Where has the time gone??

Well, I can't believe I have only 10 days left of this adventure!! It has gone by so fast but at the same time, I feel like the beginning was about a year ago, hehe. I am utterly exhausted but am trying really hard to push through and make the most of these last few days! It has been an unbelievable time :)

Plans changed a bit after the last time I blogged...I ended up staying in Florence for another night. I really wanted to squeeze in Cinque Terre before I headed to Perugia but it just wasn't happening. I had already mentioned to Craig that I was going to be there for the weekend so I didn't want to keep changing plans on him. Soooo, on Friday I did a bit of Florence in the morning...saw a few more sights and of course went back to my favorite gelato place...then went to Pisa for the afternoon. It was only an hour by train and being a smaller city, very easy to see in a couple hours. Took a picture with the leaning tower...but I didn't succomb to the tourist trap and pretend I was holding up the tower! :) I saw plenty of people doing that though....hehe. Came back to the campsite later that night and just read and hungout for awhile. I have read SO many books on this trip, it's great. At a couple of the hostels, people have traded books with me so it's nice to not have to buy new ones....just swap here and there :) Got some pizza and wine with the girls at the hostel, not much more to do on a rainy night.

The next day I headed out early to catch a train to Perugia. I met Craig and his friend Greg at the metro station there and they showed me back to their apartment. Perugia is this quaint little city that is built on a steep hill...definitely worked the legs all weekend long! It has 2 universities within the city limits though, one which is a foreigners "uni". So Craig and his friends, all from England, are doing a Rasmus program there, studying Italian. They live in this really cute apartment right near the city center....the whole place feels like a medeival city. We hung out for the afternoon, caught up and I met his other roomies. Went out for Chinese food that night....haha I know what you're thinking, Chinese food in Italy!? But at that point, his roommates were so sick of pasta or pizza (and I didn't mind a break from it either) so even though the food wasn't great, it was a nice change of pace, haha. Went out to this AWESOME bar afterwards....tables close to the floor and pillows for seats spread all around the place. Fireplaces and everything :) It was very posh and also a microbrewery so we tried some of their local beer. We all had a lot of laughs and it was a great night. Craig admitted that since he's been in Perugia, he really hadn't seen much of the city. He just went where he needed to go and never gave much thought to sightseeing. So the next day we got up early and both enjoyed walking around Perugia...seeing what it had to offer (which really wasn't THAT much!) and taking pictures of the fantastic views of the countryside. There are plenty of great picture spots because like I said earlier, Perugia is on this immense hill....even a cloudy sky didn't ruin the view! We had terrible pizza for lunch...there IS such a thing here...and met up with his friends to go to a football match. It was SO much fun!!! I had never been to a professional match before and it was hilarious...the Perugians are VERY much into their Division 3 team and were rowdy, drunk, loud....just Italian I guess :) The game itself was entertaining, let alone the fans....the players could not stay on their feet and I counted 17 falls/injuries/times the little cart came out on the field! Craig's roommate Charly and I were in tears from laughing so hard at these grown men acting like women....so hilarious. Anyways we ended up going to a bar afterwards to watch the IMPORTANT football match...Arsenal vs. Manchester United. And of course, them all being from England, it was quite an interesting experience :) Relaxed a bit after that...it had been a long day already...before going out for what was known as the best pizza in Perugia. And it was!!! Oh I could have eaten 2 whole pizzas, it was unbelivable. Pizza Caprese...all fresh mozzerella, tomatoes, and basil. Pure bliss :) We met up with a couple of their friends after and barhopped a bit. Ended up at this place called Rock Castle where the bartenders hooked us up with all these free drinks...they were friends of Craig. Soo it was a fun night. Monday brought around a bit of sun for Perugia, and since this is a rare occasion, everyone soaks up the sun while sitting on the main steps in the square. So that's where we spent the afternoon before catching my train to Rome around 3 o'clock. It was a great weekend and I was glad I made it to Perugia...off the beaten track a bit and it was nice to see Craig again.

Rome was extremely intimidating at first but at the same time, approachable :) I got in during the early evening and found my way to Rome City Hostel (BEST one, it was fabulous!!) and got situated. Patrick, Kimberly, and Emon run the place and make you feel right at home....it was the smallest hostel I've stayed in, only 5 rooms, so everyone hung out and got to know one another. I wasn't ready to tackle Rome at night so we all made it a movie night....something I haven't done in 2 months, haha!! Left more energy for the next day :)

Made it to Vatican City the next morning...that area of Rome can take up a big chunk of the day so I wanted to get it done early. Went into St. Peter's which blew my mind....nothing like saving the best church for the end of the trip :) The lines weren't that long and even though it rained a bit, the Vatican still looked lovelier than ever. Wandered around there for a bit before heading into the Vatican Museums to see the Sistine Chapel. Completely got caught taking pictures in the chapel too....I wasn't using my flash or anything and tried to hide in the crowd so the guys wouldn't see me...but one of them came up from behind me, clapped in my ears and said "NO PICTURES!!!". Hahaha scared the crap out of me but I had already taken about a dozen pictures....ha ha, nice try Chapel guards. ;) The Sistine Chapel is breathtaking....can't imagine laying on my back and painting that whole thing....amazing. Wandered around the rest of the museum after that....tired easily of course since I barely knew what I was looking at, haha. I decided to get back out into Rome and crossed over the river to more sights. The Pantheon, Piazza Navaro, and ended with the Trevi Fountain. By far the coolest looking fountain I've ever seen...the myth is if you throw in 1 coin, you'll ensure a return trip to Rome but if you throw in 2, you'll fall in love in Rome. I threw in 4. What did that get me? The skies opened up and it POURED on me!!! Next time, I'll just follow the rules.....

Got back to the hostel around 6 because it was free pasta and vino night! Kimberly and Patrick cooked us this AMAZING pasta and my glass of wine was never empty. Met a bunch of people from the U.S. and Australia so we all hung out that night, went out for a bit, then came back with gelato of course :) It felt like I was at home there...they spoiled us rotten with good food and wine. It was one of the best nights in Italy.

I tackled the rest of Rome the next day....the Roman Forum, Paletine Hill, and the Colosseum...along with the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popio, and others. It was the longest and most tiring day ever but SO beautiful! Rome is intense....if you stop to think how old it is and how much history seeps from every crack, it's mindboggling. The Colloseum was great (had the Gladiator theme playing on my Ipod, hehe) and I believe I took like 20 pictures of just its exterior. I tried an audioguide in the Roman Forum but that turned out to be a waste of money....I wasn't exactly "up" on my knowledge of Rome and the audioguide spoke to me like I knew every person and moment in history he was talking about. Oh well, it was worth a try. Wandered the rest of the city (well, as much as you CAN wander in a few hours) before heading back to the hostel....thoroughly pooped....by early evening. Patrick was there and cooked pasta for me, haha. See how amazing this place is?? I didn't want to leave the next day but knew I had to head on to other things. I booked a night train to Vienna so got to spend the day relaxing around Rome. Did laundry, watched Juno with Kimberly at the hostel, and just got mentally prepared for another city, haha. The weather was awful so I didn't feel bad making it a lazy day.

Caught my night train and it plopped me in Vienna, Austria at about 9 am. I decided to try couchsurfing again in Vienna because all the hostels were either booked or really expensive. I completely lucked out because Julia had just joined the couchsurfing organization like 5 days before I contacted her. I didn't meet her until 6 o'clock though so I stored my stuff at the train station...OH and took a shower there!! Hahaha you can pay to shower at the train station! I HAD to after my night train so it refreshed me for my day in Vienna...I know it seems weird but it was surprisingly clean and had hot water...what more could I ask for right? So I wandered around Vienna all day...humming Sound of Music songs of course....and found out it is such a beautiful city. Very prestigious and interesting with all the composers and musicians that lived here over the years. The day flew by and before I knew it, I had to meet Julia at the train station. I was so lucky with this couchsurfing experience (haha nothing like Scotland!) because Julia is such a nice girl and is completely fluent in English. She au paired/studied in New Jersey for a year so she knew a lot about the States and had travelled a bit...we had loads to talk about and got along so well! Met up with a couple of her friends for drinks and then a battle of the bands type contest in Vienna. It was a really fun night and half way through it, Julia and I made the decision to go to Budapest the next morning, haha! We were just like "hmmm why not?". So we crashed at like 2 a.m. and got up at 6:45 to catch a train to Hungary. It was only 3 hours away from Vienna so we fit in a couple more hours of sleep on the train and we ready to take on Budapest. We got a map at the tourist office at the train station and made a plan for the day over some breakfast. We ended up walking EVERYWHERE and it was awesome! Hungary is definitely bordering on the Eastern European countries and you can tell...it's a bit darker and poorer than the other cities I've visited so far but had so much character. We wandered down to the Danube River and checked out the bridges and castle that Budapest is known for. The weather was absolutely beautiful so we lucked out in that area! Saw everything we had set out to see...ended with this awesome castle in the middle of the city...including a moat and drawbridge! Pretty intense and gorgeous as well. Of course dark rain clouds rolled in right as we were heading back to the train station....oh and we completely snuck on every type of transportation that Budapest had to offer, haha. Our excuse would have been "where do you buy the tickets??? " hehe because we couldn't find them. But we headed back to Vienna that night and crashed after the long day. We both attempted to watch a movie but passed out almost immediately. I was so happy with my couchsurfing experience though! Julia comes to the States often so I told her if she chose to visit Charlotte, she'd be more than welcome at our house...Katie and Melanie, you'd like her too! :)

Well I'm about to catch a night train but I'm not exactly sure where to! I have a few ideas in mind but above all, I just need a couple of relaxing days before Germany on Wednesday. My left foot is swollen to twice its size....did I mention that already?? I can't figure out if I got bitten by something or it's just from walking everywhere because it's only my left foot. Strange, but it hurts so I need some R&R for a couple days. Soooo...I'll leave you in suspense and let you know where I am the next time I write......:)

Caio bella...it's been awhile!

Welllll I have slacked a bit on the blog but now I am back and have some time for the internet :) The last time I wrote I was in Sevilla, Spain enjoying the warm weather and about to take a siesta....haha. Anyways, my time in Sevilla was GREAT!! That night, after the last time I blogged, I went out for paella with Fiona who was staying in the hostel as well. We had a great time, even though she couldn't enjoy the delicious Spanish dish because she's pregnant (found out half way through her trip...how nerve racking!). Anyways, we met up with Johnny, Bobby, and John after dinner (all from Boston College studying abroad in Madrid). Turns out Johnny and Bobby, who are identical twins, are from Rockville Center, Long Island! Haha such a small world because they were born in the same hospital as my dad. John was from Connecticut too so of course not too far away :) They were SUCH great company, I had the greatest time hanging out with them. We went to see Flamenco dancing that night at a local bar across the river. It was definitely full of locals and we must have been the only tourists there, but that was the greatest part of it. No one spoke English and we were emersed in the Spanish culture....:) Flamenco dancing is incredible and the bar owner also sang a bit which was unbelievable. We had a great time just watching from the way back, standing on empty kegs. We all wanted to continue the night so we walked around Sevilla, thinking about another bar or club, but ended up just walking the empty streets instead. The other side of the river was an absolute ghost town!! We seriously did not see a soul the entire time, besides the street cleaners. Haha, we tried to find a way into the Alcazar....trying all these doors and attempted to squeeze through the gate (oh and contemplated climbing the 20 ft. wall, haha)....but had no luck. Eventually, by 3 am we made it back to the hostel, defeated :) My last day in Sevilla consisted of figuring out where I wanted to go next, meeting the boys for a donar kabob lunch in the gardens, and finally booking a night train to Barcelona! I had wanted to go to Granada to see the Alhambra but tickets were needed in advance and the hostels were booked solid. Soooo Barcelona it was :) The night train got me in around 10 am and I found my hostel in the outskirts of Barcelona. It was in a quiet neighborhood and SUCH a nice hostel! After a much needed shower, I headed into the city center and wandered down Las Ramblas for the afternoon. It is full of street performers and who knows what else, but it was a nice afternoon for the walk. It leads down to the port and beach but it was a little too chilly for that :) Walked around until late afternoon and headed back to the hostel to cook dinner and relax. I'm starting to get tired easily now....I feel like I'm starting to get to that exhausted stage of my trip! I knew it would happen eventually and I'm surprised I've held out this long. There's only so much you can see day after day before it wears on you ya know? But I still try to squeeze as much in a day as I can...knowing the days are limited. So anyways, the next day I allowed myself to sleep in a bit before I hit up Barcelona again. I made Sunday a Gaudi day. Barcelona is CRAWLING with Gaudi designs....buildings, parks, lamp posts, etc....he is such a fabulous architect. I thoroughly enjoyed Park Guell which felt like Disney World...on crack. I'll have to put up the pictures eventually for you to see what I mean! He designed a couple of other buildings throughout the city as well as La Strada Familia which was his masterpiece...even though he died before it was finished. It STILL isn't finished actually, and it's been 150 years. They're shooting at 2026 for the completion but who knows....it is still unbelievably interesting and so unlike any church I've ever seen. So after my Gaudi day, I had dinner and enjoyed the beautiful weather in a garden near my hostel. I had booked an early train to Switzerland the next day so I packed up and went to bed early. After a long day of traveling the next day, I arrived in Interlaken, Switzerland. BACK into the winter coat!! Haha I didn't mind though because Switzerland is BEAUTIFUL!! I mean, I was looking out my hostel bedroom window at the Swiss Alps....can you beat that?? Everywhere you go in Interlaken, you are sandwiched by the Alps, so there is no such thing as a bad view. The town was definitely in its "off season" but I didn't mind. I got in late that night but the next day I hiked a lot to different view points around Interlaken. The cold air felt nice, believe it or not, and the pictures were spectacular. The town itself is very small and you could walk from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. I wandered around all day, going in and out of shops, browsing for a cheap Swiss Army knife (HA...no such thing) and of course, tried some Swiss chocolate :) I was thinking about bungy jumping....was in the shop planning it and everything....then something got the best of me and I thought, well maybe I can spend my money elsewhere. It took a lot to walk out of there but I knew I would be thankful either coming home with that 180 bucks or spending it elsewhere. SO I made Stephanie promise me she'd bungy jump with me over the summer, somewhere in NC! Done deal :)

The hostel I was staying in was also a hotel with it's own great restaurant. I had a GREAT dinner there that night....soup, salad, and a special veal dish....and met Nigelle from Ireland who was staying in my room. We met up with some other Americans and watched the football match on the big screen there. It made me wish soccer was that big in the states...but here's to only wishing :) We watched the game along with the hotels mascot....a HUGE St. Bernard!! Biggest dog I've ever seen...his head was 3 times the size of Lily's! I got the biggest kick out of him and I'm sure gave him more hugs than he was used to. What a perfect dog in the Swiss Alps.....

My stay was short in Interlaken (Switzerland is tressssss expensive) and I left for Florence the next day. That's where I am today :) FINALLY in Italy!! I'm staying about 50 minutes outside of Florence...in the rolling hills, with the vineyards all around. I took a chance and booked this campsite which has dorms as well...even though I was really nervous about it. Turned out to be GREAT and such a nice experience being out in the Tuscany region. They have a great restaurant where I had my first Italian experience with tortellini and proschutto......amazing :) Headed into Florence today...the bus stops right in front of the campsite....and walked around all day. Saw the major highlights including the real David! Paid 6.50 euros to see a naked man....interesting. Haha. Anyways, Florence is incredible....a smaller city than I expected but so much to see! The weather was iffy...rainy at times, but nothing to stop anyone from enjoying the sights. Tried some yummy gelato....twice. Hehe. Picked up some wine before heading back out to the campsite and enjoyed an Italian pizza along with a good red wine....perfect :) I'm definitely enjoying Italy so far.....well, eating my way through it!

I'm heading to Pisa tomorrow to see the Leaning Tower then to Cinque Terre for the night and Saturday day. I hope to horseback ride through there....that is the plan :) I would have done it here in Florence but they only offer it on the weekends at this time of year. On Sunday, I'm off to Perugia to stay with Craig, whom I met in Bruges. He's from England and is studying abroad there. He recommended Perugia and offered me a place to stay if I was able to make it through there....they're known for their chocolate so of COURSE I'll make it through there! :) Can't believe I have less than 3 weeks left.....where did the time go??

Hola :)

Well I finally left Nice behind to moooove right along but the second I got into Spain, I wondered why I did such a thing! It's all good now but definitely threw me for a loop....

Tennille, my roomie in Nice, and I both booked our trains after the most relaxing day on the beach in Nice and it turned out we would be on the same train to Marseille the next morning. She was going onto Italy while I was going to connect twice to eventually get to Barcelona. I also booked a night train to move onto Seville that night so it was a long day/night of travel...I guess too long for my own good. The train from Montepelier (my other connection) to Barcelona was delayed a bit so I missed my night train by ONE minute...actually saw it pulling away. I didn't know what to do at this point because I had not read up on Barcelona yet...had no idea where to stay...no idea where I was really. I tried to talk to the ticket agents but they just kept saying "come back tomorrow, there are no more trains tonight". The guy saw me getting upset because the language barrier was a problem and I was trying my best to tell him I was without a place to sleep that night. Even though I didn't mean to, of course I started crying because I was frustrated, tired, hungry, and pissed at the train systems in Spain! So on top of it, now I couldn't get my words out. But eventually he pointed me around the station, mentioning there were hotels right outside the station. Yeah....80 euros a night, most of them! SO I came back to the station (now midnight) and was about to resort to sleeping on a bench when this Finnish guy came up to me and was like "Are you lost because you've been looking at that map for way too long!"....haha it was hilarious. Simon was so nice though and offered to show me the way to his hostel to see if they had any open rooms there. They did, it all worked out fine and I caught the train to Seville the next morning....I had a bad first impression of Spain but couldn't blame the whole country for a train delay :) Yet I could complain a bit that I had to fork over 40 extra euros because of the mess.

Anyways I got into Seville in the afternoon and made it to my hostel. I definitely get a different "feel" from this country...for the first time I feel like I'm in a foreign place. It could be because I cannot remember ANY of the Spanish I learned (except the bad words that Ciro taught me at work) or that their culture is just very different. It's so amazing here though...everyone is out and about all day long...they are not workaholics like us Americans and a lot of places shut down midafternoon for a "siesta". It is a bit harder to get around because the maps are in Spanish and everyone only knows a limited amount of English. Yet, Seville is easily seen just walking around the city, getting lost on any street. All of the streets are extremely narrow with the exception of a few major roads. The weather has been absolutely incredible...in the 80's and completely sunny. My first full day here was a long one but it was very productive. I checked out the cathedral which apparantly is the 3rd largest in the world....Christopher Columbus' tomb is inside along with the unbelievable architecture. The bell tower offers a great view of the city and the courtyard just outside the city is filled with orange trees. My favorite sight of the day, however, was the Reales Alcazares. It is the palace where Ferdinand and Isabel used to live as do the King and Queen of Spain when they come to visit Seville. The palace itself was pretty awesome but the gardens took the cake! Oh my goodness, I spent 3 hours in them and still didn't feel like I saw it all. By far the prettiest place I've been in in all of Europe....if THAT can't tell you how great they were, then I don't know what can! I mean, monuments and cathedrals are amazing but there's something about walking through a maze of gardens....with everything in bloom, the weather completely flawless, and getting lost in beauuuuuuuuuuty....that's really hard to beat! So I was in a great mood when I left there and walked around the city some more. I stumbled into an area called Santa Cruz which is known for its bars and "tapas". I sat down in one and ordered some gazpacho and another tapa (both really good), so I could experience some of the local food. I'm going to try Paella tonight too....that's my treat of the day :) Came back to the hostel later on and they have a rooftop terrace with hammocks and everything so it was the perfect place to read into late afternoon. It doesn't get dark here until 9 pm (and still it's not even completely dark by then!) so everyone eats very late and parties even later....a local was telling me most stay out until 5 or even 7 am...almost every night! I met up with 2 people in my hostel, Ali and Rob, and we went out for 5 euro pitchers of Sangria at a local bar. Drinks are finally cheap here :) We didn't stay out until 5 but it was a good night, haha.

Woke up to another day of sightseeing today and went to the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza...where the bullfighting takes place! I paid 5 euros to see inside the ring and man, it was totally worth it. I don't know how I'd feel about going to an actual bullfight but it was great to see what it looked like. I believe she said it was one of the oldest in Spain (it was hard to tell, her English sounded just like her Spanish!) and it even had a place for the Royal family to sit up in the stands. Tickets for the bullfights are like 40 euro so I'll have to miss out :( The museum had all these pictures though and it looked pretty gruesome...not sure it would be my thing or not. I met 4 older adults from Wisconsin there and they were so helpful and nice. Mike was giving me suggestions about things to do in Germany and they were just a great group to bump into. We parted ways after the tour and I headed down to the river...had picnic and walked for around for a couple more hours. I'm ready for my siesta now so it'll be a relaxing afternoon :) I can't decide where to head tomorrow...want to do a couple more days in Spain but I'm also so close to Portugal. I'll have to do some research online and see what would work out best. Either way, I'm onto Switzerland on Sunday. Sooo I'll let you know what comes up!

So another couple days in Nice...

So I can't seem to leave the blue waters of Nice behind! I've extended my stay twice...once because I wanted another day to fit in St. Paul de Vence that is nearby and again because...well, I just wanted to! :) The trains to Spain have posed a bit of problem...all of them require long travel times and connections. But we'll see...I needed another day to figure it out, and of course, ya know, lie on the beach while doing that!

I really won't regret staying here this long either...it has truly been a relaxing time and I've met many great people during my stay. Last I wrote I was heading to the Alps for the day but those plans changed a bit.

When I took my night train from Paris, I used my Eurail Pass....you are supposed to write in the current date before you board the train so the ticket agent can just stamp it as they go by. Well because I had to make that 1.50 reservation, the ticket agent stamped the reservation card and NOT my Eurail pass! So the 03/26 I wrote for that day of travel could eeeeeeeasily be turned into a 03/28 and give me another day of travel! ;) I didn't come up with this idea though....Steven and Kate whom I met in Amsterdam gave me the idea. Their logic was "if they don't check it, you should still be able to utilize that travel day!"....and since I only have 10 days of travel within two months on the pass, I thought so too :) So that 03/28 gave me a free day of travel to Cannes and Antibes which are just a short trip from Nice....they never checked my pass on that trip either.

I went all the way to Cannes first and worked my way back through Antibes. Cannes is where the international film festival is held in May so you can imagine how posh and beautiful it is. There isn't too much to do there besides walk around but since it's right on the water, who can complain? I saw where the film festival is held...took a picture on the red carpet! They also had an Allee des Etoiles where all the stars had imprinted their hands in the sidewalk throughout the years. Of course I put my hands in a few...ya know, Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Julie Andrews, etc. Always star struck :) Anyways, the palm trees and beach were great to just wander through and enjoy the nice weather. I had to wait awhile for a train to Antibes and when I got there, wished I had budgeted more time for it! It was a walled village right on the ocean...you could walk along the sea walls and then wander through the village and shops inside. I'm sure I took 1,000 pictures between Cannes and Antibes but I just wanted to capture the views I was seeing! The camera doesn't do it justice though....just like everywhere else! I found an English bookstore in Antibes and had to curb this craving I've had since England....I bought the 5th Harry Potter book. Haha I have it at home but had already gone through my other books sooooo thought I'd just do it. Can't believe how big of a dork I am....:)

So I hung out with everyone back at the hostel that night...we all made the plan to head to the Alps the next day (this time for sure). I had to checkout and checkin again the next day since I had extended my stay. But they are so accomodating here...always offer to hold our luggage and make sure you have a meal before you head out anywhere, I love it. A group of us headed to downtown Nice and caught the bus to St. Paul de Vence. BUT to my dismay....we didn't head towards the snowy Alps!! It was another village surrounding an enormous church that loomed over this valley of houses and farms. I was a little "villaged out" after Eze and Antibes but it was still a great afternoon with everyone and very quiet, and relaxing as well. It also offered another amazing view of the mountains, countryside, and Mediterranean Sea. So I can't complain since it was just a euro :) Took the bus back to Nice later in the afternoon and headed down to the beach to read for awhile. Fell asleep for a bit and woke up to the sun setting on the beach.....ahhhhh so pretty!! It had started to cool off a bit was such a beautiful sight to wake up to. Headed back along the market and slowly made my way back to the hostel. Made dinner and hung out with everyone for the night...met a few people from Canada, Australia, and Germany. It was a great night and I was glad with my decision to stay another 2 nights.

Today is a "Sally" day and I'm just going to lay on the beach and read all day! Soak up some sun too :) I feel like I've seen most of the sights I had wanted to, in and around Nice, so I'm okay with a relaxing day...plan things for tomorrow. I have decided to make Seville my base in Spain and do daytrips from there...to Granada, Cordoba, and more of Southern Spain. Hope to stop in Madrid or Barcelona first but I don't feel too attached to those places...may just travel through. Have to stay with this warm weather somehow :)

Finally left the rain behind...

Well I have to say, I can now stop being jealous of North Carolina's warm weather because at the moment it's bright, sunny, and warm in Nice, France! About to get a little breakfast and hit the beach :)

But let me back up a bit! I had to say goodbye to Paris on Tuesday night...which was bitter sweet because I had a great time but the rain was reaaaaally getting to me (just annoying when trying to do things!). But Andrew and his friends made it such an unbelievable time, it will hard to compare :) I took my first overnight train to Nice and that was an experience in itself. I set next to this guy Rob from Minneapolis and he literally talked my ear off about WHO KNOWS WHAT for 3 hours! I was falling asleep with my eyes open and still could not tell you a single point that he made. Note to self: say you have to go to the bathroom next time and find a new seat. Haha :) But it was worth it because I only paid 1.50 for a reservation on the train and used my Eurail pass...so it was basically free. I woke up around 7:45 to see the Mediterranean Sea on my right and the Alps to my left! It was amazing because they were two extremes you know? I completely forgot the Alps were near by and they were just beautiful to wake up to. Anyways, I popped off the train and called my hostel...they offer to pick you up at the train station which is nice. This hostel is the most incredible one I've been in so far....it's a villa located on top of this HUGE hill and you can see all of Nice and the Med Sea from my window! It's very tropical and has a resort feel...finding it hard to believe I got such a good deal! They offer delicious breakfast and do your laundry too...how great!! I now know why they keep announcing that it was named the #1 hostel in the world in 2007....they can brag. So anyways I got situtated and took off to discover Nice. Went down to the flower market and walked around "Old Nice"...very quaint and friendly. Just a quick turn to my right brought me right to the beach and I was staring at aqua blue waters and a pebbly beach....it almost didn't look real because it was so blue! I didn't even expect that from the Mediterranean. It was so nice to just lay out on the beach for an hour...even though it was made up of actual smooth pebbles :) I took it all in and was so completely thankful for sun, flip flops, and blue waters. Took a great hike up to Le Chateaux which used to be a castle I believe....it's right next to Old Nice and offers amazing (free) views of Nice and the Port on the opposite side. Wish I could upload my pictures here but I'll have to wait. There were all these different staircases and they led you around Le Chateaux...you stumble upon waterfalls, caves, archs, ruins, views, etc. around every corner. Couldn't have been a better day :) Walked down and through Old Nice for awhile, checking out all the shops and getting some food from the fresh market for dinner. Headed back to the hostel and made myself a reeeeeally good dinner...fresh pesto and sundried tomatoes over pasta and spinach. It was yummy and I was so glad you can cook at the hostel :) Met up with two of my roommates I met earlier that day and had a glass of wine with them. A fabulous first day in Nice!

Yesterday I decided to take a day trip up the Riviera to Eze Village and Monaco. Traveling here is sooo cheap...it cost be only 1 euro to get to Eze, 1 to Monaco, and 1 all the way home! Kind of makes me want to stay, haha :) Anyways Eze village is a medevil village, one of the last in Nice, and offers incredible views as far as you could see. I was worried because it was a bit overcast on the way there but cleared up as soon as I got to the top. The little pathways twist and wind through cafes, boutiques, and restaurants before you get to an exotic garden at the top with cacti and all these different wild flowers and statues. I felt like I was living in a different century and it was all FREE! Haha a backpackers favorite word :) Took another bus to Monaco after that just to see how it was...it's actually the smallest French speaking country in the world and I believe the smallest country as well? The big casino is there from the movie Casino Royale and that was pretty amazing. It's very ritzy around that area and I almost felt like I was on Rodeo Drive or something. But they have the Prince's Palace on top of a huge rock formation which is great in itself. I didn't spend too much time there but got to walk all along the promenade and take in the views (mainly people watching!). Headed back just in time to hit rush hour traffic on the bus...haha a one lane road all the way back to Nice. But the drive was all along the cliffs and waters edge, so how could I complain? You wind around a bend and there's another breathtaking view of the French Riviera! Unbelievable.

Met up with Jess and Kyle for pizzas at the hostel...they make them homemade here and we enjoyed a bottle of wine with them. Wine is so cheap here and GOOD! Also met Taneil from Australia (another one of our roomies) so we all decided to go downtown in Nice for a little bit. Had too much fun at Checkpoint, this bar recommended to us by our hostel. Got back and hit the sack...I've been getting up early these days so I can't make it much later than 1, haha! Anyways, the days in Nice have been great so far....today I'm heading up to see the Alps. It's only 2 euro to take a bus up there so I'm tres excited ;) Then Cannes and Antibes tomorrow before I head off on another night train to Madrid! Looking forward to it. Love to alllllllllllllllllllllllll XOXO

Oh goodness!

Wow, I feel like it's been forever since I've written but I just think so much has gone on instead!

To start, this has by far been the best leg of my trip. It could be because I'm around a familiar face or that Andrew's friends are amazing or that I'm in a beautiful city or maybe a combination of all three! But it has been SUCH a great week/weekend, I will never forget it. I'll have to back up a couple days to make sure I get everything in but don't worry...it'll be worth it :)

So backing all the way up to the third night here (Friday)....like I said in an earlier post, we met up with some Fat Tire tour guides to do the Pompidou that day. I was a littttttle disappointed that I missed going to the Louvre for free that night but stopped thinking about it after a couple minutes...I'm going tomorrow so it's all good. Anyways, Andrew's friend David invited us over to his apartment, right near Musee D'Orsay and cooked stir fry for us. A lot of the tour guides live together in different apartments so many of them were there as well. It was great to have a homecooked meal for a change...and veggies too! It's hard to get my greens in here, ya know with all the good bread :) So we all had a great time eating, drinking wine, and playing cards. A very relaxing night but with so many laughs....I felt like a local being there with them all, it was awesome. We had planned on doing Fondue that night but this turned out to be a nice change of pace. Took a late cab home in the rain.



So we saved Fondue for the next night.....oh the next night! Haha :) We had a late morning and a relaxing day just hanging out. Andrew got himself a cell phone, finally, and we met up with David to go this great flea market that is in the northern part of Paris. It was in a pretty rough neighborhood but it was like 15 acres of flea market.....crazy! Of course, the insane weather in Paris had us rained on a couple of times....oh and hailed on. I swear, it will be sunny here and then 10 minutes later hail like crazy...then rain for a couple hours before returning to sunshine. It's so sporatic you cannot leave the house without your umbrella. But I'm seriously used to it now....rain on me all you want, I'm still touring this city! So we came back to the better side of town, near Notre Dame and shopped for a bit (needed some dry socks) before heading to have Fondue. Had coffee in a little cafe and tried to dry off a bit (only to get poured on again on the way to dinner). This is where the night got verrrrrrrrry interesting and GREAT!! We met up with Kelly who was also visiting another one of the tour guides and the four of us went to have fondue over near Sacre Coeur (which by the way gets an explanation of its own later on). This place.....oh this place. It is no bigger than a living room, only has 2 long tables, and serves wine out of baby bottles!! No joke, actual baby bottles (pictures above). So you're having fondue elbow to elbow with absolute strangers...oh but they're your best friends by the end of the night! So we waited outside for awhile since they don't take reservations and take you inside depending on how many people are in your group. And drinking on the streets is legal in Paris so we grabbed a bottle of wine on the way, making our wait a little more enjoyable :) We get inside...only way to get to your seat is to literally step over the table. We instantly meet our neighbors....to the left we have a group of Parisians and to the right Sergio and Grace from Portugal. Only I got in serious trouble by the French waiter for talking to our neighbors! I think I just had bad luck because everytime he came to our area to take an order or ask me a question, I was talking to them. It was just bad timing! And he was NOT nice about it....of course I'm American and that didn't help but at one point he grabbed my EAR to get my attention!! It was crazy...that's the first time I had been treated like that here....but apparantly it's a normal occurence according to Andrew. They literally ignore you when you ask for another glass of wine or for the ticket, it gets a little ridiculous. Kelly had way too much fun with the chocolate cake that was brought after fondue and wore it home! We proceeded to have the absolute best time and made so many friends there! The wine was flowing and they convinced us to come to a nightclub right next door to Moulin Rouge.....oh goodness, that's where the title of this blog comes from, haha. Of course we say yes, grab another bottle of wine for our walk there, and make our way to O'Sullivans! One of the best moments of the night...singing the Moulin Rouge song with David as we dance and take pictures right in front of Moulin Rouge. Cracks me up still thinking about it....haha :) We had a great time at the club, danced way too much and paid for it the next day! Haha it was seriously such an enjoyable night....SO many laughs that my stomach hurt incredibly bad the next day. We ended up all taking a taxi to David's place and crashed there for the night, had a little slumber party.



So I woke myself up pretty early to beeline it to Notre Dame for Easter Sunday mass. I'm SO glad I did because even though I had to wait in line and also stand in the middle of the church, it was well worth it. I didn't understand much since it was all in French but it was ok....I mainly just stood there with my mouth open, gaping at the ceiling and all there was to look at...not believing that I was actually standing there on the holiest day of the year. It was excellent :) So after that I headed back to Andrew's and we all had a lazy Easter Sunday. Got to talk to my parents a bit at night which was great! It really didn't "feel" like Easter until I talked to them and they proceeded to make me jealous telling me about all the food they were cooking. I missed homemade macaroni and cheese!!! :( Oh well, we went out to eat here and even though it didn't beat Easter dinner at home, it was great hanging out with everyone. Renee's (Andrew's roommate) brother and sister flew in from Charlotte yesterday and they joined in the fun last night. It was an early night though since they were both a bit jetlagged. We had our fun the night before so were welcoming an early night to bed.

Today was also a wonderful day...had my baghette and nutella for breakfast of course (haha my diet the past few mornings!) :) and then FINALLY did the touristy stuff....haha on my last full day in Paris! We did things in reverse here but it was fun anyways! Andrew and I met up with David for lunch again at a cafe near the Louvre. We then braved the rain and walked throught the Tuillerie Gardens, through Place de la Concorde and all the way up Champs Elysees to the Arce de Triumphe....did I mention in the pouring rain?? Haha Andrew was a trooper having done all this before (in better weather I'm sure). But we took some great pictures...in the middle of the busiest road in Paris....and found great pastries along the way. Ahhh such a touristy day, I loved it :) We met up with Renee and her siblings to see Sacre Coeur and the great view of the city it has to offer. 264 steps later, we were viewing all of Paris and the immense creation that is Sacre Coeur! Like I said, it deserved a blurb all of it's own. Took my breath away and made me cry! I don't know what it is about churches here in Europe....I get this heavy feeling in my chest inside each one and I can't figure out why. I guess I just find them so beautiful and moving because each one is so different, old, and has so much meaning. Anyways, it was definitely a highlight. We came down from the Sacre Coeur hill and found a place for some dinner and drinks. An Irish pub first and then a kebab shop for dinner...haha so random but so good for some reason. The others are going on a tour to Versailles tomorrow and I'm leaving to head to Tours, France so we came back here around midnight. Can't believe my time here in Paris is almost over because it has been so great! Still, have to move on and see more :) I'm meeting up with a friend, Janea, whom I used to work with at the YMCA tomorrow for lunch before I head out. She's studying abroad here in Paris and it'll be great to see her after all these years! I also need to fit in the Louvre and another picture or two of the Eiffel Tower during the day. I can't leave without seeing the Mona Lisa right?

Turns out I'll have a travel buddy to Barcelona, Spain on Friday! Andrew's friend David was looking to take a little weekend trip and we were both heading there at the same time....so we're taking a night train on Thursday to Barcelona for a few days. I'll stay there and head to Madrid after but it'll be great to have some company! And David is hilarious :) Can't wait and DEFINITELY can't wait for some warm weather! I'll write again when I get to Tours which will be until Thursday. Xoxo

Is Paris burning yet?

Ahhh so I'm in the romantic city right now :) Even though it's tres expensive, it's unbelievably beautiful so I guess that makes up for it! I got here on Wednesday afternoon....Andrew met me at the train station (holding up a sign that said Sally...made me feel so special, haha!) and we figured it had been 2 1/2 years since we had last hung out....and now we get to meet up in Paris! Funny how things work out :) Anyways, he brought us back to his apartment which is in an area called Alesia. I'm still not oriented with Paris, unsure of where everything is actually located around us but his apartment is in a great area. His two roomies, Renee and Kim, could not be any nicer and it's extremely comfortable here :) So glad I logged onto Facebook that day and saw that Andrew was in Paris!

So anyways, we headed right out into Paris when I got here. Took the metro to Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter where I got a bit of a tour from Andrew and had my first french crepe (sooo delicious!). Andrew's roommates are tour guides for this company Fat Tire Bike Tours and he's learned a lot of details about the city and about the main sights. Sooo he was a great tour guide at Notre Dame, pointing out things I never would have seen. It's Holy Week too so it was a bit crowded but that definitely wouldn't have stopped me heading in there :) I'm going back for Easter Sunday mass too which I'm so excited about....I don't care if I have to stand in the way back, I'm squeezing in there! We grabbed some dinner and drinks after that...it was a loooong night since the bartender in there was from Seattle and proceeded to load us up on free shots. And of course you cannot deny anything "free" in Paris!! So it was a fun night to say the least :)

Andrew had it rough yesterday morning but I went to breakfast with his roommate Renee at Breakfast in America. Haha I know I should have had a french breakfast but I couldn't resist eggs, bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes...not crepes, pancakes!! Oh it was amazing. Andrew and I decided to do one of the Fat Tire bike tours last night and it was an absolute blast! It was from 6-midnight and you go all around Paris. And I'm not sure if everyone would agree with me but Paris looks 1,000 times better at night!! The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour on the hour for 10 minutes, there are twinkle nights in all the trees lining the Seine, all the bridges are lit up, and every building seems to have this magical glow! Ohhh it was awesome. My favorite part of the entire tour however was biking through the Louvre. We biked down this bridge (where the last episode of Sex and the City was filmed, haha) and went right into the Louvre square. I can't describe the feeling I got as we just rode around and around the fountain in there....a saxophonist was playing off to the side and the square was empty besides us being in there. Oh wow, I couldn't believe where I was at the moment, it really took me back. And it may have just been the wind but there were a few tears....hehe :) I'm a sap for beautiful experiences! Anyways, we also took an hour boat cruise that was included in our bike tour (oh and wine too!) so it was great sailing up and down the Seine. It had started to rain by then but that definitely didn't put a damper on the tour. It was the greatest night :)

We headed out for a bite to eat with the tour guides once we got back but called it a night pretty early. Got up this morning and had lunch near Notre Dame and went to the Pompidou. Andrew is an artist and his mecca is on the floor with Jackson Pollock. So he let us experience modern art....which I'm still having a hard time understanding. But I guess that's the point....to not understand it, just have your own impression of it. Anyways, saw some Picasso and Kandinsky also, which was great. We were going to do the Louvre after because it's free on Friday nights if you're under 25, but we were exhausted after the Pompidou....walking around so slowly really takes it out of you. So we decided to relax a bit and save the Louvre for tomorrow. Not much planned for tonight besides some dinner. Will definitely upload my pictures so I don't get behind again. Anyways, that's all I have for now....Paris is amazing :)

PICTURES!!

Since I got a few comments calling me out on my lack of pictures...I spent 4 euros on 2 hours of interent time to get them up on Shutterfly and all new ones on here (scroll down and all around, they're all new!!). I can't load them on Facebook on this computer but I can send the link to people via e-mail if anyone wants to be bored with the ungodly amount of pictures I've taken. :)

Anyways, I've really been enjoying my time in Bruges. I'm so glad I decided to stay here a couple of extra days and really see the city inside and out. I don't even need a map anymore to get around, how exciting! Hehe. I switched hostels halfway through my visit and ended up sharing a room with 3 awesome girls from Indiana and Illinois. They were studying abroad right outside of Dublin (seems like I meet everyone from Dublin!) and on spring break over here. I rented bikes with them again yesterday...the weather was a bit rainy at first so only Elizabeth and I braved it for the whole afternoon. The other 2 took a boat tour which turned out to be great...and they told us all the fun facts they learned so it felt like we benefited too :) Elizabeth and I rode all around the city and seriously hit up every chocolate shop! Haha well maybe not every one considering Bruges has the most chocolate shops in one city in the world....but it felt like a lot. I don't think I've ever consumed that much chocolate within a 4 hour period. But I've also never tasted anything like it! It could be a bad thing, however, because I'll always compare chocolates from now on....oh well :) We went to see the Madonna with Child again since they didn't know that a work of Michelangelo was here. They were greatful I shared the info and I was glad they showed me the best thing my money has bought so far.....a belgian chocolate covered rice crispy treat. It was definitely a fair trade off. Anyways, we met up with the other girls back at the hostel and headed out for dinner. We did Medara again for 3 euro pasta....even though it's carb-ilicious, it was still worth the money and soooo good. The atmosphere is really nice too...family run and their kids are running all around. It was St. Patty's Day and DEFINITELY didn't feel like it in Bruges. No one was wearing green and there weren't any decorations in any of the stores....such a shame. But we did end up finding the only Irish Pub in town and of course had a Guinness to celebrate. It wasn't the same as back home (or would have been in Ireland, for sure) but it was nice that I had the girls to spend the holiday with. We had a lot of fun and it was sad to see them all leave this morning. I went around the city again today...wanted to see the Basilica which contains the Holy Blood and it's only open from 2-3....it's amazing!! True Catholics are deadset believers that this is actually Jesus' blood brought over from Jeruselam and I find it hard for anyone to question it. It's so sacred that they only take it out for an hour and only 4 days a week. There was a little ceremony when they brought it out and really a great thing to see during Holy week. I'm completely taken back by every church I've seen so far but this really blew my mind. We got to lay our hand on it as we passed over the altar also which was a great experience. Other than that, I just grabbed some more chocolate for Andrew and have just been walking around aimlessly today.....it's been great :)

Heading to Paris tomorrow on an early train. I thought it was so much farther from Bruges but it's really only an hour from Brussels! So I'll be there around lunch time...ready to eat some great food of course :) More later from France!

In Bruges...

Glad I didn't see the movie "In Bruges" before I got here :)

It's been a couple days since I've had internet access but I finally found a place not too far from my hostel so I can check e-mail and write here. Got into Bruges on Friday after only 2 days in Amsterdam. I had a good time there but was ready to step down a bit from another big city...the guidebooks were right, city's start looking the same after awhile. Amsterdam was a blast though...went to a small Dutch town on Friday morning with Kate and Steven (from Alabama...also doing 2 months around Europe) and even though it was freezing, it turned out to be a lot of fun. We got a bit lost on the trains and I'm pretty sure I overpaid for my ticket...thinking we were going farther than we actually did....but finally got to the town. There were supposed to be people with authentic Dutch clothing walking around but we didn't see any of them (maybe too cold). There were little shops and museums scattered around and also windmills on one side of the town. My camera battery was dead so Kate said she'd e-mail me her pictures. We also went to a cheese shop where (after tasting many) we bought some smoked herb goat cheese which I'm still eating today! The whole town smelled like chocolate too...we couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from. Ahhh it was driving us insane. We did find a small chocolate shop on the walk back to train however, and had to buy something just to satisfy the craving! So anyways we got back into Amsterdam and Kate and Steven were heading for Bruges. I headed back into Amsterdam and walked around for awhile....got a bit lost heading back to the hostel but it wasn't bad...I got to see more of the city that way. Stopped for groceries and ate at the hostel. Met a guy named Mike in the common area and he offered to walk around with me at night so I wasn't all alone walking through the crazy streets! We walked through the Red Light District which was hilarious...shouldn't have been but it was such a twisted sight, I found it funny. The women varied in age, size, and beauty but all in all, I couldn't help but wonder if these women had any self-respect! They make really good money though so I guess that's the attraction. But seriously, there were girls that didn't look over 15....crazy crazy. Anyways, it wasn't as big as I thought it was (I had visions that it took over half the city) but you found them there during the day too....it was funny sightseeing the Old Church and then walking up on a row of brothels right around the corner! The church is proud to be the only church in the world that is bound by prostitutes on all four sides....haha. Mike and I went into a couple "coffeeshops" just to see what they were like and that experience was a funny one as well. There were a lot of spring breakers around the city and most of them packed into every coffeeshop and smart shop, haha. Anyways, Amsterdam itself is a beautiful city despite the drugs and sex. Went sightseeing on Friday afternoon as well before I took a later train to Brussels and Bruges. Just wanted a little change of pace after Amsterdam :)

Got into Bruges really late and turns out my hostel has a bar on the bottom floor. They were hosting a concert though and I've never had such a hard time checking into a place! The place was called Charlie Rockets and the bar was also the hostel check-in point....made for a loud explanation of where our room was and whatnot. But I got there at the same time Claudio (Italy) and Craig (England) did so they put us all in the same room together. Our room was crazy hard to find...a maze of staircases and doors but it was in such a great location (and HUGE!). We all went out for a beer and walked around Bruges for a bit....it's so pretty at night and completely safe. Craig was actually there surprising his mom for her 50th birthday...his parents were staying at a posh hotel on the other side of town. So Claudio and I went sightseeing all day yesterday....we rented bikes to get around the city and it was SO much fun!! You get around so much faster that way (obviously) and we saw everything by 3. Plus, you can ring the little bell on the bike and people just move out of the way, scared and all :) We found Belgian chocolates for only 3 euros so we split them and had chocolates for lunch (hehe). Then found a Belgian beer shop right next door and both got a beer we'd never heard of (which was most of them for me!). After more touring we went to the De Halve Maan brewery which is the only brewery left in Bruges. It was a great tour, the guide was hilarious, then they give you a free beer at the end...Brugas Zot Blonde. Delicious :) We were going to bike to the North Sea after that but Claudio had only 1 day to see everything so to save time, we drove there in his car. Thanks to his GPS system we made it there in no time and took a picture in the water....haha just our feet though. It was nice to say we touched the North Sea...and almost froze our toes off, hehe. I might bike there tomorrow since I'm here until Tuesday but it depends on the weather. We came back to Bruges and went out for a cheap Italian meal (only 3 euros for a HUGE bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce).

Of course it is rainy and cold again today! Today is a day to do laundry and move into another hostel (couldn't find 4 days straight in one) so it's okay that the weather isn't the best. I'm headed for Paris on Wednesday and staying with Andrew for bit while I'm there. He's so nice to offer his place to me and it's been forever since I've seen him! He should be a good tour guide too :) Anyways, I'll write sooner than later...and as I write this, I'm uploading ALL my pictures so I won't be behind anymore!

Taking the rain with me to Amsterdam

Hey hey :) Finally got into a hostel that has free internet! Yesss which means...pictures finally!! Some of them at least...at least I can catch up with ones from Scotland.

Galway turned out to be my favorite place so far! I had an absolute blast there and met a lot of great people. There were a lot of Americans there on spring break and what not but it didn't matter because they were still awesome. Yesterday was a really long day (because right now it seems like weeks ago!) but one of the best yet. I went on a tour to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher....they're on the west coast of Ireland and south of Galway. I was iffy about taking a bus tour because they say you drive too quickly through the sights but this was a great one. We drove through little Irish towns for awhile and then stopped for a few coastal pictures as well before heading to the Burren. The weather has been really bad in Ireland for a week or so (apparantly the worst they've seen in a year) so the tourguide was on edge with how much we were really going to get to see. LOTS of wind and rain/hail so it didn't make for the best weather for outdoor activities. But we got to the Burren in just enough time to do about an hour and 1/2 walking tour up the mountain. It's a limestone mountain and very rugged. The views were absolutely amazing though!! You could see all the way to Galway Bay and the surrounding Burren mountains. We slid down this limestone slide and all...really fun and the rain held out the entire time so we could enjoy the hike. Of course it poured right as we got back into the bus, making us nervous that we would miss the Cliffs of Moher but we headed up there anyways. Apparantly the day before, the winds were so bad (reached about 90 mph), they tore off the windshield of a coach bus and it flew into a girl, breaking both her legs!! The windshield was still lying there in the grass because the wind was still too dangerous to move it. So they were being super cautious with us....unfortunately. I would have been pissed if we had missed it. But we got up there and they weren't kidding about the winds!! Seriously, at times I couldn't even put one foot in front of the other. It was blowing peoples hats off all over the place and glasses too. Oh man, I wish I could have photographed wind because words just can't explain how crazy this experience was! But the Cliffs were amazing and the wind just added to the fun :) Got some great pictures of them and also of the O'Brien castle. We stopped at a pub on the way back and had some bailey's and coffee to warm up...deelissssh :) Also stopped at a few more picture spots...couple churches and castles along the coast. The tour was totally worth the money and I'm so glad I did it. Jen and Leigh (the two girls I met on the bus to Galway) did the Aran Islands and they experienced the same kind of crazy weather. Of course it was beautiful when I left Ireland today....go figure. We all went out last night and met a few more people...Emily who was in my room went out with us (another NJer!) and we met a couple Germans at the pub. It was such a fun night and so sad to say bye this morning to everyone at our hostel. I get used to being in one city and hanging out with the people I meet and then you have to move along....hard to do sometimes, especially when it was such a good time. I find myself getting homesick the first night in every new city but I think it also might be a "homesickness" for the city I just left! Plus Í'm usually traveling for awhile the days I come into a new city so it just leaves a lot of alone time to think about the great times....haha.

SO on that note...I got into Amsterdam late tonight after a bus back to Dublin from Galway, a bus to the airport, a flight to Eindhoven, Holland and then another bus to Amsterdam! I hadn't booked a hostel for Amsterdam yet because I didn't get on the internet late last night so I popped into an internet cafe and found one close by. It's in a great part of the city...apparantly right near all the bars and night-life (haha but not in the Red Light District). From what I've seen of Amsterdam so far, which isn't much because I was exhausted when I got here, it's pretty interesting :) Haha I'll have to bring back some of the pamphlets they were passing out here though....it's a COMPLETELY different culture than the U.S. (which isn't new news for anyone, I know). So I'm looking forward to looking around tomorrow. I met Steven and Kate in the common area today and they asked if I wanted to do this train ride to this little Dutch town that's right outside the city tomorrow morning. I thought it would be a great chance to see some of the countryside before I headed into the heart of Amsterdam, haha.

Change of plans....

Well it's been a couple crazy days....busy but good :) Last I wrote I was heading to Dublin...got there safely even though my flight was delayed a couple hours. Got into the city during the exciting mess of Ireland playing Wales in rugby...everyone dressed in red and green and going absolutely CRAZY in the streets (even though Ireland lost!). It was a great experience to see public drunkeness at its finest! Checked into my hostel which was in the heart of it all. It was called the Litton Lane Hostel and it was converted from the recording studio used by U2, Sinead O'Connor, and Van Morrison. So you think it would be pretty cool right? Wrong, it was nasty. The bathroom walls were splattered with blood and the showers so gross, I didn't even shower that night, haha. Luckily I was only staying there for 1 night (only place I could get during the rugby weekend). But I went out and walked around for awhile, enjoying the craziness :) Got up early the next day and had to check into my other hostel...I'm getting better at moving around so quickly! Then I toured Dublin all day....headed to Trinity College, Temple Bar, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and ended at the Guinness Warehouse. That was a blast...I took the tour and learned all about how the thick stuff is made and when I got to the 7th floor, got a fresh pint of it for free! And you'll be happy to know that I, avoiding every ounce of temptation, did NOT take the glass home with me :) Didn't want to get caught in Ireland, of all places! It was a great day...walked the whole city and surprisingly, the sun was out the entire time. Came back and met up with Yan, one of my roommates and we went out for a couple beers around the city. Went to a church that was converted into a bar (and of course I forgot my camera that night), Temple Bar, and ended up back near the hostel at O'Sheas for live Irish music. SO many people were out on a Sunday night...I couldn't believe it. I don't know how they get up for work the next morning.....or if they get up at all! It was awesome though :)
The next morning I decided I had had enough of big cities for a couple days so I cancelled my booking at the hostel that night and hopped on a bus to Galway (west coast of Ireland). I was lucky to cancel without getting charged and just booked the next couple nights in Galway instead. Met Leigh, Mark, and Jen on the bus there (all from the U.S. - Leigh is studying abroad in Dublin and the others visiting her) and we spent the rest of the day together, walking around Galway in the pouring rain! It was still beautiful though and such a low-key city (felt more like a town). Favorite part was a cathedral right across the river....just absolutely gorgeous and we seriously just sat there for 1/2 hour staring at the ceiling and architecture. Makes me wonder how I'm going to handle Paris and Rome :) Came back to dry (literally soaked to the bone) and get some food. All of us plan on going out to hear some Irish music (Galway is known for it) and have a couple beers later. There are a few great pubs nearby and also a jazz wine bar which we will hit up as well (Mark found in a guidebook actually). We're also going to take a tour of the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren tomorrow.....it's supposed to be beautiful (even the brochure is gorgeous) so let's hope the weather holds out! I can't take any more rain!! This hostel is so great here too...so clean and definitely a step up from Dublin. Promise I'll post a few pictures tomorrow or the next day....it's been hard trying to upload them on computers here. Anyways, now that I'm paying for the internet, the posts might be a bit shorter ;) Xoxoxoxox

At the Elephant House....

Yesssss, the place where J.K. Rowling scribbled down the beginnings of Harry Potter and Hogwarts on paper napkins! Haha, I swear, Harry Potter things are following me around England and Scotland, haha. I'm really not that obsessed, just happened to stumble upon this place the other day. It's a really cute cafe and has internet access so woot woot. Anyways, it's cold and rainy in Edinburgh today which was fine by me because last night was a late one so it's been nice to just relax today. Yesterday I checked out the Botanical Gardens and they were so so pretty...it was warmer out too so I really enjoyed just walking around and basically getting lost there. Took a bus down to the beach too to check it out (Portabello Beach) but it was nothing to brag about. It was actually kind of dirty but it could just be because it's the dead of winter and the beach hasn't seen anyone but a few occasional walkers in months! I liked it nonetheless because it was salt water and sand :) You could see over to Fyfe (sp?) because the water is actually an estuary, not the actual North Sea. But it was a pretty afternoon so just being outside was enjoyable. Came back to the hostel to do laundry and get some dinner and met a few people in the lounge area. I also met my roomies from Chile who were just finishing up their vacation all around Europe as well. They had been gone for a month and just kept explaining how tired they were! Made me nervous that I'll look as rundown as they do! The hostel hosted a pub crawl last night so I met up with everyone downstairs. We had a group of about 10 and I had SUCH a good time!! Met some really great people...a few from Canada, New Zealand, and even Southern Cali, haha. It was a really fun night...went to about 4 different pubs and ended up at a club where I killed my legs even more and danced, haha. We all got along really well though and took so many pictures (haha go figure) so Ill have to post them soon on here. We decided at 3 a.m. to meet for breakfast the next morning because greasy food sounded so good at that moment!! So Victoria, Chad, and I had a Scottish/Irish breakfast at a pub across the street this morning...including black pudding (which I'm pretty sure is clotted blood....never again). It's been rainy here today so instead of the hike I wanted to do up to the hills overlooking the city, I went to see Juno instead, haha. I had wanted to see it before I left the states but it was a perfect rainy day thing. AND the chance to relax my legs! Not sure if I'll go out tonight....I'm going to try and do the hike tomorrow before I have to check out at 10 and wouldn't be able to get up if I have another night like last night :) Flying to Dublin tomorrow around 2 so I'm ready for another change of scenary. Can't wait though, Ireland was the place I've been looking forward to the most (and of course Italy....for the food). Next time I'll write will be from there so here's to hoping I make it there okay in the little Aer Lingus plane!
OH and I heard from Andrew Bishop in Paris (he used to work at the good ole Outback with us) and found out he might be traveling a bit with me...most likely to Interlaken and possibly to Barcelona. It will be fun to have a travel buddy! He just found an apartment in Paris and offered to let me crash there while I'm in the city. That would be great because of course Paris is another crazy expensive city! So that's exciting.

Edinburgh....finally learned how to pronounce it

Finally got to a computer today! It's been pretty hectic the past couple days (which isn't a bad thing) and a different experience from London all together! I took a 9 1/2 hour bus ride (ugh) to Edinburgh, Scotland on Tuesday and got a see a lot of the English countryside...nothing but farms really, nothing too exciting. Although, when we crossed over into Scotland it was awesome because the North Sea basically slaps you in the face and you're driving on the side of cliffs. Extremely pretty AND it was sunset, so what more could you ask for?

It's soooo cold in Edinburgh and getting there at night didn't help! This was the first place I've tried couchsurfing. Brian picked me up at the bus station and I stayed at his apartment Tuesday and Wednesday night. He was really nice and has hosted a lot of couchsurfers over the past couple years. I had a mixture of feelings when I got to Scotland though...I guess it's because at this point, I was really on my own. Even though I didn't know Lolo in London, she seemed like instant family because she was associated with it! So it was strange staying with a person I didn't know from a hole in the wall but it turned out to be great. He is big into Tango dancing (still don't know how I feel about a guy doing this) and took me to his Tango class with him. Well, it was more like a place where everyone who knows how to dance can go and dance with various partners. It felt like a high school dance with chairs along the walls and guys and girls waiting to be asked to dance! Really entertaining. I definitely didn't dance (these people were really good) so just sat and watched...but it was an interesting experience.
Brian showed me around Edinburgh all day yesterday...we walked the entire city and geez it is hilly like San Fran in certain parts! My legs were killing me by the end of the day but it felt great. We went up to highest point of the city and you can see forever!! The sea, mountains, and the entire Edinburgh skyline...pictures came out great. We also hit up a couple museums and basically he just showed me every area of the city. I bought a ticket to see Shout, the 60's musical, last night at the Edinburgh playhouse and it was really good. Besides sitting next to a creepy guy who was talking to himself the entire time, I had a great time! Lots of great music and costumes...too bad I missed the theater in London, I'm sure it would put Edinburgh to shame. Oh well!

Since I only told Brian I was staying with him for 2 nights (didn't want to wear out my welcome) I checked into a hostel this morning called Budget Backpackers. It's such a cool place...run by Australians and everyone is so friendly. I'm in Edinburgh until Saturday so I'll stay here 2 nights. I'm not sure if I'm going to get to Glasgow or not...not really feeling another big city before Dublin so I'm going to try and get to the outskirts of Edinburgh tomorrow, see some coastal places. But we'll see...I'll see what I get accomplished today and figure it out from there. Think I'm going to check out the Botanical Gardens today and more of the city :) Anyways, I'll have internet access for these 2 days at least so I'll keep in touch.
Xoxo

Last night in London....

Even though I'm looking forward to the next step, I'm sad to be leaving London! I've had such a great time with Lolo and just here in general, it's hard to pick up and go. But I guess that's a good sign :) Have to catch an early bus tomorrow on the other side of London so getting up reeeeally early. These past two days have been great...felt like I ate all day long yesterday, haha. Just heavy meals I guess so they stuck with me all day. We went out to a pub for a Sunday Roast and oh my goodness, it was delicious. I could definitely only eat like that one day a week but it was well worth it...roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, stuffing things, peas, carrots...you name it, it was probably on my plate! AND they give you a free pint with it so it felt funny drinking ale at 1 in the afternoon. But hey, I wasn't going to pass up a free ale, as I'm trying to sample many different kinds. Lolo's a vegetarian so she got the veggie version of a sunday roast...just doesn't seem the same!
Met up with Kate afterwards in Covent Garden and we talked for a couple hours, catching up with everything and reminscing about freshman year at MWC...haha always makes for a good conversation (and a little heartache when I think of that place!). I am so impressed with where she is right now...getting her PhD at London SOAS and heading to Nepal in September for a year to do her fieldwork. She's been everywhere it seems and she's definitely so intelligent. She still keeps in contact with Caleb too which is awesome because he's always been one of my favorites :) Anyways, we had coffee too and then had to say goodbye unfortunately...maybe I'll see her in another random city again! You never know. Lolo and I went out for Turkish food for dinner (thanks SO much to Michelle!) and it had to be one of the greatest meals I have ever eaten....and I'm being entirely truthful. I don't even remember what it was I had but I'm still thinking about it today. Even though English isn't known for their food, I've tried some great things these past couple days! No complaints here. We went to the Shakespeare in Stoke Newington after for some cider and walked through back streets to get home. It was such a nice night, felt like I was a true Londoner! Haha if that's a word :)
Took an early bus to Oxford for the day today.....completely blown away by it because in my mind I had a picture of what Europe would be like (just in general) and this place was like the exact image thrown all around the city! Just the architecture, atmosphere, people, accents, weather....everything seemed so perfect in a way. A lot more laid back than London and obviously a college town. But seriously, I know there are more beautiful places that I still have yet to see, but I just really enjoyed Oxford. I took SO many pictures within the amount of time I was there but it was worth it because I could pick and choose which ones I liked the best. I didn't have a plan there, just walked down any street I could and every time I turned a corner, there was something more amazing than the last. Saw another place where a Harry Potter scene was filmed (haha I'm loving that) and had a pint in an Oxford pub. It's a small enough city that you can see it all in just a couple hours. Once the sun went down it got really cold so I just headed back to London (takes about 2 hours by bus). Sat beside a bunch of private school girls and their conversations were cracking me up. They were only on the bus for a short time but I knew all of their gossip and crap before they got to their stop! I just loved listening to their accents and slang though, it was great. Posted a few pictures of Oxford above and moved the other pictures to below the blog....I'm going to have to swap pictures out eventually to make room for more!
Anyways, Lolo had her driving lesson again tonight so she wasn't around much but I just packed my stuff and got ready to head out tomorrow. Next time I write I'll be in Scotland so woot woot for that!! :) This was long but had to write for 2 days...sorry about that! Hope everything is going well :) Xoxo

Before a Sunday roast....

Catching up with the blog since I didn't write yesterday....I'm so glad I have use of a computer here at Lolo's but it'll probably change one I move on! So I'll take advantage of the luxury while I can :) We got a late start yesterday since the night before left us a littttttle hungover. I actually woke up before Lolo! That's a first too, because we know I can sleep. Anyways, she made me my first cup of English tea (deelishhhh) then went out for brunch at this place called the Blue Legume in Stoke Newington. It was very San Francisco-ish and the food was amazing...all organic and fresh. I had stopped there for coffee the day before but was so glad to come back and try the food. We walked around "Stokey" for awhile because it was finally gorgeous out. Hit up a farmers market and bought a couple locally brewed beers for later...an ale and a wheat beer (both turned out to be great). Also gave into temptation at a vintage shop and bought a couple pieces of jewelery....in total it was under £8 so I am still staying within my budget! Lolo treated herself to a couple dresses....she has a great style just like EVERYONE in London. No joke, I have not seen even one person that is not completely in style...it amazes me. I definitely stick out like a sore thumb because I only brought a limited amount of clothes! Oh well, if I look like a tourist, so what right?
Lolo had her driving lesson in the afternoon so I hit up Camden Market (couple pictures above). This places was incredible...all the vendors were set up in old horse stalls and the cobblestone streets winded around everyone. Everyone was selling great food, clothing, and everything else you could think of. It was really packed but definitely an experience. Literally every kind of person there, so people watching was fun too :)
Got back for some dinner and beer with Lolo before we headed back to Camden for a show. A band called the Priscilla's was playing at the Purple Turtle and it was an absolute blast. The lead singer is actually from New Jersey. She's only been her for 6 years but when we talked to her after the show, I found out she had completely taken on a British accent. Too funny but I guess it's easy to when you're surrounded by them. No matter what age you are or whatever your background is, you sound so intelligent with a British accent! It just sounds so proper, I absolutely love it. The show was really really good though...definitely different music than I'm used to but I'm so thankful for Lolo being here because I never would have found this place on my own. It was St. David's Day (sort of like the Welsch St. Patrick's Day) so they threw out tulips to the entire crowd and when they were trampled later that night, the whole place smelled like fresh tulips!! It was awesome...we had a great time. OH and before the bus ride home we shared a thing of chips. Haha they were completely amazing....even though I broke my Lent promise, it was well worth it. How can I come to London and not try the chips? I'll do without the fish though. We befriended a couple Australians on the bus ride home...they were hilarious.
Well, we're off to a traditional Sunday Roast across the street. I'm looking foward to it....it might be a bit heavy for lunch but I'm excited to try Yorkshire pudding :) Meeting up with Kate this afternoon for coffee near Covent Garden. Can't wait to see her! Doing a day trip to either Stonehenge or Oxford tomorrow...haven't decided which one yet. Leave for Scotland on Tuesday morning which is good because they're supposed to get snow in London on that day. It would be pretty but not fun to walk around in :) Anyways, we're off....talk soon!

Ok this will be short...even though I said that last night! But it's 2:30 am, you know where I'm heading. I had a great day today...even though it was FREEZING, rainy, and windy, I tried to make the best of it. I got a late start because I slept in a little...Lolo must have turned the heat on before she left because I was so cooooozy in bed, it was hard to get out! Big surprise, I'm sure. Anyways, I battled the rain to a great coffee shop in Stoke Newington (the neighborhood Lolo lives in) and then took the Tube into Central London. I had to stop at this place called King's Crossing because the Harry Potter tribute was at the station! I posted a picture of it....Platform 9 3/4 for those who have read it or seen the movies. They had a cart that disappeared into the wall too...I loved it. Anyways, headed on to the Westminster area and saw the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, Westmister Abby, and Buckingham Palace (posted a couple pictures). Touristy spots for sure...I met a family from Binghampton, haha! But it was really cool, even in the rain...I actually bought a souvenir (Lolo suggested getting something small from everywhere I went) of a double decker bus key chain. Hehe totally typical but I had to! The rain got really bad after Buckingham palace so I made my way back....thought about stopping at the London Aquarium to stay dry but couldn't justify spending $26 U.S. on a ticket. It's so hard to look at prices here and know you have to double them to realize how much you're spending. Really sad too because the shopping is sooo tempting :) Oh well, maybe other places will be more reasonable. Went back to Stoke Newington after to shower, eat, and get ready for Lolo's show. I was a little late because the bus took f-in forever!!! It was so much fun though...Lolo seems pretty shy at times but she really comes out of her shell on stage...she was great!! The venue was called Boston Music Room and I got meet a couple of her friends...all really nice and welcoming. Tried a couple good beers too...but turns out they were Danish and French beers! Oh well, I'll get to the English Ales, I'm sure :) Came back on this side of town with Lolo and went out for one more drink...different atmosphere than the Boston Room but we had good conversations with guys from Dublin and Belfast. I'm fascinated with their accents and they actually made me read from a newspaper to hear mine. Haha I kept trying to tell them that they're the ones with the cool accents, the U.S. has nothing to brag about! Oh well, it was fun. Off to sleep for sure....it wasn't as short as I thought it'd be. Doing brunch instead of breakfast tomorrow, I'm sure. :)

Long day!

It's been a looong day so I'll try to get as much in before I pass out! Lolo and Willie have a laptop that they have kindly let me check my e-mail and upload my pictures, so this works out great. I felt like I saw so much today but I only TOUCHED upon London! I got up really early to head to Greenwich first which is on the South side of the river Thames.....gorgeous little area that has so many shops and cafes as well as museums and history. I headed there to see the Royal Observatory and get some great shots of the London skyline. Too bad it was cloudy! Greenwich Park was beautiful and actually the spot where all time in Europe is based out of...Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). My favorite part, however, was the observatory because it's where the Prime Meridian is! I posted a picture below of me straddling the line...one foot is in the Western Hemisphere and the other in the Eastern Hemisphere! How sweet is that!? I thought it was pretty interesting. :) I left Greenwich after that (and a coffee of course) and headed to a couple more touristy stops. London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and Tower of London. London Bridge is nothing too exciting...pretty dull if you ask me. But Tower Bridge makes up for it...got a lot of good pictures (I'll post one below as well). Continued to walk to St. Paul's Cathedral (gorgeous and enormous) then went to Tate Modern Museum. Very interesting art in there, I was impressed. Just walked along the river after that, got plenty of pictures and stopped at the Borough market to check it out....too bad I had just eaten. I'll definitely go back there because Lolo told me a scene in one of the Harry Potter movies was filmed there! I have to get a picture :) I was literally exhausted after all that....walked closed to 6 miles I'm sure and even in the most comfy shoes, my legs and back were tired! So I came back to Lolo's and relaxed, waited for her to get out of work. We made dinner here together (rice and veggie curry dish....sooooo yummy!) then went out for a "pint" at an English pub. They had a nice fire going and all...completely felt like I thought it would. Tomorrow I'm going out for the day for more sights and then seeing Lolo's show at night. Also, a friend from Mary Wash caught up with me on myspace and she's living in London right now! Hopefully I'll be able to see her...even just for coffee to catch up, it's been years! It's been a little lonely walking around the sights all by myself, but I really am enjoying the time to take things in and all. I know I'll meet more people when I start staying in hostels and I'm so grateful for Lolo being so nice and letting me stay with her! But ya know, I like to talk and don't want to start talking to myself soon! Hehe just kidding. No one is super friendly in London though, I've noticed. Even Lolo admitted that most of them are rude! But I am not complaining at all....I'm in love with this city and the experience so far. Just commenting, hehe. Besides I can go where I want, when I want and feel like I'm getting a lot accomplished. It's a good feeling :) Anyways, write more soon....xoxo. Hope everyone is well.

And it begins....:)

Well I'm heeeeeere! Exhausted but here! I definitely couldn't sleep much on the plane (seats were tight) so it feels like I've been up for days. But getting through Heathrow was a breeze and I got through customs 3 people behind Solja Boy! Crazy huh? I never would have known who he was had the customs guy not said anything. I wanted to do the Solja boy dance right then but ya know, didn't think it was a appropriate....or any good for that matter :)

The Underground train system (the Tube) was really easy to grasp and I'm glad for that since I'll be using it all weekend long. I had to lug my backpack all around for the afternoon before I met up with Lolo but at least it was comfy! I must have stuck out like a sore thumb because I had to meet Lolo in Oxford Circus which is a very high-end shopping area. Completely reminded me of NYC. But Lauren Marinaro assured me that's the most American-like place in London, so not to worry that it will all be like that! It just made me jealous that I didn't have the money to spend on clothes :) So tempting....

Lolo is the greatest! I met up with her for coffee and we chatted for awhile about some plans for the weekend. She reminds me so much of Aunt Mary (you were definitely right about that Michelle!) and very easy to get along with. Her apartment is in Stock Newington which is right outside of London so that's where I'll be staying. The area is great...artsy and ecclectic. There is a giant Victoria cemetery in the middle of the neighborhood and it's a beautiful walk through it. I started a bit later today (after a nap) so it scared me a bit to be in there after dusk....another time for sure :)

Well tomorrow starts my sightseeing frenzy...Lauren and Lolo gave me a bunch of ideas for things to see and of course I want to see it all. Definitely have to catch up on sleep tonight so I'll be able to manage it tomorrow. My eating schedule is wacked out too!! I haven't eaten much all day so hopefully everything will work out tomorrow. Or not...since English food is nothing to brag about! Hehe :) I'll write more soon when my head isn't fogged from lack of sleep!! Small price to pay......:)