Thursday 26 July 2012

København, Denmark





Last Thursday. I left London, and boarded an easyJet to Copenhagen, where one of my good friends met me for a fun filled, yet quaint and relaxing weekend.  For a country whose national population consists of one million people, Copenhagen is packed with a whole awful lot of babies. Everywhere Jackson and I went, there was a crying baby. Maybe he didn't notice as much, but I sure did. It was a good thing that these children were the most adorable blonde haired, blue and green eyed, Danish (sounded like jibbersish to me) speaking toddlers that I have ever seen. Granted, we did go to places like the Copenhagen Zoo, Tivoli Gardens and amusement park, and the annual Sand Sculpting contest, so I guess I had the crying babies coming for me. But moving on from the children, Copenhagen is a beautiful place, all you need is a bike and you are set for the weekend. I read in a tour guide map that 97% of the people who live in Copenhagen own a bicycle, and only that. At first, I thought that was incredibly cheeky, but then after having hit (mostly) all of Copenhagen by the second day, I understood why. During my five days in the picturesque town I had just about seen it all. Night life is excellent there, but who wants to bike 4 kilometres home very slightly intoxicated? This girl.


Now I leave you with the most overused question that I heard from every Danish person we met in the clubs, pubs, and restaurants:
"You're from California?!Why Copenhagen?!"
To which Jackson or I would simply, and religiously respond with,
"I don't know."

Farvel,
xx elizabeth



Sunday 15 July 2012

La Fête Nationale et Château de Versailles


Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!
Happy Bastille Day!

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I woke up early this morning. Well, earlier than usual to take on my solo trip to Château de Versailles. Most of the other people in my program haven't been to Paris before so they opted to stay in the city today. As for me, I didn't even think twice about the Palace of Versailles. This is where I wanted to go last summer, during holiday with my family, but time did not permit. I spent approximately two hours in the actual palace. If any of you ever get the chance to go to Versailles, I recommend getting the audio guide and listening to everything in the galerie des Batailles aka the gallery of battles (which is pictured above). I spent the next four hours in Jardins du château de Versailles (Gardens of Versailles). I rented a bike for €9.50 and it was well worth the price. I rode in and out of the gardens, all the way around the cross-shaped Grand Canal and even into some of the restricted areas being reconstructed. After the bike ride, I grabbed a Nutella crêpe, found a seat at the beautiful Orangerie fountain and read my Daily Bread. I made it back just in time to the hotel, went to the Eurostar, and here I am, back in London! My first (and hopefully not last) Bastille weekend turned out better than I had hoped for!


merci et bonjour, 
xx elizabeth

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Pressing On




"12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:12-14 
The atmosphere was incredible. On Sunday morning on the eighth of July, 16,759 people got up out of their beds and onto the roads of London to participate in the British 10k. It was raining before we even began and it continued to rain all the way until the 8th kilometer. We started from St. James place to Trafalgar Square to Waterloo Bridge to Embankment Hill to Westminster Bridge and all the way back to Whitehall. The route was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for a better city to run my first race.

I know that 10 kilometers isn't that much, but to me, this race meant so much more than running just 6.21371192 miles. Running the Nike+ British 10k is the first and only real goal that I have ever set for myself in my journey to become personally fit. By personally, I mean alone. I've always had a coach by my side and I've always had teammates surrounding me to push me when I thought I couldn't go any further. This time around, I was my own competition, and it felt really, really, really good to beat myself.

xx elizabeth

Saturday 7 July 2012

Thames







All aboard! Dreamers set sail on the River Thames this weekend to enjoy a wonderful dinner dance cruise.  Dinner, dancing, and boats. These are a few of my favorite things.

(watch: Marc Jacobs, shoes: Zara, dress: Eliza's closet :P)

xx elizabeth

p.s. enjoy the (attempted) serious face :|

Thursday 5 July 2012

Diaries of the Departed






Diaries of the Departed -- and no, I'm not talking about the Bachelorette. I'm talking about the good old (young) USA departing from the motherland and American tourists obnoxiously screaming "'murrrrica" throughout the streets of London on a Wednesday night. Might as well look good doing it.

Photography by Alix 
(shoes and vest: Zara, jeans and top: TopShop, bag: Marc Jacobs, bow: American Apparel)

ah-murrca,
xx elizabeth


Day n' Night







The Olympic rings have gone up on Tower Bridge! So I went twice?

Photography by: Alix Frank and Sam Robson

xx elizabeth

(Almost) Halfway.


"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." - T.S. Eliot
I can't believe it has already been a month since I flew into London Heathrow Airport. Before I arrived, I wasn't nervous at all. I thought I could brave this experience just as I had done with college send-off. I remember repeatedly telling myself, "three hours away from home or eight hours away from home, what's the difference? Away is away." However, adjusting to living in London has been the most emotionally-confusing, backwards experience of my life. Not a second has gone by when I'm not thankful to be here in the United Kingdom. I am so completely blessed to have my parents be able ship me off to a foreign country to work an unpaid internship. Especially at my age, experiences like this are not easy to come by, and I know it. 

We grow the most when we are pushed out of our comfort zones, and that is the beauty of feeling uneasy, restless, uncomfortable and alone. It only took two weeks for these unsettling emotions to blow over, and now I feel revived. Having broken yet, another barrier to adulthood, I'm finding out more about who I am and who I can be. I can only thank Him for comforting my soul.

"Where the Lord leads, He provides."

xx elizabeth

Wednesday 4 July 2012

dancing in heels






Raunch UK, New Look Fashion, Coppafeel and US Girls gathered on the Stratford Olympic Bridge Tuesday morning to film a breast cancer awareness commercial. Free pairs of heels for all the participants and best of all, Emily and I got to meet members of Raunch UK! #internlife

xx elizabeth

Sunday 1 July 2012

Changing of the Guards



Buckingham Palace is a dream.

xx elizabeth