I don't have much to say in this post, but I figured I'd at least spend a few minutes updating. It might be worth noting the upcoming events that are about to take place in my life. I can't believe that I only have like 40 or so days left in England. Felt a little homesick during Easter break, but now I'm convinced that after a week being back, I'm going to miss Englaterra, so I have to go out with a bang. I'm going to be piss broke and that's perfectly okay. God will provide. I'll be bored at home after a week if I'm not feeling challenged, so I need to soak up every moment that I can while I'm here. So, here's what I have planned so far:
Edinburgh in a 6 person apartment with about 13 people, including crazy Aussies. Yes. May 15-17th.
Barcelona with Ana Moorefield and family!!! This I am particularly excited for because I wasn't sure that I'd be able to make it over to Spain, but thanks to RyanAir for cheap flights, I am going to meet up with my second family and my beloved old College of Charleston roommate! I have to fly into Barcelona-Gerona and then bus to the B'Cona city centre, but I'm not really worried about that since I'm pretty sure I know enough Spanish to get by... let's hope. May 24-27th.
As far as work goes:
I have my Economic Development exam May 29, but I'll prepare before B'Cona.
I have my B. Shakes' & Renaissance Drama exam June 9, but I'm not worried about that so much.
I have my Economic Development essay due May 18.
I have my 2nd Irish writing essay due June 1.
That's my life for the next 40ish days. I will probably be heading back to the good ol' U. S. of A on June 10, but that's pretty up in the air since I still do not have a ticket home. Oh well, we will get there. Let me know if you want to visit. I'm sure you can get cheap tickets to Sheffield.
I'm thinking of entering the Miss America pageant next year.
A few more random things. Joe, my PT/Sports Psychology major of a brother, why am I getting Charlie horses in my calves 3x in one night? Pops, I need better shoes because my feet are covered in blisters. Pops, I'm also getting blood blisters on my fingers from God only knows where. Pops, I'm out of Jif All Natural Peanut Butter and I'm going a little insane. I will be getting my hair cut soon, and in my dreams my hair cut day has been supplemented by a facial, massage, and pedicure. There's nothing wrong with being a dreamer right? I'm Irish. Therefore, I daydream, think, and fantasize about all of the ins and outs of life.
Moving right along... While we're on the topic of the Irish, I was writing my Irish writing essay last weekend and I realized that the whole "Luck o' the Irish" saying was a joke. It's a complete and utter oxymoron. Since when have Irish people ever been lucky? Maybe when they fall in love. But let's just think about it for a minute, shall we? First, they get invaded by the Normans. Then, the freaking English won't put a stop to their attempt to colonize. Third, they suffer from a Potato Famine and a great migration of Celtic people, which caused a huge depletion of the words in their native language (Gaelic). Fourth, England still wouldn't leave them alone (so now they're all fluent in English with a few random Gaelic words peaking through at the seams), which led to many bloody battles such as the Battle of the Black Pig. There is luck in that Ireland gets its independence and N. Ireland becomes a part of the UK, but obviously hostilities between the green and the orange remain. Therefore, I have determined that the "Luck o' the Irish" saying is a sick joke that my people came up with to keep their heads up in times of desperation. "Luck o' the Irish" it is.
Finally, I will end with this one confession. Mon-Mon's momma and sister came for a visit and we took her sister out for a night on the town. We ordered iced bounties (my favorite drink in the UK) and chased with my first tequila shot, and I must say, it wasn't bad. I wasn't really worried about being out of my mind tipsy or anything (mom) because I knew I was being taken care of and that we were going to take a taxi to the club. It's not like I'll make a habit of it, of course, just because drinking is not all that exciting to me, but it was fun to do with the girls. Then, we went dancing forever- you know how I like to dance. ;) That is all. Payce.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A Lindsay Day
I've decided that I really need to get a life, but I'm unusually content to just sit here on Lindsay's couch and blog on a Saturday night while I'm supposed to be working on my Irish writing essay. Oh well, I have the rest of my life to have a life, so for now I'm just going to chill.
When I got back from Dublin, I decided that Saturday (today) I would take a mental health day. You'd probably argue that everyday over here seems like a mental health day to you, and it probably is, but I wanted a day of complete solitude. I didn't make any plans. My friend Chelsea wanted me to go to the gym and then on to get manis & pedis with her today, and even though I can't really afford it, I wouldn't mind having nice toes, but I told her that I wasn't going to be around. When pressed for further details by my friends, as was expected being that we're girls, I told them that I was going out of town and that I didn't know where I was going yet. I had an idea, but I wasn't 100% about it yet. I just needed a day. As such, I spent the night over Lindsay's last night and woke up this morning to go home and shower before my lone excursion. I haven't been hungry at all lately, and since Germany made me fat, I decided to go ahead and fast breakfast and lunch today. After I showered and pampered myself, I went for a long walk to the Sheffield Interchange coach station. This walk reiterated my love for walking. I listened to some sweet tunes during my walk, namely, "Come Pick me up" by Ryan Adams, "You're a God" by Vertical Horizon, "A Message" by Coldplay, "Fresh Pair of Eyes" by Brooke Waggoner, "Song for the Lonely" by Cher, "All at Once" by the Fray, and finally T.I. and Rihanna's "Live Your Life." Nothing more motivating than T.I. and Cher on a Saturday.
During my walk to the coach station, I decided that I'd like to walk across America someday. Even though I run a lot, I decided that running was for losers. Basically, I consider myself a loser, but walking really is so much better. Moreover, I've become so immune to dibilitating hills since coming to Sheffield, that I also want to start hiking, which I basically did today. I was really happy to be outside. I just want to soak up every ounce of sunlight that I can because I don't want to lose the color I was lucky to obtain during my trek through Europa. Anyway, besides my infatuation with walking, when I arrived at the coach station I decided to take the bus to Bakewell, a town in the Peak District. It's the National Park of the UK. During some of the drive, I actually thought I was in Ireland again... it was really pretty. I arrived in Bakewell and had no idea what to do from there. I was trying to make a mental note of my surroundings, so that I could anticipate the location of my return coach, but I was also distracted by a steep hill directly in front of me. Curiosity gets the best of me everytime, so I climbed the hill and found a graveyard and a really pretty church at the top. I spent some time reading the gravestones, which I've really taken a liking to since getting here because the elegies written on the gravestones are often very beautiful. In reading them you can also get a taste for the love shared between a man and woman and the rest of their families. I think it's pretty neat. A lot of gravestones over here have the inscription "Reunited at last" following the deaths of the couples, which is also very touching.
After the graveyard, I walked a little further up the hill and ran into a museum, but it cost 3 GBP to get in, so I quickly turned around. I was snapping pictures the whole time. I wandered down to Bakewell Square and followed signs for a market. It was a small market, but they were selling lot of reallyyyyyy cheap jewelry and being that I only had 5 GBP on me, I had to go withdraw some more. I got distracted and made 8 zillion detours that took me to a river, some mega-hills/mini-mountains, and a cricket match. People were eating ice cream everywhere since it was such a nice day. I really wanted to have some, but a) I was fasting and b) I knew that the dairy would cause some stomach problems 10 minutes after the ice cream consumption, so I kept walking. Eventually I wound back into the Square and withdrew some more money. The dog was there. That freaking dog is following me. I only hope it is a good omen and not a bad one. After this, I went back to the market and purchased about 6 pairs of earrings for like 11 GBP, which is great. I wanted to get something for Tegan because she left me a cute note in my mailbox yesterday morning, so she gets a pair of earrings too. :)
I blew some more time wandering around town, not talking to anyone, continually running into the dog, and eventually headed back to the bus. I read my book for the rest of trip home and almost missed my stop. I sent Linds a text letting her know that I was coming over; I got there and collapsed back on my bed away from my bed (Linds and Genna keep an extra mattress for me to sleep on). I hadn't talked to anyone all day until I saw Linds again. I kind of felt like a nun, but I just wanted to be with my thoughts all day, so I avoided communicating with people. Lindsay decided to watch some Lost Season 1 because I got her hooked while I read my book (for pleasure). At about 630, I decided that I would make us some dinner, so I walked up to Somerfield's to get some comida. Being that Somerfield's closes May 2, I'm not really sure what the heck I'm going to do for food, but at the rate I'm eating these days, my Nutri-Grain bars may sustain me long enough to get back home to Charlotte. When I get home I plan on eating at Monterrey's Mexican Restaurant, FIREBIRDS, and Chili's fo sho fo sho. I hope my parents are ready to fulfill a week of my food cravings before I head back to work in DC. Moving right along, I got the ingredients to make some homemade killer Sun-Dried Tomato and Chicken Farfalle pasta. It took me about 45 minutes to prepare, but Lindsay thought it was good and Genna-Bear tore up the leftovers when she got home, so my guess is that's a good sign. I paired it with some garlic bread, which is always a winner. Since then, we've all been chilling in the kitchen, procrastinating on our assignments. I was reading for a long time, now Lindsay's reading Breaking Dawn and watching Lost, and Genna's watching Prison Break and Grey's. Linds saw me grab my computer and she was like, "You're itching to blog now, aren't you?" She knows me too well. I don't really feel like anyone reads this that often anyway, so now I can be boring and say what I want. Good times. I love Navy SEALS.
Maybe I'll walk back home soon, but I'm not quite motivated. Maybe I'll get a life someday, but for now I'm just going to sit on the couch and chill. I hope you enjoyed your day in the life of Lindsay.
Peace and love.
When I got back from Dublin, I decided that Saturday (today) I would take a mental health day. You'd probably argue that everyday over here seems like a mental health day to you, and it probably is, but I wanted a day of complete solitude. I didn't make any plans. My friend Chelsea wanted me to go to the gym and then on to get manis & pedis with her today, and even though I can't really afford it, I wouldn't mind having nice toes, but I told her that I wasn't going to be around. When pressed for further details by my friends, as was expected being that we're girls, I told them that I was going out of town and that I didn't know where I was going yet. I had an idea, but I wasn't 100% about it yet. I just needed a day. As such, I spent the night over Lindsay's last night and woke up this morning to go home and shower before my lone excursion. I haven't been hungry at all lately, and since Germany made me fat, I decided to go ahead and fast breakfast and lunch today. After I showered and pampered myself, I went for a long walk to the Sheffield Interchange coach station. This walk reiterated my love for walking. I listened to some sweet tunes during my walk, namely, "Come Pick me up" by Ryan Adams, "You're a God" by Vertical Horizon, "A Message" by Coldplay, "Fresh Pair of Eyes" by Brooke Waggoner, "Song for the Lonely" by Cher, "All at Once" by the Fray, and finally T.I. and Rihanna's "Live Your Life." Nothing more motivating than T.I. and Cher on a Saturday.
During my walk to the coach station, I decided that I'd like to walk across America someday. Even though I run a lot, I decided that running was for losers. Basically, I consider myself a loser, but walking really is so much better. Moreover, I've become so immune to dibilitating hills since coming to Sheffield, that I also want to start hiking, which I basically did today. I was really happy to be outside. I just want to soak up every ounce of sunlight that I can because I don't want to lose the color I was lucky to obtain during my trek through Europa. Anyway, besides my infatuation with walking, when I arrived at the coach station I decided to take the bus to Bakewell, a town in the Peak District. It's the National Park of the UK. During some of the drive, I actually thought I was in Ireland again... it was really pretty. I arrived in Bakewell and had no idea what to do from there. I was trying to make a mental note of my surroundings, so that I could anticipate the location of my return coach, but I was also distracted by a steep hill directly in front of me. Curiosity gets the best of me everytime, so I climbed the hill and found a graveyard and a really pretty church at the top. I spent some time reading the gravestones, which I've really taken a liking to since getting here because the elegies written on the gravestones are often very beautiful. In reading them you can also get a taste for the love shared between a man and woman and the rest of their families. I think it's pretty neat. A lot of gravestones over here have the inscription "Reunited at last" following the deaths of the couples, which is also very touching.
After the graveyard, I walked a little further up the hill and ran into a museum, but it cost 3 GBP to get in, so I quickly turned around. I was snapping pictures the whole time. I wandered down to Bakewell Square and followed signs for a market. It was a small market, but they were selling lot of reallyyyyyy cheap jewelry and being that I only had 5 GBP on me, I had to go withdraw some more. I got distracted and made 8 zillion detours that took me to a river, some mega-hills/mini-mountains, and a cricket match. People were eating ice cream everywhere since it was such a nice day. I really wanted to have some, but a) I was fasting and b) I knew that the dairy would cause some stomach problems 10 minutes after the ice cream consumption, so I kept walking. Eventually I wound back into the Square and withdrew some more money. The dog was there. That freaking dog is following me. I only hope it is a good omen and not a bad one. After this, I went back to the market and purchased about 6 pairs of earrings for like 11 GBP, which is great. I wanted to get something for Tegan because she left me a cute note in my mailbox yesterday morning, so she gets a pair of earrings too. :)
I blew some more time wandering around town, not talking to anyone, continually running into the dog, and eventually headed back to the bus. I read my book for the rest of trip home and almost missed my stop. I sent Linds a text letting her know that I was coming over; I got there and collapsed back on my bed away from my bed (Linds and Genna keep an extra mattress for me to sleep on). I hadn't talked to anyone all day until I saw Linds again. I kind of felt like a nun, but I just wanted to be with my thoughts all day, so I avoided communicating with people. Lindsay decided to watch some Lost Season 1 because I got her hooked while I read my book (for pleasure). At about 630, I decided that I would make us some dinner, so I walked up to Somerfield's to get some comida. Being that Somerfield's closes May 2, I'm not really sure what the heck I'm going to do for food, but at the rate I'm eating these days, my Nutri-Grain bars may sustain me long enough to get back home to Charlotte. When I get home I plan on eating at Monterrey's Mexican Restaurant, FIREBIRDS, and Chili's fo sho fo sho. I hope my parents are ready to fulfill a week of my food cravings before I head back to work in DC. Moving right along, I got the ingredients to make some homemade killer Sun-Dried Tomato and Chicken Farfalle pasta. It took me about 45 minutes to prepare, but Lindsay thought it was good and Genna-Bear tore up the leftovers when she got home, so my guess is that's a good sign. I paired it with some garlic bread, which is always a winner. Since then, we've all been chilling in the kitchen, procrastinating on our assignments. I was reading for a long time, now Lindsay's reading Breaking Dawn and watching Lost, and Genna's watching Prison Break and Grey's. Linds saw me grab my computer and she was like, "You're itching to blog now, aren't you?" She knows me too well. I don't really feel like anyone reads this that often anyway, so now I can be boring and say what I want. Good times. I love Navy SEALS.
Maybe I'll walk back home soon, but I'm not quite motivated. Maybe I'll get a life someday, but for now I'm just going to sit on the couch and chill. I hope you enjoyed your day in the life of Lindsay.
Peace and love.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Today is a gift... that's why they call it the Present.
I mentioned the "Golden Flowers" all over Ireland in my last post... here's what they look like. Just imagine them as far as the eye can see.
So, now, details of the rest of my trip with an extra twist. After Killarney, we headed up towards Cork and Cobh (pronounced Cove). We checked out the Blarney Castle, where I proceeded to knock off one of Discovery Channel's "99 things to do before you die." Evidence lies below. It's actually quite freaky, but I also randomly get a fear of heights. Blarney Castle came with that fear, and my body was shaking... only because there are super steep steps in very tightly packed spaces, which gives me the heebie jeebies. I didn't stop shaking until I was in open air.
After Blarney, which was a lot of fun, we headed up through Waterford to get to Kinsale for the night. Waterford and Kinsale are really gorgeous port cities, and I highly recommend visiting them because they are smaller towns, so they give you a different flavor of Ireland. There were tons of Irish fishermen everywhere. The most important thing of Kinsale, was this poster, however. This one's for you Mindy Holden and Jack Gumtow... haters.
The next day, drove through Wexford, which was interesting, and up through Rossdale on our way to Kilkenny. I think Rossdale is where my cell phone abandoned me. I don't know what happened to it, but it's gone. My precious. Anyway, Kilkenny was gorgeous. There were all kinds of shops and historic sites to visit. Alex and I did a lot of walking and chilling. We saw the Kilkenny castle and ran into our buddies, who aren't really our buddies, from Adare. We did a little shopping (aka I shopped because Alex doesn't buy souvenirs) and went to dinner at a nice pub/restaurant. Ireland's quite expensive... I mean ridiculously so-- in order to get a decent meal, you have to prepare yourself for about an 18-30 euro dinner at least. If you're living on a student's salary, you go for the 18 euro and hope that will suffice. We had a delicious meal and then went to bed pretty early that night because we got up early the next morning to head to DUBLIN.
Kilkenny castle from across the quay ("key"), as the Irish dub canals.
We arrived in the great city of Dublin and stayed at the Shelbourne Marriott, thanks to the Marriott points of Mr. Pauls, and immediately wandered off. We walked down Grafton Street, which is the famous shopping district, and walked through the Temple Bar area on our way to the Dublin Castle and St. Patrick's Cathedral. We called it quits pretty early and went to the pub for dinner with her parents for Irish burgers and shephard's pie. Then, Alex and I walked to Grafton again in search of some sweets and ran into some good times. I included a video. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, you're a) making a mistake, but b) at least watch the last minute or so. Ireland at it's best.
Very famous bar in the Temple Bar strip. This is in all the postcards.
St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Yesterday, the Pauls' family and I woke up pretty late and headed to Trinity College. I felt like I was in the presence of the greats. I mean James Joyce went there and Sir Thomas Moore, so there pal. We also walked through the uni quad where I saw tons of students just hanging out, eating lunch on the grass, and enjoying the weather. This made me miss Chapel Hill a lot because Kels and I always like to eat lunch outside in the quad. :( It was the first time I've really missed UNC since being here, besides the night that we WON the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. From there, Alex and I walked over to the Guinness Storehouse, which was incredible. We didn't really have the time to go on the full tour, nor did we have the money, but I really wish we could have because that factory is amazing. I'm going to have to go back just for that reason. I may have bought some souvies for my family at the Storehouse, but whether I did or not is pretty up in the air. I met a guy in the store. He kind of made me die a little inside, but maybe that's because his name was Chris Morte. This guy was one of the clerks and he kept following me around and calling me the "Princess from North Carolina." I was feeling pretty good about myself, especially when I finally queued up to purchase some things and he talked to me for 10 or 15 more minutes while at the register. Meanwhile, tons of people were lining up to buy their items. I asked Chris if he'd been in Dublin long, and he said he'd been here only a couple of years and that he's originally from South Africa. I expressed my enthusiasm and asked if he lived near "Yo-han-es-burg." He freaked out and gave me a high five and was like, "Princess from North Carolina, what did you just say?" I was like, "Are you from Yo-han-es-burg?" He told me then that he thought I was both smart and beautiful, and that no one ever pronounces Johannesburg correctly, which I think is a shame. Then, he asked me if I could tell by his surname why he had bad luck and I was like, "of course, your last name means death." Again, he freaked out and gave me a high five, exclaiming that the Princess of North Carolina was the most gorgeous, smart woman he'd ever met. I was really blushing at this point since people in the queue were staring at me. I'm not used to public displays of affection and affirmation to this degree... LB, I can already see your face. Chris then printed out a blank receipt paper and wrote down a list of bands he wanted me to check out on myspace. Then, he pulled out a map of Dublin and started circling places I needed to go. Poor Alex was patiently waiting for me behind the queue line. Chris up and decides to tell Alex not to be mad at me for taking so long because I am the Princess of North Carolina. I felt like a frigging moron. I had to make Chris wrap it up, despite his infectious love, but not before he promised to look me up when he comes to the States since he'll need a place to stay and made me try on his ring. Umm, yeah. You may think this is a joke, but you're very wrong. He also told me that he was 31. I think he was looking for marriage, so he freaked me out. But, here are some cool pics of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Irish people only drink Guinness. Nothing else. Irish pride.
This was the Guinness "exit" room where there were really cool sounds of a Guinness tap overflowing. The cloud-like flames you see in the background is really the beauty that is Guinness being pored into your glass.
After that, we went to an Italian place for dinner with Alex's parents, and then hung out in the room for awhile and watched a depressing movie... Snow Angels. The overall mood of the movie was just like Changeling in that you feel every ounce of hope within you seeping out through your pores. That's why I didn't sleep. I gave up at 330 when I had to wake up at 4 anyway for our return to Sheffield.
After a great many days away from Sheffield, I am finally back. Alex and I were really sad to be leaving Ireland, and we both actually wished we could just hop on her parents flight from Dublin to Dulles and go home altogether mainly because our travels have severely worn us out. But, alas, we hopped on our Ryanair flight from Dublin to Leeds, which was rather tumultuous indeed, took a bus to Leeds City Centre, then bought coach tickets from Leeds back to Sheffield. We like to travel the hard way, BUT we save money. By the time we got back to Sheffield Interchange today, we were on the edge of our coach seats anticipating our return home. So, we gave up on catching uni buses back to campus and just hailed a cab. We were anxious. The cabbie dropped Al off first and then me. I literally ran inside Tapton intending to sprint to my room, but noticed the mailbox and remembered that Mindy and LB had sent me things. So, I changed course to check my mailbox. I couldn't find the letter that LB had sent in the "H" box where it belongs, but for some reason this pink envelope in the "B" box caught my eye, and lo and behold, it was addressed to me from Miss Brooks. I love you, dog breath. Then, I put my suitcase on the shaft, ran up 8 zillion flights of stairs, grabbed my suitcase out of the shaft, sprinted to my bedroom door, dropped my bags, and jumped up and down. And then I ran to Tegan's room to give her a hug. It felt really fabulous to be home. It's amazing how much I've missed it. Travelling is loads of fun, but it wipes you the frick out. Plus, I'm really happy to be back to using the GBP because the Euro was ridiculously expensive, even duty and tax free. I'm pretty sure that Tegan and I are the only people in all of Tapton since Easter break doesn't end until the 26th. I informed her about how my mom had sent me a package and I had no idea where it was since it wasn't in my mail, and Tegan made me run downstairs to demand where it had gone. I went down there, and lo and behold, there were TWO PACKAGES for me!!! Mindy, my precious flower of a mother sent me a 100 calorie pack of chocolate candy, mascara, the movie TWILIGHT (which my friends are freaking out about by the way, momma, so nice work), a card from her, and a card from Alyssa. Alyssa's letter is hanging on my wall now because it was the cutest thing ever. Then, the man behind the counter extracted a totally unexpected package from Indian Trail, NC, aka Bethany Ann. Thanks for my shirt, Bee!! Me gusta mas y te amo mucho. Naturally, I was feeling quite affirmed... Two of my best friends sending me things, my mom sending me things, Alyssa writing me a letter, and of course, a letter from the ever faithful, Jennifer, was also waiting in my mailox. It was a beautiful day.
Once I got settled, I frantically tried reaching my other half. She finally skyped me and I explained to her about my situation. Linds agreed to meet me at Somerfield, which is closing by the way. WHAT?! How did that happen? I've been gone 2 weeks and my local grocery store is closing down on me. Now I have to walk up 9 hills and 4 miles to bring bottled water back to my dorm. So much for convenience. Anyway, I was late to meet Linds because of my package excitement. We walked to city centre to solve my problem. We did. I now have a new phone... same number, new phone. It's pretty crappy because I'm only here for another 7 1/2 weeks, but it has sudoku, so I'm stoked. It's a fun game to play when people are boring you and you need a challenge. I was supposed to go over to S and Genna's house, but since I've been up since Monday at 930 a.m. and it's now 915 p.m. on Tuesday, I'm thinking I might just call it a night and hit the sack. The peace and quiet has become extremely inviting.
After my 18-day long journey, this is what I have learned:
1) "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need."
2) Euro men are hot because they wear RayBan aviators and they aren't afraid to tell you how they really feel. For instance, I once asked an Italian man if there was a gym at his hotel. His response was, "No, only a personal trainer."
3) Travelling is heaps of fun, but it wears you down and reminds you of what's important. Aka, you can't wait to get home towards the end of your journey.
4) How to translate 3 different foreign currencies into U.S. dollars.
5) Money isn't everything because worrying about having too little of it inhibits you from enjoying yourself fully, while having it makes you wish for more. Some how the Irish survived the Potato famine, and are surviving a worse recession than the U.S.- so can we.
6) A little adversity only builds character.
7) Learning how to conquer language barriers is really fulfilling.
8) Bartering is also fulfilling.
9) Europe is freaking amazing and I can't wait to get back.
10) I wish the U.S. had environmental standards better than the EU.
11) "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why they call it the present."
12) I'm moving to Montana to live off the fat of the land and open a ranch.
Also, in other news, I officially booked my housing at GW for the summer. Now I just have to find a way to fund it. :)
So, now, details of the rest of my trip with an extra twist. After Killarney, we headed up towards Cork and Cobh (pronounced Cove). We checked out the Blarney Castle, where I proceeded to knock off one of Discovery Channel's "99 things to do before you die." Evidence lies below. It's actually quite freaky, but I also randomly get a fear of heights. Blarney Castle came with that fear, and my body was shaking... only because there are super steep steps in very tightly packed spaces, which gives me the heebie jeebies. I didn't stop shaking until I was in open air.
After Blarney, which was a lot of fun, we headed up through Waterford to get to Kinsale for the night. Waterford and Kinsale are really gorgeous port cities, and I highly recommend visiting them because they are smaller towns, so they give you a different flavor of Ireland. There were tons of Irish fishermen everywhere. The most important thing of Kinsale, was this poster, however. This one's for you Mindy Holden and Jack Gumtow... haters.
Kilkenny castle from across the quay ("key"), as the Irish dub canals.We arrived in the great city of Dublin and stayed at the Shelbourne Marriott, thanks to the Marriott points of Mr. Pauls, and immediately wandered off. We walked down Grafton Street, which is the famous shopping district, and walked through the Temple Bar area on our way to the Dublin Castle and St. Patrick's Cathedral. We called it quits pretty early and went to the pub for dinner with her parents for Irish burgers and shephard's pie. Then, Alex and I walked to Grafton again in search of some sweets and ran into some good times. I included a video. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, you're a) making a mistake, but b) at least watch the last minute or so. Ireland at it's best.
Very famous bar in the Temple Bar strip. This is in all the postcards.
St. Patrick's Cathedral.Yesterday, the Pauls' family and I woke up pretty late and headed to Trinity College. I felt like I was in the presence of the greats. I mean James Joyce went there and Sir Thomas Moore, so there pal. We also walked through the uni quad where I saw tons of students just hanging out, eating lunch on the grass, and enjoying the weather. This made me miss Chapel Hill a lot because Kels and I always like to eat lunch outside in the quad. :( It was the first time I've really missed UNC since being here, besides the night that we WON the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. From there, Alex and I walked over to the Guinness Storehouse, which was incredible. We didn't really have the time to go on the full tour, nor did we have the money, but I really wish we could have because that factory is amazing. I'm going to have to go back just for that reason. I may have bought some souvies for my family at the Storehouse, but whether I did or not is pretty up in the air. I met a guy in the store. He kind of made me die a little inside, but maybe that's because his name was Chris Morte. This guy was one of the clerks and he kept following me around and calling me the "Princess from North Carolina." I was feeling pretty good about myself, especially when I finally queued up to purchase some things and he talked to me for 10 or 15 more minutes while at the register. Meanwhile, tons of people were lining up to buy their items. I asked Chris if he'd been in Dublin long, and he said he'd been here only a couple of years and that he's originally from South Africa. I expressed my enthusiasm and asked if he lived near "Yo-han-es-burg." He freaked out and gave me a high five and was like, "Princess from North Carolina, what did you just say?" I was like, "Are you from Yo-han-es-burg?" He told me then that he thought I was both smart and beautiful, and that no one ever pronounces Johannesburg correctly, which I think is a shame. Then, he asked me if I could tell by his surname why he had bad luck and I was like, "of course, your last name means death." Again, he freaked out and gave me a high five, exclaiming that the Princess of North Carolina was the most gorgeous, smart woman he'd ever met. I was really blushing at this point since people in the queue were staring at me. I'm not used to public displays of affection and affirmation to this degree... LB, I can already see your face. Chris then printed out a blank receipt paper and wrote down a list of bands he wanted me to check out on myspace. Then, he pulled out a map of Dublin and started circling places I needed to go. Poor Alex was patiently waiting for me behind the queue line. Chris up and decides to tell Alex not to be mad at me for taking so long because I am the Princess of North Carolina. I felt like a frigging moron. I had to make Chris wrap it up, despite his infectious love, but not before he promised to look me up when he comes to the States since he'll need a place to stay and made me try on his ring. Umm, yeah. You may think this is a joke, but you're very wrong. He also told me that he was 31. I think he was looking for marriage, so he freaked me out. But, here are some cool pics of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Irish people only drink Guinness. Nothing else. Irish pride.
This was the Guinness "exit" room where there were really cool sounds of a Guinness tap overflowing. The cloud-like flames you see in the background is really the beauty that is Guinness being pored into your glass.After that, we went to an Italian place for dinner with Alex's parents, and then hung out in the room for awhile and watched a depressing movie... Snow Angels. The overall mood of the movie was just like Changeling in that you feel every ounce of hope within you seeping out through your pores. That's why I didn't sleep. I gave up at 330 when I had to wake up at 4 anyway for our return to Sheffield.
After a great many days away from Sheffield, I am finally back. Alex and I were really sad to be leaving Ireland, and we both actually wished we could just hop on her parents flight from Dublin to Dulles and go home altogether mainly because our travels have severely worn us out. But, alas, we hopped on our Ryanair flight from Dublin to Leeds, which was rather tumultuous indeed, took a bus to Leeds City Centre, then bought coach tickets from Leeds back to Sheffield. We like to travel the hard way, BUT we save money. By the time we got back to Sheffield Interchange today, we were on the edge of our coach seats anticipating our return home. So, we gave up on catching uni buses back to campus and just hailed a cab. We were anxious. The cabbie dropped Al off first and then me. I literally ran inside Tapton intending to sprint to my room, but noticed the mailbox and remembered that Mindy and LB had sent me things. So, I changed course to check my mailbox. I couldn't find the letter that LB had sent in the "H" box where it belongs, but for some reason this pink envelope in the "B" box caught my eye, and lo and behold, it was addressed to me from Miss Brooks. I love you, dog breath. Then, I put my suitcase on the shaft, ran up 8 zillion flights of stairs, grabbed my suitcase out of the shaft, sprinted to my bedroom door, dropped my bags, and jumped up and down. And then I ran to Tegan's room to give her a hug. It felt really fabulous to be home. It's amazing how much I've missed it. Travelling is loads of fun, but it wipes you the frick out. Plus, I'm really happy to be back to using the GBP because the Euro was ridiculously expensive, even duty and tax free. I'm pretty sure that Tegan and I are the only people in all of Tapton since Easter break doesn't end until the 26th. I informed her about how my mom had sent me a package and I had no idea where it was since it wasn't in my mail, and Tegan made me run downstairs to demand where it had gone. I went down there, and lo and behold, there were TWO PACKAGES for me!!! Mindy, my precious flower of a mother sent me a 100 calorie pack of chocolate candy, mascara, the movie TWILIGHT (which my friends are freaking out about by the way, momma, so nice work), a card from her, and a card from Alyssa. Alyssa's letter is hanging on my wall now because it was the cutest thing ever. Then, the man behind the counter extracted a totally unexpected package from Indian Trail, NC, aka Bethany Ann. Thanks for my shirt, Bee!! Me gusta mas y te amo mucho. Naturally, I was feeling quite affirmed... Two of my best friends sending me things, my mom sending me things, Alyssa writing me a letter, and of course, a letter from the ever faithful, Jennifer, was also waiting in my mailox. It was a beautiful day.
Once I got settled, I frantically tried reaching my other half. She finally skyped me and I explained to her about my situation. Linds agreed to meet me at Somerfield, which is closing by the way. WHAT?! How did that happen? I've been gone 2 weeks and my local grocery store is closing down on me. Now I have to walk up 9 hills and 4 miles to bring bottled water back to my dorm. So much for convenience. Anyway, I was late to meet Linds because of my package excitement. We walked to city centre to solve my problem. We did. I now have a new phone... same number, new phone. It's pretty crappy because I'm only here for another 7 1/2 weeks, but it has sudoku, so I'm stoked. It's a fun game to play when people are boring you and you need a challenge. I was supposed to go over to S and Genna's house, but since I've been up since Monday at 930 a.m. and it's now 915 p.m. on Tuesday, I'm thinking I might just call it a night and hit the sack. The peace and quiet has become extremely inviting.
After my 18-day long journey, this is what I have learned:
1) "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need."
2) Euro men are hot because they wear RayBan aviators and they aren't afraid to tell you how they really feel. For instance, I once asked an Italian man if there was a gym at his hotel. His response was, "No, only a personal trainer."
3) Travelling is heaps of fun, but it wears you down and reminds you of what's important. Aka, you can't wait to get home towards the end of your journey.
4) How to translate 3 different foreign currencies into U.S. dollars.
5) Money isn't everything because worrying about having too little of it inhibits you from enjoying yourself fully, while having it makes you wish for more. Some how the Irish survived the Potato famine, and are surviving a worse recession than the U.S.- so can we.
6) A little adversity only builds character.
7) Learning how to conquer language barriers is really fulfilling.
8) Bartering is also fulfilling.
9) Europe is freaking amazing and I can't wait to get back.
10) I wish the U.S. had environmental standards better than the EU.
11) "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why they call it the present."
12) I'm moving to Montana to live off the fat of the land and open a ranch.
Also, in other news, I officially booked my housing at GW for the summer. Now I just have to find a way to fund it. :)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Erin Town
I must say... I didn't think it could get much better than Italy, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Ireland has become my heart. Let me tell you why.
Alex and I arrived in Shannon on the night of the 14th, aka Tuesday. Lucky for us we landed at the exact moment that the last bus was departing for our hostel. So, of course we missed it. One strike against Holden-Pauls. The bus was only 4 euro 50. After we collected our luggage from baggage claim, we had to face our fears and hire a taxi. The hostel- Jamaica Inn- was only 12 km away from the airport, but our taxi still managed to cost 25 euro. I was out of cash, so Alex paid and we asked our hostel master where the closest ATM was so that I could pay her back. The hostel master/nazi pointed us in the direction of Centro, which is basically the exact same thing as our Somerfield's (small grocery store chain in the UK), and we walked there only to discover that the ATM was out of service. YAY. Strike 2 against team America. The cashier told us to come back at 2000 because it could be up and running by then. We walked a little further down the city centre of this tiny village and found a credit union. We got excited because we hoped maybe they could help a coupla sisters out. We go inside. I ask if there is any other ATM around. The teller says the closest is in Limerick about 10 km away. Alex declares that she wants to exchange some of her pounds to euros. Teller tells us she's closed. She walks us to the door and then locks it. Strike 3 against team America. We step outside into the cold to head back, albeit begrudgingly, and then comes the rain. Pouring. Alex pulls on her slicker hood. I whip out my umbrella and naturally it flips inside out. Alex cackles and tells me that my umbrella sucks. I tell her to shut up. We walk back home. Strike 4 against team America. We walk back to Jamaica and realize that we have free WIFI and are ecstatic. I mess around on the internet for awhile since it's pouring and then decide I want to take a shower, which in the hostel world means renting a towel unless you bring your own. It was only 1 euro, but the nazi wasn't there to unlock the towel drawer. I was sad. Alex was still on her laptop, so I walked into our room and met another girl named Mayveiah (sp?) who was staying in our dorm-style rooms. Mayveiah and her travelling buddy were from New York and they were on their last night of their vacation in Ireland. She spilled all of her life to me in a matter of about 10 minutes... it was pretty funny, but she was really nice, and she was an American, so I was happy to talk to her. Finally, the hour reaches a little past 8 pm and so I go to collect Alex to head back to Centro. The nazi was back and made me wait to rent a single towel while he checked in person after person-- what a friendly man he was. Then, I dropped off the towel to our room and Alex and I left for Centro. As soon as we entered those teal and yellow sliding glass doors, the cashier yelled to me, "THE ATM IS WORKING! GO FOR IT!" Of course this was all in her native tongue, which I find both magestic and lyrical. I could listen to it all day. I got my money and we got some fruit and veggies for dinner. Good times.
The next day, i.e. yesterday, Alex and I were able to catch the bus from the Six Mile Bridge back to Shannon airport to meet up with her rents for 9 euro at 720 am. The day was pretty crappy and rainy, but we were still in Ireland. Our luck changed as soon as her parents made it to the rental car station. We landed a beamer. Alex and I just looked at each other-- we happen to be able to read each other's mind, so we were feeling like things were looking up. We basically drove around County Clare yesterday, which happens to be one of the main places I have always wanted to visit since high school when I read a book about it. We got to see the Cliffs of Moher, which were striking and dangerous. The drop to the sea was remarkable. Although it was a really cold and foggy day, we were still able to get a glimpse of what they would like on a rare sunny day. After that, we drove through Limerick and stopped at a pub for lunch. All 4 of us ordered ham sandwiches. From there, we drove on towards Adare where our B&B was and checked in around 2 p.m. It was a gorgeous B&B. I've never stayed in one, but it was exactly how I imagined it. Alex and I shared a twin room, which in the EU means a set of twin beds, with frilly curtains, flowery wallpaper and a pair of teddy bears nestled gently against our pillow. Talk about precious. After we got "organized," as Genna would say, we headed out to explore the city centre of Adare. We purchased a crapload of post cards (let me know if you want me to send you one... for real, I love buying them and writing them. just send me your address) and I sent out about 4. My favorite was the one I just sent my parents. They will probably roll their eyes because it's so dry, but it's my sense of humor in a nutshell, so I cracked up when I saw it. It's basically a lone billygoat with miles of green hilly pastures with the words "Missing you" on the bottom of it. Perfect and concise. After all of this, Al & I went to a pub for dinner and had some yummy salads followed by Irish coffee, which I happened to love, and she did happened to hate. Then, we went back to the B&B, downloaded some shows and called it a night.
Cliffs of Moher.
The ruins in front of the Cliffs of Moher.
I guess the Irish like the Americans.
Me and Al in front of Lady View Lookout.
Today was the day things really began to change. I woke up at around 710 am and enjoyed some quality water pressure in the shower before breakfast. Alex and I walked down to the beamer to load our luggage back in the trunk and it started to rain. I've decided that it likes to rain every morning in Ireland-- kind of like Hawaii-- because God is crying happy tears that we made it through the night. After breakfast we buckled into our plush leather seats and headed out for our long drive around the Ring of Kerry. I can't tell you how amazing this experience was for me. If I could have walked that whole 5 hour drive, I would have. I'm serious. Every second that passed gave me more and more chills. The dried grass was growing unruly up and down cliffs and hills, not to mention that there were these gorgeous golden wildflowers everywhere in sight. They call the Ring of Kerry, "The Golden Mile," as well and I think it's because of the flowers. The sights are indescribably breathtaking, and no photo can do it justice. You just have to see it yourself... I think that's the way for all of Ireland. I think you're meant to see it and experience it for yourself because the land is so untainted by human hands. Talk about God's country out here. I saw everything from huge cliff overhangs jutting out to the Dingle Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to billygoats jumping up the bolders on the hills. I even saw cows mating and baby sheep running across the middle of the road. About halfway through the Ring of Kerry I asked Alex's dad if this was considered Ireland's national park. We found out that the national park was around the Killarney area where we were ultimately heading towards for our hotel accomodation for tonight. So, we made a pit stop at Lady View Lookout, Torc Waterfalls, a few random turn offs, and then finally, the Muckross Manor and Gardens. Everything was beautiful.
Imagine this as far as the eye can see-- that's the Ring of Kerry.
Taste of Ireland.
On one of the turn-offs besides the major views, there was a man playing the accordion besides a man feeding a kitten, goat, and two baby lambs. After snapping some photos, I decided that I had nothing left to lose. I went over to the man feeding the animals and asked if I could hold them. He said absolutely. Alex and her mom took a bunch of pictures of me holding a baby goat and a lamb, but it was one of the coolest things I think I've ever done. It was another one of those moments where I felt ever so strongly that I was in the right place at the right time. The man asked me if I was a student and where I was from, so I told him because we were in love from the get-go. Then, he asked me if I was Irish and I told him that yes, I was almost fully Irish. He said that's great and asked me for my surname. I said "Holden," but we stem from the "Regans." And he looked at me and smiled and said, "Ahh, yes, the Dublin Holdens. That's where you're from." I mean I was in the middle of holding a lamb for the love of pearl and this man was telling me where I came from. That felt unreal to me. I know I say unreal a lot, but it really did. Here I was doing something that I've never done before and I was getting a lesson on my origin from a complete stranger on a turn-off point of some random coastal road. He went on to tell me that the Dublin Holdens were great at football. The only other time somebody has thought to tell me about myself was the investigator that I met with last spring. She asked if I was Irish and I said yes and she said, "yes, you must be black irish because of your skin, hair, and eye color." Who do these people think they are? It's incredible. Random strangers whom I'll never see again no more about me than I have ever known about myself or my family. It's surreal.
Accordion man and the farmer who taught me about life.
I named them Sammy and Suzie.
Me, Suz, her brother (maybe?), and THE MAN.
I can't describe everything to you. I'm wandering around and I feel like I'm not really any closer to understanding who I am and who I'm meant to be, but every so often I pick up a piece of the puzzle and learn a little more about myself. I realized today while holding the baby lamb and goat and talking to this Irishman that we may never really know who we are. We can know who we want to be or how we want to be and we can know whose we are, but I think that life is about scraping your knees or slipping on a moss-covered bridge nearly landing in the Irish-Atlantic ocean to learn what you're capable of. This is too deep for most of you, but it's the English major in me. After all, I came here for this very reason-- I was tired of living in this half life where I dreamed of doing something cool. Here I am doing really cool things and slowly understanding the person God created me to be.
In other news, I have been having this recurring dream with the same type of dog whose breed I have seen and I really like, but I simply cannot identify. Oddly enough, this dog has followed me around to every city that I've seen so far on my Easter break. It's not a joke. Ask Lindsay. Also, I keep listening to Mat Kearney's "Nothing Left to Lose" on repeat. I know that it's an old hit single, but it seems to fit right now. Also, I can finally put my hair up in a ponytail without half of it falling out of the elastic. My BAMF sister is officially 9 months prego!!! You go, baby mama!!
Cead Mile Failte. The Gaelic blessing for "One Hundred Thousand Welcomes." Everything about Ireland is a welcome home. I don't ever want to leave.
Alex and I arrived in Shannon on the night of the 14th, aka Tuesday. Lucky for us we landed at the exact moment that the last bus was departing for our hostel. So, of course we missed it. One strike against Holden-Pauls. The bus was only 4 euro 50. After we collected our luggage from baggage claim, we had to face our fears and hire a taxi. The hostel- Jamaica Inn- was only 12 km away from the airport, but our taxi still managed to cost 25 euro. I was out of cash, so Alex paid and we asked our hostel master where the closest ATM was so that I could pay her back. The hostel master/nazi pointed us in the direction of Centro, which is basically the exact same thing as our Somerfield's (small grocery store chain in the UK), and we walked there only to discover that the ATM was out of service. YAY. Strike 2 against team America. The cashier told us to come back at 2000 because it could be up and running by then. We walked a little further down the city centre of this tiny village and found a credit union. We got excited because we hoped maybe they could help a coupla sisters out. We go inside. I ask if there is any other ATM around. The teller says the closest is in Limerick about 10 km away. Alex declares that she wants to exchange some of her pounds to euros. Teller tells us she's closed. She walks us to the door and then locks it. Strike 3 against team America. We step outside into the cold to head back, albeit begrudgingly, and then comes the rain. Pouring. Alex pulls on her slicker hood. I whip out my umbrella and naturally it flips inside out. Alex cackles and tells me that my umbrella sucks. I tell her to shut up. We walk back home. Strike 4 against team America. We walk back to Jamaica and realize that we have free WIFI and are ecstatic. I mess around on the internet for awhile since it's pouring and then decide I want to take a shower, which in the hostel world means renting a towel unless you bring your own. It was only 1 euro, but the nazi wasn't there to unlock the towel drawer. I was sad. Alex was still on her laptop, so I walked into our room and met another girl named Mayveiah (sp?) who was staying in our dorm-style rooms. Mayveiah and her travelling buddy were from New York and they were on their last night of their vacation in Ireland. She spilled all of her life to me in a matter of about 10 minutes... it was pretty funny, but she was really nice, and she was an American, so I was happy to talk to her. Finally, the hour reaches a little past 8 pm and so I go to collect Alex to head back to Centro. The nazi was back and made me wait to rent a single towel while he checked in person after person-- what a friendly man he was. Then, I dropped off the towel to our room and Alex and I left for Centro. As soon as we entered those teal and yellow sliding glass doors, the cashier yelled to me, "THE ATM IS WORKING! GO FOR IT!" Of course this was all in her native tongue, which I find both magestic and lyrical. I could listen to it all day. I got my money and we got some fruit and veggies for dinner. Good times.
The next day, i.e. yesterday, Alex and I were able to catch the bus from the Six Mile Bridge back to Shannon airport to meet up with her rents for 9 euro at 720 am. The day was pretty crappy and rainy, but we were still in Ireland. Our luck changed as soon as her parents made it to the rental car station. We landed a beamer. Alex and I just looked at each other-- we happen to be able to read each other's mind, so we were feeling like things were looking up. We basically drove around County Clare yesterday, which happens to be one of the main places I have always wanted to visit since high school when I read a book about it. We got to see the Cliffs of Moher, which were striking and dangerous. The drop to the sea was remarkable. Although it was a really cold and foggy day, we were still able to get a glimpse of what they would like on a rare sunny day. After that, we drove through Limerick and stopped at a pub for lunch. All 4 of us ordered ham sandwiches. From there, we drove on towards Adare where our B&B was and checked in around 2 p.m. It was a gorgeous B&B. I've never stayed in one, but it was exactly how I imagined it. Alex and I shared a twin room, which in the EU means a set of twin beds, with frilly curtains, flowery wallpaper and a pair of teddy bears nestled gently against our pillow. Talk about precious. After we got "organized," as Genna would say, we headed out to explore the city centre of Adare. We purchased a crapload of post cards (let me know if you want me to send you one... for real, I love buying them and writing them. just send me your address) and I sent out about 4. My favorite was the one I just sent my parents. They will probably roll their eyes because it's so dry, but it's my sense of humor in a nutshell, so I cracked up when I saw it. It's basically a lone billygoat with miles of green hilly pastures with the words "Missing you" on the bottom of it. Perfect and concise. After all of this, Al & I went to a pub for dinner and had some yummy salads followed by Irish coffee, which I happened to love, and she did happened to hate. Then, we went back to the B&B, downloaded some shows and called it a night.
Cliffs of Moher.
The ruins in front of the Cliffs of Moher.
I guess the Irish like the Americans.
Me and Al in front of Lady View Lookout.Today was the day things really began to change. I woke up at around 710 am and enjoyed some quality water pressure in the shower before breakfast. Alex and I walked down to the beamer to load our luggage back in the trunk and it started to rain. I've decided that it likes to rain every morning in Ireland-- kind of like Hawaii-- because God is crying happy tears that we made it through the night. After breakfast we buckled into our plush leather seats and headed out for our long drive around the Ring of Kerry. I can't tell you how amazing this experience was for me. If I could have walked that whole 5 hour drive, I would have. I'm serious. Every second that passed gave me more and more chills. The dried grass was growing unruly up and down cliffs and hills, not to mention that there were these gorgeous golden wildflowers everywhere in sight. They call the Ring of Kerry, "The Golden Mile," as well and I think it's because of the flowers. The sights are indescribably breathtaking, and no photo can do it justice. You just have to see it yourself... I think that's the way for all of Ireland. I think you're meant to see it and experience it for yourself because the land is so untainted by human hands. Talk about God's country out here. I saw everything from huge cliff overhangs jutting out to the Dingle Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to billygoats jumping up the bolders on the hills. I even saw cows mating and baby sheep running across the middle of the road. About halfway through the Ring of Kerry I asked Alex's dad if this was considered Ireland's national park. We found out that the national park was around the Killarney area where we were ultimately heading towards for our hotel accomodation for tonight. So, we made a pit stop at Lady View Lookout, Torc Waterfalls, a few random turn offs, and then finally, the Muckross Manor and Gardens. Everything was beautiful.
Imagine this as far as the eye can see-- that's the Ring of Kerry.
Taste of Ireland.
Accordion man and the farmer who taught me about life.
I named them Sammy and Suzie.
Me, Suz, her brother (maybe?), and THE MAN.In other news, I have been having this recurring dream with the same type of dog whose breed I have seen and I really like, but I simply cannot identify. Oddly enough, this dog has followed me around to every city that I've seen so far on my Easter break. It's not a joke. Ask Lindsay. Also, I keep listening to Mat Kearney's "Nothing Left to Lose" on repeat. I know that it's an old hit single, but it seems to fit right now. Also, I can finally put my hair up in a ponytail without half of it falling out of the elastic. My BAMF sister is officially 9 months prego!!! You go, baby mama!!
Cead Mile Failte. The Gaelic blessing for "One Hundred Thousand Welcomes." Everything about Ireland is a welcome home. I don't ever want to leave.
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Havoc
What an interesting coupla days... where to even begin.
In Switzerland, we went to Lake Lugano and then on to Lucerne. Lake Lugano was absolutely gorgeous and perfectly warm. I seriously miss warm weather. I was blessed enough to return to my normal olive skin tone during my eurotrip... we had such great weather, save for the first day and the last evening. Lugano looks very similar to Lake Como in Italy, and it happens to be just over the Italy-Switzerland border. The rich people on our trip purchased some ghetto goods: Rolex and Swiss army knives because Lugano is also quite the shopping town. Anyway, if you ever make your way to Switzerland, I highly recommend stopping in Lugano for a night or two. It looks like Hawaii. There's a gorgeous lake overlooking the Swiss alps. Not too shabby, I'd say.
From Lake Lugano we bussed up to Lucerne (Luzern), also in the Alps region, where we proceeded to attend a Swiss Folklore evening. The yo-dah-lo-dah-ling was pretty schveet. I was randomly called up to the stage to blow a huge horn pipe. Luckily I was able to blow it, but the notes that I produced were horrifying. We were able to enjoy a free drink and cheese fondue at this little festival all for the small price of 48 euro. The first thing Friday morning, we went and visited The Lion Monument to celebrate the bravery of the Swiss mercenaries who were working to defend the French (specifically King Louis XVI) and were betrayed and abandoned by the King himself during the French Revolution. He escaped the castle without telling the army guys and thus, they were ambushed by the Tuilleries and fought to the death defending no one. Some 700 odd men were killed that day. Over 40000 Swiss military men were stationed under foreign banners because they were known for their fierce battle tactics and bravery, thus the lion as their monument. The French never did anything to show their appreciation, so the Swiss took charge once and for all. I'm always moved by lions and what they symbolize, so naturally, this monument meant quite a lot to me.
Yo-dah-lo-dah-ling. That's me with the Ceramic bowl.
After that, we walked around the rest of the city of Lucerne, when coincidentally for the third time on this trip, all of the shops were closed when we opted not to partake in the Lake Lucerne cruise in order to wander about on our own. At least there was an excuse, aka Good Friday. Luckily it was a nice day and we scored some sweet pics of Lake Luzern. By the time we had to meet up with the rest of our tour group it was nearing ten a.m. and a Swiss chocolate shop opened up, so we all decided to purchase some Swiss chocolates to commemorate the moment. Half of my chocolates ended up having all kinds of liquor in them. It caught me unawares. I was clueless the whole time... probably because I don't know the language. I also managed to open a Swiss bank account, so that I can hoard my money off-shore, and stole money from my best mate, Marius Lorentzen's, account while I was there as well. Here are some pics of our Swiss Luzern journey.
Me and Alexandra.
Swans & Lake Luzern.
I took this picture all by myself. National geographic, baby. You know it.
In Switzerland, we went to Lake Lugano and then on to Lucerne. Lake Lugano was absolutely gorgeous and perfectly warm. I seriously miss warm weather. I was blessed enough to return to my normal olive skin tone during my eurotrip... we had such great weather, save for the first day and the last evening. Lugano looks very similar to Lake Como in Italy, and it happens to be just over the Italy-Switzerland border. The rich people on our trip purchased some ghetto goods: Rolex and Swiss army knives because Lugano is also quite the shopping town. Anyway, if you ever make your way to Switzerland, I highly recommend stopping in Lugano for a night or two. It looks like Hawaii. There's a gorgeous lake overlooking the Swiss alps. Not too shabby, I'd say.
From Lake Lugano we bussed up to Lucerne (Luzern), also in the Alps region, where we proceeded to attend a Swiss Folklore evening. The yo-dah-lo-dah-ling was pretty schveet. I was randomly called up to the stage to blow a huge horn pipe. Luckily I was able to blow it, but the notes that I produced were horrifying. We were able to enjoy a free drink and cheese fondue at this little festival all for the small price of 48 euro. The first thing Friday morning, we went and visited The Lion Monument to celebrate the bravery of the Swiss mercenaries who were working to defend the French (specifically King Louis XVI) and were betrayed and abandoned by the King himself during the French Revolution. He escaped the castle without telling the army guys and thus, they were ambushed by the Tuilleries and fought to the death defending no one. Some 700 odd men were killed that day. Over 40000 Swiss military men were stationed under foreign banners because they were known for their fierce battle tactics and bravery, thus the lion as their monument. The French never did anything to show their appreciation, so the Swiss took charge once and for all. I'm always moved by lions and what they symbolize, so naturally, this monument meant quite a lot to me.
Yo-dah-lo-dah-ling. That's me with the Ceramic bowl.
After that, we walked around the rest of the city of Lucerne, when coincidentally for the third time on this trip, all of the shops were closed when we opted not to partake in the Lake Lucerne cruise in order to wander about on our own. At least there was an excuse, aka Good Friday. Luckily it was a nice day and we scored some sweet pics of Lake Luzern. By the time we had to meet up with the rest of our tour group it was nearing ten a.m. and a Swiss chocolate shop opened up, so we all decided to purchase some Swiss chocolates to commemorate the moment. Half of my chocolates ended up having all kinds of liquor in them. It caught me unawares. I was clueless the whole time... probably because I don't know the language. I also managed to open a Swiss bank account, so that I can hoard my money off-shore, and stole money from my best mate, Marius Lorentzen's, account while I was there as well. Here are some pics of our Swiss Luzern journey.
Me and Alexandra.
Swans & Lake Luzern.
I took this picture all by myself. National geographic, baby. You know it.From Luzern we journeyed onto France. This was my first experience of the French and I really wanted to share it with you. Plus, I thought my dad would get a serious kick out of it.
'Nouf said.
We celebrated our day-long busabout from Switzerland to France with wine, bread and cheese. I'm currently off of dairy, but again I felt the need to follow my when in rome rule. God is good and He forgives. Saturday morning we got up really early and went on a quick bus tour of Paris. Then, the rest of our fellow tour-people went to visit the Palace of Versailles and Martemonte while the poor Uni females, namely Alex, Genna, Lindsay, and I, did their own thing from 10:30 am to about 11:30 pm. We got to go on a really cool tour of Notre Dame during our bus tour first thing that morning and I happened to notice that there was going to be a midnight candelight vigil at 2100 Saturday night, aka the night before Easter. So, we walked a lot and saw the Arc de Triumphe, Eiffel Tower, Le Louvre, etc., and then proceeded to picnic in a nearby park before returning to the park in front of Le Louvre for tanning and a nap in the grass. What a pleasant day. We then dined at an Italian restaurant because we didn't want any more baguettes and headed back to Notre Dame to wait in line for mass. Let me tell you, the mass was gorgeous. It was all in French, which I could read okay due to my understanding of Spanish, another romance language, but I couldn't understand the priest at all. The cathedral was dark throughout the whole mass except for the candles that everyone was given to hold throughout the vigil. It was a packed house and people were standing outside to watch the service on the tube, but fortunately we got there early enough to grab seats. It was a beautiful mass and I never expected to have the opportunity to celebrate Easter in Notre Dame of all places. I mean, who can really say that they got to go to Notre Dame for an Easter service? I'm pretty sure there was even an Archbishop present at the service... that's how big a D it was. I'm not Catholic, although my dad would kill me for saying that simply because his whole side of the family is Catholic and I was baptized Catholic, but I have been to many a Catholic mass, so I understand and definitely appreciate what goes on during the mass. I'm non-denominational, so I'm used to the come-as-you-are crazy worship/jam sessions and wreckless sermons on Sundays, but I can still enjoy and admire Catholicism. Anyway, Notre Dame was an awesome way to spend my night before Easter and I was feeling pretty BAMF afterwards. No better way to celebrate the rising of Christ from the dead, ay?
Being the stupid girls that we are, Genna, Lindsay, Alex and I royally screwed up. For some reason, we were convinced that our tour ended today (13th) and not yesterday, so we booked a hostel for tonight rather than last night. We freaked out a little bit especially because Alex and I are so freaking thorough and couldn't believe that we missed that little detail, but luckily I had become buddy-buddy with an American from Colorado and her son now living on the outskirts of London. Theresa and Jack, her 8 year old son, offered to let us stay in their house until we all go our separate ways tomorrow (Al & I to Ireland, Genna & Lindsay to Prague). It's in a little village called Wendover. We were able to get out of our hostel arrangements, so that was good. Wendover is the most quaint village I have ever seen. There are sheep paddicks everywhere and all kinds of wildlife busting through the cracks and seams of the town. You can literally walk everywhere here; it's awesome and very homey. We went to this great pub called the Shoulder Mutton for dinner last night and for lunch today; best pub food I have had since I got to England. Today, Theresa and I went for a run around a creek and past some pastures full of Mary had a little lamb(s) and it was great. We all showered up and then went for a long walk through the nooks and crannies of Wendover after lunch and then, went to Theresa's old café for cake and hot chocolate. By the time we got home it was 5 pm. We've been here ever since, but it was one of the most beautiful days I've experienced since being in England. The sun peaked through the clouds every few minutes and beat down pretty hard. I was able to maintain some of the sun I got in Italia, so that was pleasurable for sure.
Enfrente de la Catedral de Notre Dame.
Alex y yo enfrente de la torre Eiffel.
Le Louvre.
Proof that we waited in line for mass.
Ireland tomorrow... hopefully our luck will change. :)
Sorry that I'm in all black in my pictures of France and that I'm wearing shades in most of my pictures, but my dad told me over Skype that our boxer, Cole, passed away in his sleep on Tuesday, the 7th. It was totally unexpected for me because he's only 8 1/2, but my dad thinks he had a stroke in his sleep or that he swallowed a bee. He's always had really bad allergies, so it's definitely possible. This is the reason why my new name is Johnny Cash. It wasn't the easiest day for me, so Paris was kind of a blur. I do want you all to know that Cole, aka Boyfriend, Co-Co, Bubbaloo, Coley-Boley, and Bubbaloser, was a great dog. He was stupid and silly, but absolutely the most spirited and content dog alive. He was a faithful friend and brother to our St. Bernard, Grace. Grace is about 3 years older than Cole, so I never imagined this would be how things turned out. I can't imagine coming home to a house without Coley and not having a dog to chase around the family room couch, pissing off my mom because he's getting the carpet dirty. It's been a few days, so it's starting to sink in that he's gone, but every once in awhile it hits me throughout the day, and I have to put on my shades or go for a little walk. I can't imagine not seeing him when I get back, but I've been holding tight to the fact that he passed away in his sleep and was in no pain. Cole, we love and miss you, Bubbaloo. You will be sorely, sorely missed by Mindy, Tim, Joe, Melissa, Grace, Mildred (our cat, from whom you craved attention and were never given the time of day), and I. Happy playing in dog heaven. Rest in peace, brotha man. We love you 4.7.09 <3.
'Nouf said.We celebrated our day-long busabout from Switzerland to France with wine, bread and cheese. I'm currently off of dairy, but again I felt the need to follow my when in rome rule. God is good and He forgives. Saturday morning we got up really early and went on a quick bus tour of Paris. Then, the rest of our fellow tour-people went to visit the Palace of Versailles and Martemonte while the poor Uni females, namely Alex, Genna, Lindsay, and I, did their own thing from 10:30 am to about 11:30 pm. We got to go on a really cool tour of Notre Dame during our bus tour first thing that morning and I happened to notice that there was going to be a midnight candelight vigil at 2100 Saturday night, aka the night before Easter. So, we walked a lot and saw the Arc de Triumphe, Eiffel Tower, Le Louvre, etc., and then proceeded to picnic in a nearby park before returning to the park in front of Le Louvre for tanning and a nap in the grass. What a pleasant day. We then dined at an Italian restaurant because we didn't want any more baguettes and headed back to Notre Dame to wait in line for mass. Let me tell you, the mass was gorgeous. It was all in French, which I could read okay due to my understanding of Spanish, another romance language, but I couldn't understand the priest at all. The cathedral was dark throughout the whole mass except for the candles that everyone was given to hold throughout the vigil. It was a packed house and people were standing outside to watch the service on the tube, but fortunately we got there early enough to grab seats. It was a beautiful mass and I never expected to have the opportunity to celebrate Easter in Notre Dame of all places. I mean, who can really say that they got to go to Notre Dame for an Easter service? I'm pretty sure there was even an Archbishop present at the service... that's how big a D it was. I'm not Catholic, although my dad would kill me for saying that simply because his whole side of the family is Catholic and I was baptized Catholic, but I have been to many a Catholic mass, so I understand and definitely appreciate what goes on during the mass. I'm non-denominational, so I'm used to the come-as-you-are crazy worship/jam sessions and wreckless sermons on Sundays, but I can still enjoy and admire Catholicism. Anyway, Notre Dame was an awesome way to spend my night before Easter and I was feeling pretty BAMF afterwards. No better way to celebrate the rising of Christ from the dead, ay?
Being the stupid girls that we are, Genna, Lindsay, Alex and I royally screwed up. For some reason, we were convinced that our tour ended today (13th) and not yesterday, so we booked a hostel for tonight rather than last night. We freaked out a little bit especially because Alex and I are so freaking thorough and couldn't believe that we missed that little detail, but luckily I had become buddy-buddy with an American from Colorado and her son now living on the outskirts of London. Theresa and Jack, her 8 year old son, offered to let us stay in their house until we all go our separate ways tomorrow (Al & I to Ireland, Genna & Lindsay to Prague). It's in a little village called Wendover. We were able to get out of our hostel arrangements, so that was good. Wendover is the most quaint village I have ever seen. There are sheep paddicks everywhere and all kinds of wildlife busting through the cracks and seams of the town. You can literally walk everywhere here; it's awesome and very homey. We went to this great pub called the Shoulder Mutton for dinner last night and for lunch today; best pub food I have had since I got to England. Today, Theresa and I went for a run around a creek and past some pastures full of Mary had a little lamb(s) and it was great. We all showered up and then went for a long walk through the nooks and crannies of Wendover after lunch and then, went to Theresa's old café for cake and hot chocolate. By the time we got home it was 5 pm. We've been here ever since, but it was one of the most beautiful days I've experienced since being in England. The sun peaked through the clouds every few minutes and beat down pretty hard. I was able to maintain some of the sun I got in Italia, so that was pleasurable for sure.
Enfrente de la Catedral de Notre Dame.
Alex y yo enfrente de la torre Eiffel.
Le Louvre.
Proof that we waited in line for mass.Ireland tomorrow... hopefully our luck will change. :)
Sorry that I'm in all black in my pictures of France and that I'm wearing shades in most of my pictures, but my dad told me over Skype that our boxer, Cole, passed away in his sleep on Tuesday, the 7th. It was totally unexpected for me because he's only 8 1/2, but my dad thinks he had a stroke in his sleep or that he swallowed a bee. He's always had really bad allergies, so it's definitely possible. This is the reason why my new name is Johnny Cash. It wasn't the easiest day for me, so Paris was kind of a blur. I do want you all to know that Cole, aka Boyfriend, Co-Co, Bubbaloo, Coley-Boley, and Bubbaloser, was a great dog. He was stupid and silly, but absolutely the most spirited and content dog alive. He was a faithful friend and brother to our St. Bernard, Grace. Grace is about 3 years older than Cole, so I never imagined this would be how things turned out. I can't imagine coming home to a house without Coley and not having a dog to chase around the family room couch, pissing off my mom because he's getting the carpet dirty. It's been a few days, so it's starting to sink in that he's gone, but every once in awhile it hits me throughout the day, and I have to put on my shades or go for a little walk. I can't imagine not seeing him when I get back, but I've been holding tight to the fact that he passed away in his sleep and was in no pain. Cole, we love and miss you, Bubbaloo. You will be sorely, sorely missed by Mindy, Tim, Joe, Melissa, Grace, Mildred (our cat, from whom you craved attention and were never given the time of day), and I. Happy playing in dog heaven. Rest in peace, brotha man. We love you 4.7.09 <3.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Europa
I love it. I love it. I love it.
I'm currently in Luzern, Switzerland, staying near Lake Lucerne. It's beautiful. I don't have much time to go into detail about everything that I've seen and done seeing as I have exactly 13 minutes before my internet connection shuts down on me. 5 swiss francs for 30 minutes... what crap is that?! At least it's cheaper than the euro.
So far, my favorite place has been Venizia, hands down. Go there. I'm telling you. You will not be let down. We got to see a Venetian glass blower first transform nothing into a vase and then into a horse in under 20 seconds. It was awesome. Venice specializes in the "Murano" glass jewelry and it is beautiful. I bought lots of jewelry for cheap. Venice is so unique... I can't explain it to you. Each street is lined with canals and bridges and you have to literally walk across islands to get to other parts of the city. But, all of it looks just like the pictures below. The city is absolutely breathtaking and you feel alive just being there. It's romantic and picturesque and so different than anything I have ever seen. Best city on earth.
As far as Firenze goes (Florence), we saw the home of Michelangelo and the place that Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. Firenze specializes in leather... and I may have bartered to win a leather purse and a few other goods, but that's beside the point. I saw that purse back at Harrod's in London and fell in love. It was 120 pounds there and was for sale for 85 euro in Florence, but I bartered down to 50. So there. It's gorgeous and I'm proud of myself. Florence is gorgeous too and has a lot of history, but Venice is definitely my favorite.
From there we went to Pisa. There's really not much at all to see in Pisa, save for the Leaning Tower, which of course all the girls did a ton of touristy poses.
I love Italy. I'm going back. Hopefully in less than a year. I'm keeping the dream alive. I will live there someday.
I'm currently in Luzern, Switzerland, staying near Lake Lucerne. It's beautiful. I don't have much time to go into detail about everything that I've seen and done seeing as I have exactly 13 minutes before my internet connection shuts down on me. 5 swiss francs for 30 minutes... what crap is that?! At least it's cheaper than the euro.
So far, my favorite place has been Venizia, hands down. Go there. I'm telling you. You will not be let down. We got to see a Venetian glass blower first transform nothing into a vase and then into a horse in under 20 seconds. It was awesome. Venice specializes in the "Murano" glass jewelry and it is beautiful. I bought lots of jewelry for cheap. Venice is so unique... I can't explain it to you. Each street is lined with canals and bridges and you have to literally walk across islands to get to other parts of the city. But, all of it looks just like the pictures below. The city is absolutely breathtaking and you feel alive just being there. It's romantic and picturesque and so different than anything I have ever seen. Best city on earth.
As far as Firenze goes (Florence), we saw the home of Michelangelo and the place that Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. Firenze specializes in leather... and I may have bartered to win a leather purse and a few other goods, but that's beside the point. I saw that purse back at Harrod's in London and fell in love. It was 120 pounds there and was for sale for 85 euro in Florence, but I bartered down to 50. So there. It's gorgeous and I'm proud of myself. Florence is gorgeous too and has a lot of history, but Venice is definitely my favorite.
From there we went to Pisa. There's really not much at all to see in Pisa, save for the Leaning Tower, which of course all the girls did a ton of touristy poses.
I love Italy. I'm going back. Hopefully in less than a year. I'm keeping the dream alive. I will live there someday.
Friday, April 3, 2009
EuroTrip Day 1
AmDam. I was in 4 countries today.
Here's how my day went: the 4 of us didn't go to sleep last night because we had to catch a taxi to the coach station at 2:50 am and that would have just been pointless. Before we left though, I showered at Linds' and Genna's and they have this crazy glass wall surrounding the shower, which I believed to be a permanent structure. Instead, it wasn't, so when I reached for my towel, the glass wall turned into a door which flew open, making me fly out of the tub, flip over, bang my head on the sink, and slide across the floor. Good times. I wonder if it's possible to injure yourself more than I can in a week. Fortunately, I've been there, done that, so things like that don't phase me and have led me to develop a high threshold for pain. But, for now I'm pretty heavily bruised and for a split second I thought I'd have to call Alex because I was sure I'd break my leg. Luckily, I didn't. Anyway, we arrived at the Sheffield coach station at around 0315 and our bus left at 0345... I refused to allow us to be late again, so we left super early. We were dropped off at london victoria (i slept the whole time) and as soon as we get off the bus, Genna ran around the corner and started vomiting from motion sickness. I felt bad for her, but I was kind of vomiting at the sound of it. Gross. From there, we took a taxi to meet up with our Cosmotourama tour group at some random hotel café and we took another bus to dover, which took about 2-2 1/2 hours. Then, we hopped on a ferry which took us to Calais, France. The ferry was the bomb. Everyone should take it. Oh, and I got my 2nd passport stamp... chhyeah.
Once we got off in France we boarded another tour bus and proceeded to drive through our 3rd and 4th countries of the day-- namely, Belgium and Netherland (aka Holland for you history enthusiasts). I decided that it is Holland to me because it's prettier and more representative of the culture... not that I've seen much of it. We literally just drove through. We drove through Antwerpen and Brussels in Belgium, but again, I slept most of the way plus it was cloudy and rainy, so I didn't see much. We dined at some truck stop on the side of the highway where we get to travel at 120 km/hr. Oh, and they drive on the right side of the road, which is an unbelievable relief. At the truck stop, I partook in a half decent salad, baguette, and some belgium chocolate deliciousness. I live by the baguettes, but I'm also for not spending any money on food here, so tomorrow, I'll be cutting back and enjoying the many nutri grain and cliff bars my dad sent me with. I'd rather pick stuff up along the way then fester in the back of the bus and get fat from little exercise.
So far, our tour group is pretty elderly and then there's the 4 of us. That's okay with me... takes the pressure of partying off tremendously when sometimes I just want some down time. Linds and I were thinking of heading into a Coffee Shop, aka Marijuana bar to get some Pot Cakes... lol not, but our tour guide said that if we wanted to stick our head in, it would be enough to get high. I think it's hilarious how they call it Coffee Shops-- AmDam's "coffee houses" are the legit cafés. However, if you ask for a "grasshopper," "stairway to heaven," or a place for "flying high," people will know what you are talking about. Naturally, stairway to heaven is my favorite... I bet it's my dad's too. Don't worry, though, I'm not into drugs. I endured D.A.R.E. and memorized that handbook like the back of my hand. Ask my mom what I used to say to people offering me alcohol. Other neat facts that I learned today included the fact that "gouda" cheese, an invention from Holland, is actually pronounced "How-duh." Also, Belgium chocolate is pronounced, "pralina" like our pralines if you weren't able to put 2 and 2 together. Also, most Belgians speak Flemish, French, and German... in case you were wondering. Oh, and a well known Amsterdam joke is that if your bike gets stolen in AmDam one night, it will turn up at one of the street vendors the next morning, so you can buy it back. Teehee. People bike here. And the people are tall. Basketball recruitment.
Tomorrow, we wake up at 0700 and proceed to shower, eat breakfast, and tour Amsterdam until we drive on to Munich. I will be drinking some beer in Munich. I feel like I would be shot if I didn't by any number of people. Wish I could watch UNC tear up Nova tomorrow... sorry Hallie Jean, but I'm pulling for my bros.
Here's how my day went: the 4 of us didn't go to sleep last night because we had to catch a taxi to the coach station at 2:50 am and that would have just been pointless. Before we left though, I showered at Linds' and Genna's and they have this crazy glass wall surrounding the shower, which I believed to be a permanent structure. Instead, it wasn't, so when I reached for my towel, the glass wall turned into a door which flew open, making me fly out of the tub, flip over, bang my head on the sink, and slide across the floor. Good times. I wonder if it's possible to injure yourself more than I can in a week. Fortunately, I've been there, done that, so things like that don't phase me and have led me to develop a high threshold for pain. But, for now I'm pretty heavily bruised and for a split second I thought I'd have to call Alex because I was sure I'd break my leg. Luckily, I didn't. Anyway, we arrived at the Sheffield coach station at around 0315 and our bus left at 0345... I refused to allow us to be late again, so we left super early. We were dropped off at london victoria (i slept the whole time) and as soon as we get off the bus, Genna ran around the corner and started vomiting from motion sickness. I felt bad for her, but I was kind of vomiting at the sound of it. Gross. From there, we took a taxi to meet up with our Cosmotourama tour group at some random hotel café and we took another bus to dover, which took about 2-2 1/2 hours. Then, we hopped on a ferry which took us to Calais, France. The ferry was the bomb. Everyone should take it. Oh, and I got my 2nd passport stamp... chhyeah.
Once we got off in France we boarded another tour bus and proceeded to drive through our 3rd and 4th countries of the day-- namely, Belgium and Netherland (aka Holland for you history enthusiasts). I decided that it is Holland to me because it's prettier and more representative of the culture... not that I've seen much of it. We literally just drove through. We drove through Antwerpen and Brussels in Belgium, but again, I slept most of the way plus it was cloudy and rainy, so I didn't see much. We dined at some truck stop on the side of the highway where we get to travel at 120 km/hr. Oh, and they drive on the right side of the road, which is an unbelievable relief. At the truck stop, I partook in a half decent salad, baguette, and some belgium chocolate deliciousness. I live by the baguettes, but I'm also for not spending any money on food here, so tomorrow, I'll be cutting back and enjoying the many nutri grain and cliff bars my dad sent me with. I'd rather pick stuff up along the way then fester in the back of the bus and get fat from little exercise.
So far, our tour group is pretty elderly and then there's the 4 of us. That's okay with me... takes the pressure of partying off tremendously when sometimes I just want some down time. Linds and I were thinking of heading into a Coffee Shop, aka Marijuana bar to get some Pot Cakes... lol not, but our tour guide said that if we wanted to stick our head in, it would be enough to get high. I think it's hilarious how they call it Coffee Shops-- AmDam's "coffee houses" are the legit cafés. However, if you ask for a "grasshopper," "stairway to heaven," or a place for "flying high," people will know what you are talking about. Naturally, stairway to heaven is my favorite... I bet it's my dad's too. Don't worry, though, I'm not into drugs. I endured D.A.R.E. and memorized that handbook like the back of my hand. Ask my mom what I used to say to people offering me alcohol. Other neat facts that I learned today included the fact that "gouda" cheese, an invention from Holland, is actually pronounced "How-duh." Also, Belgium chocolate is pronounced, "pralina" like our pralines if you weren't able to put 2 and 2 together. Also, most Belgians speak Flemish, French, and German... in case you were wondering. Oh, and a well known Amsterdam joke is that if your bike gets stolen in AmDam one night, it will turn up at one of the street vendors the next morning, so you can buy it back. Teehee. People bike here. And the people are tall. Basketball recruitment.
Tomorrow, we wake up at 0700 and proceed to shower, eat breakfast, and tour Amsterdam until we drive on to Munich. I will be drinking some beer in Munich. I feel like I would be shot if I didn't by any number of people. Wish I could watch UNC tear up Nova tomorrow... sorry Hallie Jean, but I'm pulling for my bros.
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