My last European adventure...well at least for now!

Ok so I am a little behind with writing about my trip to London. Last Friday I flew to London to meet up with a friend of mine from Virginia named Jeremy. Jeremy and I spent the whole weekend in London being typical tourists. It was a great time though! London is my favorite city in Europe! I don’t know what it is about that city but I love the atmosphere. It is filled with tourists who can be annoying even though you are one yourself but just being there and seeing all of the famous and historical sites is so fascinating! Friday we actually met at the airport and boarded another plane to Belfast which was a nice city. The reason we were there was to see a band called the Stiff Little Fingers which is a seasoned punk band celebrating their 30^th anniversary tour. It was actually a pretty cool concert! So the next day we headed back to London in the morning and were on the go till late that night. We met up with a friend of mine Alex then we all bought tickets to see one of my favorite musicals Blood Brothers. If you are ever in London and can see some theatre, go see this musical! Sunday I got up and met Alex to go to Hillsong Church London! It was an incredible service and God spoke to my heart and encouraged me greatly! The rest of the day we tried to take it easy but that was just too hard for me to do and I think I just about drove Jeremy crazy dragging him all around London to see the sights!

Monday we didn’t fly out of London until late in the evening so we were able to spend the day taking touring again. At about 1:45 or 2:00 we made our way back to Westminster Abbey to take some pictures and the whole area was blocked off by the police and we saw a fancy car parked outside of the cathedral. I looked and saw it was not the queen but my curiosity was peaked by this time so I had to ask someone what was going on. So I found an official person who told me that the queen was to arrive in an hour and fifteen minutes. So we waited around for like 30 minutes watching a bunch of foreign dignitaries go into the cathedral and then our hunger got the best of us and we both decided that waiting around for another 45 minutes to get an old lady’s picture just wasn’t worth it! So yes I almost saw the queen in London! That night we went to the airport and made our way back to Rotterdam where we crashed in our beds!

The rest of the week Jeremy and I pretty much chilled out in Rotterdam and this past Saturday we spent the night in Amsterdam at this totally nasty hostel (it was just dirty and old). We had a great St. Patrick’s Day evening though in an Irish pub enjoying a live Irish band and dancers! Sunday morning we headed to Schiphol airport and I said goodbye to Jeremy who headed back to the States. So as I type this all of my European travels are officially finished for now as this Sunday I head back to the States! I have truly had a great time in Europe the past 7 and a half months and I will greatly miss the friends I have made here. So for those of you who are wondering what is next. I plan on returning to live in Virginia where I will be starting Seminary in the fall to pursue a Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies.

London and Belfast!

West Minster Abbey London
The Wellington Arch London.
Winston Churchill looking on as war protestors camp close by. I wonder what he would have to say about the whole thing.
Trafalgar Square London
The National Gallery London
St. Pauls Cathedral London
Piccadilly Square London

Me on the underground in London
Me in Belfast
Me at Buckingham Palace
Me and my friend Alex in Blood Brothers
London Bridge in the background
Crown Bar Belfast
Camden Town
Me by the river Thames
Buckingham Palace
Near Buckingham Palace.

My favorite musical Blood Brothers.
Big Ben at night
Big Ben
Some grafitti in Belfast
Belfast City Hall
A view from our Hostel window in Belfast.
A view of Belfast from our Hostel window.
The streets of Belfast near the hostel where we stayed.

Going home

Well as some of you know I have decided to come home earlier than expected. Instead of May I will be coming home March 25. So todayI told my friends at church and since I don't know if I will be able to make it back to church before I leave we took pictures. So now you all can see some of the people I have been going to church with the past 4 months. I will miss them and our little English service dearly. This church has meant so much to me the past 4 months and has served as a huge encouragement along the way.

English service regulars

Left to right: Paula, Glenn, Pastor Henk, me, Martin, Magda, Thirza.