I've made my millions *coughs* I am going to move here to retire.

First stop - to Thoreau's birthplace! He only stayed here for 8 months of his life but parts of his writings speaks fondly of the place due to the stories his mother told him (supposedly...I've only read about 5 of his essays - I'm alternating between Thoreau & Alcott and because Alcott writes full length novels, she takes a bit longer to finish!) The house wasn't furnished because it has had so many different owners over the years; instead the house is filled with Thoreau's ideas and you can even rent the upstairs room (the room he was actually born in) for a quiet place to write or to reflect.

Felt like a walking cliché/ultimate fangirl wearing my Thoreau t-shirt. I think the tour guide was a bit surprised when I listed off the stuff I'd read from him!

We went to Ralph Waldo Emerson's house afterwards & the whole thing was very cool - it had all the original furniture inside and it painted a more personal picture of him. I say personal picture...I like how in Thoreau Farm, the tour guide kept saying Henry but in Emerson's house, it was always Mr. Emerson. I said to Hillary that this is the image I get from their works on who they are! We couldn't take photos inside because the house is still owned by the Emerson family & they create the rules but a lot of the stuff is very old so you can understand not wanting to expose the contents to cameras. It was cool though to see little bits that Thoreau built; he is such a precious sunflower! Afterwards we went to the Old North Bridge which is where the first battle of the American Revolution started. It wasn't the original bridge (it is made of wood after all) but the view down the Concord River.

Just across the bridge was the Old Manse - it is where Emerson wrote Nature!

Our final stop was to Walden Pond. This time we could walk to the original site of Thoreau's cabin as it wasn't covered with a layer of snow. I even dipped my hands into the pond; it was a nice temperature for swimming...wish I'd bought my swimming costume!! Before we left, I bought myself a 'Go Thoreau' sticker for my laptop as well as a t-shirt with his face on!

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY!

Boston - I didn't do anything in particular while in Boston because things were actually open when I visited in winter, but it was nice to be back in the city & to have a wander around before going home. I bought last minute souvenirs for my family & I even went to see the new X-Men movie (which is SO GOOD!) I also stopped off for a lot of coffee which gave me a chance to read my book!

This is it. This concludes my 2 day shy month of travelling and my year in this amazing country as a whole. I am going to miss it; the food, the dirt cheap diet coke(!!), the people with their accents. I feel truly blessed (and now feel like I'm writing my debut album thank yous) for having spent the year here and for visiting so many states. This really has been the best year of my life! So thank you America for being the home of the great!!

Welcome home balloons appropriately chosen!!

Alas, the end of the year abroad brings me to the end of my blog. I can't believe I managed to keep up with this considering I've failed so tragically at blogs before but I do hope you have enjoyed reading. I've sure enjoyed writing!

The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world - F.Scott Fitzgerald

Friday 30th May - Wednesday 4th June 2014; NEW YORK. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

Saturday (31st) - In the morning, I went to the Jewish Museum. Then I went to see the 9/11 Memorial. I was going to see Theodore Roosevelt's birth place but the trains that day were rivalling a London weekend time table. A 30 minute journey took me an hour and 30 minutes! That evening we went to Times Square. It was everything I imagined it to be & I loved it; so many people, so many lights... it was so much fun! It did feel weird shopping at 11 o'clock at night but when in New York...

Times Square shot! 

The Disney store on Times Square had the lanterns from Tangled & this made me very happy as it is one of the most romantic Disney scenes of ALL TIME!

Sunday (1st) - First stop of the day was to the Empire State Building. See, everyone suggested to go and see the views from the Top of the Rock building but that didn't feel as special to us!

Not to sound too ungrateful about being there but from high up, all cities have the tendancy to look the same!

A tourist shot had to be taken.

Afterwards, I wanted to find 30 Rock....

And of course we found it! A few seconds before a chef who works inside the building came out and stood in front of the sign but as soon as he saw my camera in hand he moved...bless him!

The afternoon was spent in Soho - it was less touristy than Times Square so that aspect was nice. However, when Nikki needed the bathroom, she spent half an hour waiting in the queue for the privilege!


Monday (2nd) - I had a little wonder around Wall Street to begin my day. I may have gone the opposite direction from the subway station originally but I corrected that mistake! In the afternoon, I was reunited with Nikki & we went on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.

Spot the statue past my BIG FACE.

Here she is! Just like seeing the Lincoln Memorial in DC, seeing such a famous symbol of America made me feel so lucky to have gone on this year abroad.

Afterwards, we met up with one of Nikki's friends from Colorado who has an internship in the city for the summer; we went for a drink & then for cupcakes. They were bitesized and so adorable! That evening we went to Brooklyn Bridge to see the city lights.

Luckily it was a warm evening or I would have been pretty chilly in my dress!

At the midway point of the bridge (which is longer than I thought) - I am also weirdly proud of this photo!

Tuesday (3rd) - Our final day in the city. After a late start, we went over to Central Park to try & get tickets to that evening's performance of Much Ado About Nothing; alas the outcome was more a Shakespearean tragedy than a comedy for they were sold out. Not to worry - a quick stop on the subway to Times Square & we scored ourselves tickets to Kinky Boots. I was exstatic for the rest of the day!! We met up with Chloe for a late lunch before the show began....

Ready to get my Kink on ;)

Seeing a Broadway show definately ticks another thing off my bucket list!

We met the cast afterwards - this is Andy Kelso, and he played Charlie...and he was adorable!!

And this is Billy Porter who played Lola & was fantastic. No wonder he won the Tony Award!

And this concluded my time in the big city. It was everything I had hoped it would be - busy, noisy, dirty - but I wouldn't have changed a thing! Now to my final stop; back to Boston.

The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself - Benjamin Franklin

*Sorry this blog breaks the pattern & doesn't start with a quote about Philadelphia. I tried looking for one but they were all so negative (this is a lovely place so no idea where they were!) So I settled with a quote by Franklin instead!

Tuesday 27th May - Friday 30th May; Philadelphia seems like a nice place to sign some documents...

Tuesday (27th) - I haven't had any sleep. My flight from Seattle was 11:59pm and I arrived in Philadelphia at 12pm; so 12 hours of travelling later complete with the fact I couldn't sleep means a sleepy Sophie. Regardless, I didn't do much on my first afternoon in Philly. I found a cool dessert shop called Happily Ever After. It was decorated how I would do so if I owned a dessert shop; lots of fandom pictures on the wall like Disney, there were Star Wars cookies and Anastasia was playing. I had a nutella brownie & it was awesome. I then went to find some groceries and the nice guy behind the counter gave me a discount! In the evening the hostel put on a Ghost Tour; it may have been my first look at historical Philadelphia but I enjoyed it none-the-less. I couldn't wait to see the city the following day!!

Wednesday (28th) - After a late start of 11am (I can forgive myself, I didn't sleep the night before), it was time to see what Philly had to offer in the daytime. I got lost for an hour. In my defence, the map I was using was a poor excuse for a map which missed out every single side road so with that as my guide, no wonder I couldn't find my way. However, I did stumble across Washington Park.

Here lay the tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War. Creepily so, the pavement is over the bones of soldiers who died..

After this, the heavens decided to open. Not knowing how long the rain would last, I took refuge in the Benjamin Franklin Museum. Since volunteering at the Benjamin Franklin House last year, I'm more interested in all things Franklin so it felt appropriate considering where I am. The museum was good - interactive and modern.

The only remaining house is obviously in London but the structure here is in the place Franklin's house would have stood and what it would have looked like.

The rain continued while I took a lunch break but luckily it had stopped post-eating. I decided to visit the Presidential House which I assumed would be a house but turned out just to be just a structure. It's a shame that all these old historic buildings have been lost especially in a country that is relatively young. Right by here was Benjamin Franklin's grave.

The coins are there for two reasons; the first for luck as Franklin famously said "a penny saved is a penny earned" and the second according to last night's ghost tour is because the cemetary is haunted and the ghost likes to play with the coins!

My day continues - I went to Independence Hall and then to see the Liberty Bell, where I arrived 5 minutes before closing. All day there were HUGE queues outside & I just walked straight in, took a photograph and went! I ended the day by going to the National Museum of American Jewish History. Not sure why I like Jewish history so much, but I find it fascinating and the museum was enjoyable. It was 'pay what you like' which was redundant on me because I am too polite not to pay the full price. The lady behind the desk was grateful about it and the place was worth the $11 anyway!

I learnt a lot of cool stuff - I didn't realise so many of the major Hollywood Studios were created by Jewish men; Paramount, MGM, Warner Brothers, Fox and Universal! On a seperate note, I find it both shocking and sad that out of all the museums I've been to in this country, and there have been many, there is such a high level of security for Jewish History museums.

My day ended with pasta evening in the hostel - I spoke to a fellow Londoner & a Bostonian!

Thursday (29th) - Another late start (but this time I was skyping with mum so it's a better excuse than sleeping!), I met up with a familiar looking human by the name of Abi (who was with Hannah & a WashU friend) and we went to Penn's Landing. Poor William Penn; if he'd arrived today, he would have just been met with a view of a run down looking car park! We also went to Elfreth's Alley which is the oldest residential street in America.

Here it is. I liked the house with the Union flag...for obvious reasons. 

I bailed after that because I didn't fancy going to Starbucks (I refuse to give the corporate machine my money) and realised...I've been in Philly since Tuesday and not had a cheesesteak!! I corrected this mistake; it was glorious. Who knew putting steak with cheese would create such magic?! 

This concludes my time in Philadelphia. I LOVE it here; granted, I only stayed within the historical district but it was the only reason I came here! I've found it really pretty and reaffirmed my love for American History. Now on to the penultimate stop on my travels - New York City.

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Thursday 22nd May - Monday 26th May; Portland, OR & Seattle, WA.

Why, I hear you ask, have you used a quote about rain for your time in the North West? Well, God bless Portland & Seattle but it sure lived up to its stereotype - it simply rained. Not scary Louisiana rain, just the casual British drizzle. I have LOVED this part of my travels.

Friday (23rd) - I love Portland. Along with Chicago & Concord, this must be one of my favourite places in America. Everything is so green, the people are friendly, I felt like I'd just stepped into an episode of Grimm...need I go on?

A morning stroll through the forest.

 First we went to the rose gardens considering Portland is the city of roses, then we went to Powell's Books which is supposedly the largest independent bookstore in the world; and let me tell you that I could have happily spent hours there! 

Portland had a Holocaust Memorial by the rose gardens. It was sobering; on the path leading to the memorial were statues of abandoned suitcases & crushed glasses etc. The grey blur on the path in this picture is of an abandoned teddy bear. 

For lunch, we experienced Portland's famous food trucks - we took at least 10 minutes deciding what to eat (settled on Indian food as I've not had a curry since December).

Saturday (24th) -After a four hour bus ride, which to me didn't seem all that long (probably because I was reading) but according to Nikki felt like forever, we had arrived in Seattle. But wait. The bus stop had moved to the opposite end of the city and both of us had to idea how to get to where we were staying. Luckily Nikki was calm because I was ready to Hulk out on the situation and we found the hostel. We had Mexican food for dinner before going out for drinks in a cool bar which looked like someone's living room; we met some very enthusiastic Seattle folk who told us everything we should do while here! 

All dressed up and ready to see what Seattle nightlife has to offer!

Sunday (25th) - After a late start, we walked to Pike's Place which has a little market. It was cool to see all the little stools (so many chances to buy a Seattle t-shirt!) We then explored the pier which was rather generic. Very touristy!

So naturally, I needed a touristy photograph!

Seattle has over 2,000 coffee shops but we only tried one on Cherry Street (I'm now having to drink decaff everything but luckily it was still good coffee even if it did kill me a little inside!). In the afternoon we went on an underground tour. After the great fire in 1889 which burnt Seattle pretty much to the ground, the city was built literally on top of the old one and the tour took us underground to see the remaining structures. The tour incorporated history with humour (even if the tour guide had the occassional dad joke - a shame due to him being so young!) 

Post tour - back into the rain I go!

Finally, we went to go and get cupcakes. I was just met with disappointment. This cupcake was nothing special & I just felt cheated! I take cake very seriously!

Monday (26th) - The weather surprisingly nice, we went to the Space Needle to have a look at one of the most famous landmarks in Seattle and while there, we discovered a Folklife Festival. There were musical performances as well as stalls for us to have a peruse around. 

The only photo I took in Seattle...I didn't want to look like a tourist!

Afterwards, Nikki really wanted to go and find a famous troll statue in Fremont. 3 miles later, we still hadn't even got half way there so we gave up and went to find food instead! 

But on a positive note, I found a four leaf clover! After 21 years, I felt it was about time!

The food was excellent; if you ever find yourself in Seattle go to the Twisted Pasty. I had pie (after SO LONG) and it was the best food I've had in this country for a long time. Nothing to do with the food but the ladies bathroom had a chapter of Pride & Prejudice written on the wall - classy!!

So that concludes my West Coast adventures. I'm excited to be going back to the East Coast after enjoying it so much during the Christmas break. However, I am aware of just how quickly my time here is going.

Dean's California--wild, sweaty, important, the land of lonely andexiled and eccentric lovers come to forgather like birds, and the landwhere everybody somehow looked like broken-down, handsome, decadentmovie actors - Jack Kerouac

Monday 12th May 2014 - Thursday 22nd May 2014 - California Girls, we're unforgettable.

Monday (12th) - The journey to Orange County was horrific. Arrived at Baton Rouge airport to find out my flight had been delayed an hour. Wouldn't have been a problem if my connection hadn't had been only 36 minutes after landing in Houston. Automatically missed that flight. Put on standby for the next flight at 9pm. I was given a seat, an upgrade at that; I had so much leg room I didn't know what to DO with myself! 9pm passed. So did 10, and 11, and 12am. The weather was awful. By 12.30am, it was announced our flight was ready to leave but was being redirected to LAX. Arrived at 2:45am California time, 4:45am Louisiana time. Hour bus. Half an hour taxi. Got to hotel room at 5am California time, 7am Louisiana time after paying $50 for the privilege.

Stranded at Houston selfie!

Tuesday (13th) - I may have been running on complete lack of sleep but nothing would stop my enjoyment of Disney! On this day a month ago, I was in Florida; this is impressive not obsessive!! I had heard the park wasn't very big but I was still surprised at how small it was. Did not mean it was any less enjoyable; there were some different rides here (but It's a Small World was closed much to our disappointment!) The weather was nice too - hot without the Louisiana humidity; a perfect day to be at the original Disney park!

Beautiful day, beautiful view. The castle was a lot smaller than I thought!

Pre Splash Mountain photograph. Tip; if you want to go on a water ride but don't fancy getting wet, just go on with me. I seem to attract the water. I was SOAKED.

I met the God of Thunder, the mighty Thor. He was adorable with his English/American/Australian hybrid accent!!

Wednesday (14th) - Yesterday was Magic Kingdom & today was Disney's California Adventure. The weather was even hotter than yesterday so walking was a struggle! There didn't appear to be as many rides in this park; as a result the queues were longer!!

Waiting for the World of Color!

I have been wanting to see World of Color for years. In fact, it is the only reason I wished to visit Disneyland here. It was everything I could have dreamed of and more; I got goosebumps & was tearful!! 

In line for the Cars rollercoaster - was my favourite ride in the park!

Thursday (15th) - Early start to get the train to LA! The weather just seems to get hotter every day; we didn't let that stop us! We had a sneaky peak of the Hollywood sign, walked along the Walk of Fame (practically the entire thing) and saw the Chinese Theatre.

Hmmm...this sign looks familiar...

Took us ages to find the Laurence Olivier star.

Friday (16th) - Spent the morning in Melrose Place. Like much of LA so far, it was disappointing. I was expecting it to look a lot nicer than a did. Nothing a cupcake couldn't fix however! 

A bit heavy on the icing but overall it got my seal of approval!

Spent the afternoon with LSU buddies who happen to be here as well - can't even spend a few days away from them without getting withdrawal symptoms!

Saturday (17th) - I feel like my time in LA so far has been disappointing. The image you get projected in the media is nothing like the real thing but today I really enjoyed!

Casually standing with a certain sign.

We went to the Griffith Observatory today - lovely views of LA. Met up with Nikki (Sussex Nikki) while there. Afterwards we went to In-N-Out Burger because that is something one should do on the West Coast. It was worth it; it was a great burger! In the afternoon, we went along Sunset Boulevard to the Sunset Strip & along Rodeo Drive. Never have I felt more out of place!! I would happily spend an afternoon there people watching - such characters!!

Not even sure what we were laughing at, but I liked the picture!

Sunday (18th) - We spent today relaxing at Santa Monica beach before walking down to Venice. I enjoyed Santa Monica beach. Yes, I may have got a little sunburnt even though I was wearing factor 50 but the place was pretty. 

My face whenever I'm made to go to a sandy beach.

Venice was another story. It just creeped me out. Story of my time here in LA!!

Monday (19th) - One flight to San Fran later & we had arrived! Because we arrived later in the day, all we had time for was to explore the Japanese Tea Gardens. They were absolutely beautiful. I felt my inner Thoreau appear!

Not that I consider myself a photographer in the slightest...

Must...reach...the....top!

Success!

The holiday of the selfie!

Tuesday (20th)- One cannot go to San Francisco without going to see the Golden Gate Bridge...

So we did.

Then Abi made us walk roughly 4 miles to Ghirardelli Square which smelt rather nicely of chocolate. Afterwards (and almost one heart attack later after those hills), we went to Lombard Street. It is supposedly famous & according to Abi I was supposed to recognise it but I didn't.

I've posted the picture for you, the unfortunate reader to see if I'm just being ignorant here!

Finally, we explored China Town and had dinner on Fisherman's Wharf. Oh! We visited City Lights Bookstore as well today; famous for publishing Allen Ginsberg's Howl *groaning noise*. It was a very kooky bookstore with so much of the Hernandez Brothers' work - it's a shame I couldn't buy anything there as I couldn't get it home. That will teach me for overpacking my carry on suitcase!

Wednesday (21st) - Today has to have been my favourite day in both LA & San Fran. First, we went to Alcatraz. It was so interesting (following along via audio tour) but the sound effects made things even creepier.

View from the boat.

Cheeky post Alcatraz selfie

Afterwards, we walked around Pier 39 to find the sea lions.

I couldn't quite believe how many there were. They were loud and they were smelly but watching them fight and push one another off was rather funny. And of course, they were adorable.

Finally, we went to the Walt Disney Family Museum. I LOVED this place! It was so well done - starting with baby Walt and ending with the impact of his death (I had to test my 'don't cry in public' face!) I really liked the part exploring Disneyland - you walked into the room and there was a model of what Walt Disney imagined the place to look like.

Thursday (22nd) - This brings to a close my adventures in California. Although I enjoyed myself, I haven't a desire to return to LA although I would pay another visit to San Francisco. Onwards now to Portland!