Berlin has been great but I do like Munich better. we went on a free tour which was so cool and saw a lot of Berlin. we ended up doing the tour in reverse by ourselves and stopping in all the free museums. We went to the holocaust museum which was intense but very small and crowded. today we went to a concentration camp where the nazis perfected the concentration camp to impliment in other camps. it was very intense and i have not had time to process what I saw but just wanted to tell people I saw that and will probably tell you all about it in person in just a few day.
speaking of going home... I have very mixed feelings. on one hand I am ready to hang out with my friends and be in the comfort of my life at home and look forward to it. but on the other hand there are so many things I still want to see. I am already trying to figure out how I can come back. the lady I stayed with in Zurich offered me her apartment in the apls for free when ever I want it and it is very very tempting. I love Europe and would like to come back as soon as I can. getting a job and having a real life just isnt appealing! ok well that is all I have time for now. internet is expensive here!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
I love Munich it is so freaking amazing! That might just be the litter of German beer that I drank talking but it is truly a great city! I went to Ludwigs castle today and it rained all day but it was so much fun. We made so many new friends and learned so many things plus we saw the castle that inspired walt Disney! After the tour we went to a famous beer hall in Munich with some people from the tour and had beer and I had some Bavarian pork. Best pork I have ever had. I would like to go into detail about Munich but I am yet again updating on my iPod and I am too tired to say anymore. Oh the hostel we are in is top quality I love it! Anyways be home in 5 days I will probably update in Berlin too! We go there tomorrow!!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Ok so I am doing this on my iPod because I finally found a apple store to fix my Internet connection and Internet here and in Venice is like 3 dollars a min! Anyways I loved Venice it was a lot of shopping and a lot of pretty things. Our hotel had no ac so we had to sleep with the window open which was loud and full of bugs. The first day we explored and got lost but eventually found our way. It started to rain and people tried to sell us umbrellas buy we just skipped and said no thanks we are from Seattle! There was thunder and lightning which was so cool I saw a bolt! The next day we explored some more and eventually met up with some friends from home! It was so great to see Kayla and Emmy we had a picnic dinner on a bridge and just sat and talked about our differnt adventures. It was nice to have other people to talk to but it also made us a little home sick for our friends and family.
The next day on a suggestion we went to the island of maurano to see all the glass. We went to the museum and saw glass from the first century which was incredible! I wore shoes I got in Rome that day which was a horrible idea my feet were killing me because they had no support. We saw this guy blow glass but his show lasted all of 2 min. Then we rode a bus Aka a boat to San Marco square which was cool but they were setting up for a fashion show so you couldn't get the whole effect. The rest of our time in Venice we just explored, we saw probably the whole island. We did not do much touristy things which was a nice break from Florence and Rome.
Oh Florence! Well I loved it, it is so pretty we stayed in an old nunnery which was great! The best part was seeing david that statue is increadible! Oh and I also liked sitting on a bridge watching the sunset while listening to live music.
Ok so now Zurich, first of all I have 30 plus bug bites from Venice 15 of which are on my right arm! Needless to say I am itchy! It is nice to see mountains again and have bearable weather it is only about 27 here as opposed to 40s. We followed the river in from where we are staying (with this nice Swiss lady) it took us over am hour but was really cool. Then we followed this route on a map and saw the highlights of Zurich. We went to a market, fed swans, watched people dive into the river, I bought a watch, had some Swiss chocolate and many more things. The Swiss frank is almost par with the dollar so it feels cheeper but it isn't. A grande iced lemon habiscus from starbucks cost 8 franks! And a paper back book cost over 20. Other then the expense I love it here and would for sure come back! Can't believe there are only 8 days left!
The next day on a suggestion we went to the island of maurano to see all the glass. We went to the museum and saw glass from the first century which was incredible! I wore shoes I got in Rome that day which was a horrible idea my feet were killing me because they had no support. We saw this guy blow glass but his show lasted all of 2 min. Then we rode a bus Aka a boat to San Marco square which was cool but they were setting up for a fashion show so you couldn't get the whole effect. The rest of our time in Venice we just explored, we saw probably the whole island. We did not do much touristy things which was a nice break from Florence and Rome.
Oh Florence! Well I loved it, it is so pretty we stayed in an old nunnery which was great! The best part was seeing david that statue is increadible! Oh and I also liked sitting on a bridge watching the sunset while listening to live music.
Ok so now Zurich, first of all I have 30 plus bug bites from Venice 15 of which are on my right arm! Needless to say I am itchy! It is nice to see mountains again and have bearable weather it is only about 27 here as opposed to 40s. We followed the river in from where we are staying (with this nice Swiss lady) it took us over am hour but was really cool. Then we followed this route on a map and saw the highlights of Zurich. We went to a market, fed swans, watched people dive into the river, I bought a watch, had some Swiss chocolate and many more things. The Swiss frank is almost par with the dollar so it feels cheeper but it isn't. A grande iced lemon habiscus from starbucks cost 8 franks! And a paper back book cost over 20. Other then the expense I love it here and would for sure come back! Can't believe there are only 8 days left!
Friday, July 23, 2010
rome!
Ok so this is the second time I have written this blog update because I am on a computer without a click so I can only right click and the right click options are all in Italian so yeah...
First thing about Rome is it is bloody hot! yesterday it was 100 degrees plus humidity! you walk outside side and are instantly sweaty (fun!). our travels here went easy we found out our train to Florence will be free so that is great and we found our hostel very easily and we had no problems (yay STA!). we then went out to explore random things. so we started at the famous fountain, I know the name but cant be bothered to try to spell it so incase you are thinking fountain? there are tons of fountains in Rome I will narrow it down. this is the one in all the movies and you throw a coin in it with your right hand over your left shoulder. It is extreamly pretty and super crowded. we sat and looked at it for a little while which was cool to just enjoy the fountain. then we went off to find the Pantheon- we ended up following a tour group straight there. the pantheon was under construction in the front which was lame but the inside was fine and free! the thing about Rome is that when you go into a place like the Pantheon everyone is quiet it is a nice change from everywhere else. actually before all of this we had pizza and it was the best pizza I have ever had. then after the pantheon we had galato and I am going to say that it is a good thing we are walking miles upon miles because the food here is just too tasty! oh the gelato was made out of real fruit and was amazing especially on a hot day! then we went to this random little church that the tourist info guy said was not to be missed. it was super cool and the mosaic ceilings were increadible. it was great to see. then we took off to find the mouth of truth (you know the stone thing from roman holliday where Gregory Peck pretends that it ate his hand and Audrey Heporn gets all shocked). we found it but 3 min after it closed! I was very sad about this. then we went to find the spanish steps but on the way I went to the bathroom and it was the most interesting bathroom experince I have ever had. first I had to buy a 4 euro drink, then there was no toilet seat (this is very common actually), and then no toilet paper and no nifity water thing that starts with a b either, then no soap, then it smelt so strongly of chemicals that my eyes started to burn and then I got out to find the guy had kicked katie out of his shop. so funny. then we stumbled upon the most expensive shopping district we have found yet the only thing missing was Coco Channel. then we finally found the Spanish steps which if i remember correctly were designed by the Italians, payed for by the French, named after the Spanish, occupied by the British, and now Americans travel miles and miles to sit on them. we followed tradition and sat on them for a while. then i noticed people were going into the fountain and drinking the water so I decided when in Rome! and did it too, I was a bit worried about the quality of the water but it was fine and actually have found that everyone drinks from the fountains. then we came back to sleep and found that our ac in our hostel was broken so we baked all night.
Yesterday we got up at 6:30 to got to the Vatican before it filled with people. we got there when it opened walked right into the main building (that has a name) the sun was still low in the sky so there was a really cool light affect in the windows and everything was so pretty. then we eventually found the sistine chapel area. waited in line these people tried to tell us we would be waiting over an hour and wanted us to buy a tour but we got in like half an hour later. I have never seen so many statues in my life. I took a pic with a few ceasers including Julius. when we got to the actual chapel I was blown away. it is so amazing in there words just cant explain how awe inspiring it is. I tried to sneak pics but they werent very good... then we found the pope mobiles litterally. and then explored a bit more, I went into the square and took more pics. then we went over to the castle but did not go in and the we stopped to eat I got pasta it was amazing! then we went somewhere else I cant remember where and then we went back to the mouth of truth! I got my pic taken and it was everything I thought it would be! then we went up to the old part of the city saw the coloceum (i am perfectly aware that that is not how that is spelt) and lots of other ruins then we walked around saw some more fountains and yay. oh I bought some shoes yesterday at some point. over all great day. today we are going to see the old part of the city in more detail it is going to be awesome. I will update as soon as I can.
First thing about Rome is it is bloody hot! yesterday it was 100 degrees plus humidity! you walk outside side and are instantly sweaty (fun!). our travels here went easy we found out our train to Florence will be free so that is great and we found our hostel very easily and we had no problems (yay STA!). we then went out to explore random things. so we started at the famous fountain, I know the name but cant be bothered to try to spell it so incase you are thinking fountain? there are tons of fountains in Rome I will narrow it down. this is the one in all the movies and you throw a coin in it with your right hand over your left shoulder. It is extreamly pretty and super crowded. we sat and looked at it for a little while which was cool to just enjoy the fountain. then we went off to find the Pantheon- we ended up following a tour group straight there. the pantheon was under construction in the front which was lame but the inside was fine and free! the thing about Rome is that when you go into a place like the Pantheon everyone is quiet it is a nice change from everywhere else. actually before all of this we had pizza and it was the best pizza I have ever had. then after the pantheon we had galato and I am going to say that it is a good thing we are walking miles upon miles because the food here is just too tasty! oh the gelato was made out of real fruit and was amazing especially on a hot day! then we went to this random little church that the tourist info guy said was not to be missed. it was super cool and the mosaic ceilings were increadible. it was great to see. then we took off to find the mouth of truth (you know the stone thing from roman holliday where Gregory Peck pretends that it ate his hand and Audrey Heporn gets all shocked). we found it but 3 min after it closed! I was very sad about this. then we went to find the spanish steps but on the way I went to the bathroom and it was the most interesting bathroom experince I have ever had. first I had to buy a 4 euro drink, then there was no toilet seat (this is very common actually), and then no toilet paper and no nifity water thing that starts with a b either, then no soap, then it smelt so strongly of chemicals that my eyes started to burn and then I got out to find the guy had kicked katie out of his shop. so funny. then we stumbled upon the most expensive shopping district we have found yet the only thing missing was Coco Channel. then we finally found the Spanish steps which if i remember correctly were designed by the Italians, payed for by the French, named after the Spanish, occupied by the British, and now Americans travel miles and miles to sit on them. we followed tradition and sat on them for a while. then i noticed people were going into the fountain and drinking the water so I decided when in Rome! and did it too, I was a bit worried about the quality of the water but it was fine and actually have found that everyone drinks from the fountains. then we came back to sleep and found that our ac in our hostel was broken so we baked all night.
Yesterday we got up at 6:30 to got to the Vatican before it filled with people. we got there when it opened walked right into the main building (that has a name) the sun was still low in the sky so there was a really cool light affect in the windows and everything was so pretty. then we eventually found the sistine chapel area. waited in line these people tried to tell us we would be waiting over an hour and wanted us to buy a tour but we got in like half an hour later. I have never seen so many statues in my life. I took a pic with a few ceasers including Julius. when we got to the actual chapel I was blown away. it is so amazing in there words just cant explain how awe inspiring it is. I tried to sneak pics but they werent very good... then we found the pope mobiles litterally. and then explored a bit more, I went into the square and took more pics. then we went over to the castle but did not go in and the we stopped to eat I got pasta it was amazing! then we went somewhere else I cant remember where and then we went back to the mouth of truth! I got my pic taken and it was everything I thought it would be! then we went up to the old part of the city saw the coloceum (i am perfectly aware that that is not how that is spelt) and lots of other ruins then we walked around saw some more fountains and yay. oh I bought some shoes yesterday at some point. over all great day. today we are going to see the old part of the city in more detail it is going to be awesome. I will update as soon as I can.
Monday, July 19, 2010
real quick
I do not have too much time but I am alive! First happy birthday scooter miss you! ok now malaga was a week of relaxation. I swam, slept, went on a day long adventure to pick up a practical joke from the post office, saw the ocean, read a book a day and well basically that is it. oh and drank a lot because apparently Spain is where you become an alcoholic. Barcelona started off bad aka the day from hell we waited in a 2 hour line to reserve tickets to Rome only to have a grumpy lady say she couldnt do it (she so could she was just lazy and grumpy) and she sent us to the info line, where we waited for 20 min and then were sent back to the 2 hour line which was only about an hour the second time. we got a very nice man who got us the cheepest easiest route. so that is fixed. then we got to our hostel where we were informed that hostel world only reserved one bed one night and 2 beds for the second. so we had to find an alternative and still pay for it. but we are in a hotel which is pretty nice except (this may be too much info for some of you but it is what is happening)our neighbors have sex all night and the walls are paper thin. so my ipod is my new best friend. when we first discovered the noise katie was in the bathroom and I was sitting in the room and she finally said is that what i think it is? that better be the tv! it was very funny. the next day we saw the Picasso museum and the cathedral of Bacelona and the arc de trump and a bunch of other things. I bought fans from this lady who I bonded with over our dislike of people bringing ice cream into her store and me pretending to understand everything she said to me. and I made friends with her dog. it was very fun. today we saw lots of Gaudi and the beach and wondered a long time. I like Barcelona but I am excited for Italy! we are taking a night train to Italy tomorrow which is going to take 2 days off of Rome but we had so much time there it should be fine. Well that is about it. love you all!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
malaga
Well first I will say I miss Madrid, well if I was being honest I miss the new friends I made in Madrid more than the actual place. It was nice to have other people to hang out with and have random intence discussions with and to awkwardly dance with these random people who were trying (but failed) to start a dance party. I miss it! Malaga is pretty great so far but I kind of miss having something to do everyday. I have already read about 3 books but they were books from the lending library so they are not quality books. I have been sleeping a lot and I got really sunburned the first day ( I guess I need a mother like figure to pester me to reapply sunscreen) watching the game was amazing but not nearly as fun as watching it in madrid. but Spain won! I am looking forward to Barcelona where we can start being adventurous agian. We have tv here which is nice but also not nice because I got used to not having it and now it is just so tempting! I cannot believe we are halfway done with our trip it is going so fast. the second half of our trip is a lot slower, we are staying in each place longer which will be a nice change of pace. I love spain and am going to miss it when we leave. I for sure want to come back but maybe in their winter because the middle of the summer is super hot believe it or not!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
ESPAÑA
So I went to this stadium in Madrid to watch the España vs Germany game with a whole bunch of people from my hostel! it was so much fun! I had a jersey (not a real one) and a spanish flag as a skirt. It was funny because when I thought about it I dont own an American flag or have ever considered dressing up all in my countries colors because I think in the US that would be super weird. but here it is perfectly normal! so I just went all out and we were in this huge crowd and were trying our best to copy the chants that everyone was saying. as I don´t speak spanish i was really just mummbeling everything except España. I have never seen anything like this ever! when spain scored it was madness I was being pushed around and people where hugging and jumping up and down. then people shot off fireworks in the crowd. all of a sudden we were pushed back and everyone in front of us was covering thier ears then BOOM! it was insane! I am so glad I had that experience. afterwards we tried to get back to the hostel via metro but they were not letting people through the metro stop so we went to a bar for a while and then tried again. I made so many new friends and have some new inside jokes it was such a great experience. after the game when we finally got on the metro a whole bunch of German fans got on and so we started cheering/chanting and they cheered too it was really funny to have a cheer off on the metro. but the German fans still had their pride and were still in relitivly good spirts.
Madrid has been an entirly different experience. it is so hot here (40c and higher which to put that into perspective 32c is 90 degrees f) so it is so hot that you cannot do anything hardly at all during the day. I have been napping because it is just too hot. the afternoon ends at 9pm and that is when everyone comes out. it is insane and a compleatly different experince. the first day we were here we were so hungry that we just went on a 10 euro tapas tour. it was fun to have a bunch of different things I tried 3 different kinds of drinks and 4 different tapas. I loved this potato salad thing that isnt normal potato salad it was amazing! after we wandered around in the shaded areas and found this Flamanco company what was doing a Flamanco version of Carmen so we decided to go to that. I went in not knowing much about Carmen, I only knew the ending and I came out knowing just about the same amount. but the dancing was so cool! I want a skirt that twirls like that! it was very pretty and a lot of fun so see. afterwards we went and found a bar to watch the holland game and I ordered sangreia (Sp?) and well I got the biggest glass that wasnt a pitcher that I have ever seen. it took me the whole game to finish drinking it. and i had some traditional spanish rice dish that I keep forgetting the name of. it was fun watching the game there, we were the youngest people there. but everyone else except the people who worked there were cheering for holland so that was kind of cool. we do not really know what to see here so we took another free walking tour but we still dont know what to see so we are just relaxing and enjoying the city. tomorrow I think we will go to this park with a pool and maybe some other things. I am excited to still be in spain for the world cup final.
Madrid has been an entirly different experience. it is so hot here (40c and higher which to put that into perspective 32c is 90 degrees f) so it is so hot that you cannot do anything hardly at all during the day. I have been napping because it is just too hot. the afternoon ends at 9pm and that is when everyone comes out. it is insane and a compleatly different experince. the first day we were here we were so hungry that we just went on a 10 euro tapas tour. it was fun to have a bunch of different things I tried 3 different kinds of drinks and 4 different tapas. I loved this potato salad thing that isnt normal potato salad it was amazing! after we wandered around in the shaded areas and found this Flamanco company what was doing a Flamanco version of Carmen so we decided to go to that. I went in not knowing much about Carmen, I only knew the ending and I came out knowing just about the same amount. but the dancing was so cool! I want a skirt that twirls like that! it was very pretty and a lot of fun so see. afterwards we went and found a bar to watch the holland game and I ordered sangreia (Sp?) and well I got the biggest glass that wasnt a pitcher that I have ever seen. it took me the whole game to finish drinking it. and i had some traditional spanish rice dish that I keep forgetting the name of. it was fun watching the game there, we were the youngest people there. but everyone else except the people who worked there were cheering for holland so that was kind of cool. we do not really know what to see here so we took another free walking tour but we still dont know what to see so we are just relaxing and enjoying the city. tomorrow I think we will go to this park with a pool and maybe some other things. I am excited to still be in spain for the world cup final.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Paris
I love Paris! I like it so much more than London (sorry if you love London). the first day we did a lot. we started with Notre-dame and we went into the catherdral, it was so pretty and dark at the same time. then we decided to go up to the tower which was a long line. we were behind this family from the east coast who were so funny. when people tried to join the line near us, thus cutting, the mom would very quickly point out their mistake then ask her family, "what are they stupid or something? can they not see this big line?" then she would blame her directness on her inner New Yorker. it was very amusing. so we did not know that in order to get to the towers you had to climb these steep spirl stairs and there were a lot of them! there was a group of us and we would take breaks every so often and when we got to the top we cheered for each other that we all made it! the view was incredible! you could see all of Paris and it was a clear blue skies kind of day so it was truely amazing. then we went up to see the bell and I said, "no wonder quasi moto did not get out much, he was avoiding all these stairs!" the bell was huge and old and cool. then we went up some more stairs, at this point everyone was like NOOO more stairs! but we all made it up and we were at the very top. we could walk all the way around and be at eye level of gargoles it was worth all of those scary stairs. then it came time to go down. we ran into people going up on our way down and we all were like you can do it! you are almost there! it is worth it! it was really funny.
then we wandered by the river and stumbled upon a market I bought some earrings made by this French lady. then we walked and found the intersection Bastille was in and then we found these cute clothes all on sale so we bought some french clothes. then eventually we made it to the Louve. I dont think that you can ever see everything there and really appriciate it unless you do it over the span of a few days. but what I saw was cool and I really enjoyed seeing everything, I took pictures of what I liked. then we went to the Eiffel tower and saw it just before sunset, it was really pretty. that thing is huge! then we got lost at night and eventually made it home.
day two was just as cool. we had a late start but we still saw a lot. we went to the prison where all the enimies of the french rev were held including marie antionett it was really cool. then we walked to the patheaon but did not go in because it was too expensive so then we went to the museum D'Orsy instead. that was according to the description where all the Louve rejects wents. there was a lot of monet and van goh i like this better because there was a lot less things so it was less overwhellming. then we went back to the Eiffel tower and walked up it. yes i did say WALK. we made friends with the lady behind us and we took each other pictures. the views from here were amazing! and i have a lot to saw about it but no time.
for the fourth of july we went to versailles. it was incredible and i loved it. i cannot decribe just how amazing it is. but i did get a really bad sunburn and i did walk around for pretty much 6 straight hours. It was awesome! Ok well that is all for now. we cant go to bordeaux any more because we could not get a train there so we are leaving for madrid tonight!
then we wandered by the river and stumbled upon a market I bought some earrings made by this French lady. then we walked and found the intersection Bastille was in and then we found these cute clothes all on sale so we bought some french clothes. then eventually we made it to the Louve. I dont think that you can ever see everything there and really appriciate it unless you do it over the span of a few days. but what I saw was cool and I really enjoyed seeing everything, I took pictures of what I liked. then we went to the Eiffel tower and saw it just before sunset, it was really pretty. that thing is huge! then we got lost at night and eventually made it home.
day two was just as cool. we had a late start but we still saw a lot. we went to the prison where all the enimies of the french rev were held including marie antionett it was really cool. then we walked to the patheaon but did not go in because it was too expensive so then we went to the museum D'Orsy instead. that was according to the description where all the Louve rejects wents. there was a lot of monet and van goh i like this better because there was a lot less things so it was less overwhellming. then we went back to the Eiffel tower and walked up it. yes i did say WALK. we made friends with the lady behind us and we took each other pictures. the views from here were amazing! and i have a lot to saw about it but no time.
for the fourth of july we went to versailles. it was incredible and i loved it. i cannot decribe just how amazing it is. but i did get a really bad sunburn and i did walk around for pretty much 6 straight hours. It was awesome! Ok well that is all for now. we cant go to bordeaux any more because we could not get a train there so we are leaving for madrid tonight!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
I am alive
this is a weird key board so if i make a big mistake then that is why, it is hard to fight mussel memory! The rest of london was great the place we stayed in was 10 times better. we saw lots of cool things. Cory if you read this you have a doppelganger in london I swore you were in the London Natural history museum! The museum was not as cool as the one in new york but it was free. we also watched the England/Germany game in a pub this was insane! before it became clear they would lose everyone was cheering and chanting, when the goal was not counted everyone booed the ref everytime he came on screen it was so much fun!
Amsterdam:
I really liked Amsterdam I had dutch pancakes which are amazing! then we went to Anne Franks house, I almost cried a few times it was incredible to see what she described in real life. the thing about Amsterdam is that it is just so dang pretty. we did another free walking tour that was fun and interesting. on it we met a girl named kim from Austrailia she happened to also be in our hostel and in our room. I really enjoyed hanging out with her. we went back to the Hostel (that was in the middle of the red light district) and started talking to this other aussie about how sometimes America sees different endings to movies than the rest of the world. then the four of us wondered around Amsterdam until we got hungry then we stopped got food and watched the Portugal vs Spain game, well the first half anyways. on our way back we stumbeled upon the Eclipes primire full of a red carpet and teenage girls all dressed up. we asked if anyone famous would be there and apprently famous dutch people were so we decided to leave. walking through the red light district near dark was interesting, the streets were full of men and it was just a strange culture. we hadnt slept at all the previous night so we went to bed fairly early. in hindsight I wish we had longer there, there was so much we did not see.
Brussels:
Boring. not much to do here and we had to get a later train to Paris so we were here for almost 2 days. the best thing was our hosts, they were so nice and we caught up on Lie to Me which makes me laugh. We also slept in until past 10 Which was glorious! Belgium waffles in Belgium best ever and belgium chocolate!!!! we are off to paris soon! I will update this as soon as I can.
Amsterdam:
I really liked Amsterdam I had dutch pancakes which are amazing! then we went to Anne Franks house, I almost cried a few times it was incredible to see what she described in real life. the thing about Amsterdam is that it is just so dang pretty. we did another free walking tour that was fun and interesting. on it we met a girl named kim from Austrailia she happened to also be in our hostel and in our room. I really enjoyed hanging out with her. we went back to the Hostel (that was in the middle of the red light district) and started talking to this other aussie about how sometimes America sees different endings to movies than the rest of the world. then the four of us wondered around Amsterdam until we got hungry then we stopped got food and watched the Portugal vs Spain game, well the first half anyways. on our way back we stumbeled upon the Eclipes primire full of a red carpet and teenage girls all dressed up. we asked if anyone famous would be there and apprently famous dutch people were so we decided to leave. walking through the red light district near dark was interesting, the streets were full of men and it was just a strange culture. we hadnt slept at all the previous night so we went to bed fairly early. in hindsight I wish we had longer there, there was so much we did not see.
Brussels:
Boring. not much to do here and we had to get a later train to Paris so we were here for almost 2 days. the best thing was our hosts, they were so nice and we caught up on Lie to Me which makes me laugh. We also slept in until past 10 Which was glorious! Belgium waffles in Belgium best ever and belgium chocolate!!!! we are off to paris soon! I will update this as soon as I can.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saved by moms IPAD
Ok well first off Bath:
Bath is the most beautiful city we have seen to date. It is difficult to descibe how pretty it is but my goodness I loved that city! Some highlights: Jane Austen- a few of her novels were influenced by Bath and it was fun to go to the Jane Austen Centre, as many of you know she is one of my faviorte authors. We got to see some of the sights she describes in her novels and it was awesome! Mainly we just wondered around the city but it was great. at the end of the day we set out to find our hosts house but first we stopped at an internet cafe to get directions, here we met this kid who is the first person in Europe to create a 3d system for playing video games it was really cool. then we followed the directions given to us to the persons house and missed the holloway (actually I just did not know this meant underground). so we got lost walked about a mile in the wrong direction, stopped at a hotel where we were given mapquest directons then followed those. we ended up walking us this BIG hill and i am talking steep (like the driveway in lake chelan only a few miles long). we got to where we were staying and found out she got her dates mixed up but we could stay there anyways. it was fine but a bit awkward. that is about it for bath
LONDON (so far)
we got to london and got to our hostel only to find it super sketchy! at first i thought it was going to be fine because this guy that works there was nice and was watching lady gaga music videos and then Justin Beiber and I naturally talked to him about these music choices so from then on when ever he saw me he would start singing baby to me. but anyways the hostel was horid! it was hot, we were the only tourists, lots of people were just looking for jobs, my phone got stolen and it gave me the creeps. so the first full day we explored and say the castle, tate modern and the eye and then decided we could not go back there because it made us physically cringe at the idea of sleeping there again. so we tracked me down a new phone to buy and then called my mom and asked her to use her powers of internet to find us a place to stay! we were lucky she had her IPAD with her! anyways now we are staying near notting hill and we feel safe and slept well. (katie did not have to sleep holding everything she cares about) today we say Westminster Abby and the house of parliment and a few other things like the National Gallery. I like London but it reminds me of an older New York so it does not feel super new to me but it is still cool. I need to go home and read up on English history because it is so facinating.
I miss Karaoke! oh and England is having a heatwave go figure... we have not seen rain since we left! I miss it. but not too much! Ok that is the abridged version of what I have been up to since my last post. Love you all!
Bath is the most beautiful city we have seen to date. It is difficult to descibe how pretty it is but my goodness I loved that city! Some highlights: Jane Austen- a few of her novels were influenced by Bath and it was fun to go to the Jane Austen Centre, as many of you know she is one of my faviorte authors. We got to see some of the sights she describes in her novels and it was awesome! Mainly we just wondered around the city but it was great. at the end of the day we set out to find our hosts house but first we stopped at an internet cafe to get directions, here we met this kid who is the first person in Europe to create a 3d system for playing video games it was really cool. then we followed the directions given to us to the persons house and missed the holloway (actually I just did not know this meant underground). so we got lost walked about a mile in the wrong direction, stopped at a hotel where we were given mapquest directons then followed those. we ended up walking us this BIG hill and i am talking steep (like the driveway in lake chelan only a few miles long). we got to where we were staying and found out she got her dates mixed up but we could stay there anyways. it was fine but a bit awkward. that is about it for bath
LONDON (so far)
we got to london and got to our hostel only to find it super sketchy! at first i thought it was going to be fine because this guy that works there was nice and was watching lady gaga music videos and then Justin Beiber and I naturally talked to him about these music choices so from then on when ever he saw me he would start singing baby to me. but anyways the hostel was horid! it was hot, we were the only tourists, lots of people were just looking for jobs, my phone got stolen and it gave me the creeps. so the first full day we explored and say the castle, tate modern and the eye and then decided we could not go back there because it made us physically cringe at the idea of sleeping there again. so we tracked me down a new phone to buy and then called my mom and asked her to use her powers of internet to find us a place to stay! we were lucky she had her IPAD with her! anyways now we are staying near notting hill and we feel safe and slept well. (katie did not have to sleep holding everything she cares about) today we say Westminster Abby and the house of parliment and a few other things like the National Gallery. I like London but it reminds me of an older New York so it does not feel super new to me but it is still cool. I need to go home and read up on English history because it is so facinating.
I miss Karaoke! oh and England is having a heatwave go figure... we have not seen rain since we left! I miss it. but not too much! Ok that is the abridged version of what I have been up to since my last post. Love you all!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wales and Oxford
Ok so Wales was so so, it did not make my list of places to come back but it was pretty. we got off the airplane and waited for a bus and the bus we wanted passed by and these four elderly folk with accents got all mad and were so hilarious about it. they kept having round about conversations (meaning the conversation repeated over and over) one lady said the bus driver had no right to assume we would not want that bus! and when the other bus came another lady said she would stop it with her foot if she had to. it was just so amusing. I couldn't even be mad about missing the first bus because I was so entertained. so we finally got on the bus and then we got to Cardiff central but the drive there was so pretty, there were horses (abby: you would've loved it!) but when we got there it was kind of dirty and a bit sketchy. then we decided to walk to the bay because we were waiting for the lady we were staying with to call us. we accidentally ended up walking through the projects of cardiff which may not sound scary but let me tell you! the Welsh accent is so hard to understand that I could not understand a single thing they were saying so I was (probably irrationally) fearing a surprise attack. we made it through and the bay was really pretty. it is where Dr. Who and Torchwood is filmed and produced so katie was excited. we still had not heard from the person we were staying with by the time we had dinner so I called my mom and she was nice enough to find us a cheap place to stay at. basically that is it for cardiff.
Oxford is awesome! I love the old buildings and all the colleges. I was looking for like main campus Oxford but could not find it. we walked past Christ Church which had a really pretty garden and then we walked all over town and while we were walking the lady we were supposed to stay with the night before called me to apologize. it was a bit of an awkward conversation. but at least she called. then we went to the University park which I was not super enthusiastic about but Katie was. we stayed for a bit then went to look at the pretty old buildings got to St. Giles Church then discussed what to do with our time. I did not want to spend my time at a park I wanted to explore and katie wanted to go to the park so we decided to split up and meet at the pub where C.S Lewis and Tolkien met frequently, The Eagle and Child. So I went exploring and looked at this one school which had pretty lawns that you could not touch, which is a trend here (why have a pretty lawn with inviting trees if we cant use them!). then I accidentally found what must be central oxford. there was a cool library and this hall which I could not get in to but I am pretty sure it was the Harry Potter hall. I just enjoyed wondering around and seeing all I could see. At dinner we met these Americans from California who are here filming a documentary about religion and science and how they can go together. we chatted with them for a while and then went back to our hostel. where I watched some of the Greece Vs Argentina game, I am pretty sure I was the only person who wanted Greece to win but that is only because of Nathan and Effie.
Oh! I am super excited to find out I have an accent! I have always wanted to have one! most people mistake me for Canadian based on my accent though, so I dont know what to think about that! but I am excited to have an American/Canadian accent! YAY! Ok next Bath then London! then we are done with our English speaking countries...
Oxford is awesome! I love the old buildings and all the colleges. I was looking for like main campus Oxford but could not find it. we walked past Christ Church which had a really pretty garden and then we walked all over town and while we were walking the lady we were supposed to stay with the night before called me to apologize. it was a bit of an awkward conversation. but at least she called. then we went to the University park which I was not super enthusiastic about but Katie was. we stayed for a bit then went to look at the pretty old buildings got to St. Giles Church then discussed what to do with our time. I did not want to spend my time at a park I wanted to explore and katie wanted to go to the park so we decided to split up and meet at the pub where C.S Lewis and Tolkien met frequently, The Eagle and Child. So I went exploring and looked at this one school which had pretty lawns that you could not touch, which is a trend here (why have a pretty lawn with inviting trees if we cant use them!). then I accidentally found what must be central oxford. there was a cool library and this hall which I could not get in to but I am pretty sure it was the Harry Potter hall. I just enjoyed wondering around and seeing all I could see. At dinner we met these Americans from California who are here filming a documentary about religion and science and how they can go together. we chatted with them for a while and then went back to our hostel. where I watched some of the Greece Vs Argentina game, I am pretty sure I was the only person who wanted Greece to win but that is only because of Nathan and Effie.
Oh! I am super excited to find out I have an accent! I have always wanted to have one! most people mistake me for Canadian based on my accent though, so I dont know what to think about that! but I am excited to have an American/Canadian accent! YAY! Ok next Bath then London! then we are done with our English speaking countries...
Monday, June 21, 2010
Goodbye Scotland
We are leaving Scotland soon. I am both excited and sad about this fact. Edinburgh is on my list of places to come again. Oh and I had 2 glasses of lemonade yesterday! one in the morning which was really good and one in the afternoon which was not good. the second one would've been good if they added water to it but as it was it was like lemon goop and really really sour. I even added mango juice, thinking trader joes had mango lemonade and that is delicious so this should be too, WRONG! it was not good. I ended up buying a bottle of water and downed half of the lemonade and added water to it. the water helped a little.
So far we have done a lot. Saturday night we met some boys from Portugal at our hostel. we ended up going for a walk with them, where I asked a lot of stupid questions because katie was quiet and so were the boys unless prompted. I was sad they had to go the next morning because I really enjoyed them! we ended up going to a pub for a pint before going back to the hostel. We were the first ones in our room to go to bed and we were on the ground floor and well around 1am people who were apparently locked out proceeded to bang on our window which was fairly scary but we did not want to let them in because there was no way of knowing if they were really residents or not so we just tried to sleep through it.
Yesterday we went on a free 3 hour tour (insert Gilligan's Island tune here)it was a walking tour and it was so cool. we learned all about the history and heard stories and yeah. we saw the building that was the inspiration for hogwarts and a tomb with the name Thomas Riddle and other names that are in Harry Potter. I was very excited! we also went to Edinburgh Castle which I really really enjoyed. we got to see where Mary Queen of Scots was born and see the dungon and all sorts of other cool things. the best thing was the view! I called my dad while was there to say happy fathers day and he told me to keep on blogging so this is me keeping on blogging. we leave for Wales soon I am currently uploading pics I have no clue what pics they are because I just clicked random ones. But it should give you guys and idea of what we have been doing. they will be on flickr.
So far we have done a lot. Saturday night we met some boys from Portugal at our hostel. we ended up going for a walk with them, where I asked a lot of stupid questions because katie was quiet and so were the boys unless prompted. I was sad they had to go the next morning because I really enjoyed them! we ended up going to a pub for a pint before going back to the hostel. We were the first ones in our room to go to bed and we were on the ground floor and well around 1am people who were apparently locked out proceeded to bang on our window which was fairly scary but we did not want to let them in because there was no way of knowing if they were really residents or not so we just tried to sleep through it.
Yesterday we went on a free 3 hour tour (insert Gilligan's Island tune here)it was a walking tour and it was so cool. we learned all about the history and heard stories and yeah. we saw the building that was the inspiration for hogwarts and a tomb with the name Thomas Riddle and other names that are in Harry Potter. I was very excited! we also went to Edinburgh Castle which I really really enjoyed. we got to see where Mary Queen of Scots was born and see the dungon and all sorts of other cool things. the best thing was the view! I called my dad while was there to say happy fathers day and he told me to keep on blogging so this is me keeping on blogging. we leave for Wales soon I am currently uploading pics I have no clue what pics they are because I just clicked random ones. But it should give you guys and idea of what we have been doing. they will be on flickr.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Scotland!
I love Scotland! It is amazing here the people are nice and the cities are fairly easy to figure out! we just got done with the whiskey tour in Edinburgh it was pretty cool. we rode on this thing that took us though how scotch whiskey is made. then we tried some whiskey. I dont like it very much but it is still pretty cool with come water added. our hostel is awesome we are in a dorm style room and we share a bunk. I am trying to find a way to post pictures but it is not working none of these computers have sd card readers and I did not think to bring my usb connecter. I might have to buy one. we have almost 2 more days in Edinburgh and I am really excited because it is quickly becoming my faviorte stop (sorry Ireland) so far. we are becoming pros at walking around with our backpacks on.
Oh so in my previous post I said damn 3a and I did not have time to explain why, it is a joke really. we were told by a waitress to take the 3A bus to find C.S lewis and when we gave up on going to Titantic (because that bus is a ghost and snuck past us) we boarded the 3A but katie asked if this was the right bus for the C.S lewis statue on Hollywood ave (because we were not super sure) and the bus driver looked at us like we were crazy then called over the inspector and he had no idea either so we sat down and then after inspecting our map decided this was not the bus so we got off before it left the station and then went to city hall and st Anne's catherdral (we have seen A LOT of churches!) and a WWII memorial thing. then we walked all the way back to city center to catch what we thought was the right bus and rode it and eventually found the libary where the statue was. while wondering around what bus should drive by but the 3A! we found our friend C.S Lewis and took lots of pics and the old man took a pic of both of us turns out he used to preach at a church in Bremerton and he used to live right by the boarder and visted Lynden and bellingham a lot. well anyways we missed a 3A back and had to wait for the next one and while we were waiting we were jokingly saying damn you 3A! so that is the story of the awesome epic journey to find C.S lewis and narnia.
Oh so in my previous post I said damn 3a and I did not have time to explain why, it is a joke really. we were told by a waitress to take the 3A bus to find C.S lewis and when we gave up on going to Titantic (because that bus is a ghost and snuck past us) we boarded the 3A but katie asked if this was the right bus for the C.S lewis statue on Hollywood ave (because we were not super sure) and the bus driver looked at us like we were crazy then called over the inspector and he had no idea either so we sat down and then after inspecting our map decided this was not the bus so we got off before it left the station and then went to city hall and st Anne's catherdral (we have seen A LOT of churches!) and a WWII memorial thing. then we walked all the way back to city center to catch what we thought was the right bus and rode it and eventually found the libary where the statue was. while wondering around what bus should drive by but the 3A! we found our friend C.S Lewis and took lots of pics and the old man took a pic of both of us turns out he used to preach at a church in Bremerton and he used to live right by the boarder and visted Lynden and bellingham a lot. well anyways we missed a 3A back and had to wait for the next one and while we were waiting we were jokingly saying damn you 3A! so that is the story of the awesome epic journey to find C.S lewis and narnia.
a series of epic adventures
So in Belfast we had to carry our bags around which made exploring a little harder. we wanted to see the titanic launch spot and the c.s lewis statue but we had to battle the bus system first it was an epic battle which as it turns out was a draw. the bus wont the first round and we could not see titantic but we prevailed over the damn 3a bus and got ourselves to our friend C.S Lewis! I dont have time to give all the details but that was the gist. then we had to find where we were staying but my phone was not letting me call Judith so I had Lupe call her from France. we eventually found Jude and Judith and they took us in their car around belfast where we saw a lot of murals. the Catholic vs Prodastant issue is big! anyways I love Glasgow, Scottland is awesome! we had to stay in a hotel because the people we had planned on staying with fell through. we went on a hike on a natropilus and saw a beautiful view. it was brilliant to stay in a hotel and have a nice shower and a nice big bed! we are off to Edinburgh now will try to update in more detail!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
random tour
So we were in the park trying to figure out how to get to get from the path to the grass when the random lady started talking to us. Her name was Francis and she was super nice. So the next thing we know we are being guided all around the part of Dublin we had never seen before! she told us all these stories and we walked a lot! She showed us low income housing and the U2 graftie wall and we went through so many different neighborhood and saw a bunch of different canals and we ended up at the beach! so cool because we were not planning on seeing the beach. we ended up having a picnic there. so yeah that is all for now. tomorrow we leave for Belfast!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
day one and two ish
ok so the 17 plus hours of travel to get here were fairly uneventful. I slept through the first two and tried my best to sleep on the last. Boston's airport was so confusing but it made for a funny adventure to find terminal E but after a little while we finally found it. The two girls we are staying with are awesome they are Italians living in Dublin, well actually they live in Swords which is full of cute houses and such. So far we rode on a double Decker bus and sat on the second story, I got my first stamp in my passport, we saw our first castle (Dublin castle), saw our first old church (Christ's Church), sat in a park and ate at a restaurant called Queen of tarts.
Christ's Church was by far my fave part of the day. It is incredible and so amazing how multiple different types of architecture can come together to create such a unique place. We were lucky enough to get there during a service so we got to listen to scripture and pray in this amazing place, I feel blessed to have seen it! I also really liked Saint Stephen's Green (the park we went to) it was a mix of a lake (more pondish), large grass areas, large areas with trees, lots of benches and gazebos. It was nice not to just go go go and see every tourist attraction we could. I think by pausing and taking a break in the park we got to just simply be in Dublin rather than just see it.
Umm awkward moment of the day? well going to find the park and asking this kid raising money for kittens and puppies the paws project. he asked where we were from and I told him Seattle and he asked if I had heard of the Paws project and I said I had partly because I really had heard of it but also partially because I wanted the guy to buzz off. well needless to say he did not believe that I had heard about it before and walked us all the way to the park entrance (which was handy because we didn't know where it was) and then he asked us for a donation and I was like well we will think about it... and he was like don't be like that! think about the kittens save the kittens! and it took all my effort to walk away, apparently I have animal lover written all over my face. it wasn't that awkward just kind of funny! Ok well that is all for today. next we are heading to Trinity college to explore then we are meeting one of the girls we are staying with to go back to her place where we can hopefully crash, because we are sooo tired!
Christ's Church was by far my fave part of the day. It is incredible and so amazing how multiple different types of architecture can come together to create such a unique place. We were lucky enough to get there during a service so we got to listen to scripture and pray in this amazing place, I feel blessed to have seen it! I also really liked Saint Stephen's Green (the park we went to) it was a mix of a lake (more pondish), large grass areas, large areas with trees, lots of benches and gazebos. It was nice not to just go go go and see every tourist attraction we could. I think by pausing and taking a break in the park we got to just simply be in Dublin rather than just see it.
Umm awkward moment of the day? well going to find the park and asking this kid raising money for kittens and puppies the paws project. he asked where we were from and I told him Seattle and he asked if I had heard of the Paws project and I said I had partly because I really had heard of it but also partially because I wanted the guy to buzz off. well needless to say he did not believe that I had heard about it before and walked us all the way to the park entrance (which was handy because we didn't know where it was) and then he asked us for a donation and I was like well we will think about it... and he was like don't be like that! think about the kittens save the kittens! and it took all my effort to walk away, apparently I have animal lover written all over my face. it wasn't that awkward just kind of funny! Ok well that is all for today. next we are heading to Trinity college to explore then we are meeting one of the girls we are staying with to go back to her place where we can hopefully crash, because we are sooo tired!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Leaving on a jet plane
In like five hours I will be on a plane on my way to Dublin! I am super tired right now because I did not sleep tonight but I am excited! Yesterday (Saturday) I graduated from college and that is mind boggling it went by so quickly. I suppose I will have to get used to the idea while in Europe... I haven't really wrapped my mind around the fact that I will be in Europe tomorrow but I think it will hit me when I am on the plane. This is going to be a crazy ride and I am excited to share all of this with you all. Hopefully I will have time to update this every once in a while! I set up a Flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/amshag/
I will occasionally put photos up on their if I do I will put the link up in my blog so you all will know! K well see you all in 2 months!
Amanda
I will occasionally put photos up on their if I do I will put the link up in my blog so you all will know! K well see you all in 2 months!
Amanda
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Thank yous and goodbyes
So at work this past week we have been doing thank you calls. Which is basically calling people and saying hey thanks for the donation and that is it. I don't know why but it is so awkward! It makes no sense why saying thank you is super awkward but I found myself either in a perpetual thanking circle with the caller, "thank you! No, Thank you! etc.." or I have to explain to them that I am not asking for more money which is also awkward. People are just so surprised when you do not have a motive when thanking them. I wonder what the awkwardness of thanking someone says about our society. We do not know how to thank people and we do not know how to respond to being thanked.
In a week from today I will be graduating college and along with that brings many things. Among one of them is having to say goodbye to my cat Cooper. Our landlord next year is not letting pets so alas I have to part with my other half. I am going to miss him so much I freaking love that cat. I am also preparing to go to Europe for the summer! It is coming so quick and i still have a bunch of things to do along with passing my finals and packing up my room but I think I am going to survive. Next week is my last week for 2 months for karaoke! I love going to the Cabin, I am now a regular and last week I did not even have to show my ID! I want the last song I sing for a while to be epic but am having trouble thinking of a song, So far I have sung, I'm Gonna Be (500 miles), Save a horse ride a cowbow, barbie girl, teenage dirtbag, come together.
In a week from today I will be graduating college and along with that brings many things. Among one of them is having to say goodbye to my cat Cooper. Our landlord next year is not letting pets so alas I have to part with my other half. I am going to miss him so much I freaking love that cat. I am also preparing to go to Europe for the summer! It is coming so quick and i still have a bunch of things to do along with passing my finals and packing up my room but I think I am going to survive. Next week is my last week for 2 months for karaoke! I love going to the Cabin, I am now a regular and last week I did not even have to show my ID! I want the last song I sing for a while to be epic but am having trouble thinking of a song, So far I have sung, I'm Gonna Be (500 miles), Save a horse ride a cowbow, barbie girl, teenage dirtbag, come together.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Movie reviews
Today I got around to watching the two netflix dvds I have had for a week. I am getting slower at watching the DVDs because netflix streams on the Wii now.
The first movie was Inglorious Bastards. Now I know that mostly everyone has seen this but I waited patiently for netflix to send it to me and oh man was it worth the wait. This movie was fantastic! It was well acted for one thing. It was a perfect harmony of comedy, satire, action, and drama all set in the glamorized time of WWII. I loved it! It is a little graphic in parts but I just covered my eyes.
The second movie was An Education. this movie was also amazing. I would whole heartedly recommend it. It is superbly acted and the plot is super interesting. I just loved it, it had a nice pace and kept me guessing. The main character Jenny was relatable and I love the actress who plays her.
On another more embarrassing note while I was writing this my computer started to die so I was grabbing the power cord while holding my computer and I totally smacked myself in the chin with my computer and I am pretty sure it left a mark. I think I actually like this blogging thing I get to put my random stories and thoughts out there for the world wide web to see. hmm interesting.
The first movie was Inglorious Bastards. Now I know that mostly everyone has seen this but I waited patiently for netflix to send it to me and oh man was it worth the wait. This movie was fantastic! It was well acted for one thing. It was a perfect harmony of comedy, satire, action, and drama all set in the glamorized time of WWII. I loved it! It is a little graphic in parts but I just covered my eyes.
The second movie was An Education. this movie was also amazing. I would whole heartedly recommend it. It is superbly acted and the plot is super interesting. I just loved it, it had a nice pace and kept me guessing. The main character Jenny was relatable and I love the actress who plays her.
On another more embarrassing note while I was writing this my computer started to die so I was grabbing the power cord while holding my computer and I totally smacked myself in the chin with my computer and I am pretty sure it left a mark. I think I actually like this blogging thing I get to put my random stories and thoughts out there for the world wide web to see. hmm interesting.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
nearing the end
Graduation is nearing and so is my Europe adventures. It is a weird feeling to be close to the end of college, a lot of "lasts" are starting to happen, like my last undergrad paper. But my procrastinating tendencies are still in tact! my last paper was due today and of course I did not start it until yesterday but even then I checked facebook and my email before doing anything productive. It is lucky I did because my paper was postponed another week. Anyone want to guess when I will start it? I have lacked in focus this quarter, like right now I am sitting in class on my computer creating a blog.
I am getting really excited about going to Europe but I have been even procrastinating this too! I have so many things I need to get done before June 14th and I just keep putting it off. June 14th has always seemed really far off but now it is like 3 weeks away! I do not really know how I feel about blogging, it kind of feels like I am just rambling to myself but this is the easiest way to show you all that me and Katie are indeed alive while we are on our crazy adventures, so I guess I will get used to it!
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