seekingmygreaterperhaps

EMILIE! EMILIE! EMILIE! EMILIE!

So… this weekend I was lucky enough to spend time with my Greek little, Emilie who is spending the semester abroad in Canterbury, England. It was crazy awesome to be able to celebrate her 21st birthday (a month early… but hey, it’s always the right time for a celebration) with a special sorority tradition- the 21st birthday paddle. I handpainted an EPIC paddle for her, and brought it to England in my backpack. If you have seen, or better yet, lifted my backpack, you know how much of an act of love that was. Haha. Truth.

Being tourists… because it says Canterbury, obviously.

Valentine’s Day was spent with one of my favorite people in the world… in one of the coolest places in the world. This morning we toured around the Canterbury Cathedral. It was established by St. Augustine, who would eventually become England’s first Archbishop- so he was a pretty big deal. The building itself is so beautiful, and super old.

The inside is HUGE. It just never ends, or so it seemed. There were some places for prayer and reflection, seeing as how it is a functioning church. Emilie and I both lit prayer candles- one for a neighbor who needs healing and one for a safe journey. We were blessed to be witness to the choir practicing. It filled the entire cathedral will such a beautiful noise as we walked around. After we were done walking we found some chairs and just sat listening to the choir… until we got shooed out. Apparently there was a “service”… psh. Functioning churches.

Can’t be completely serious…

Afterwards we stopped and had a proper English tea. Like, I got my own teapot, cream, and sugar. In a quaint tea shop- Susan’s Cafe- I highly recommend it. We had a nice time catching up… and enjoying some culture.

After we split some Fish N’ Chips (Emilie did a great job of covering all the typical English bases), we met up with some of Emilie’s school friends. What better way of celebrating Valentine’s Day than going to see 50 Shades of Grey? That’s exactly what I thought.

It has been such a quick weekend here I simply cannot bear to say goodbye. Emilie and I really got to catch up, talk about things that just don’t text well, and both get excited about our upcoming trips. I must say, it has been nice to have a constant companion. Connecting with such an amazing friend… thousands of miles away is something that simply amazes me.

Polished off those homemade chocolate chip cookies I brought from Murica, had high tea, got a McDonald’s worker to sign a line on her paddle… like what more could I ask for in a weekend getaway with my best friend?

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Total Trip Cost Thus far: $2,591.66 (includes airfair/ Eurail)