Day 34: Sorry I’ve been slacking so much these past few days! Yesterday, my Art & Society class paid a visit to Tate Britain, a modern art museum in downtown London. Rooms are organized by decade so you can see how art progresses from 1500’s to present day. I found the exhibits absolutely fascinating and loved analyzing and interpreting the works with my peers.
Day 33: For the next two weeks, subway workers are going on strike and and shutting down the tube! For a girl who relies on the train 3+ times a day, I’ve found my travels very limited! Hopefully the city will get it figured out soon, I have a feeling these hour-long walks to class are going to get old fast.
Day 32: I’ve never celebrated so many different birthdays than in this week! Say hello to birthday party #3! Though I’m still just getting to know people, it’s been a nice reason to explore new pubs and do as the Brits.
If you’re like me, you have every intention of making healthy meals but sometimes when things get busy, quality meals get pushed to the end of the list. So this week I wanted to make a healthy meal that was quick, easy and guilt free. I found the recipe on the Free People food blog and gave it a shot.
Shopping List:
Lettuce wraps/ tortillas
1 ½ c Cooked Quinoa
1 c Grape Halves (preferably red firm grapes)
1 c Cooked Chickpeas (I bought a can of garbanzo beans and those worked great!)
1/8 c Chopped Mint
1/8 c Chopped Fresh Oregano
½ c Chopped Parsley
¼ c Feta Cheese
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
2 tbsp. Olive oil
Salt and Pepper (optional)
Step 1: Cook your Quinoa. This was my first time cooking quinoa, and much easier than I expected. Add two cups of water for every cup of quinoa to a saucepan, and place on low-medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat, and cover. Allow the quinoa to absorb any extra water. Once all the water has been absorbed, let it cool and savor the delicious aromas of your fresh quinoa.
Step 2: While the quinoa is cooling, chop up your herbs and grapes. Throw the grapes, chickpeas, mint, oregano, parsley, cheese and quinoa in a big bowl and mix together.
Step 3: Mix in the olive oil, and lemon juice. A whole lemon was a little too zesty for me so I recommend tasting as you go.
Step 4: Final step (Woah only four steps? This is so easy!) Place you beautiful mixture in your tortilla or lettuce wrap. Roll it up and enjoy!
By contributing writer Kenzie Bosmeny
Day 31: While exploring I had the most beautiful find! I’ve read about these walls for years so you can imagine how excited I was to find one on my own! Before I Die walls exist all over the world, inspiring people to live each day.
I can’t tell you what I wrote but hopefully one day you’ll know!
Each October, Albuquerque, New Mexico hosts the largest hot air festival over 750 balloons from around the world. It’s always been on my bucket list so this year my friends and I decided to go for it. After a weary drive through the night, we arrived just in time to watch the mass ascension at sunrise. By 9 am the sky was filled with balloons, decorating the sky vibrant designs and colors. Once the balloons floated away we were able to grab a nap before heading back over to the grounds for the Night Glow events. This time, all balloons stayed grounded while the pilots illuminated the night with their propane burners. Our trip came to a close with triumphant fireworks and some well deserved cocoa.
Day 30: Happy Chinese New Year! London is home to the world’s second largest New Year’s celebration. Makenna and I headed to Chinatown and found it filled with food, fireworks, decor and people. Hopefully we will all prosper in the year of the horse!
Day 29: Saturdays are always so exhausting because everyones just itching to travel. This weekend was no exception as we took a day excursion to Canterbury and Dover.
Canterbury is a medieval town known for its beautiful Cathedral, the home of the arch Bishop of England. The church was absolutely stunning with color stained glass windows dating back to the 12th Century! As you can see, I went a litttttle overboard with my pictures.
Next stop was Dover. We visited the Dover castle which sits upon the city on some very steep white cliffs. The city is located at the southern-most tip of England making it the closest port to France (we could even see it across the way). The cliffs home a system of military tunnels which have been strategic tools for the british in both World Wars. Although all the sites were fascinating, the CRAZY strong winds were the most fun!
Day 28: This scrumptious meringue stole my heart sitting in a warm bakery window. After a long day of walking in the freezing rain, it seemed like a great reward for my roommate and I. While out, I also found some more neat street art. Off to Dover and Canterbury tomorrow!
Savor Away 