So I have been really busy the past week or so trying to get in everything that we want to do before we leave England. I am missing out on sleep right now to write this, so hopefully I will remember everything. I will give you some good highlights of my past week and a half.
Last Tuesday (May 31st), Chelsea and I took a trip to London for the night to see the musical Chicago in the West End. It was so much fun and so good!! The musical was amazing, with really great actors, and we had a blast. We got there a little before the show started to walk around a little bit and have dinner. We had traditional fish and chips at a pub across the street before the show. We got our tickets before dinner and we got upgraded! We got moved down an entire section. We were still a little far back, but it didn't matter! It was an amazing experience that I am so glad I did!
On Thursday, we (Chelsea, Lindsay, Madison, Carli, and I) went to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and looked around in the Brighton museum then in the Pavilion. King George IV created it and lived there for a while before he became king. The rooms were so extravagant and pretty! We couldn't take pictures inside so I can't show you exactly what it looked like, but it reminded me a little of the Palace of Versailles on how pristine it was.
After we toured around the Royal Pavilion, Chelsea, Carlli, and I were hungry so we ate lunch at the Mock Turtle. Lindsay went home because she didn't feel good and Madison had to meet a friend somewhere. I had an omelet, and tea (of course) which was really good.
We walked around town the rest of the day, but I had to go home at 6pm to study for my last exam, critical psychology. YUCK! The worst class ever, seriously! Lindsay, Megan, Jenn, and I all studied for this essay exam all night then called it quits.
On Friday, Linds and I got up to finish studying then took our exam at noon. It wasn't too bad, but I am definitely glad it is over. I hated that class and didn't really like any of my other ones either. I am very much looking forward to going back to school in the U.S.!
After our exam, we headed to the beach! We didn't stay too long, because we had to catch our train at 9:30pm to go to Liverpool!!! We traveled all night long.
It was Lindsay, Chelsea, Ara, Madison, and I who went and first, we took a train from Brighton to London, then the tube to another train station in London, then that train to Birmingham. We arrived in Birmingham at 1:30am, and our next train wasn't until 6am. So we had a lot of time to kill! We decided to go explore the city and we walked around for awhile taking pictures and hanging out the 5 of us.
Around 3:30am, we decided to go back to the train station and try to sleep a little. I was wearing shorts (bad idea!) and the floor was cold so I never fell asleep. The others didn't either or only for an hour or so. By the time our train was there and we got on to go to Liverpool, we were all very tired. But we couldn't stop then so we pushed on!
We arrived in Liverpool around 8am, and everything was closed in town. We just walked around looking at things and eventually found a place to eat breakfast at. We found a flyer in the train station about a Fab Four taxi tour that takes you around the city to all the places you would want to see that involves the Beatles. It was 50 pounds total (so 10 pounds each) and we thought it was a great idea since we didn't know how to get to any of the places we wanted to see. So we called them and booked our tour to start at 10am.
The taxi took us to all the houses the Beatles grew up in, Strawberry Fields, the cemetery Eleanor Rigby's grave is at, Penny Lane, the Liverpool school of the arts, and some other spots they hung out while they were in Liverpool. It was such an awesome tour! We learned a lot about the Beatles' history and saw some cool places. I kept thinking while we were taking the tour, how much my mom would have loved it!
After the tour, we were all hungry, so we stopped at the Grapes, a pub they went to a lot, and had some lunch. Next, we walked around and went to a few souvenir shops.
We walked around a little more and decided we were super tired and should find a patch of grass to try and take a nap on. We tried to sleep but it was so windy and cold that we eventually gave up. My allergies were getting bad from the wind and I wanted to go inside somewhere. We went into a few different shops and ended up back at the train station around 6pm. Our train was at 7:30pm so we just hung out there until our train got there.
Then we took a train to London, then the tube to another train station, then a train back to Brighton. Not a 5 and a half hour wait this time which was good. We got back to Brighton, all came home and went to sleep. We were so exhausted!!
Monday, Chelsea, Madison, Carli, Megan, Jenn, and I went to London to explore the whole day and go to a show in the Shakespeare Globe Theatre that night. We left around 10am on the train to London and spent the whole day in Camden shopping in the market there. It was huge! After spending most of the day there, we went to Abbey Road and took the picture of 4 of us walking across the street like the Beatles album cover. We split up after that and Chelsea and I went to London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. By the time we got to the Tower of London, it was closed so we didn't get to see the crown jewels, which I was upset about, but it just gives me a reason to come back someday!
Next, Chels and I got over to the Globe Theatre and had dinner at Pizza Express just across the street. We got in and got some good seats (not actual seats- we bought standing tickets). After dinner, we met up with the rest of the bunch to see the play, Much Ado About Nothing. I absolutely LOVED it!! It was the best play I have ever seen and it could not have been better!! The actress who played Beatrice was using a script because the actress who was supposed to be her was sick and she did amazing! It was crazy how great she was just being thrown into the role. The actor who played Leonato was Joseph Marcell- the butler, Geoffrey, from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!! It was so cool to see him up close like that! It was so funny and I think became my favorite play by Shakespeare!
Tuesday night, we had our last night of karaoke, which was a lot of fun and will be missed!
Yesterday (Wednesday), we went to the beach, then Lindsay, Chelsea, Tony, Rudy, and I went to a club. We were pretty tired and ended up back on the beach. We were there until the sun came up. Such a cool experience!! We left around 4:30am to come home and sleep for a little while. As we were waiting for the bus, we saw Christian getting off the bus and walking to the coach station to go to the airport to fly home. We ran over to say bye one last time and it was so weird! It finally hit me actually seeing someone leaving. It was really sad.
We came home and slept for a little while and now I am writing this. We are going back into town today and going to probably end up at the beach. Tonight is our last big night out and I am sure it will end in tears. The last few days have been emotional and the next few are going to be emotional as well. Everyone is just sad to leave each other.
The next few days are going to be rough, and I am sure I will update once more before I leave Brighton. Chels and Linds leave on Saturday and that is going to be a tear-fest, so you will hear about it in the next few days.
I miss you all and am excited to come home, but am definitely sad to be leaving these awesome people I have met over here. More later.
xxxx
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Brighton=Favorite City!
Just thought I would tell you a little bit about what I have been up to lately...
Tuesday, we went to the beach with a big group of people and just hung out and drank some cider. It is so pretty to sit on the beach at night, especially when the stars are all out.
Wednesday, I met Ara and Madison at the beach to lay out because it was sunny and warm out! :) That was fun, and I love how late the sun stays out here! Then, Chelsea met us for dinner at Nando's- I can't get enough of that place! After dinner, we were all pretty tired so we just came back and hung out in our rooms.
Thursday, we went out for our friends birthday, which was fun, as always going out in Brighton.
Friday, I didn't do too much. Just hung out with Ara and Madison, then we booked our trip to Liverpool!! It is me, Lindsay, Chelsea, Ara, and Madison all going. We leave Friday night on a train and get to Liverpool at 7 something in the morning Saturday. Then we spend all day exploring and walking around the town and leave at 7 something that night and get back to Brighton around midnight. I am so excited!! Get ready for pictures, because I am sure I will be taking a lot!! A little while after we booked Liverpool, Ara, Jen, and I headed to the beach to hang out. On the way there, we got subway and cider. Perfect combo! :) It was fun, but really cold. I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and my North Face jacket over it and was still a little cold! It is so weird wearing that many layers at the end of May! I don't like it at all and am definitely ready for a hot St. Louis summer!!
Besides going to Liverpool next Friday, I also have my last exam at noon that day. It is weird not having any school work for almost 2 weeks, then having this random exam. I don't like it at all and am ready to be back in the American school system! After I take that exam, I am home free!
I leave here in just 16 more days... It is weird that is it that close to me coming home. I am both excited and a little sad to be leaving as I have said before.
This week is supposed to be nice, so hopefully I will get lots more beach time in, and maybe get a tan? In England! Haha, probably not...
xxxx
Tuesday, we went to the beach with a big group of people and just hung out and drank some cider. It is so pretty to sit on the beach at night, especially when the stars are all out.
Wednesday, I met Ara and Madison at the beach to lay out because it was sunny and warm out! :) That was fun, and I love how late the sun stays out here! Then, Chelsea met us for dinner at Nando's- I can't get enough of that place! After dinner, we were all pretty tired so we just came back and hung out in our rooms.
Thursday, we went out for our friends birthday, which was fun, as always going out in Brighton.
Friday, I didn't do too much. Just hung out with Ara and Madison, then we booked our trip to Liverpool!! It is me, Lindsay, Chelsea, Ara, and Madison all going. We leave Friday night on a train and get to Liverpool at 7 something in the morning Saturday. Then we spend all day exploring and walking around the town and leave at 7 something that night and get back to Brighton around midnight. I am so excited!! Get ready for pictures, because I am sure I will be taking a lot!! A little while after we booked Liverpool, Ara, Jen, and I headed to the beach to hang out. On the way there, we got subway and cider. Perfect combo! :) It was fun, but really cold. I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and my North Face jacket over it and was still a little cold! It is so weird wearing that many layers at the end of May! I don't like it at all and am definitely ready for a hot St. Louis summer!!
Besides going to Liverpool next Friday, I also have my last exam at noon that day. It is weird not having any school work for almost 2 weeks, then having this random exam. I don't like it at all and am ready to be back in the American school system! After I take that exam, I am home free!
I leave here in just 16 more days... It is weird that is it that close to me coming home. I am both excited and a little sad to be leaving as I have said before.
This week is supposed to be nice, so hopefully I will get lots more beach time in, and maybe get a tan? In England! Haha, probably not...
xxxx
Friday, May 20, 2011
24 days left in Brighton!
So I have just a little over 3 weeks left and I will just take a minute to update you on what I have been doing since we got back from our Stratford-upon-Avon trip- which isn't much...
My mom is in Hawaii right now and I am super jealous! She texts me every day telling me about going to the beach, snorkeling, and how beautiful everything is. She gets back to St. Louis on Sunday and I am looking forward to skyping her. I haven't talked to her except for texting and a couple e-mails in two weeks and I miss her!! I know she is having a blast, and is lucky to have such awesome friends to take her on this trip! I am sure she is getting tan, and I am a little envious...
The past 3 weeks have gone by pretty fast! I have mostly been working on all of my papers. I have 6 to start with and only have 2 left! I am done with classes now- this week was my last week, which was very exciting! It is so weird still having school stuff to do when all of you guys back in America have been done with school. I really don't like having all this work to do at the end of the semester. It is stressful and no fun. I would honesty rather study for finals back home then write all these papers here. I am almost done, though! I turn my last paper in on Wednesday, have an online exam to take some time within this next week, and my last exam on June 3rd! I cannot wait for that day because then all the pressure will be off and I can just focus on having fun before we all go home!
Thinking about going home is so bittersweet. I am super homesick and really miss all of my friends and family, but I love Brighton, and the people I have met here are awesome!! Lindsay, Chelsea and I are already talking about me going to California to see my Uncle Johnny and seeing them too! Last night we got dinner and some drinks and just went and sat on the beach and all talked. I am going to miss being on the coast! But, I wont miss how cold it is for sure. I miss the hot St. Louis summer!!
Talking about my Uncle John in California makes me think of when I went to London and had dinner with him and since that was 2 weeks ago, I haven't talked about it yet! I knew that at some point in May, my Uncle John (my dad's brother who was born exactly 2 years later) was going to be in London and we had talked about possibly having dinner. It worked out that he had a night in London that we could go out to dinner before he went back to LA the next day. He told me I could bring a friend to keep me company on the train ride, so I brought Lindsay and Chelsea and we met him at the train station on Sunday, May 8th, and went to this Italian restaurant someone at his hotel suggested. It ended up being a famous British chefs place, Jamie Oliver! Uncle John insisted that we get everything and anything that we wanted so we all started off with drinks, then appetizers, main meals, and then dessert! We were all so full by the time we left, it was ridiculous! The food was delicious and definitely one of my favorite places I have been to since we got here! We had a nice, long dinner. We all talked about why we came here to study abroad and what we were studying back home and why. Then Uncle John was telling us all of the stories from his job. It was so fascinating! He has an amazing job and gets to see so much of the world! I really wish he lived closer and I got to see him more because it was so much fun hanging out with him for the night!
After dinner, we walked around London for a little while. It was getting late and we had a 2 hour train ride back home (it was longer than usual because it stopped at so many different places), so we went home after that. It was so nice for him to take us out to dinner and we all had an amazing night!!!! It felt so good to see family while being over here, and I was glad we were able to work out getting together. My dad was supposed to come over with him and go to dinner with me, and he was definitely there in spirit. I was so mad at myself for not getting a picture of Uncle John and I- I completely forgot until we were on the train! :( But, I will always have the memory!
The next week I will be finishing up my last papers and taking a test, and then I will be done! Except for my random test on June 3rd, but whatever. I will update you all some time in the next week or two. We have talked about possibly going to Oxford and Beachy Head, so I will let you know what great things we do before we leave. I can't believe it is already to that point! Only 24 days until I am back in America with all of you! I know it will fly by and I am going to enjoy the time I have left! Love and miss you all!!
xxx
My mom is in Hawaii right now and I am super jealous! She texts me every day telling me about going to the beach, snorkeling, and how beautiful everything is. She gets back to St. Louis on Sunday and I am looking forward to skyping her. I haven't talked to her except for texting and a couple e-mails in two weeks and I miss her!! I know she is having a blast, and is lucky to have such awesome friends to take her on this trip! I am sure she is getting tan, and I am a little envious...
The past 3 weeks have gone by pretty fast! I have mostly been working on all of my papers. I have 6 to start with and only have 2 left! I am done with classes now- this week was my last week, which was very exciting! It is so weird still having school stuff to do when all of you guys back in America have been done with school. I really don't like having all this work to do at the end of the semester. It is stressful and no fun. I would honesty rather study for finals back home then write all these papers here. I am almost done, though! I turn my last paper in on Wednesday, have an online exam to take some time within this next week, and my last exam on June 3rd! I cannot wait for that day because then all the pressure will be off and I can just focus on having fun before we all go home!
Thinking about going home is so bittersweet. I am super homesick and really miss all of my friends and family, but I love Brighton, and the people I have met here are awesome!! Lindsay, Chelsea and I are already talking about me going to California to see my Uncle Johnny and seeing them too! Last night we got dinner and some drinks and just went and sat on the beach and all talked. I am going to miss being on the coast! But, I wont miss how cold it is for sure. I miss the hot St. Louis summer!!
Talking about my Uncle John in California makes me think of when I went to London and had dinner with him and since that was 2 weeks ago, I haven't talked about it yet! I knew that at some point in May, my Uncle John (my dad's brother who was born exactly 2 years later) was going to be in London and we had talked about possibly having dinner. It worked out that he had a night in London that we could go out to dinner before he went back to LA the next day. He told me I could bring a friend to keep me company on the train ride, so I brought Lindsay and Chelsea and we met him at the train station on Sunday, May 8th, and went to this Italian restaurant someone at his hotel suggested. It ended up being a famous British chefs place, Jamie Oliver! Uncle John insisted that we get everything and anything that we wanted so we all started off with drinks, then appetizers, main meals, and then dessert! We were all so full by the time we left, it was ridiculous! The food was delicious and definitely one of my favorite places I have been to since we got here! We had a nice, long dinner. We all talked about why we came here to study abroad and what we were studying back home and why. Then Uncle John was telling us all of the stories from his job. It was so fascinating! He has an amazing job and gets to see so much of the world! I really wish he lived closer and I got to see him more because it was so much fun hanging out with him for the night!
After dinner, we walked around London for a little while. It was getting late and we had a 2 hour train ride back home (it was longer than usual because it stopped at so many different places), so we went home after that. It was so nice for him to take us out to dinner and we all had an amazing night!!!! It felt so good to see family while being over here, and I was glad we were able to work out getting together. My dad was supposed to come over with him and go to dinner with me, and he was definitely there in spirit. I was so mad at myself for not getting a picture of Uncle John and I- I completely forgot until we were on the train! :( But, I will always have the memory!
The next week I will be finishing up my last papers and taking a test, and then I will be done! Except for my random test on June 3rd, but whatever. I will update you all some time in the next week or two. We have talked about possibly going to Oxford and Beachy Head, so I will let you know what great things we do before we leave. I can't believe it is already to that point! Only 24 days until I am back in America with all of you! I know it will fly by and I am going to enjoy the time I have left! Love and miss you all!!
xxx
Monday, May 2, 2011
Stratford-upon-Avon/Warwick Castle Trip!
Hello all!!
I got back last night from our last trip with our program. It was a little sad- but I am looking forward to spending the last month and half I have left here in Brighton!
We woke up early on Saturday morning to catch the bus at 8am. We got to Stratford-upon-Avon around 11:30am, and checked into our hotel. It was the cutest bed and breakfast I have ever seen!! We just had time to set our stuff in our rooms and then we walked to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We had a little bit of time to walk around the city before Macbeth started at 1:15pm. We just went into a few shops before we headed back to the theatre for our show. Macbeth was AMAZING! The acting was so good and it was an awesome show! The theatre was like the Globe- the seats were around in a circle and went almost straight up.
After the show, we decided to walk around the city more. We went into a bunch of little shops along the street. We were looking for a place to eat dinner and we finally found this place along the river. We sat outside because it was so nice outside and had dinner the 8 of us. It was all people from my program- Lindsay, Chelsea, Ara, Madison, Amanda, Mark, and Matt. It was a lot of fun and so nice to sit outside and eat! Chelsea and I split a pitcher of Pimm's, which just made it perfect!
All weekend there were different events to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday, so we decided to go to The Law of Love, which was two hours of drama, music, and poetry with performers from the Shakespeare Institute. It was an interesting 2 hours, but the acting was pretty bad. There were more American actors than we anticipated and they were bad. I was a little embarrassed...
We were all super tired from not getting much sleep the night before so we decided to just go back to the hotel and go to bed. When we got our hotel room (Chelsea, Lindsay, and I were all in a room together), we turned our TV on and watched Friends! We love how much Friends is on over here!!
On Sunday, we got up and had a full English breakfast in the morning, which was delicious! An egg, toast, bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms, a tomato, and tea of course. Then we left for a tour around the city given by Wendy Bowie- who was awesome! She showed us around the city and taught us so many new things! See the following:
Goodnight Sleep Tight: They used to tie ropes to the frames of beds to create a grid to put the mattress on top of. When the ropes were lose, the mattress was less comfortable. When they were tightened, you would get a better nights sleep.
Eavesdropping: The were holes in the eaves in the roof because of the thatched roofing so you could hear from one room to the other.
Canopy: The ceilings used to be made out of straw-a thatched roof- and birds would peck through them and sometimes drop some unwanted things into people's bedrooms. People put canopies over their beds so that nothing fell onto their faces while they slept.
Barber pole: Barbers used to be the people who performed surgery- the Doctors were just GPs and didn't do surgery. The barber poles are red and white because of the blood and bandages.
Frog in your throat: They used to tie a frog's legs together and put it down someone's throat when they had the whopping cough to get rid of their sore throat.
We learned so much from her and she was so nice! After our tour, we had some free time to get lunch and walk around a little. We went to a Shakespeare store and went into a few souvenir stores, then it was time to head back to the bus.
We got on the bus and went to Warwick Castle. We had almost 3 hours to roam around the castle and see some entertainment. Lindsay, Chelsea, Ara, and I all decided before we went into the castle (while we were at the gift shop) to buy swords to fight each other all day. We also all got Princess crowns. I felt like a little kid again and it was so much fun! We were Princess Warriors for the day and I know you are all jealous! After spending the afternoon in the gorgeous weather walking around the castle, we headed back home around 4pm. It was a really fun last trip!
We were originally supposed to go to Oxford Saturday morning, but since it was Shakespeare's birthday weekend, our tickets for Macbeth had to be during the day. The night tickets were already booked for a special showing and we weren't able to get those tickets. With all the traffic and such, Oxford had to be cut out of the schedule. We were a little bummed about this, but we might take a day trip one weekend to visit the University. If not, it gives me more reason to come back!
Well I have a lot of school work to do, and really should get working on it. I have 6 papers due within the next 3 weeks- basically I hate school here! I only have 3 weeks left of school and 6 weeks left until I come home! I can't believe it is almost time to leave. It feels really bittersweet!! Although I miss everyone at home so much and want to go home, I love it here and don't want to leave!
I don't have any more trips left to update you all on, but I will keep you updating with things I do in Brighton! There wont be much the next 2 weeks with all the papers I will be working on- so pray that I get them done fast!
I hope you all are getting some better weather over there and good luck to everyone who has finals this week and next!! I found out today that Osama Bin Laden is dead so thank goodness for that! I am proud to be an American, even if I am not with you all!!
xxx
I got back last night from our last trip with our program. It was a little sad- but I am looking forward to spending the last month and half I have left here in Brighton!
We woke up early on Saturday morning to catch the bus at 8am. We got to Stratford-upon-Avon around 11:30am, and checked into our hotel. It was the cutest bed and breakfast I have ever seen!! We just had time to set our stuff in our rooms and then we walked to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We had a little bit of time to walk around the city before Macbeth started at 1:15pm. We just went into a few shops before we headed back to the theatre for our show. Macbeth was AMAZING! The acting was so good and it was an awesome show! The theatre was like the Globe- the seats were around in a circle and went almost straight up.
After the show, we decided to walk around the city more. We went into a bunch of little shops along the street. We were looking for a place to eat dinner and we finally found this place along the river. We sat outside because it was so nice outside and had dinner the 8 of us. It was all people from my program- Lindsay, Chelsea, Ara, Madison, Amanda, Mark, and Matt. It was a lot of fun and so nice to sit outside and eat! Chelsea and I split a pitcher of Pimm's, which just made it perfect!
All weekend there were different events to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday, so we decided to go to The Law of Love, which was two hours of drama, music, and poetry with performers from the Shakespeare Institute. It was an interesting 2 hours, but the acting was pretty bad. There were more American actors than we anticipated and they were bad. I was a little embarrassed...
We were all super tired from not getting much sleep the night before so we decided to just go back to the hotel and go to bed. When we got our hotel room (Chelsea, Lindsay, and I were all in a room together), we turned our TV on and watched Friends! We love how much Friends is on over here!!
On Sunday, we got up and had a full English breakfast in the morning, which was delicious! An egg, toast, bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms, a tomato, and tea of course. Then we left for a tour around the city given by Wendy Bowie- who was awesome! She showed us around the city and taught us so many new things! See the following:
Goodnight Sleep Tight: They used to tie ropes to the frames of beds to create a grid to put the mattress on top of. When the ropes were lose, the mattress was less comfortable. When they were tightened, you would get a better nights sleep.
Eavesdropping: The were holes in the eaves in the roof because of the thatched roofing so you could hear from one room to the other.
Canopy: The ceilings used to be made out of straw-a thatched roof- and birds would peck through them and sometimes drop some unwanted things into people's bedrooms. People put canopies over their beds so that nothing fell onto their faces while they slept.
Barber pole: Barbers used to be the people who performed surgery- the Doctors were just GPs and didn't do surgery. The barber poles are red and white because of the blood and bandages.
Frog in your throat: They used to tie a frog's legs together and put it down someone's throat when they had the whopping cough to get rid of their sore throat.
We learned so much from her and she was so nice! After our tour, we had some free time to get lunch and walk around a little. We went to a Shakespeare store and went into a few souvenir stores, then it was time to head back to the bus.
We got on the bus and went to Warwick Castle. We had almost 3 hours to roam around the castle and see some entertainment. Lindsay, Chelsea, Ara, and I all decided before we went into the castle (while we were at the gift shop) to buy swords to fight each other all day. We also all got Princess crowns. I felt like a little kid again and it was so much fun! We were Princess Warriors for the day and I know you are all jealous! After spending the afternoon in the gorgeous weather walking around the castle, we headed back home around 4pm. It was a really fun last trip!
We were originally supposed to go to Oxford Saturday morning, but since it was Shakespeare's birthday weekend, our tickets for Macbeth had to be during the day. The night tickets were already booked for a special showing and we weren't able to get those tickets. With all the traffic and such, Oxford had to be cut out of the schedule. We were a little bummed about this, but we might take a day trip one weekend to visit the University. If not, it gives me more reason to come back!
Well I have a lot of school work to do, and really should get working on it. I have 6 papers due within the next 3 weeks- basically I hate school here! I only have 3 weeks left of school and 6 weeks left until I come home! I can't believe it is almost time to leave. It feels really bittersweet!! Although I miss everyone at home so much and want to go home, I love it here and don't want to leave!
I don't have any more trips left to update you all on, but I will keep you updating with things I do in Brighton! There wont be much the next 2 weeks with all the papers I will be working on- so pray that I get them done fast!
I hope you all are getting some better weather over there and good luck to everyone who has finals this week and next!! I found out today that Osama Bin Laden is dead so thank goodness for that! I am proud to be an American, even if I am not with you all!!
xxx
Friday, April 22, 2011
Amsterdam-probably my favorite city EVER!
Hallo! (As the Dutch would say)
Just a fair warning that this post is going to be pretty long...
So, Chelsea, Lindsay, and I get on a taxi to the Brighton train station at 6am Sunday morning. We had to get a taxi because there weren't any trains from Falmer (my campus) to Brighton that early in the morning. We get to the train station, buy our tickets to Gatwick airport, and literally miss the train by one minute. The next one is 25 minutes later. So, we get on the next train and get to the airport with little time to spare before the gate closes for our flight at 8:10am. I had already printed off my boarding pass a week or so earlier but Chelsea and Lindsay hadn't yet, so we had to check in. We get into this huge line for easy jet and we hear this guy at the front calling for people flying to Amsterdam. We try to get his attention to say that we are, but he really isn't even paying attention to anyone and we are really far back so he probably didn't hear us. A minute later, we get closer to where he was at and tell him we need to check in for Amsterdam. He says that it is closed and he called for the last call to check in. We try to explain the situation to him, but he is really mean and it is too late. Since I had already printed my boarding pass, he said I could go but I would have to run to get on the plane in time. So I left Chelsea and Lindsay to change their flights (and pay 50 pounds to do so!) and I run through security and get to my gate and everyone is lined up to get on the flight. I was running there for really no reason (again that guy was a jerk). I call Lindsay and they have a flight at 4 something so I decided to just wait for them when I got to the airport.
I get to the airport in Amsterdam and take my time doing everything because I have to wait 8 hours for them to get to the airport. In the 8 hours I was there, I read 250 pages of a book, half a magazine, took a nap, and had lunch. It was a long day and I was sick of airports, and so where Chels and Linds because they stayed at the Gatwick airport for the whole time. As soon as I saw them we just hugged and shared our stories of the long awful day.
We get on the train to go into the city and to our hostel. We get there and they upgraded us to a suite so it was just the 3 of us in a room with our own bathroom!! We were so excited we told the guy that it was like finally! something good is happening to us! After we check in, we walk around the city for a little bit, get some food, and hang out at a coffee shop for the rest of the night, but were really tired and went home early. We were in bed by midnight! Haha, that is what traveling does to you!
Monday, we woke up at a decent time and headed over to the Anne Frank house. We waited in line for about 45 minutes and it was taking forever so we decided to go to the neighborhood Jordaan and walk around since it was close by. We walked through Jordaan but I am not sure if we were on the main streets or not. It was really pretty with a lot of canals everywhere- which I loved!! Next, we walked to the flower market on the canal. That was pretty and I was wishing I could have sent some flowers home to my mom that she could plant- she would have loved it!
After we saw all of the flower market, and went in to some shops along the way, we went to a cafe where they had really good smoothies and hung out there for awhile. Then we decided to go back to our hostel and take a nap. We slept for awhile then went to meet up with Lindsay's cousin, Courtney, and her two friends. We ended up at a bar waiting for them to arrive. There was karaoke and Chelsea and I sang "I Love Rock N Roll"! It was so much fun! At midnight, we all took a shot of tequila for Lindsay's 21st birthday! Then we walked around a little bit and went into a few bars then went home.
Tuesday, we got up early and met Courtney and her friends to go to Anne Frank's house. We waited in line for about an hour but it was worth it. They gave us pamphlets before we walked in that told the history of the house and everything which was nice because I couldn't remember much from learning about her like 8 years ago. The house in Amsterdam is the one that she and her family hid in from the Germans. We walked through the whole thing, but there isn't any furniture because that is the way Otto Frank, Anne's dad, wanted it. It was kind of eerie being there. The most emotional part was at the end. There was a video playing of Otto talking about Anne and it just hit me. I couldn't watch it anymore and left. It is so sad to think about!
After we left Anne Frank, we thought we would do something on a more happy note so we all went and got food then Chelsea, Lindsay, and I went to the Ice Bar. It is pretty self-explanatory- everything is made of ice! Before we get into the ice bar (which is at -10 degrees) they give us these bug puffy coats and gloves to wear while we are in there. We got two mixed drinks in glasses (of course made of ice) and watch a 4D short movie. It was a lot of fun and a good experience but it was sooo cold in there! When we got out, the bartender gave us free shots for Lindsay's birthday! We had been talking to him before we went into the ice part of the bar and told him about her birthday.
After the ice bar, we decided to go to this Sex Museum. We didn't really know what we were getting into, but it was only 4 Euros and since we were in Amsterdam, we figured, why not? Well it was interesting, to say the least.... It was pretty much like a porn museum. There was sexual pictures and such from way back in the Roman times- which I hadn't realized before. There was some interesting things in there and some very graphic things in there...
Anyway, moving on. Next we went back to our hostel to take a nap (yet again). We got up early and walked all over and decided before we went out big for Lindsay's birthday that we would try to get a little sleep. We got up and went to dinner at this Mexican restaurant before we went on our pub crawl. It was pretty good but definitely not as good as back home! Then we headed over to the meeting spot for our pub crawl. We were supposed to go to 5 pubs and one huge club at the end of the night. We got free t-shirts to go along with the deal- which I am ALWAYS down for!! By the time we got to the fifth place, it was already after 1am and we were all super tired, so we decided to just head back to the hostel. All of our feet hurt from walking around so much, so we decided to take a bike taxi home. It was actually really fun and totally worth it! I am sure the biker got a work out from pulling the 3 of us back...
Wednesday, we had to check out of our hostel by 10am. I wanted to go to Keukenhof really badly so we headed to the airport to see how long the bus from the airport would be to Keukenhof to see if we had enough time. Chelsea and Lindsay decided they wanted to save money (because they were out of Euros) and not go. But, I was determined to see the gorgeous gardens so I went by myself. It was sooo worth it!! It was a little lonely walking around by myself, but it was so peaceful and it was nice to just walk around. The place is huge- I was there for 2 and a half hours and didn't see all of it. I walked around and took pictures the entire time I was there. It was GORGEOUS. I took TONS of pictures and it was even more beautiful than the pictures show... It gets time for me to start heading back to the parking lot to wait for the bus to take me to the airport so I retrace my steps thinking I will be able to figure out how to get back. That didn't work so well... I realized I was going in a big circle and decided to find a map. I got to one and figured out which way I needed to head towards and walked all the way to the entrance/exit, or so I thought. I get there and realize I am at the car parking lot, not the bus parking lot where I need to be. I find another map and see that I am at the opposite end of the park that I need to be at. It takes awhile to walk all the way to the right entrance/exit that I need. I finally get there and probably miss the bus to the airport by 5 minutes or less (of course). I get in the very long line to wait for the bus to the airport. They come every 15 minutes. The next one comes, and of course I don't get on because it is too full. By this time, I am freaking out that I am going to miss my flight. I wait another 15 minutes. I finally get on a bus and we leave around 3:50pm. My flight is at 5:05, the gate closes at 4:35, and the bus ride is 20 minutes. I get on the bus and try not to keep freaking out.
We get to the airport and I sprint off the bus to the airport (it is 4:15 at this point) and look at the board to see what gate my flight is at. I see that my flight has been delayed by 15 minutes. I take a deep breath of relief and stop freaking out- as much.... I meet Lindsay and Chelsea and say my quick goodbyes as I head to my gate. They were getting on a flight to Rome, and I was going back to Brighton. I get to my gate and everything is fine. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have my flight delayed!
On the flight back, I met someone from St. Louis!! It was so weird! He is from North County. Such a small world! He is studying abroad in Amsterdam and decided to go to London for the weekend.
I get back to Brighton completely exhausted and relax for the rest of the night. I have been relaxing pretty much since I got back. I cleaned my room today and caught up on all of my TV shows! I was so excited that gossip girl and 90210 are back on that I couldn't wait to watch them!
Well I am in Brighton until Tuesday without Lindsay and Chelsea and all of our British friends. So, my goal is to get a lot of school work done. I have 5 papers due in the middle-end of May and want to get ahead start on them now while I have the chance. Hasn't worked so far, but I will get there!
I go to Oxford and Stratford next Saturday, so I am pretty excited for that! I can't believe that will be our last trip with our program. I come home in 53 days so everyone get ready!! Alright, enough for tonight- I told you it would be long!! Hope you all are having great spring weather in the States like we are having here.
Love and miss you all!! xx
Just a fair warning that this post is going to be pretty long...
So, Chelsea, Lindsay, and I get on a taxi to the Brighton train station at 6am Sunday morning. We had to get a taxi because there weren't any trains from Falmer (my campus) to Brighton that early in the morning. We get to the train station, buy our tickets to Gatwick airport, and literally miss the train by one minute. The next one is 25 minutes later. So, we get on the next train and get to the airport with little time to spare before the gate closes for our flight at 8:10am. I had already printed off my boarding pass a week or so earlier but Chelsea and Lindsay hadn't yet, so we had to check in. We get into this huge line for easy jet and we hear this guy at the front calling for people flying to Amsterdam. We try to get his attention to say that we are, but he really isn't even paying attention to anyone and we are really far back so he probably didn't hear us. A minute later, we get closer to where he was at and tell him we need to check in for Amsterdam. He says that it is closed and he called for the last call to check in. We try to explain the situation to him, but he is really mean and it is too late. Since I had already printed my boarding pass, he said I could go but I would have to run to get on the plane in time. So I left Chelsea and Lindsay to change their flights (and pay 50 pounds to do so!) and I run through security and get to my gate and everyone is lined up to get on the flight. I was running there for really no reason (again that guy was a jerk). I call Lindsay and they have a flight at 4 something so I decided to just wait for them when I got to the airport.
I get to the airport in Amsterdam and take my time doing everything because I have to wait 8 hours for them to get to the airport. In the 8 hours I was there, I read 250 pages of a book, half a magazine, took a nap, and had lunch. It was a long day and I was sick of airports, and so where Chels and Linds because they stayed at the Gatwick airport for the whole time. As soon as I saw them we just hugged and shared our stories of the long awful day.
We get on the train to go into the city and to our hostel. We get there and they upgraded us to a suite so it was just the 3 of us in a room with our own bathroom!! We were so excited we told the guy that it was like finally! something good is happening to us! After we check in, we walk around the city for a little bit, get some food, and hang out at a coffee shop for the rest of the night, but were really tired and went home early. We were in bed by midnight! Haha, that is what traveling does to you!
Monday, we woke up at a decent time and headed over to the Anne Frank house. We waited in line for about 45 minutes and it was taking forever so we decided to go to the neighborhood Jordaan and walk around since it was close by. We walked through Jordaan but I am not sure if we were on the main streets or not. It was really pretty with a lot of canals everywhere- which I loved!! Next, we walked to the flower market on the canal. That was pretty and I was wishing I could have sent some flowers home to my mom that she could plant- she would have loved it!
After we saw all of the flower market, and went in to some shops along the way, we went to a cafe where they had really good smoothies and hung out there for awhile. Then we decided to go back to our hostel and take a nap. We slept for awhile then went to meet up with Lindsay's cousin, Courtney, and her two friends. We ended up at a bar waiting for them to arrive. There was karaoke and Chelsea and I sang "I Love Rock N Roll"! It was so much fun! At midnight, we all took a shot of tequila for Lindsay's 21st birthday! Then we walked around a little bit and went into a few bars then went home.
Tuesday, we got up early and met Courtney and her friends to go to Anne Frank's house. We waited in line for about an hour but it was worth it. They gave us pamphlets before we walked in that told the history of the house and everything which was nice because I couldn't remember much from learning about her like 8 years ago. The house in Amsterdam is the one that she and her family hid in from the Germans. We walked through the whole thing, but there isn't any furniture because that is the way Otto Frank, Anne's dad, wanted it. It was kind of eerie being there. The most emotional part was at the end. There was a video playing of Otto talking about Anne and it just hit me. I couldn't watch it anymore and left. It is so sad to think about!
After we left Anne Frank, we thought we would do something on a more happy note so we all went and got food then Chelsea, Lindsay, and I went to the Ice Bar. It is pretty self-explanatory- everything is made of ice! Before we get into the ice bar (which is at -10 degrees) they give us these bug puffy coats and gloves to wear while we are in there. We got two mixed drinks in glasses (of course made of ice) and watch a 4D short movie. It was a lot of fun and a good experience but it was sooo cold in there! When we got out, the bartender gave us free shots for Lindsay's birthday! We had been talking to him before we went into the ice part of the bar and told him about her birthday.
After the ice bar, we decided to go to this Sex Museum. We didn't really know what we were getting into, but it was only 4 Euros and since we were in Amsterdam, we figured, why not? Well it was interesting, to say the least.... It was pretty much like a porn museum. There was sexual pictures and such from way back in the Roman times- which I hadn't realized before. There was some interesting things in there and some very graphic things in there...
Anyway, moving on. Next we went back to our hostel to take a nap (yet again). We got up early and walked all over and decided before we went out big for Lindsay's birthday that we would try to get a little sleep. We got up and went to dinner at this Mexican restaurant before we went on our pub crawl. It was pretty good but definitely not as good as back home! Then we headed over to the meeting spot for our pub crawl. We were supposed to go to 5 pubs and one huge club at the end of the night. We got free t-shirts to go along with the deal- which I am ALWAYS down for!! By the time we got to the fifth place, it was already after 1am and we were all super tired, so we decided to just head back to the hostel. All of our feet hurt from walking around so much, so we decided to take a bike taxi home. It was actually really fun and totally worth it! I am sure the biker got a work out from pulling the 3 of us back...
Wednesday, we had to check out of our hostel by 10am. I wanted to go to Keukenhof really badly so we headed to the airport to see how long the bus from the airport would be to Keukenhof to see if we had enough time. Chelsea and Lindsay decided they wanted to save money (because they were out of Euros) and not go. But, I was determined to see the gorgeous gardens so I went by myself. It was sooo worth it!! It was a little lonely walking around by myself, but it was so peaceful and it was nice to just walk around. The place is huge- I was there for 2 and a half hours and didn't see all of it. I walked around and took pictures the entire time I was there. It was GORGEOUS. I took TONS of pictures and it was even more beautiful than the pictures show... It gets time for me to start heading back to the parking lot to wait for the bus to take me to the airport so I retrace my steps thinking I will be able to figure out how to get back. That didn't work so well... I realized I was going in a big circle and decided to find a map. I got to one and figured out which way I needed to head towards and walked all the way to the entrance/exit, or so I thought. I get there and realize I am at the car parking lot, not the bus parking lot where I need to be. I find another map and see that I am at the opposite end of the park that I need to be at. It takes awhile to walk all the way to the right entrance/exit that I need. I finally get there and probably miss the bus to the airport by 5 minutes or less (of course). I get in the very long line to wait for the bus to the airport. They come every 15 minutes. The next one comes, and of course I don't get on because it is too full. By this time, I am freaking out that I am going to miss my flight. I wait another 15 minutes. I finally get on a bus and we leave around 3:50pm. My flight is at 5:05, the gate closes at 4:35, and the bus ride is 20 minutes. I get on the bus and try not to keep freaking out.
We get to the airport and I sprint off the bus to the airport (it is 4:15 at this point) and look at the board to see what gate my flight is at. I see that my flight has been delayed by 15 minutes. I take a deep breath of relief and stop freaking out- as much.... I meet Lindsay and Chelsea and say my quick goodbyes as I head to my gate. They were getting on a flight to Rome, and I was going back to Brighton. I get to my gate and everything is fine. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have my flight delayed!
On the flight back, I met someone from St. Louis!! It was so weird! He is from North County. Such a small world! He is studying abroad in Amsterdam and decided to go to London for the weekend.
I get back to Brighton completely exhausted and relax for the rest of the night. I have been relaxing pretty much since I got back. I cleaned my room today and caught up on all of my TV shows! I was so excited that gossip girl and 90210 are back on that I couldn't wait to watch them!
Well I am in Brighton until Tuesday without Lindsay and Chelsea and all of our British friends. So, my goal is to get a lot of school work done. I have 5 papers due in the middle-end of May and want to get ahead start on them now while I have the chance. Hasn't worked so far, but I will get there!
I go to Oxford and Stratford next Saturday, so I am pretty excited for that! I can't believe that will be our last trip with our program. I come home in 53 days so everyone get ready!! Alright, enough for tonight- I told you it would be long!! Hope you all are having great spring weather in the States like we are having here.
Love and miss you all!! xx
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Last day in Italia :(
So I am now sitting back in my room at Brighton trying to gain enough motivation to start one of the 6 (or so- who is counting?) papers I have due within in the next month. NOT looking forward to it!!
Anyway, I will fill you all in about my adventures in Amsterdam in my next post! But first, I have to finish my last day in Italy!
So after I spent the entire day on Friday (while Shelley was on her day trip) on the internet, I went to this little park where the sun decided to finally come out! I don't actually know if it was a park but there were benches and grass so that is what I am calling it, because you don't see any grass in Florence really. So I sat in the sun and wrote in my journal for awhile until the stupid clouds decided to ruin my day and cover up the beautiful sunlight. It got cold and I went back to Shelley's apartment and continued to journal until she got back. She didn't get back until around 8pm because they were stuck in so much traffic, which kinda sucked, but as soon as she got back, we headed to dinner to get kebabs! They were sooo good! I am glad Shelley told me to put the spicy sauce on it, because it made it amazing! After inhaling that, we went to walk to Shelley's favorite nutella crepe place. By the time we got there though it was closed!! We were so mad and I was still really wanting to try a nutella crepe, so we went back to the place where we got canolis at the night before and got one there. SERIOUSLY best dessert EVER!!! I have literally been going through withdrawals (only after having one)! I got back to Brighton and all I could think about was how much I wanted a nutella crepe. So glad Shelley introduced me to those and I hope they have them back home or I will make Shelley make me some after she gets her crepe maker! I also got another canoli for breakfast the next day just because they were so good and why not go big while in Italy?!
We got back and were really tired (and I have a 7:50am flight the next day) so I wrote some more in my journal and Shelley got on her computer. We called Kasie and Deanne and it was so nice to talk the four of us again!! I really miss 225 sophomore year! After catching up on their lives, we went to bed.
My flight came bright and early the next day and I left Shelley definitely not wanting to leave Italy!! I wish I could have stayed way longer! My flight was pretty uneventful. I got back to Brighton I think around 11am and ran into Lindsay and Molly heading to the airport for Molly to fly back to California. It was cool that I got to see Molly one last time before she went back home and I got to hear a little about their time. I get back into my room, and what is the first thing I do? Get on the internet- duh! I have felt so out of the loop on everything while I have been traveling because I haven't had internet really anywhere for that long.
So I get back to Brighton and just hang out for the rest of the day really. I wanted a chill day before we woke up super early again to catch our flight to Amsterdam.
Well I need to shower and get something accomplished today besides watching TV online, but I will post again either later today or tomorrow to tell you all about Amsterdam!!!
Ciao!
Anyway, I will fill you all in about my adventures in Amsterdam in my next post! But first, I have to finish my last day in Italy!
So after I spent the entire day on Friday (while Shelley was on her day trip) on the internet, I went to this little park where the sun decided to finally come out! I don't actually know if it was a park but there were benches and grass so that is what I am calling it, because you don't see any grass in Florence really. So I sat in the sun and wrote in my journal for awhile until the stupid clouds decided to ruin my day and cover up the beautiful sunlight. It got cold and I went back to Shelley's apartment and continued to journal until she got back. She didn't get back until around 8pm because they were stuck in so much traffic, which kinda sucked, but as soon as she got back, we headed to dinner to get kebabs! They were sooo good! I am glad Shelley told me to put the spicy sauce on it, because it made it amazing! After inhaling that, we went to walk to Shelley's favorite nutella crepe place. By the time we got there though it was closed!! We were so mad and I was still really wanting to try a nutella crepe, so we went back to the place where we got canolis at the night before and got one there. SERIOUSLY best dessert EVER!!! I have literally been going through withdrawals (only after having one)! I got back to Brighton and all I could think about was how much I wanted a nutella crepe. So glad Shelley introduced me to those and I hope they have them back home or I will make Shelley make me some after she gets her crepe maker! I also got another canoli for breakfast the next day just because they were so good and why not go big while in Italy?!
We got back and were really tired (and I have a 7:50am flight the next day) so I wrote some more in my journal and Shelley got on her computer. We called Kasie and Deanne and it was so nice to talk the four of us again!! I really miss 225 sophomore year! After catching up on their lives, we went to bed.
My flight came bright and early the next day and I left Shelley definitely not wanting to leave Italy!! I wish I could have stayed way longer! My flight was pretty uneventful. I got back to Brighton I think around 11am and ran into Lindsay and Molly heading to the airport for Molly to fly back to California. It was cool that I got to see Molly one last time before she went back home and I got to hear a little about their time. I get back into my room, and what is the first thing I do? Get on the internet- duh! I have felt so out of the loop on everything while I have been traveling because I haven't had internet really anywhere for that long.
So I get back to Brighton and just hang out for the rest of the day really. I wanted a chill day before we woke up super early again to catch our flight to Amsterdam.
Well I need to shower and get something accomplished today besides watching TV online, but I will post again either later today or tomorrow to tell you all about Amsterdam!!!
Ciao!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Florence!
Ciao!
I am currently in Florence visiting Shelley (a suite mate from sophomore year)- it is my last day here and I am pretty sad about it!
I got here Monday night late and Shelley and I were both so tired we just went to bed. Side note: I hate traveling alone! It is so stressful and just plain lonely! I was surrounded by families which just made me miss home even more!
On Tuesday, I slept until Shelley got out of class. Then, we went to the place where Shelley's favorite sandwich is, and I tried it for lunch. It was incredible! Ham, cheese, lettuce, and some Italian seasoning on this amazing bread cooked in the oven. It sounds so simple, but the bread and seasoning just made it sooo good! After that, Shelley came to work out and I got on the internet for a little bit. Sent an e-mail to my mom to let her know I got to Shelley's apartment okay. After Shelley worked out, we went to the food market so she could show me around and so I could try some of the dried fruit she has been raving about. I got kiwi, banana chips, strawberries, and coconut. They were all delicious but the kiwi and strawberry are by far my favorite! Shelley also got melon and that was good as well! After we went to the market, Shelley had her baking class so we went back to her apartment. She took me up to her balcony so I could see the view and it was really cool! You could see a lot of the city's rooftops and it was nice and sunny, which made it better. When Shelley got back from class, we went to Gusta's for pizza. We split the spinach, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese pizza. The best pizza I have ever had HANDS DOWN! I probably could have eaten the whole pizza by myself it was that good! I am glad I didn't eat the whole pizza though, because I had to save room for gelato!! We went to Shelley's favorite place and I tried the cheesecake and the caramel kinds in a cup. TO DIE FOR! I could literally eat gelato every day of my life! That night we went to a bar to play beer pong. It was pretty fun- but we left pretty early because we had such a long walk back to Shelley's apartment.
On Wednesday, Shelley and I worked out after she got out of class. She had to meet with a girl for one of her classes, and I just got on the internet to send my mom another e-mail while she was busy doing that. Then we went souvenir shopping in the market. We had a little time to kill and were craving some gelato so we stopped at a place near Sante Croce. I got cheesecake and strawberry and loved them both!! I figured out later that the place we went to was called Vivoli and my Aunt Linda had recommended I go there! It was a funny coincidence that that place was the random gelato place Shelley and I picked that night. Then, we went to Piazza de Republica, which is like a big square with shops and restaurants. Shelley bought an espresso maker and couldn't stop talking about how excited she was about it. Next, we headed to Tijuana for mexican food and margaritas! We got peach margs and chicken and sausage quesadillas. It was really good mexican food- especially for Italy! The service was pretty crappy so I guess it is a good thing you don't tip over here... We were supposed to go out with Shelley's friends that night and we went over there to hang out with them but it got to be midnight and they still hadn't left to go out yet, so Shelley and I decided to call it a night and go back to her apartment. We were both really tired and wanted to get up at a decent time Thursday to see some more sights.
On Thursday, we got up and went back to the market so I could take all of my pictures of the amazing food there! We wanted to get these sandwiches at this place in the market that Shelley's roommate said were really good. We had roast beef sandwiches for lunch which were pretty good- but the meat was a little too red for me. I am like my dad and have to have my meat medium-well or well done and this was probably medium-rare. I still ate it because I will try almost everything, but it was rough for me to eat something still bleeding... After that, I said we should have canolis because I wasn't completely full yet. So we had canolis from the market- it was my first canoli EVER! I FELL IN LOVE! I could seriously have those every day for dessert. I have been missing out by not ever trying a canoli before. After walking around there for a little while, we went inside the Duomo. It was beautiful and the ceilings were so tall! I do think that Notre Dame is prettier... I don't think anything could compare! After the Duomo, we did some shopping in the market. Shelley bought 4 (YES 4) scarves and I bought an Italia track jacket! I haven't bought anything except shot glasses and post cards from every other place I have traveled to and I don't plan on buying anything else in Amsterdam so I decided to buy this one thing! Then, we headed to the long and treacherous walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo. There were so many stairs! We were definitely out of breath by the time we got to the top but it was sooo worth it! The view is phenomenal!! We stayed up looking around for awhile then sat on the steps and enjoyed the view. It got pretty cold since it was overcast so we left to go to dinner. We went to this place to get pasta and I got fettucini alfredo with chicken. It was good, but not great! I was a little disappointed in the pasta- I was expecting it to be amazing! I don't know if it was what I got or the place... It just wasn't as creamy as I would expect alfredo sauce to be. Oh well. The bread they gave us before we got our food was completely worth it!! We of course had to get dessert after dinner so we went looking for canoli. It started to rain so we went to a place Shelley hasn't tried canoli at before. We were both a little nervous about trying it because it had probably sat out there all day long... We were glad we decided to get it!! It was cold, which made it even better, and really crispy- which is important! We pretty much ran back to her apartment to eat the canoli and loved every bite!! We were tired from having walked around all day and just wanted to watch a movie. Shelley had downloaded Winning London (an old Mary Kate and Ashley movie) so we watched that and went to bed. I forgot how corny those movies are! But still fun to watch, of course.
Today (Friday), Shelley left for her day trip at 8:30am and I stayed and slept in. I got up at 10am and got ready then went to try and get internet from a cafe right next to Shelley's apartment. Shelley doesn't have internet in her apartment (really crappy, right?!) They have to pay per hour for whenever they use their wireless. Sooo dumb! Anyway, the internet at the cafe didn't work so I had to text Shelley and ask her where I could go to get internet. I ended up coming to her school's gym and using their wireless. It works pretty well! No one is really around so it has been nice. I uploaded all my pictures to facebook and skyped Kevin. Now I am updating this and I need to update my journal next. So I am accomplishing a lot today. It is overcast and cold again, so I am not missing much by not being outside today. I walked to the Duomo by myself and got Shelley's favorite sandwich again for lunch because it is so good! I got back alright and was proud of myself! All the streets look the same to me so I was happy I could get there and back without getting lost.
I head back to Brighton early tomorrow morning then head out again on Sunday morning for Amsterdam! I come back Wednesday for good until I go home June 13th (only 2 months away)! I like traveling but I am exhausted from all of it. I am ready to be back in Brighton and relax. Even though I have to work on papers, it will be nice to finally have some down time.
I hope everything is going great back in America- I hear you all are having some great warm weather! We had it for a week or so, and now it is cold again. Hopefully when I get back to Brighton, it will be sunny and warm!! I miss the 70 and 80 degrees you all are having right now so enjoy it! I will post more when I get back from Amsterdam on the 20th!
Ciao!!
I am currently in Florence visiting Shelley (a suite mate from sophomore year)- it is my last day here and I am pretty sad about it!
I got here Monday night late and Shelley and I were both so tired we just went to bed. Side note: I hate traveling alone! It is so stressful and just plain lonely! I was surrounded by families which just made me miss home even more!
On Tuesday, I slept until Shelley got out of class. Then, we went to the place where Shelley's favorite sandwich is, and I tried it for lunch. It was incredible! Ham, cheese, lettuce, and some Italian seasoning on this amazing bread cooked in the oven. It sounds so simple, but the bread and seasoning just made it sooo good! After that, Shelley came to work out and I got on the internet for a little bit. Sent an e-mail to my mom to let her know I got to Shelley's apartment okay. After Shelley worked out, we went to the food market so she could show me around and so I could try some of the dried fruit she has been raving about. I got kiwi, banana chips, strawberries, and coconut. They were all delicious but the kiwi and strawberry are by far my favorite! Shelley also got melon and that was good as well! After we went to the market, Shelley had her baking class so we went back to her apartment. She took me up to her balcony so I could see the view and it was really cool! You could see a lot of the city's rooftops and it was nice and sunny, which made it better. When Shelley got back from class, we went to Gusta's for pizza. We split the spinach, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese pizza. The best pizza I have ever had HANDS DOWN! I probably could have eaten the whole pizza by myself it was that good! I am glad I didn't eat the whole pizza though, because I had to save room for gelato!! We went to Shelley's favorite place and I tried the cheesecake and the caramel kinds in a cup. TO DIE FOR! I could literally eat gelato every day of my life! That night we went to a bar to play beer pong. It was pretty fun- but we left pretty early because we had such a long walk back to Shelley's apartment.
On Wednesday, Shelley and I worked out after she got out of class. She had to meet with a girl for one of her classes, and I just got on the internet to send my mom another e-mail while she was busy doing that. Then we went souvenir shopping in the market. We had a little time to kill and were craving some gelato so we stopped at a place near Sante Croce. I got cheesecake and strawberry and loved them both!! I figured out later that the place we went to was called Vivoli and my Aunt Linda had recommended I go there! It was a funny coincidence that that place was the random gelato place Shelley and I picked that night. Then, we went to Piazza de Republica, which is like a big square with shops and restaurants. Shelley bought an espresso maker and couldn't stop talking about how excited she was about it. Next, we headed to Tijuana for mexican food and margaritas! We got peach margs and chicken and sausage quesadillas. It was really good mexican food- especially for Italy! The service was pretty crappy so I guess it is a good thing you don't tip over here... We were supposed to go out with Shelley's friends that night and we went over there to hang out with them but it got to be midnight and they still hadn't left to go out yet, so Shelley and I decided to call it a night and go back to her apartment. We were both really tired and wanted to get up at a decent time Thursday to see some more sights.
On Thursday, we got up and went back to the market so I could take all of my pictures of the amazing food there! We wanted to get these sandwiches at this place in the market that Shelley's roommate said were really good. We had roast beef sandwiches for lunch which were pretty good- but the meat was a little too red for me. I am like my dad and have to have my meat medium-well or well done and this was probably medium-rare. I still ate it because I will try almost everything, but it was rough for me to eat something still bleeding... After that, I said we should have canolis because I wasn't completely full yet. So we had canolis from the market- it was my first canoli EVER! I FELL IN LOVE! I could seriously have those every day for dessert. I have been missing out by not ever trying a canoli before. After walking around there for a little while, we went inside the Duomo. It was beautiful and the ceilings were so tall! I do think that Notre Dame is prettier... I don't think anything could compare! After the Duomo, we did some shopping in the market. Shelley bought 4 (YES 4) scarves and I bought an Italia track jacket! I haven't bought anything except shot glasses and post cards from every other place I have traveled to and I don't plan on buying anything else in Amsterdam so I decided to buy this one thing! Then, we headed to the long and treacherous walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo. There were so many stairs! We were definitely out of breath by the time we got to the top but it was sooo worth it! The view is phenomenal!! We stayed up looking around for awhile then sat on the steps and enjoyed the view. It got pretty cold since it was overcast so we left to go to dinner. We went to this place to get pasta and I got fettucini alfredo with chicken. It was good, but not great! I was a little disappointed in the pasta- I was expecting it to be amazing! I don't know if it was what I got or the place... It just wasn't as creamy as I would expect alfredo sauce to be. Oh well. The bread they gave us before we got our food was completely worth it!! We of course had to get dessert after dinner so we went looking for canoli. It started to rain so we went to a place Shelley hasn't tried canoli at before. We were both a little nervous about trying it because it had probably sat out there all day long... We were glad we decided to get it!! It was cold, which made it even better, and really crispy- which is important! We pretty much ran back to her apartment to eat the canoli and loved every bite!! We were tired from having walked around all day and just wanted to watch a movie. Shelley had downloaded Winning London (an old Mary Kate and Ashley movie) so we watched that and went to bed. I forgot how corny those movies are! But still fun to watch, of course.
Today (Friday), Shelley left for her day trip at 8:30am and I stayed and slept in. I got up at 10am and got ready then went to try and get internet from a cafe right next to Shelley's apartment. Shelley doesn't have internet in her apartment (really crappy, right?!) They have to pay per hour for whenever they use their wireless. Sooo dumb! Anyway, the internet at the cafe didn't work so I had to text Shelley and ask her where I could go to get internet. I ended up coming to her school's gym and using their wireless. It works pretty well! No one is really around so it has been nice. I uploaded all my pictures to facebook and skyped Kevin. Now I am updating this and I need to update my journal next. So I am accomplishing a lot today. It is overcast and cold again, so I am not missing much by not being outside today. I walked to the Duomo by myself and got Shelley's favorite sandwich again for lunch because it is so good! I got back alright and was proud of myself! All the streets look the same to me so I was happy I could get there and back without getting lost.
I head back to Brighton early tomorrow morning then head out again on Sunday morning for Amsterdam! I come back Wednesday for good until I go home June 13th (only 2 months away)! I like traveling but I am exhausted from all of it. I am ready to be back in Brighton and relax. Even though I have to work on papers, it will be nice to finally have some down time.
I hope everything is going great back in America- I hear you all are having some great warm weather! We had it for a week or so, and now it is cold again. Hopefully when I get back to Brighton, it will be sunny and warm!! I miss the 70 and 80 degrees you all are having right now so enjoy it! I will post more when I get back from Amsterdam on the 20th!
Ciao!!
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