365great Day 269: bonfires

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , ,
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365great challenge day 269: bonfiresBack at UCLA, I attended the most bonfires of my life – during Beat ‘SC Week as we pumped up school spirit for the UCLA vs. USC football game, at retreats with my fraternity (AKPsi), and on random outings with friends when we met up at Dockweiler Beach. There’s something special about gathering around a giant flame, letting it heat one side of your body until you felt like it was going to singe. For the smaller bonfires, you can toast marshmallows and make s’mores. For the larger ones, you can marvel at the height of the flame and join in on a crowd mentality as hundreds of people pack in. Bonfires are such a fun activity to participate in, no matter the scale; it could be as intimate as personal time alone or as lively as participating in a group. Either way, it’s a great way to enjoy a night.

UK Vacation Day 7 Recap

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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On day 7 of our grand UK adventure, Panda and I explored the streets of Edinburgh and found a bunch of museums. The morning started off with a silly moment, when Panda got my ring stuck on his finger… and we thought he might have to wear it around all day for me. 😛 I got a delicious treat at a cute bakehouse, we swung by the cafe where Harry Potter was written, and of course went to check out the castle (getting a few items in the gift shop but not actually going in). Along the way, we came across two Chinese ladies asking for directions and I regretted not helping. We wanted to also check out this place called The Mound, but I think they were closed so we skipped it. For dinner, we got Pizza Express and I discovered my new favorite pizza. Later at night we got hungry again so we went out to a Chinese place where they were very interested in chatting us up. I guess Chinese-Americans don’t come around that often.

[Don’t forget about Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6 recaps.]

english breakfast at hilton edinburgh with fried eggs, baked beans, tomatoes, hash browns, tea, omelette, and fruit

We started the day off right with a hearty breakfast British style.

salt and pepper shaker in one unit with salt on top and pepper on bottom

I’ve never seen a salt and pepper shaker as one unit! I want.

princes street in edinburgh bustling with pedestrians

Off to the bustling Princes Street. There’s just a bit of blue sky out there.

rainbow colored columns of building in edinburgh

So bright and cheery against the other dull colors.

old building with clock tower in edinburgh

Classic building in these parts.

girl standing with hair blown in face on streets of edinburgh

Caught me chillin’ on these cute roads.

world's end painted on wall in edinburgh

We found the world’s end!

flodden campaign of 1513 sign in museum of edinburgh

We arrive at the Museum of Edinburgh to find we were there on exactly the 500th anniversary of the Flodden Campaign.

stone spiral staircase in museum of edinburgh

What a cool staircase.

painting in museum of edinburgh with midget man standing next to towering giant

Hehe, I was amused by the midget next to the giant.

pairs of old shoes on display at museum of edinburgh

Those shoes do NOT look comfy.

scottish ambulance driving down road in edinburgh

Ambulances here use blue and neon yellow.

large selection of dessert items on display at mimi's bakehouse in edinburgh

Stumbled upon Mimi’s Bakehouse, where I could hardly choose just one thing to try!

cute bird cage-themed light frame hanging in mimi's bakehouse in edinburgh

Such a fun light frame.

malteser bar with white chocolate and malteser balls

I decided to opt for the Malteser bar. Yummy yummy.

old stroller from long ago in museum of childhood in edinburgh

We made a quick stop at the Museum of Childhood. Strollers used to be so much simpler.

shoot the moon vintage game in museum of childhood in edinburgh

I’ve never heard to this shoot the moon game and I haven’t a clue how it works.

view of giant three story room in museum of scotland

Next up was the grandest museum of all: the Museum of Scotland! Gorgeous room.

girl standing on scale showing weights of various animals weighing in close to giant aneater

Weighing in against animals, I am right around the same as a giant anteater. Fun fact: Panda and I are almost exactly the same weight – sometimes 2 lbs off but often identical.

large cat display in museum showing only cat that can climb down trees

This is the only breed of cat in the world that can climb down trees, thanks to claws that go the other direction! If only household cats could get those claws…

girl sitting in museum using giant light to signal morse code

I spent all this effort sending a Morse code message to Panda only to discover he wasn’t paying attention! Men.

girl sitting on chair provided at museum for those with tired feet

So perfect for me! My feet and back get sore easily, so I happily grabbed a seat to rest on.

the elephant house in edinburgh's storefront

The fun little cafe with a view of Edinburgh Castle in the back, where JK Rowling did much of her earlier writing.

plaque detailing the elephant house in edinburgh's history of inspiring authors like jk rowling, ian rankin, and alexander mccall-smith

Apparently this place inspires plenty of writers!

view of sliver of ocean in distance from edinburgh

We can just make out the ocean out there. So cool! I wish we could have gone to visit but it’s far.

walking up hill towards edinburgh castle in scotland

Up, up, up to the Ednburgh Castle.

entrance to edinburgh castle atop hill with temporary bleachers set up

There was some sort of event there and they were taking down the bleachers they’d set up.

view of edinburgh from edinburgh castle

Spectacular place to live. We decided not to go into the castle but just enjoy the views and shop.

adorable brightly-colored sheep-shaped soap sold at edinburgh castle gift shop

Such cute soaps! I recorded the brand so I can remember to get these one day…

pizza express dough balls appetizer dish

Not quite what we imagined when we order dough balls, but they were good!

pizza express la reine and pomodoro pesto pizzas

Panda go La Reine and I go the Pomodoro Pesto in the back – FAB. I love thin crust, fresh tomatoes, mushroom, and pesto.

view of edinburgh castle from princes street

What a beautiful place Edinburgh is. So much greenery!

cobblestone path down to princes street gardens lined with multicolored roses

Such a quaint path down into the Princes Street Gardens.

windowsill in edinburgh with bright flowers growing against dull walls

Such a beautiful burst of color against the drab.

pile of red scottish print sherpa blankets

Seeing this inspired me to get one back when I was stateside!

red and white changed priorities ahead sign in edinburgh

Time to consider changing your priorities along with it?

singapore noodles dish at china star restaurant in edinburgh

Panda always loves his Singapore noodles.

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