We arrived in Rome and found our hostel... I'm not going to lie, it was pretty sketch. The 3 of us were unfortunately seperated and Trey and I were in a room with another couple and our showers were out next to the living room. Scott ended up downstairs. It was strange. But we wanted to do laundry that night because our clothes were stinking, but we walked to the laundromat and it had just closed and Scott was hungry so he went and got food. That was my first experience with inappropriate Italian men. The next morning, Trey and I got up early to take our laundry to the mat and get it washed. It was done at 10:30 and the 3 of us decided to go look at Rome. We walked to the Republique which was next to our hostel, it was interesting then we got the metro towards the trevi fountain and we did the typical touristy "toss the coin in." We decided to walk towards to collesium and as we did we ran into more ruins and a monument. The monument was for the tomb of the unknown soldier. We then found more Roman ruins and bought a pass to go there and the collesium. We walked through the ruins and then to the collesium. Which was quite impressive. We had a lot of fun making fun of the tour guides and just making up random crap about what happened in the collesium, like the pope had slaughtered men and the cross was where Jesus was hung, just dumb stuff. We had decided that morning that we wanted to do a pub crawl, so during lunch we decided to do one that night. We went to find the place to buy the tickets and got like 15 minutes of free internet while we were there. We walked back to the hostel after that to rest up for the pub crawl. I wasn't feeling too good because Trey got both Scott and I sick. The pub crawl was tons of fun. We met at the Spanish Steps and then went to a Scottish pub first where we got a shot, 3 jagerbombs and as much beer as we wanted and free pizza. As well as a free shirt. Trey and I played in a game where the girl had to take a cold can of beer and run it up inside the pant leg of the guy, around the crotch and back down the other side. I totally finished with that like 30 seconds before any other couple, but Trey didn't think he could chug the beer yet, so someone else had caught up to us by that point and we lost :-(. The next few bars after that, the drinks were ridiculously expensive. Everyone on the tour were Americans and every single one of them (but us) got so drunk, it was actually embarassing. We got a bus to the last bar and by that point I had no idea where we were in Rome, but I knew we were safe. We went to a club at the end of the night where they gave us directions on how to get home. The club was fun, we just sat around and talked. Met a guy from Boston College, heard my southern accent and basically proposed to me right then and there. He was really fun to talk to and had a lot of cool stories especially because he was living in Rome for the semester. The club kinda sucked so we headed home early, by a bus, which we didn't pay for...When we were heading home, Trey decided that he had to pee really bad. So he gave me all these wild looks like he was literally about to explode. I'm pretty certain his bladder is the size of a pea. So thankfully the next stop was ours, and we got off and he peed in a bush.
The next morning, Scott never woke up. So Trey and I decided to leave him after 1) we had lost him the day before in the metro because he decided to go down the escalator and 2) he didn't wake up in time for us to go do anything on our last day
So Trey and I headed towards Vatican City. We decided to stop at this little square that had some cool buildings and Trey and I found a pretty park. It was probably my most favorite place in Rome. Scott finally met up with us and we headed to Vatican City. We got to Vatican and ran into one of the guys from the pub crawl and we talked to him for a while. Vatican City was quite impressive. We waited in line to see St. Paul's basilica, I'm disappointed we didn't climb to the top, but it was pretty nonetheless. We then went to try to find the sistine chapel. Three hours, 3 people working in Vatican, 8 euro, and miles of museum later, we reached the Sistine Chapel. Of course Trey got illegal pictures (my camera had died otherwise I would have as well). It was crowded and I was tired, but it was still impressive. After that we decided to get some gelato and chill in the sun. I got fried. It was great. We walked to the castle, then over a bridge and then back to the hostel. I'm pretty certain every meal we had was pasta/pizza or gelato. We had to sleep that night because the next morning we were getting up to head to Naples and Pompeii
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Venice, Florence and Pisa
We got to Venice on Sunday morning/afternoon and went to find our hotel. You either had to walk or take a water ferry or a boat taxi (so cool). Liz was in Venice when we got there, so we texted her to try and meet up. After we had got ourselves situated in the room (which had free wifi and wasn't supposed too) we went to find the beach that Liz was hanging out on. Once we got to Lido, we got a gelato and tried to find Liz. We found her after walking along the beach for like 15 minutes right at the entrance, haha. We walked back to the ferry and took it to San Marcos Square. That night we made dinner (pasta and wine and salad) in Liz's hostel. We went back to our hotel so Liz could get internet and then went to bed. Venice was absolutely beautiful. We walked around on Monday and saw a farmers market and stuff like that. I am so in love with Venice. We didn't get to see Murano, famous for glass blowing, because we only bought 12 hour ticket instead of 24, stupid us. So we left for Florence instead.
We arrived in Florence, bought a map and went on to our hostel... which we found the street, we just couldn't find the house number. We weren't looking close enough because there was no sign, just a little name on the wall next to do the door. It was a cute little hotel/hostel. We walked around Florence that night, and saw a lot of naked statues, and many things like that. We went to a student pub like forever away from our hotel. It had a pretty sweet drink deal, 1 litre of any cocktail for 10 euros. So Trey and I split a Malibu and coke and it was good. We also got dinner there, it wasn't too good though. The bar was surprisingly not busy, I'm hoping it was because people were on break?? We went back towards the hotel, hoping that there would be another bar nearby.. .false... just a club that wasn't even a club it was more of a hotshot bar, but we got in (the bouncer just asked if we had an ID that said we were 18). The drinks were SO expensive, 14 euro for just a vodka redbull. And there was WAY too much vodka, Scott didn't even finish it. Trey and a Jim Beam and coke, disgusting.. mainly because they don't measure out how much alcohol they put in. After, we just went back to the hotel.
We went to the Academia Galleria where the real David was, waited for about 20 minutes and finally got in. It was pretty huge, there were also a lot of other interesting art works there. After, we went back to look at the Duomo (just a building with a dome) and walked up to Michaelangelo plaza to take a look over Florence, absolutely beautiful. We found the best gelato in Florence. The shop reminded me of some kinda tourist attraction with flashing lights and all, but there were over 60 choices of gelato. SO STINKING GOOD. Afterwards, we decided to head for Pisa. Once we got to Pisa, we had to purchase our reservations to Roma. Then we hoped on the bus (which was only 1 euro and good for 60 minutes) and headed for the Leaning Tower. Thankfully, the people on the bus were nice enough to tell us which stop was the tower. I was actually in awe that I was seeing something that is such a popular landmark. We took our typical pictures and went to see about climbing it... that was a negative, not for 15 euro! So we drank wine and talked on the lawn right next to it. :-) We left for Rome around 6.
We arrived in Florence, bought a map and went on to our hostel... which we found the street, we just couldn't find the house number. We weren't looking close enough because there was no sign, just a little name on the wall next to do the door. It was a cute little hotel/hostel. We walked around Florence that night, and saw a lot of naked statues, and many things like that. We went to a student pub like forever away from our hotel. It had a pretty sweet drink deal, 1 litre of any cocktail for 10 euros. So Trey and I split a Malibu and coke and it was good. We also got dinner there, it wasn't too good though. The bar was surprisingly not busy, I'm hoping it was because people were on break?? We went back towards the hotel, hoping that there would be another bar nearby.. .false... just a club that wasn't even a club it was more of a hotshot bar, but we got in (the bouncer just asked if we had an ID that said we were 18). The drinks were SO expensive, 14 euro for just a vodka redbull. And there was WAY too much vodka, Scott didn't even finish it. Trey and a Jim Beam and coke, disgusting.. mainly because they don't measure out how much alcohol they put in. After, we just went back to the hotel.
We went to the Academia Galleria where the real David was, waited for about 20 minutes and finally got in. It was pretty huge, there were also a lot of other interesting art works there. After, we went back to look at the Duomo (just a building with a dome) and walked up to Michaelangelo plaza to take a look over Florence, absolutely beautiful. We found the best gelato in Florence. The shop reminded me of some kinda tourist attraction with flashing lights and all, but there were over 60 choices of gelato. SO STINKING GOOD. Afterwards, we decided to head for Pisa. Once we got to Pisa, we had to purchase our reservations to Roma. Then we hoped on the bus (which was only 1 euro and good for 60 minutes) and headed for the Leaning Tower. Thankfully, the people on the bus were nice enough to tell us which stop was the tower. I was actually in awe that I was seeing something that is such a popular landmark. We took our typical pictures and went to see about climbing it... that was a negative, not for 15 euro! So we drank wine and talked on the lawn right next to it. :-) We left for Rome around 6.
Paris and the adventure to Italy
The trip was long to Paris, but we finally made it. We stayed in the Crowne Plaza. The first night we went to the Sacred Heart up on Montmatre (sp) hill and I finally got to see Trey and Scott. Afterwards we took a drive around Paris at night. Absolutely beautiful. We got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 11, very neat. The next day we had breakfast and went to climb the tower. I officially think that I a afraid of heights. I wasn't as impressed with the skyline of Paris, not many tall buildings, plus it was foggy. After, we went to Versailles Palace. WOW. Someone had way too much money. But it was beautiful nonetheless. It was cool to see where Marie Antoinette lived all that jazz. The Hall of Mirrors was cool as well. That afternoon/night we had to ourselves. We went to the Louvre (for free bc I'm a student) and saw all the things in there I wanted to see. the mona lisa was surprisingly tinier than I thought. We had to keep asking people to find Aphrodite. One lady basically didn't speak English and was like schoobadibly tick tick tick and we were like WHAT IN THE WORLD?!! We found her and then left. That night we mostly packed and Trey and Scott came over for a while and we planned Italy. France was currently experiencing a railstrike so we didn't really know what to do because the train station didn't know when any trains would be running to Italy.
Saturday morning my parents were leaving to go back home. It was so nice having them here and to finally see them. So of course I cried when they after. Trey, Scott and I headed to the train station to wait to leave for Italy. We were there from 7 to 3:30. It was a long day of watching people (getting pooped on by pigeons) and catching up. We basically ran for the train once it got there because we didn't know if it would be difficult to get on. It wasn't, we got a seat and then we were off. The next thing we know the train was stopping at the border of France and Italy. There we had to get off to catch a bus into Tolino (or something)... We had NO IDEA what was going on... mainly because no one spoke english and we didnt speak italian. We got on a bus and had a 2.5 hour drive through the alps of Italy and France. We would go through tunnels and everytime we came out it would just get darker. It was an experience to say the least. We got to Tolido or whatever it was called and had to figure out how to get to milan. Luckily the train came right when we got down there and we got to Milan around 11 and found a really nice and fairly cheap hotel to stay in for the night. Equiped with breakfast and tub and a mini bar. The next morning we got on a train to Venice.
Saturday morning my parents were leaving to go back home. It was so nice having them here and to finally see them. So of course I cried when they after. Trey, Scott and I headed to the train station to wait to leave for Italy. We were there from 7 to 3:30. It was a long day of watching people (getting pooped on by pigeons) and catching up. We basically ran for the train once it got there because we didn't know if it would be difficult to get on. It wasn't, we got a seat and then we were off. The next thing we know the train was stopping at the border of France and Italy. There we had to get off to catch a bus into Tolino (or something)... We had NO IDEA what was going on... mainly because no one spoke english and we didnt speak italian. We got on a bus and had a 2.5 hour drive through the alps of Italy and France. We would go through tunnels and everytime we came out it would just get darker. It was an experience to say the least. We got to Tolido or whatever it was called and had to figure out how to get to milan. Luckily the train came right when we got down there and we got to Milan around 11 and found a really nice and fairly cheap hotel to stay in for the night. Equiped with breakfast and tub and a mini bar. The next morning we got on a train to Venice.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Guten Tag
I think the last time I left off we were in London or just about to leave London.
Sunday…
We met our tour guide Paul Felix and headed to St. Pancras station to get onto the Eurostar. It was a super fast trip. I fell asleep during the time we were under the channel, and when I woke up I was watching French farmland pass by the window. We ended up in Brussels, got on our motorcoach and started our long journey to Amsterdam.
We arrived in Amsterdam and went on a cruise through the canals, it was raining but it was beautiful regardless. We then went to check into the Carlton. My parents and I wanted to do the excursion of a Dutch dinner and a walk through Amsterdam. The dinner was interesting. We got to chose a starter and Mom, Dad and I tried all three… a fish platter (yuck), a ham platter (yuck) and pea soup (yum). Main dish mom had hodgepodge which was carrots and mashed potatoes with a meatball, I had chicken with potatoes and dad had steak. For dessert we had ice cream with fruit salad, ice cream with pancakes and ice cream with chocolate (orgasmic). We then had coffee… which was bitter so I literally put half the bottle of sugar in it and then it was perfect.
After dinner we went on our tour of Amsterdam. We saw a lot of interesting things and learned a lot of history. We also went through the red light district. Women were seriously standing in windows with nothing but lingerie on posing… I felt so awkward, especially being with my parents. People also tried selling dad some marijuana. Marijuana was being smoked everywhere and it was disgusting.
Monday morning we were up and heading for Germany. In Germany we went to Cologne or Koln and saw the Dom Cathedral which was ridiculously beautiful. We walked around and had some pastries and then walked around Cologne some more, we didn’t really have much time there. After, we tried heading to the Rhine river to do a cruise, but traffic was awful because of a bike race… Thankfully we got to the river cruise right when it was about to leave. The Rhine River was BEAUTIFUL. So many castles and quaint little villages. After the cruise, we headed on to Heidelberg. We were staying at the Leonardo hotel… where we had dinner. Dinner was salmon (gross) not our choice with rice… So after, dad and I walked the streets to find more food. We only found a café open seeing as they celebrate Easter both on the Friday before and the Monday after so it was empty. Dad and I got a German beer and some pommes with mayo and ketchup.
Tuesday… we headed to the Black Forest, which was amazing. There we stopped at a cute shop that had cookoo clocks, dolls, nutcrackers and anything else German that you can imagine. We got a bunch of stuff, but we won’t get it until we get home. We walked around the town for a while before leaving for Switzerland. Since Switzerland isn’t a part of the EU we had to cross security at the border. Once in Switzerland, we stopped at the Rhine Falls, not quite Niagra Falls, but still impressive. We got into Lucerne around 4:30. Our hotel is on a hill and our bus driver backed up the hill to get to it, it was very impressive. Mom, dad and I walked around the Lake and saw Mt. Pilatus and the alps surrounding Lucerne.
Tonight, we did a traditional Swiss Folklore dinner party. We had cheese fondue, veal with hashbrowns, and ice cream. It was yummy. We also had traditional music, complete with alphorns, yodeling, and many other things. I got to go on stage and dance, mom and dad had to yodel (and chug beer). It was one hilarious and fun evening.
Tomorrow our plan is to have a tour of Lucerne, climb Mt. Pilatus (by a cable car) and then have the afternoon to do whatever. Thursday we leave bright and early for Paris!
Sunday…
We met our tour guide Paul Felix and headed to St. Pancras station to get onto the Eurostar. It was a super fast trip. I fell asleep during the time we were under the channel, and when I woke up I was watching French farmland pass by the window. We ended up in Brussels, got on our motorcoach and started our long journey to Amsterdam.
We arrived in Amsterdam and went on a cruise through the canals, it was raining but it was beautiful regardless. We then went to check into the Carlton. My parents and I wanted to do the excursion of a Dutch dinner and a walk through Amsterdam. The dinner was interesting. We got to chose a starter and Mom, Dad and I tried all three… a fish platter (yuck), a ham platter (yuck) and pea soup (yum). Main dish mom had hodgepodge which was carrots and mashed potatoes with a meatball, I had chicken with potatoes and dad had steak. For dessert we had ice cream with fruit salad, ice cream with pancakes and ice cream with chocolate (orgasmic). We then had coffee… which was bitter so I literally put half the bottle of sugar in it and then it was perfect.
After dinner we went on our tour of Amsterdam. We saw a lot of interesting things and learned a lot of history. We also went through the red light district. Women were seriously standing in windows with nothing but lingerie on posing… I felt so awkward, especially being with my parents. People also tried selling dad some marijuana. Marijuana was being smoked everywhere and it was disgusting.
Monday morning we were up and heading for Germany. In Germany we went to Cologne or Koln and saw the Dom Cathedral which was ridiculously beautiful. We walked around and had some pastries and then walked around Cologne some more, we didn’t really have much time there. After, we tried heading to the Rhine river to do a cruise, but traffic was awful because of a bike race… Thankfully we got to the river cruise right when it was about to leave. The Rhine River was BEAUTIFUL. So many castles and quaint little villages. After the cruise, we headed on to Heidelberg. We were staying at the Leonardo hotel… where we had dinner. Dinner was salmon (gross) not our choice with rice… So after, dad and I walked the streets to find more food. We only found a café open seeing as they celebrate Easter both on the Friday before and the Monday after so it was empty. Dad and I got a German beer and some pommes with mayo and ketchup.
Tuesday… we headed to the Black Forest, which was amazing. There we stopped at a cute shop that had cookoo clocks, dolls, nutcrackers and anything else German that you can imagine. We got a bunch of stuff, but we won’t get it until we get home. We walked around the town for a while before leaving for Switzerland. Since Switzerland isn’t a part of the EU we had to cross security at the border. Once in Switzerland, we stopped at the Rhine Falls, not quite Niagra Falls, but still impressive. We got into Lucerne around 4:30. Our hotel is on a hill and our bus driver backed up the hill to get to it, it was very impressive. Mom, dad and I walked around the Lake and saw Mt. Pilatus and the alps surrounding Lucerne.
Tonight, we did a traditional Swiss Folklore dinner party. We had cheese fondue, veal with hashbrowns, and ice cream. It was yummy. We also had traditional music, complete with alphorns, yodeling, and many other things. I got to go on stage and dance, mom and dad had to yodel (and chug beer). It was one hilarious and fun evening.
Tomorrow our plan is to have a tour of Lucerne, climb Mt. Pilatus (by a cable car) and then have the afternoon to do whatever. Thursday we leave bright and early for Paris!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Happy Easter!
I haven't updated this in a while... oops :)
I left last Thursday to head to Dundee. Stacey was kind enough to drive through ridiculous fog and I am so grateful to her!
We arrived at Dundee around midnight and from then until Wednesday I spent in Dundee with Trey!
Friday was my birthday! I am 20!! WOO! Trey brought me breakfast in bed, oatmeal and toast. That night we had a steak dinner with salad and a baked potato. We were going to go to the casino, but Trey's flatmates never made it that far. We went to the Union and Trey bought me a birthday shot. We also went to Templelane, which is a cheap cocktail place, LOVE IT. Scott smokes funny and Bruce is a rapper, although nothing like Eminem.
Saturday was the headphone disco, which was a lot of fun. Basically, each person got headphones and there were 2 different dj's and you could chose whichever station you wanted and rock out. It was awesome.
Sunday was a lazy day, at least from what I remember. We planned the Europe trip mainly.
Monday we went to Stirling. We left about 10 and got there around 12. We walked up to the castle. Saw a statue of Robert the Bruce. We went ahead and bought a ticket and went it. It was interesting. Not as cool as Edinburgh Castle. After, we tried walking to the Wallace Monument but we didn't have the time to get all the way there. We went to an Irish pub and had lunch and then left and headed back to Dundee. It was pouring when we go back so we took a taxi back to Trey's flat. We kinda hung out on Monday night and finalized all the hostels and flights for Trey's adventure and our Italy trip.
Tuesday, Trey had class and I worked on my essay. We also watched Shutter Island. It was a very interesting movie. I liked it.
That night was skint. Everyone was getting to a slow start. Kirsty and Rachael wanted to straighten Ciaran's hair and curl David's hair. Ciaran's hair looked good but David's not so much. Everyone but Trey and I were drunk before we even left. But only a few of us left at like 10:30. We hung out in the liar for a while before we went to mono. It was an interesting night. I didn't dance with Trey but I danced with Adam, Tom and Craig. Cathy and Emma are so sweet. I really enjoy everyone on his flat. And I'm seriously going to miss them once I leave.
Wednesday was when I was going to meet my parents in Edinburgh. Trey had class, so I met him downtown at 1 before I left. My bus arrived in Edinburgh around 4. My parents didn't get to the hotel until like 5. We got in our room and then went walking down the Royal Mile. They tried Irn Bru (they weren't big fans) and then we ate at the Filling Station. My parents were jet lagged so at like 8 we were back in the room and they were asleep.
Thursday we took one of those touristy tour buses around so my parents could see Edinburgh. We did that until we caught a bus to the airport. We arrived in London at 6. We took the Heathrow Connect into Paddington Square. We're currently staying in the Hilton London Metropole. We went to a cute Italian restaurant for dinner. Trey's bus ran like 2 hours late, so when he got in we just went to a little store and picked him up something.
Friday we were typical tourists. We took a bus into the main area of London. First stop was Buckingham Palace. We saw the changing of the guard. SO COOL. We then went into the main area of London. And what do you know, it POURED. We saw Downy Street, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster, the London Eye. We tried figuring out the bus to the tower, but gave up and went to McDonalds :) We found a tourist info point and asked what bus to take. We caught the bus to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We toured the Tower of London and sadly it was nothing like how it was in Winning London. After we walked down and spent FOREVER waiting for the bus to get us. We were going to try and do Abbey Road and the Globe but that didn't happen :(
When we finally caught a bus, Trey and I decided to go find his hostel for the night. It was freakin far away, so we decided that he would just stay with us again. We walked to Hyde Park but it was too dark to do anything. We walked back to the hotel and met my parents to find dinner. We ended up at KFC because everything else was some kinda hookah smoking place that we didn't want to venture into.
Saturday... Trey was up at 6 to leave for the train station to head to Heathrow for his flight to Berlin. I hate saying goodbye to him. The tour had a tour around London today. It was a lot of fun. The tour guide was hilarious. I saw where Sean Connery lives, St Paul's Cathedral (which is GORGEOUS), Big Ben, Westminster, Parliament and all that again. Something cool I learned was that they have a hawk that flies around Trafalgar Square to keep the pigeons away. The tour lasted from 8 until 12:30. We got back to the hotel and we all took a nap because we were exhausted. I finally heard from Trey around 2 saying that he had made it to the hostel. So I felt so much better after that point.
After, we walked to where Trey and I were last night and bought some souvenirs and then went into Hyde Park. We saw Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived and then went to find Peter Pan. He was very well hidden but I found him! Princess Diana also did a park for children called Never Never Land and the rule is no adult can enter without a child. So I didn't get to go in.. although I did contemplate stealing a small child to go in.
We just got back to the hotel and now we're just chilling because we have to be up at 5:45 am to have our luggage out and ready to go. We're taking the Eurostar into Brussels and then a bus into Amsterdam.
Trey's in Berlin now and Scott will be joining him tomorrow. Please keep all of us in your prayers for safe travels!
I left last Thursday to head to Dundee. Stacey was kind enough to drive through ridiculous fog and I am so grateful to her!
We arrived at Dundee around midnight and from then until Wednesday I spent in Dundee with Trey!
Friday was my birthday! I am 20!! WOO! Trey brought me breakfast in bed, oatmeal and toast. That night we had a steak dinner with salad and a baked potato. We were going to go to the casino, but Trey's flatmates never made it that far. We went to the Union and Trey bought me a birthday shot. We also went to Templelane, which is a cheap cocktail place, LOVE IT. Scott smokes funny and Bruce is a rapper, although nothing like Eminem.
Saturday was the headphone disco, which was a lot of fun. Basically, each person got headphones and there were 2 different dj's and you could chose whichever station you wanted and rock out. It was awesome.
Sunday was a lazy day, at least from what I remember. We planned the Europe trip mainly.
Monday we went to Stirling. We left about 10 and got there around 12. We walked up to the castle. Saw a statue of Robert the Bruce. We went ahead and bought a ticket and went it. It was interesting. Not as cool as Edinburgh Castle. After, we tried walking to the Wallace Monument but we didn't have the time to get all the way there. We went to an Irish pub and had lunch and then left and headed back to Dundee. It was pouring when we go back so we took a taxi back to Trey's flat. We kinda hung out on Monday night and finalized all the hostels and flights for Trey's adventure and our Italy trip.
Tuesday, Trey had class and I worked on my essay. We also watched Shutter Island. It was a very interesting movie. I liked it.
That night was skint. Everyone was getting to a slow start. Kirsty and Rachael wanted to straighten Ciaran's hair and curl David's hair. Ciaran's hair looked good but David's not so much. Everyone but Trey and I were drunk before we even left. But only a few of us left at like 10:30. We hung out in the liar for a while before we went to mono. It was an interesting night. I didn't dance with Trey but I danced with Adam, Tom and Craig. Cathy and Emma are so sweet. I really enjoy everyone on his flat. And I'm seriously going to miss them once I leave.
Wednesday was when I was going to meet my parents in Edinburgh. Trey had class, so I met him downtown at 1 before I left. My bus arrived in Edinburgh around 4. My parents didn't get to the hotel until like 5. We got in our room and then went walking down the Royal Mile. They tried Irn Bru (they weren't big fans) and then we ate at the Filling Station. My parents were jet lagged so at like 8 we were back in the room and they were asleep.
Thursday we took one of those touristy tour buses around so my parents could see Edinburgh. We did that until we caught a bus to the airport. We arrived in London at 6. We took the Heathrow Connect into Paddington Square. We're currently staying in the Hilton London Metropole. We went to a cute Italian restaurant for dinner. Trey's bus ran like 2 hours late, so when he got in we just went to a little store and picked him up something.
Friday we were typical tourists. We took a bus into the main area of London. First stop was Buckingham Palace. We saw the changing of the guard. SO COOL. We then went into the main area of London. And what do you know, it POURED. We saw Downy Street, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster, the London Eye. We tried figuring out the bus to the tower, but gave up and went to McDonalds :) We found a tourist info point and asked what bus to take. We caught the bus to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We toured the Tower of London and sadly it was nothing like how it was in Winning London. After we walked down and spent FOREVER waiting for the bus to get us. We were going to try and do Abbey Road and the Globe but that didn't happen :(
When we finally caught a bus, Trey and I decided to go find his hostel for the night. It was freakin far away, so we decided that he would just stay with us again. We walked to Hyde Park but it was too dark to do anything. We walked back to the hotel and met my parents to find dinner. We ended up at KFC because everything else was some kinda hookah smoking place that we didn't want to venture into.
Saturday... Trey was up at 6 to leave for the train station to head to Heathrow for his flight to Berlin. I hate saying goodbye to him. The tour had a tour around London today. It was a lot of fun. The tour guide was hilarious. I saw where Sean Connery lives, St Paul's Cathedral (which is GORGEOUS), Big Ben, Westminster, Parliament and all that again. Something cool I learned was that they have a hawk that flies around Trafalgar Square to keep the pigeons away. The tour lasted from 8 until 12:30. We got back to the hotel and we all took a nap because we were exhausted. I finally heard from Trey around 2 saying that he had made it to the hostel. So I felt so much better after that point.
After, we walked to where Trey and I were last night and bought some souvenirs and then went into Hyde Park. We saw Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived and then went to find Peter Pan. He was very well hidden but I found him! Princess Diana also did a park for children called Never Never Land and the rule is no adult can enter without a child. So I didn't get to go in.. although I did contemplate stealing a small child to go in.
We just got back to the hotel and now we're just chilling because we have to be up at 5:45 am to have our luggage out and ready to go. We're taking the Eurostar into Brussels and then a bus into Amsterdam.
Trey's in Berlin now and Scott will be joining him tomorrow. Please keep all of us in your prayers for safe travels!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Brussels
I absolutely LOVED Brussels. Despite being so sick to where I was constantly dizzy, couldn't sallow, breathe and coughed the whole time...
Friday, our bus ride from Aberdeen to Glasgow was early early and long. We got to the airport smoothly and got through security fine. We arrived in Brussels and got on a bus to the city centre. We kinda not really forgot that they speak French, but we weren't really prepared for that. We spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out where our hotel was before we ended up just taking a taxi, which only costed about 7 euro anyway.
We got situated, I took some medicine and we headed to find food. We found a cute little cafe called Snack Shop. I had salad and a pear/apple sandwich. Afterwards, we kinda just explored for a little bit. We went to bed early Friday because we knew Saturday was going to be our exploring day.
Saturday, we started walking in the direction of the city centre and got some what there. We stopped and got yogurt/muffins and stuff for breakfast. We asked the cashier for some help getting into the city, luckily we were in the right direction anyway. We also decided to do the hop on and hop off bus tour so that way we could see more things. I'm going to be honest here. At this point, we saw so much stuff that I couldn't begin to tell you everything we saw. If you have a facebook, check out the pictures there. We saw the royal palace, the business district, the european parliament, the atomium, the conference center, lots of museums, lots of churchs and of course their castle.
The atomium was probably the coolest thing ever. It basically is a giant atom. You can see the whole city from the very top. Most of the other balls had corny exhibits.
We also walked into some square.. which I'm not sure what all was in it. But it was by far the prettiest place ever. While there, Trey and I split a Belgian waffle covered in chocolate and strawberries. YUM!!
We walked around for a little bit more to find one more statue. Brussels was literally covered in statues. All over buildings, on the sidewalk, they were everywhere. This little statue is called Manekkin Pis.
That night we went to a little pub called Le Stephany, and I got macaroni and cheese. Not that I could taste it because my nose was so stopped up.
Sunday, we had an early morning. Our flight left out at 10:50 and the bus met 3 hours prior to that. So we were checking out around 7:15 Sunday morning. We took a taxi in just because I still wasn't feeling better and we were scared if we walked we were going to get lost. We got to the airport and checked in and all that. Our flights were on time and we got to our bus in Glasgow with about 30 minutes to spare.
I'm still not feeling well. I have a nasty cough. Some man on the street today told me to stop smoking and I told him that the sad thing is I have never smoked. I got my practical turned in, as well as my paper. Now I'm catching up on the school that I missed last Thursday. I'm also in the process of packing, seeing how this week is my last week of class until April 19!! Also, my birthday is on Friday!
Friday, our bus ride from Aberdeen to Glasgow was early early and long. We got to the airport smoothly and got through security fine. We arrived in Brussels and got on a bus to the city centre. We kinda not really forgot that they speak French, but we weren't really prepared for that. We spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out where our hotel was before we ended up just taking a taxi, which only costed about 7 euro anyway.
We got situated, I took some medicine and we headed to find food. We found a cute little cafe called Snack Shop. I had salad and a pear/apple sandwich. Afterwards, we kinda just explored for a little bit. We went to bed early Friday because we knew Saturday was going to be our exploring day.
Saturday, we started walking in the direction of the city centre and got some what there. We stopped and got yogurt/muffins and stuff for breakfast. We asked the cashier for some help getting into the city, luckily we were in the right direction anyway. We also decided to do the hop on and hop off bus tour so that way we could see more things. I'm going to be honest here. At this point, we saw so much stuff that I couldn't begin to tell you everything we saw. If you have a facebook, check out the pictures there. We saw the royal palace, the business district, the european parliament, the atomium, the conference center, lots of museums, lots of churchs and of course their castle.
The atomium was probably the coolest thing ever. It basically is a giant atom. You can see the whole city from the very top. Most of the other balls had corny exhibits.
We also walked into some square.. which I'm not sure what all was in it. But it was by far the prettiest place ever. While there, Trey and I split a Belgian waffle covered in chocolate and strawberries. YUM!!
We walked around for a little bit more to find one more statue. Brussels was literally covered in statues. All over buildings, on the sidewalk, they were everywhere. This little statue is called Manekkin Pis.
That night we went to a little pub called Le Stephany, and I got macaroni and cheese. Not that I could taste it because my nose was so stopped up.
Sunday, we had an early morning. Our flight left out at 10:50 and the bus met 3 hours prior to that. So we were checking out around 7:15 Sunday morning. We took a taxi in just because I still wasn't feeling better and we were scared if we walked we were going to get lost. We got to the airport and checked in and all that. Our flights were on time and we got to our bus in Glasgow with about 30 minutes to spare.
I'm still not feeling well. I have a nasty cough. Some man on the street today told me to stop smoking and I told him that the sad thing is I have never smoked. I got my practical turned in, as well as my paper. Now I'm catching up on the school that I missed last Thursday. I'm also in the process of packing, seeing how this week is my last week of class until April 19!! Also, my birthday is on Friday!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Dublin
I figured I should write about Dublin before I left for Brussels. Before I left for Dublin, me and Liz went to Dundee on Tuesday to experience their nightlife. Which I must say... is amazing. Their student union is really awesome, free entry and 1 pound drinks. All of his friends got completely plastered, which was entertaining for the most part. On Wednesday, Liz and I went to St. Andrews, which was a really pretty golf and college town. They had ruins of an old cathedral and of a castle. It was about 50 degrees that day as well so it felt good and we walked along the beach and had a grand ole time. We left Dundee around 8 that night. Thursday was Liz's 21st birthday. Let's just say, she probably doesn't remember any of it.
Friday, Trey and I left for the airport around 3:30 for our 4:45 flight. Thankfully we made it in time. The flight was about an hour from Aberdeen to Dublin. Once we got there, it took us a while to figure out which bus to take to our hotel, but we finally got it. We were staying in a Travelodge in Swords (which is a 25 minute bus ride from the centre of Dublin. Once we checked in, we got settled and went to find out how to get to the centre. It took us about 30 minutes of walking to realize we would not be able to walk from Swords to the centre. So we waited for a bus, and headed into town. We got food at a McDonalds (because it's cheap) and then just walked around for a little bit. Stupid us didn't know how to get back to Swords with the bus, so we had to take a 27 euro taxi back to the hotel. The driver was hilarious. He told us a bunch of jokes about Dublin like Dublin's the largest city in the world because it keeps "dublin" everyday. We got back to the hotel and immediately fell asleep. Until the super annoying Americans staying next door woke us up with the drunkselves and kept us up for about 2 hours. We tried calling the receptionist, but our phone didn't work. So we just kinda had to deal with it.
Saturday, we got up super early and headed to find where the Free Tour started. We got to the city hall in plenty of time. Our tour guide was Freda, she had red hair, green eyes and freckles and had an Irish accent. Perfect. We saw the Dublin Castle, Dubh Linn, Dublin’s Medieval Walls, Viking Remains, Norman Dublin, Georgian Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral, Adam and Eve Church, The National Library, Famous Writers, Temple Bar, U2- Origins of the rock legend, Ha’Penny Bridge, Spire of Dublin, City Hall, Trinity College, Leinster House, Chester Beatty Library, St. Stephen’s Green, 1916 Easter Rising. All in a matter of like 2 hours, instead of 3. Because... Ireland was playing Wales in a Rugby match that day. So after the tour, Trey and I went to the Porterhouse (where Freda recommended us to go to watch the game and eat). I had a mushroom burger and it was AMAZING. We watched most of the match before heading off to find Saint Patrick's Cathedral and all the Oscar Wilde stuff for Trey. We found the Oscar Wilde stuff, which was just a statue and a house. St. Patrick's Cathedral was closed, so we didn't get to go in, but it was gorgeous from the outside. We walked around a shopping centre and some random streets before the pub crawl started at 7:30. We hung out in the Purty Kitchen with some Welsh fans, who sang the whole time.
The pub crawl started at 7:30 and we got as much beer as we wanted for 30 minutes, which was like 2 glasses for me and even that was disgusting. We met some students from the real USC, Marcos, Nemeisha and Melissa. They were a bunch of fun. The pub crawl was super lame because you had to buy a drink at every pub (and that was about 5 euro) in order to get a free shot. We met so many people during this pub crawl it was insane. Like... Collee (who does the pub crawl to meet girls), Steven from Minesotta who is studying in Amsterdam, 3 Australians, Eddie from the States who was a wicked rapper. It was a lot of fun to just sit around and talk to people for sure. Trey and I ended up leaving early to catch the bus back to Swords, but we grabbed some dinner at McDonalds again before we left. When we got to the hotel, the room next ti us had their music blasting and so I went and told reception and they basically told them that if they didnt quite down they were going to charge them for disturbing thir neighbors.
Sunday we tried getting up early, but that didn't happen. By the time we got into town we only had time to eat bfast before the next bus we needed left. Breakfast was good. It was much like the Scottish breakfast. Eggs, beans, mushrooms, toast, and hashbrowns. We walked to a little park and took pictures because it was a really pretty day. We walked to the bus stop and left for the airport after that. The flight to Edinburgh was really short, like 45 minutes. When we got there, we were expecting Megabus to pick up there.... wrong. We had to take a stagecoach bus to the bus station about 45 minutes away. By that time, we had missed our first bus. Thankfully when we got there, the guy at the desk gave us two seats for the next bus for free.
Monday, I had lab at 9 and then again at 3. I have a paper due next Monday as well as a practical for Anatomy. I also am sick, I do believe it is the flu. I've had a fever for the last 3 days. I think I just need to slow down and relax. After I go to Brussels of course.
Friday, Trey and I left for the airport around 3:30 for our 4:45 flight. Thankfully we made it in time. The flight was about an hour from Aberdeen to Dublin. Once we got there, it took us a while to figure out which bus to take to our hotel, but we finally got it. We were staying in a Travelodge in Swords (which is a 25 minute bus ride from the centre of Dublin. Once we checked in, we got settled and went to find out how to get to the centre. It took us about 30 minutes of walking to realize we would not be able to walk from Swords to the centre. So we waited for a bus, and headed into town. We got food at a McDonalds (because it's cheap) and then just walked around for a little bit. Stupid us didn't know how to get back to Swords with the bus, so we had to take a 27 euro taxi back to the hotel. The driver was hilarious. He told us a bunch of jokes about Dublin like Dublin's the largest city in the world because it keeps "dublin" everyday. We got back to the hotel and immediately fell asleep. Until the super annoying Americans staying next door woke us up with the drunkselves and kept us up for about 2 hours. We tried calling the receptionist, but our phone didn't work. So we just kinda had to deal with it.
Saturday, we got up super early and headed to find where the Free Tour started. We got to the city hall in plenty of time. Our tour guide was Freda, she had red hair, green eyes and freckles and had an Irish accent. Perfect. We saw the Dublin Castle, Dubh Linn, Dublin’s Medieval Walls, Viking Remains, Norman Dublin, Georgian Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral, Adam and Eve Church, The National Library, Famous Writers, Temple Bar, U2- Origins of the rock legend, Ha’Penny Bridge, Spire of Dublin, City Hall, Trinity College, Leinster House, Chester Beatty Library, St. Stephen’s Green, 1916 Easter Rising. All in a matter of like 2 hours, instead of 3. Because... Ireland was playing Wales in a Rugby match that day. So after the tour, Trey and I went to the Porterhouse (where Freda recommended us to go to watch the game and eat). I had a mushroom burger and it was AMAZING. We watched most of the match before heading off to find Saint Patrick's Cathedral and all the Oscar Wilde stuff for Trey. We found the Oscar Wilde stuff, which was just a statue and a house. St. Patrick's Cathedral was closed, so we didn't get to go in, but it was gorgeous from the outside. We walked around a shopping centre and some random streets before the pub crawl started at 7:30. We hung out in the Purty Kitchen with some Welsh fans, who sang the whole time.
The pub crawl started at 7:30 and we got as much beer as we wanted for 30 minutes, which was like 2 glasses for me and even that was disgusting. We met some students from the real USC, Marcos, Nemeisha and Melissa. They were a bunch of fun. The pub crawl was super lame because you had to buy a drink at every pub (and that was about 5 euro) in order to get a free shot. We met so many people during this pub crawl it was insane. Like... Collee (who does the pub crawl to meet girls), Steven from Minesotta who is studying in Amsterdam, 3 Australians, Eddie from the States who was a wicked rapper. It was a lot of fun to just sit around and talk to people for sure. Trey and I ended up leaving early to catch the bus back to Swords, but we grabbed some dinner at McDonalds again before we left. When we got to the hotel, the room next ti us had their music blasting and so I went and told reception and they basically told them that if they didnt quite down they were going to charge them for disturbing thir neighbors.
Sunday we tried getting up early, but that didn't happen. By the time we got into town we only had time to eat bfast before the next bus we needed left. Breakfast was good. It was much like the Scottish breakfast. Eggs, beans, mushrooms, toast, and hashbrowns. We walked to a little park and took pictures because it was a really pretty day. We walked to the bus stop and left for the airport after that. The flight to Edinburgh was really short, like 45 minutes. When we got there, we were expecting Megabus to pick up there.... wrong. We had to take a stagecoach bus to the bus station about 45 minutes away. By that time, we had missed our first bus. Thankfully when we got there, the guy at the desk gave us two seats for the next bus for free.
Monday, I had lab at 9 and then again at 3. I have a paper due next Monday as well as a practical for Anatomy. I also am sick, I do believe it is the flu. I've had a fever for the last 3 days. I think I just need to slow down and relax. After I go to Brussels of course.
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