we KANE we SHAW we CRAWFORD

I am going to be a little biased in this post and say that I absolutely love Chicago because it is one of the most beautiful cities with what I think is humongous pride in its sports teams.  On Friday, June 29th I took the train downtown with one of my best friends to see the Blackhawks parade.  For those of you who aren't big into sports, the Blackhawks are Chicago's hockey team, and needless to say they're awesome.  Three years ago in 2010 they won the Stanley Cup and they did it again this year.  When they win the Stanley Cup the city of Chicago puts on a ginormous spectacle with a parade and rally.  The parade goes down Washington St. towards its final destination, Grant Park, where there is a huge rally and slurred speeches made by the players.  Grant Park is this beautiful green park with fountains and the infamous bean.  It's a very popular place for tourists, as you can also see them snapping a picture of themselves in the mirrored reflection of the bean.

The Bean

My best friend and I took an early train into the city and arrived into Olgivie Station, which was crowded with hundreds of blackhawks fans all dressed up in feather headbands, jerseys, and the occasional feather boa.  We walked out of the station past the Chicago river towards Dearborn and Washington, where we stopped and watched the parade.

Crowded Olgivie

The Chicago River

Being as short as I am, some very nice people took it upon themselves to let me get a better view and stand in front of them.  This allowed me to get some very nice picture of the players while they rode down Washington on double decker buses.

Stanley cup hat

My friend and I

Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad

All in all it was a great day and I am so happy to live near to a big city where millions of people live and exciting things happen all the time.  If you haven't been to Chicago and you ever get the chance to visit please do!

Much Love,

Francesca

Hello World!

Hello people of the internet,

(this is my first blog post and it feels a bit weird...)

Starting, September 10, 2013 I will be headed to London, England to study abroad for 3 months at Queen Mary University.  I have started this blog in hopes that I can keep in touch with friends and family from back home and at school.  I aim to keep you updated with my comings and goings, my embarrassing moments, and people I meet along the way.

This will be the first time that I will be overseas completely by myself.  I've been to Europe many times, as my Dad is from Ireland, but I have never been without my sister and fellow travel enthusiast, Jillian (pictured below).  

Jillian (left) and I on the London Eye

I purposely picked the Queen Mary program because I will be the only one from my college going there, which I think will give me an authentic abroad experience.  However, it is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!  I'm just hoping the people I randomly get assigned to live with like me and don't think I'm "that weird American."  I am also praying that at least one of my flatmates has a British accent, so that I can listen to it all day :)

Well, I'm off to a bonfire now (the first one of the summer for me) to catch up with friends and see some people from high school.  

Much Love,

Francesca