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
Friday, April 22, 2011
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!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Ireland!!
I am in London now and thought I would update my blog while we are having a lazy day at our friend Ben's house in London (whom we are staying with for the next 4 days).
We got to Dublin around 2 or 3 on Friday and checked into our hostel. It looked like a shady area when we turned onto the street our hostel was at, but the inside looked way better! It was centrally located in the middle of Dublin- only a 5-10 min. walk to anywhere we went! We took a walk around after we set our luggage down in our rooms and changed. The four of us (Chelsea, Lindsay, Lindsay's little sister- Molly, and me) bought necklaces from this street vendor that say our names in metal with shamrocks on either side of our names. We all match and have worn them every day since! :) We decided to get dinner at an Irish pub next to our hostel and it was so good! I had a cajun chicken panini and it was AMAZING! I know it isn't Irish, but it didn't matter...
Then, we went back to our hostel to get ready for a pub crawl that we signed up with earlier through our hostel. It was 13 Euros to get into 4 pubs and one club, a free Guiness at the first pub, a free shot at every other place, and discounted drinks at one of the places. It was so fun! We met some Americans, Australians, and Irish people.
Saturday, we got up early to do all of our tourist sight-seeing. We bought a bus pass that took us around the city and had a tour guide telling us about everything as we drove by. We went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells (thanks to Aunt Linda for suggesting this), the Guinness factory, Jameson factory, and Leprechaun museum. I met up with Shelley and hugged her for like 5 min!! She came along with the 4 of us for the day and left and met up with the people she came with before we went to the Jameson factory. The Book of Kells was so cool!! Everything was so old and hard to believe. We couldn't take pictures so you won't see any on facebook- but it was cool! The Guinness factory was interesting even though I hate beer I appreciated seeing how it is made. At the end, we got to pour our own Guinnes, and yes I drank it. It was nasty. I had already had a Guinness the night before I took lots of pictures there so be looking out for those on facebook some time soon! The Jameson factory was cool as well and we had a tour guide explain everything to us. At the end of the tour, we had a free drink of Jameson. I didn't think I liked whiskey, but Jameson is really good!
Right before we left, it started pouring rain. We got lucky and were given ponchos from the people who worked at the front desk of the factory. We were so hungry and walked to the nearest restaurant, which happened to be an Italian restaurant. It was really good, but we were very tired and full so we went back to our hostel and took naps. We took about an hour and a half nap and then decided that we should go out and do something. We met up with Shelley, Kate (a girl in my honors fraternity) and went to Temple Bar for the night. It was sooo much fun and properly Irish! There was a band (a woman singing and man playing guitar) that we listened to for a couple hours. I actually drank a beer at the bar- which I know will shock many of you! It was alright, better than Guinness, and I felt like I should drink an Irish beer while at an Irish bar. Also, it was the cheapest thing at the bar... On the way home, we got BBQ chicken kebabs. Lindsay was Irish and got a lamb kebab, which I tried. It was alright, but I just don't like the fact of eating lamb.
Sunday, we got up at a decent time to finish some tourist things. We wanted to kiss the Blarney Stone, but it was a 3 hour train ride to the town where the Blarney Stone is at and it was 50 something Euros to get there. We decided that was too much money and to stay in Dublin for the day and do other things. We started it off right with breakfast at McDonalds... Then we went to the oldest pub in Ireland, The Brazen Head, which is now my profile picture. Shelley spent the whole day with us, except the Leprechaun Museum, and it was so good to see her!! I have been pretty homesick lately and seeing a familiar face from home was comforting. We had an Irish coffee at The Brazen Head and I think it has become my new favorite drink! After the pub, we went to the Leprechaun Museum. Everything was huge so we felt like leprechauns- I felt like a kid again! We took lots of pictures here too so be on the lookout for those as well! After the museum, we went to a shop to get our souvenirs. Then we went back to the pub we ate at the first day for dinner. I got the same thing as the time before because it was just so good!
After dinner, we got our luggage from the hostel and got on a bus to go to Ben's house. I know some of you are thinking, aren't you at Ben's house now? And yes, I am. Ben has two houses: one in Dublin because his dad does a lot of work over there, and one in London. Must be nice, right? So we got to Ben's after an hour long bus ride and just hung out with him and his friends there for the night. We left Monday to catch our flight back to England.
We got back to Brighton and had a little less than an hour for all of us to take showers and re-pack for London. It is probably the fastest I have gotten ready and packed ever. Chelsea and I rode to Ben's house with his friend, Gabriel and Lindsay and Molly rode back with Ben and his other friend, Alex. We got here around 10pm and had a nice home cooked spaghetti from Ben's mom. It was delicious!
Then we got ready and went out to a club in London that was pretty fun but definitely didn't compare to the ones in Brighton!
Today, we have been really lazy and just slept and layed around. We are going to dinner with Lindsay's cousin who works at the U.S. Embassy (and who we stayed with when we went to the Justin Bieber concert). We aren't sure of our plans while we are in London, but we want to take Molly to all the best sights while we are here and see the things we didn't get to see when we were in London at the beginning of the semester. I will update after I get home from London on Saturday!
Still miss you all!
We got to Dublin around 2 or 3 on Friday and checked into our hostel. It looked like a shady area when we turned onto the street our hostel was at, but the inside looked way better! It was centrally located in the middle of Dublin- only a 5-10 min. walk to anywhere we went! We took a walk around after we set our luggage down in our rooms and changed. The four of us (Chelsea, Lindsay, Lindsay's little sister- Molly, and me) bought necklaces from this street vendor that say our names in metal with shamrocks on either side of our names. We all match and have worn them every day since! :) We decided to get dinner at an Irish pub next to our hostel and it was so good! I had a cajun chicken panini and it was AMAZING! I know it isn't Irish, but it didn't matter...
Then, we went back to our hostel to get ready for a pub crawl that we signed up with earlier through our hostel. It was 13 Euros to get into 4 pubs and one club, a free Guiness at the first pub, a free shot at every other place, and discounted drinks at one of the places. It was so fun! We met some Americans, Australians, and Irish people.
Saturday, we got up early to do all of our tourist sight-seeing. We bought a bus pass that took us around the city and had a tour guide telling us about everything as we drove by. We went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells (thanks to Aunt Linda for suggesting this), the Guinness factory, Jameson factory, and Leprechaun museum. I met up with Shelley and hugged her for like 5 min!! She came along with the 4 of us for the day and left and met up with the people she came with before we went to the Jameson factory. The Book of Kells was so cool!! Everything was so old and hard to believe. We couldn't take pictures so you won't see any on facebook- but it was cool! The Guinness factory was interesting even though I hate beer I appreciated seeing how it is made. At the end, we got to pour our own Guinnes, and yes I drank it. It was nasty. I had already had a Guinness the night before I took lots of pictures there so be looking out for those on facebook some time soon! The Jameson factory was cool as well and we had a tour guide explain everything to us. At the end of the tour, we had a free drink of Jameson. I didn't think I liked whiskey, but Jameson is really good!
Right before we left, it started pouring rain. We got lucky and were given ponchos from the people who worked at the front desk of the factory. We were so hungry and walked to the nearest restaurant, which happened to be an Italian restaurant. It was really good, but we were very tired and full so we went back to our hostel and took naps. We took about an hour and a half nap and then decided that we should go out and do something. We met up with Shelley, Kate (a girl in my honors fraternity) and went to Temple Bar for the night. It was sooo much fun and properly Irish! There was a band (a woman singing and man playing guitar) that we listened to for a couple hours. I actually drank a beer at the bar- which I know will shock many of you! It was alright, better than Guinness, and I felt like I should drink an Irish beer while at an Irish bar. Also, it was the cheapest thing at the bar... On the way home, we got BBQ chicken kebabs. Lindsay was Irish and got a lamb kebab, which I tried. It was alright, but I just don't like the fact of eating lamb.
Sunday, we got up at a decent time to finish some tourist things. We wanted to kiss the Blarney Stone, but it was a 3 hour train ride to the town where the Blarney Stone is at and it was 50 something Euros to get there. We decided that was too much money and to stay in Dublin for the day and do other things. We started it off right with breakfast at McDonalds... Then we went to the oldest pub in Ireland, The Brazen Head, which is now my profile picture. Shelley spent the whole day with us, except the Leprechaun Museum, and it was so good to see her!! I have been pretty homesick lately and seeing a familiar face from home was comforting. We had an Irish coffee at The Brazen Head and I think it has become my new favorite drink! After the pub, we went to the Leprechaun Museum. Everything was huge so we felt like leprechauns- I felt like a kid again! We took lots of pictures here too so be on the lookout for those as well! After the museum, we went to a shop to get our souvenirs. Then we went back to the pub we ate at the first day for dinner. I got the same thing as the time before because it was just so good!
After dinner, we got our luggage from the hostel and got on a bus to go to Ben's house. I know some of you are thinking, aren't you at Ben's house now? And yes, I am. Ben has two houses: one in Dublin because his dad does a lot of work over there, and one in London. Must be nice, right? So we got to Ben's after an hour long bus ride and just hung out with him and his friends there for the night. We left Monday to catch our flight back to England.
We got back to Brighton and had a little less than an hour for all of us to take showers and re-pack for London. It is probably the fastest I have gotten ready and packed ever. Chelsea and I rode to Ben's house with his friend, Gabriel and Lindsay and Molly rode back with Ben and his other friend, Alex. We got here around 10pm and had a nice home cooked spaghetti from Ben's mom. It was delicious!
Then we got ready and went out to a club in London that was pretty fun but definitely didn't compare to the ones in Brighton!
Today, we have been really lazy and just slept and layed around. We are going to dinner with Lindsay's cousin who works at the U.S. Embassy (and who we stayed with when we went to the Justin Bieber concert). We aren't sure of our plans while we are in London, but we want to take Molly to all the best sights while we are here and see the things we didn't get to see when we were in London at the beginning of the semester. I will update after I get home from London on Saturday!
Still miss you all!
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