So after my last post we went to SommerFest, a giant carnival/festival at the university that Julia attends. At first, it was not a very happening festival, because it was raining and cold and windy. By about midnight, it realy picked up. There were thousands of students there. I must say it was strange seeing Julia's campus turned into a giant party, but it was a lot of fun. I ate German churros and crepes and danced until the wee hours of the morning. It was so much fun.
We came back after for in the morning.
So for once, I did not get 8 hours of sleep. After we woke up on Saturday, Janina and Tabea (two other students from the GAPP exchange) came to visit Julia and wish her a happy birthday. We went into the city and walked along the Rhein (I am going to miss the Rhein!!). We hung out the whole day, and I ought the world'S biggest pretyel for dinner. I wish I had taken a picture, because I cannot even explain the size of this thing.
When we came back, Janina, Tabea, and I played a game with a German-English dictionary, trying to get the other to guess hard German or English words. It was a ton of fun. Unfortunately after that, we received some bad news. The boyfriend of one of the exchange partners was in a terrible accident, and his chances of survival are very slim. Actually, I believe he was going to be taken off of life support today. This tragic news put us in a somber mood. Janina and Tabea left, and Julia and I spent the rest of the evening engaged in philosophical conversation. We went to bed fairly early, but I had a lot of trouble sleeping that night, thinking about the accident and life's mysteries.
Saturday was the first day of my Europtrip without rain, and still the only to date.
Yesterday I woke up real early to take the train to Tuebingen. The first train got to Stuttgart a bit late, and I ran to platform 9 only to see the train to Tuebingen slip away in front of my eyes. I had to wait for the next one, so I got to Tuebingen almost an hour and a half later than I had planned. Tamara, another GAPP exchange student, studies and Tuebingen and met me at the train station to show me around. Tuebingen was so old and so picturesque. I really felt like I was in a postcard the whole time I was there. I can't really describe the architectural style the city was built in, so you will have to wait to see pictures. It was a nice day in Tuebingen, and many gondolas and other boats were afloat on the Neckar River. Tuebingen was a smaller city, with probably a little bit less than a hundred thousand inhabitants. It was a definite university town. I think I will probably study in Tuebingen or Freiburg, if not in Konstanz. None of them stuck out as a must (Tuebingen came closest), but I think I would like all.
When I arrived back in Mainz (the way back took only three hours instead of four) I ran into Eli, who lives next door to Julia, at the train station. We rode the city train back to the apartment, and then Eli, Julia, and I spent the night talking and such. We went to bed before midnight again.
This morning I spent packing and watching what news I could find on tv--it was not too informative. I ate some Muesli, and then took the bus to meet Julia at the university for lunch. I then sat in on her criminal law lecture for a third time (I know have 6 hours of German criminal law under my belt). For lunch we ate Gefluegel (bird) schnitzel in a mango curry sauce with noodles and vegetables. It was delicious. The food in the Mensas here is very delicious, pretty darn healthy, and extremely affordable. The whole meal was only 2 Euro, 20. Staying fit in Germany should not be a problem.
After the lecture, Julia and I went grocery shopping. I find the supermarkets here so interesting, and Germans who want fresh food have to go shopping pretty much every day. So things tend to come in very small portions and such.
When I started writing this post, it was fairly warm and sunny out. Now it is pouring and it is quite dark. It looks a bit cold as well. The weather is crayz here!!
I am getting really excited for Paris tomorrow, and hopefully I will get to update this blog relatively shortly after my arrival. The German Rail Company is going on strike tomorrow morning, so hopefully I will make it to Paris. This will be my last post from Deutschland, so Tschuess!!
Oh, and for Gabby--there is an Eis Cafe directly across the street from Julia's apartment. It is called EisCafe Italien Mario. hahahaha.
Bis Spaete´(until later),
Jason
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Alles Gut Zum Geburtstag, Julia!
Well, after my post last night, the birthday celebration began. Julia, one of her friends, and I went out in the city center. We were going to go to themovies, but decided against paying nine Euros to see Shrek 3. Instead, we went to a cocktail bar with very good discounts. There were no drunkards there (which means nobody to laugh at all night).
When we came back, it was just about midnight. So I wished Julia a happy birthday, and gave her several pictures from our exchange in 2002. She loved them.
I slept for eight hours again last night. This morning I went to her criminal law course again, and instad of trying to pay attentioned, I spent the hour wordokuing it. After class, we went into the city where we met Julia's mom, stepfather, sister, stepbrother, and friend for lunch. It was a ton of fun, but after I asked for my meal with no mayonaisse, my burger came smothered in the nasty white sauce. The waitress thought that I meant I wanted my pommes without mayo (here they smother there fries with mayo as well). Once I scraped off most of the mayonnaise, my burger tastd very good. Oh, and I am completely fine drinking only mineral water now, unlike last time I was here!! After lunch, we went to get some ice cream and walked around the city. Then Julia's mom, Juergen, and Axel (her stepfather and stepbrother) came to her apartment to give her their gifts.
It was so good to see Eva, Julia's mom, again. She was the best host mom anyone could ask for.
Tomorrow Janina, who was Laura Connick's exchange partner, will drive to Mainz to visit us. I am very excited. Tonight we are going to Sommerfest (even though it feels like winter here). It is a party held at the university.
We aregoing to get going now, but there is more to come later!
Thanks to all of those who have been reading, and I miss you all.
Oh, I got my RA assignment--second floor La Cienega. And as of now I have 28 residents.
Tschuess!!
When we came back, it was just about midnight. So I wished Julia a happy birthday, and gave her several pictures from our exchange in 2002. She loved them.
I slept for eight hours again last night. This morning I went to her criminal law course again, and instad of trying to pay attentioned, I spent the hour wordokuing it. After class, we went into the city where we met Julia's mom, stepfather, sister, stepbrother, and friend for lunch. It was a ton of fun, but after I asked for my meal with no mayonaisse, my burger came smothered in the nasty white sauce. The waitress thought that I meant I wanted my pommes without mayo (here they smother there fries with mayo as well). Once I scraped off most of the mayonnaise, my burger tastd very good. Oh, and I am completely fine drinking only mineral water now, unlike last time I was here!! After lunch, we went to get some ice cream and walked around the city. Then Julia's mom, Juergen, and Axel (her stepfather and stepbrother) came to her apartment to give her their gifts.
It was so good to see Eva, Julia's mom, again. She was the best host mom anyone could ask for.
Tomorrow Janina, who was Laura Connick's exchange partner, will drive to Mainz to visit us. I am very excited. Tonight we are going to Sommerfest (even though it feels like winter here). It is a party held at the university.
We aregoing to get going now, but there is more to come later!
Thanks to all of those who have been reading, and I miss you all.
Oh, I got my RA assignment--second floor La Cienega. And as of now I have 28 residents.
Tschuess!!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
An Unfortunately Short Overview of the Last Few Days
So I wrote this all earlier today, but then I deleted it. I thought I was back in the German groove, but I mixed up 'delete' with 'edit,' and well...I think that you can figure out the rest. I will give a brief, yet descriptive update of my last three days here in Europa.
SUNDAY:
After I wrote my best, I checked out Trinity University. It was pretty, but I found the newer, smaller university in Maynooth (outside Dublin) a bit nicer. There was also a man mooning passersby at Trinity, and that was no bueno. After exploring Trinity for a bit, I returned to my hostel, the Avalon House, where I met a broken up couple from California (why there were traveling Europe together, I have no idea!!). Anyway, they asked me to go out with them, and I decided that I might as well try to end my stay in Dublin on a good night, and I did. We went to Temple Bar, a large area of pubs near Dublin's City Center. We even went in the Temple Bar, the largest one. It was a lot of fun, but I cannot even explain how expensive the drinks were. I planned on staying foronly a little while, since I had to get up very early, but I was having so much, and decided that I probably would not sleep so well in my twelve room hostel, so I stayed out for awhile. At the first pub, we met a guy from Scottsdale, and he joined our group. I had now met Arizonans three out of four days in a row!!
We went pubhopping for a bit, and spent the majority of our time poking fun at the drunkards around us (whoever said there are no alcoholics in Europe is a downright liar--most of the people making fools of themselves were obviously local Dubliners). After, we went to get pizza (I didn't eat any), and then we walked around for awhile. It was a lot of fun. I got back to the hostel at around 2, where I showered before laying in bed for an hour and a half, unable to sleep. At 4, I got out of bed and checked out.
MONDAY:
I walked to the bus station for a good start to a terrible messy day of travel (Thanks Mom and Ali!!). The airport was an absolute mess, in complete contrast to that of Edinburgh's. The plane was on time, however, and I it was a very nice flight...until we landed in an entirely different city than I thought we were to land in. We flew into Frankfurt-Hahn, instead of Frankfurt-Main, and the airport is nowhere near Frankfurt. I took a bus almost two hours to Frankfurt-Main, where i found the train station I was to leave from. I got there, only to discover that I missed all of the morning trains to Mainz. I got in a line to validate my Eurail pass, and I was on the line for somewhere around 45 minutes before I went to the departures board to find that I had missed yet another train to Mainz. I had to then take a Schnellbahn to Mainz-Kastel, where I then took a taxi to Mainz Hauptbahnhof (Hauptbahnhof = main train station). So I broke down and took a taxi, something I did not plan on doing the whole trip. :(
Poor Julia had waited almost two hours for my arrival by the time I got there, and I felt so bad. Being the kind-hearted mädchen that she is, the time did not matter to her and she did not complain. She was sheerly excited to see me. We embraced, and my entire travel ordeal was forgetten...we had four years of catching up to do.
We went to her apartment so that I could drop off my stuff, and then we headed off to the Uni, where Julia studies Jura (law). I sat in on a criminal law lecture, and it was really interesting. I had a bit of trouble understanding the professor, so I spent much of the hour looking through her book--I understood about nine out of every ten words. After this we went to Johannisfest, a giant festival in commemoration of John the Baptist that I had actually attended four years ago. It is widely celebrated in Germany and surrounding countries, but the biggest celebration is in Mainz, where 500,000 come annually to the local festival. It was a ton of fun.
We then went to an Eiscafe, because I was really craving some German gelato. I ordered a Spaghetti Eis, just like I did when I first came to Germany. It was delicious, and the first thing I had eaten all day.
We then went back to Johannisfest, where we met a friend of Julia's, Laura.
We rode the ferris wheel, and Julia was scared out of her mind when I started moving the wheel and making us spin whilst suspended a couple of hundred feet high. After the ferris wheel we watched perhaps the greatest fireworks display I have ever seen, held directly over the beautiful Rhein River. It was a ton of fun, and the weather here is still cool--so that was too my liking.
When we came back to Julia's apartment after the festival, I passed out nearly instantly.
TUESDAY:
After eight solid horus of sleep, I woke up to a cold, rainy day in Mainz, only to find out that my train to Freiburg was in just over a half hour. I threw on some clothes, grabbed my rainjacket, and set off for the Hauptbahnhof. The train ride was a little more than two hours, and I am REALLY starting to wish my iPod would work. I made a playlist for my Eurotrip and everything.
Anyway, I spent the day in Freiburg, looking at the University. I loved it. And the city is based around the Neckar River, which is very nice. The University is 550 years old, and the city has some beautiful architecture. I think Freiburg would be a great place to study. Oh, and it was very cold and very windy. The weather here right now feels like early spring in Germany, I guess. The people here are obviously unhappy about it, but I love it. I have worn my coat more in the month of June 2007 than I have worn any coat before in my entire life!!
Something exciting happened today. When I ordered food or asked for directions, etc., nobody responded to me in English. Usually people detect my accent, and since just about everybody here speaks English, they will respond in English. And I hate it. This was the first time I spoke to so many vendors and worked in German without being responded to in English!!
I came back to Mainz, where I ate Broetchen und Kaese (Bread rolls with cheese). There is no bread in the world that is as good as the bread in Germany, except maybe my mom's crescent rolls and pizza dough. After dinner, we watched television (I can understand the news anchors perfectly, as they speak slowly and clearly) and talked for nearly three hours. After this, we went to bed, and at the end of a long day thinking in German, I am so mentally exhausted that I can fall fast asleep.
WEDNESDAY:
I woke up this morning after NINE hours of sleep. I am sure my family is shocked to hear that I slept more than eight hours two nights in a row, but it gets evem better (or stranger). I did the dishes and took a shower (you do not want to know how long it had been), and then headed off to the Hauptbahnhof to go to Stuttgart.
Stuttgart is a pretty city, but it is architecturally newer than many German cities, because so much of it was destroyed in the second World War. A lot of the buildings were built in the 60s and 70s (aka architecture's dark ages). It is a big city though, and apparently many engineering feats are taking palce there as I write.
I was greeted at the train station just before two by Laura Thornes, the German-speaking countries study abroad advisor at the UofA. She is absolutely wonderful. She had the whole day planned. We walked around the city for awhile, and she showed me both of Stuttgart's campuses. We took a break for coffee and ice cream. Yumm. I also ate some ice cream the day before in Freiburg, einen Erdbeerbecher (a strawberry flavored party in a cone). The student apartments in Stuttgart are very nice. We also saw this area where some very interestingplants are groing (bambo and other tropical trees and flowers), and it is controlled by this crazy looking building. It was very neat. After a tour that lasted a few hours (it was very thorough), we went to meet some students who spent the summer studying in Stuttgart.
We went to this area where one can see the entire city of Stuttgart, and climbed what felt like several hundred stairs to the top of this very modern viewing tower to take some pictures. It was very windy at the top, but the view was excellent. Then we went to a park with a zipline, and it was a ton of fun. I spoke with some of the students that were studying in Stuttgart, and they seemed to like it a lot. I met a kid who had also participated in the GAPP (German American Partnership Program), which is how I met Julia.
They were all going to a Biergarten, but I needed to leave if I wanted to make it back to Mainz by midnight. I felt bad leaving, since Laura had a truly wonderful day planned, but it was so neat to see the city and the University. I absolutely loved it.
I came back and Julia and a friend, Elli, met me at the Hauptbahnof. We walked back to the apartment (Elli is Juliaäs next door neighbor), and went to bed almost immediately.
THURSDAY:
I woke up this morning after TEN HOURS of only onceßdisturbed sleep. I woke up sometime in the night to pee. I have averaged nine hours of sleep since my arrival in Deutschland. Thinking in German all day is truly exhausting, but it is al coming back to me and I am able to speak and listen only in German. Maybe 5% of what I say all day is in English. It is wonderful. I am so excited to study here and hopefully become truly fluent.
Julia and I met her sister at the Mensa (Uni cafeteria) today for lunch. It was incredible. Mensa's have no fast food, and they are EXTREMELY cheap. I got schnitzel with rice (it was actually unbreaded hen), two pieces of Broetchen, and chocolate mousse/pudding all for §2.60. Afterwards, a drank a latte machiatto, perhaps the best kind of coffee in existence. It was all sehr lecker (delicious).
After this, we went to the Bibliothek where Sonja (Julia's sister), had some business to take care of and some copies to make. Then Julia and I went into the city. I saw where her aunt worked (she is a doctor), and then we went to Gummi Baren Treff, the best gummi bear manufacturer in the world. I bought several kilograms of gummi bears (so many that they gave me a bloth bag to carry them in), and I fear that they will all be gone by the time I fly back to Amerika. After this, we went to the post office where I bought thirteen very expensive stamps (:(). Then we went to Laura's apartment, a very rustic, very nice building int he middle of the city, and just hung out there for awhile.
Afterwards we went grocery shopping, before coming back to Julia's apartment (which is also very nice, albeit a bit newer), and eating. I had two more pieces of Broetchen, with cheese and cherry jam (so good). It was delicious.
And now I am writing this post. I am sure that I missed several things, but hopefully I will be able to write a bit more regularly now so that I will not. I am having a great time, and am so glad that the language is coming back to me so easily. I have decided that rain travel is ten thousand times better than air travel (especially when you can get an entire three or four seats and a table to yourself--I actually fell asleep on one two days ago). And I also fear that I am getting used to the keyboard here, because now I am going to have to relearn the American keyboard when I come back.
I have now, for perhaps the first time in my life, been in ten days straight of rain.
I am going to run now, but hopefully I will write again in the next couple of days. Tomorrow is Julia's twentieth birthday, so I should have plenty of stories.
To my family and friends, I miss you all very much and think of you often. Mom, I have been getting plenty of sleep. Dad, you need to golf the Old Course at St. Andrews. Ali, thanks again so much for all of the travel tips and for leeting me borrow everything.
Until later,
Jason
SUNDAY:
After I wrote my best, I checked out Trinity University. It was pretty, but I found the newer, smaller university in Maynooth (outside Dublin) a bit nicer. There was also a man mooning passersby at Trinity, and that was no bueno. After exploring Trinity for a bit, I returned to my hostel, the Avalon House, where I met a broken up couple from California (why there were traveling Europe together, I have no idea!!). Anyway, they asked me to go out with them, and I decided that I might as well try to end my stay in Dublin on a good night, and I did. We went to Temple Bar, a large area of pubs near Dublin's City Center. We even went in the Temple Bar, the largest one. It was a lot of fun, but I cannot even explain how expensive the drinks were. I planned on staying foronly a little while, since I had to get up very early, but I was having so much, and decided that I probably would not sleep so well in my twelve room hostel, so I stayed out for awhile. At the first pub, we met a guy from Scottsdale, and he joined our group. I had now met Arizonans three out of four days in a row!!
We went pubhopping for a bit, and spent the majority of our time poking fun at the drunkards around us (whoever said there are no alcoholics in Europe is a downright liar--most of the people making fools of themselves were obviously local Dubliners). After, we went to get pizza (I didn't eat any), and then we walked around for awhile. It was a lot of fun. I got back to the hostel at around 2, where I showered before laying in bed for an hour and a half, unable to sleep. At 4, I got out of bed and checked out.
MONDAY:
I walked to the bus station for a good start to a terrible messy day of travel (Thanks Mom and Ali!!). The airport was an absolute mess, in complete contrast to that of Edinburgh's. The plane was on time, however, and I it was a very nice flight...until we landed in an entirely different city than I thought we were to land in. We flew into Frankfurt-Hahn, instead of Frankfurt-Main, and the airport is nowhere near Frankfurt. I took a bus almost two hours to Frankfurt-Main, where i found the train station I was to leave from. I got there, only to discover that I missed all of the morning trains to Mainz. I got in a line to validate my Eurail pass, and I was on the line for somewhere around 45 minutes before I went to the departures board to find that I had missed yet another train to Mainz. I had to then take a Schnellbahn to Mainz-Kastel, where I then took a taxi to Mainz Hauptbahnhof (Hauptbahnhof = main train station). So I broke down and took a taxi, something I did not plan on doing the whole trip. :(
Poor Julia had waited almost two hours for my arrival by the time I got there, and I felt so bad. Being the kind-hearted mädchen that she is, the time did not matter to her and she did not complain. She was sheerly excited to see me. We embraced, and my entire travel ordeal was forgetten...we had four years of catching up to do.
We went to her apartment so that I could drop off my stuff, and then we headed off to the Uni, where Julia studies Jura (law). I sat in on a criminal law lecture, and it was really interesting. I had a bit of trouble understanding the professor, so I spent much of the hour looking through her book--I understood about nine out of every ten words. After this we went to Johannisfest, a giant festival in commemoration of John the Baptist that I had actually attended four years ago. It is widely celebrated in Germany and surrounding countries, but the biggest celebration is in Mainz, where 500,000 come annually to the local festival. It was a ton of fun.
We then went to an Eiscafe, because I was really craving some German gelato. I ordered a Spaghetti Eis, just like I did when I first came to Germany. It was delicious, and the first thing I had eaten all day.
We then went back to Johannisfest, where we met a friend of Julia's, Laura.
We rode the ferris wheel, and Julia was scared out of her mind when I started moving the wheel and making us spin whilst suspended a couple of hundred feet high. After the ferris wheel we watched perhaps the greatest fireworks display I have ever seen, held directly over the beautiful Rhein River. It was a ton of fun, and the weather here is still cool--so that was too my liking.
When we came back to Julia's apartment after the festival, I passed out nearly instantly.
TUESDAY:
After eight solid horus of sleep, I woke up to a cold, rainy day in Mainz, only to find out that my train to Freiburg was in just over a half hour. I threw on some clothes, grabbed my rainjacket, and set off for the Hauptbahnhof. The train ride was a little more than two hours, and I am REALLY starting to wish my iPod would work. I made a playlist for my Eurotrip and everything.
Anyway, I spent the day in Freiburg, looking at the University. I loved it. And the city is based around the Neckar River, which is very nice. The University is 550 years old, and the city has some beautiful architecture. I think Freiburg would be a great place to study. Oh, and it was very cold and very windy. The weather here right now feels like early spring in Germany, I guess. The people here are obviously unhappy about it, but I love it. I have worn my coat more in the month of June 2007 than I have worn any coat before in my entire life!!
Something exciting happened today. When I ordered food or asked for directions, etc., nobody responded to me in English. Usually people detect my accent, and since just about everybody here speaks English, they will respond in English. And I hate it. This was the first time I spoke to so many vendors and worked in German without being responded to in English!!
I came back to Mainz, where I ate Broetchen und Kaese (Bread rolls with cheese). There is no bread in the world that is as good as the bread in Germany, except maybe my mom's crescent rolls and pizza dough. After dinner, we watched television (I can understand the news anchors perfectly, as they speak slowly and clearly) and talked for nearly three hours. After this, we went to bed, and at the end of a long day thinking in German, I am so mentally exhausted that I can fall fast asleep.
WEDNESDAY:
I woke up this morning after NINE hours of sleep. I am sure my family is shocked to hear that I slept more than eight hours two nights in a row, but it gets evem better (or stranger). I did the dishes and took a shower (you do not want to know how long it had been), and then headed off to the Hauptbahnhof to go to Stuttgart.
Stuttgart is a pretty city, but it is architecturally newer than many German cities, because so much of it was destroyed in the second World War. A lot of the buildings were built in the 60s and 70s (aka architecture's dark ages). It is a big city though, and apparently many engineering feats are taking palce there as I write.
I was greeted at the train station just before two by Laura Thornes, the German-speaking countries study abroad advisor at the UofA. She is absolutely wonderful. She had the whole day planned. We walked around the city for awhile, and she showed me both of Stuttgart's campuses. We took a break for coffee and ice cream. Yumm. I also ate some ice cream the day before in Freiburg, einen Erdbeerbecher (a strawberry flavored party in a cone). The student apartments in Stuttgart are very nice. We also saw this area where some very interestingplants are groing (bambo and other tropical trees and flowers), and it is controlled by this crazy looking building. It was very neat. After a tour that lasted a few hours (it was very thorough), we went to meet some students who spent the summer studying in Stuttgart.
We went to this area where one can see the entire city of Stuttgart, and climbed what felt like several hundred stairs to the top of this very modern viewing tower to take some pictures. It was very windy at the top, but the view was excellent. Then we went to a park with a zipline, and it was a ton of fun. I spoke with some of the students that were studying in Stuttgart, and they seemed to like it a lot. I met a kid who had also participated in the GAPP (German American Partnership Program), which is how I met Julia.
They were all going to a Biergarten, but I needed to leave if I wanted to make it back to Mainz by midnight. I felt bad leaving, since Laura had a truly wonderful day planned, but it was so neat to see the city and the University. I absolutely loved it.
I came back and Julia and a friend, Elli, met me at the Hauptbahnof. We walked back to the apartment (Elli is Juliaäs next door neighbor), and went to bed almost immediately.
THURSDAY:
I woke up this morning after TEN HOURS of only onceßdisturbed sleep. I woke up sometime in the night to pee. I have averaged nine hours of sleep since my arrival in Deutschland. Thinking in German all day is truly exhausting, but it is al coming back to me and I am able to speak and listen only in German. Maybe 5% of what I say all day is in English. It is wonderful. I am so excited to study here and hopefully become truly fluent.
Julia and I met her sister at the Mensa (Uni cafeteria) today for lunch. It was incredible. Mensa's have no fast food, and they are EXTREMELY cheap. I got schnitzel with rice (it was actually unbreaded hen), two pieces of Broetchen, and chocolate mousse/pudding all for §2.60. Afterwards, a drank a latte machiatto, perhaps the best kind of coffee in existence. It was all sehr lecker (delicious).
After this, we went to the Bibliothek where Sonja (Julia's sister), had some business to take care of and some copies to make. Then Julia and I went into the city. I saw where her aunt worked (she is a doctor), and then we went to Gummi Baren Treff, the best gummi bear manufacturer in the world. I bought several kilograms of gummi bears (so many that they gave me a bloth bag to carry them in), and I fear that they will all be gone by the time I fly back to Amerika. After this, we went to the post office where I bought thirteen very expensive stamps (:(). Then we went to Laura's apartment, a very rustic, very nice building int he middle of the city, and just hung out there for awhile.
Afterwards we went grocery shopping, before coming back to Julia's apartment (which is also very nice, albeit a bit newer), and eating. I had two more pieces of Broetchen, with cheese and cherry jam (so good). It was delicious.
And now I am writing this post. I am sure that I missed several things, but hopefully I will be able to write a bit more regularly now so that I will not. I am having a great time, and am so glad that the language is coming back to me so easily. I have decided that rain travel is ten thousand times better than air travel (especially when you can get an entire three or four seats and a table to yourself--I actually fell asleep on one two days ago). And I also fear that I am getting used to the keyboard here, because now I am going to have to relearn the American keyboard when I come back.
I have now, for perhaps the first time in my life, been in ten days straight of rain.
I am going to run now, but hopefully I will write again in the next couple of days. Tomorrow is Julia's twentieth birthday, so I should have plenty of stories.
To my family and friends, I miss you all very much and think of you often. Mom, I have been getting plenty of sleep. Dad, you need to golf the Old Course at St. Andrews. Ali, thanks again so much for all of the travel tips and for leeting me borrow everything.
Until later,
Jason
Sunday, June 24, 2007
I have continued to have a superb time here since my last post. I went out with one of my roommates, a couple of other guys from the hostel, and the hostel owner himself the night I was in St. Andrews. We went to a bar right on the water called Catch, and almost every graduate and his mother was there. It was a bit crowded, but I found a good spot by the railing and just stared at the cliffs and the water while I listened to the singer. He sang a lot of really upbeat American songs, and I left in an extremely good me. I got back to the hostel early for once, at around 1, and slept until almost 9. It was incredible!!
I checked out, then went to look at the castle from outside the gates and cathedral ruins. Then I went to lunch (Subway). After that, I walked on the beach and then went to the St. Andrews gift shop. When I was on the beach, this family was walking with their golden retriever puppies. I thought about how much Daisy would enjoy running along the beachfront there like that. I walked around some more, grabbed a peach from a local fruit shop (it was really good), and then headed to the bus station.
By the way, the University is probably the prettiest I have ever seen, and I could not have better majors for studying there. Both the Economics and philosophy department buildings are located on cliffs over the sea. The School of Economics is where the graduation receoption was held--that must mean something!!
Then I took a bus to Leuchars, and the train back to Edinburgh, where I immediately hopped on a bus to the airport. I have never before been to an airport that did not let you check in for your flight because you were too early. I had to wait awhile, so I went to a cafe and got a ham and cheese panini, grabbed a local tabloid, and enjoyed myself. Finally, I checked in and waited for my plane to depart.
We were delayed almost an hour, but I got a seat at the very front (and this plane was designed so that there was NOTHIGN in front of me for like 8 feet. It was so nice. We got into Dublin, I grabbed my bags and set off to find my hostel. It was after midnight, and the rain was coming down pretty hard, and I will admit I was sort of lost, and hungry. So I went to this place called Abrakebabra (get it, kebabs, haha), and ordered a chicken burger with chips (aka fries). It was pretty tasty, and just what I needed to find my hostel.
I checked in, and went into my twelve person room (yes, they get bigger and better each night). Let's just say it's a good thing I slept well the night before. Twelve people sleeping in an enclosed space was not the most exciting thing in the world. Three or four of them were snoring, all at different intervals, and the door was opening and closing all night on. Luckily I had earplugs, but there did not stifle out every last decibal of unpleasant breathing that was coming from all four corners of the room.
It is a nice hostel though, and the first one i have stayed at with a complementary breakfast. I got out of bed at around nine, eight, and then set off for NUI Maynooth.
Now, if I was a very superstitious person, I would say that after today there is no way I should study at Maynooth. Just after leaving the bus, I walked by an elderly lady who had fallen backwards and was laying on the ground. I did not leave her side until the medics came. Then while I was touring the area by the student housing, a black cat seemed to appear out of nowhere (it was pouring buckets, mind you), and it bored into me with its sharp yellow eyes. And when I was walking back to find something to eat near the bus stop, I got shat on. Yes, out of the sky falls a nic big glop of bird doodoo. It was disgusting, and brought back unfavorable memories of the last time a bird decided to cover me with excrement (at Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan when I was about seven).
Despite these three incidents, I had a great time in Maynooth, and it is a very beautiful school. Half of it is hundreds of years old (the half with the seminary school), and the other half was built within the last forty or so years. The two sides are connected by a nice bridge.
I took the bus back to Dublin (oh, and by the way Christina, I have been thinking about you and your ancestors the whole time I've been here!!), and since it decided to not stop where I left from (even though it was supposed to) I completely lost my bearings.
I am now going to go back to the hostel and shower before exploring Dublin a bit further and hopefully going to bed early.
I should be able to update my blog pretty regularly while I am in Germany.
Hope all is well with all of you,
Jason
I checked out, then went to look at the castle from outside the gates and cathedral ruins. Then I went to lunch (Subway). After that, I walked on the beach and then went to the St. Andrews gift shop. When I was on the beach, this family was walking with their golden retriever puppies. I thought about how much Daisy would enjoy running along the beachfront there like that. I walked around some more, grabbed a peach from a local fruit shop (it was really good), and then headed to the bus station.
By the way, the University is probably the prettiest I have ever seen, and I could not have better majors for studying there. Both the Economics and philosophy department buildings are located on cliffs over the sea. The School of Economics is where the graduation receoption was held--that must mean something!!
Then I took a bus to Leuchars, and the train back to Edinburgh, where I immediately hopped on a bus to the airport. I have never before been to an airport that did not let you check in for your flight because you were too early. I had to wait awhile, so I went to a cafe and got a ham and cheese panini, grabbed a local tabloid, and enjoyed myself. Finally, I checked in and waited for my plane to depart.
We were delayed almost an hour, but I got a seat at the very front (and this plane was designed so that there was NOTHIGN in front of me for like 8 feet. It was so nice. We got into Dublin, I grabbed my bags and set off to find my hostel. It was after midnight, and the rain was coming down pretty hard, and I will admit I was sort of lost, and hungry. So I went to this place called Abrakebabra (get it, kebabs, haha), and ordered a chicken burger with chips (aka fries). It was pretty tasty, and just what I needed to find my hostel.
I checked in, and went into my twelve person room (yes, they get bigger and better each night). Let's just say it's a good thing I slept well the night before. Twelve people sleeping in an enclosed space was not the most exciting thing in the world. Three or four of them were snoring, all at different intervals, and the door was opening and closing all night on. Luckily I had earplugs, but there did not stifle out every last decibal of unpleasant breathing that was coming from all four corners of the room.
It is a nice hostel though, and the first one i have stayed at with a complementary breakfast. I got out of bed at around nine, eight, and then set off for NUI Maynooth.
Now, if I was a very superstitious person, I would say that after today there is no way I should study at Maynooth. Just after leaving the bus, I walked by an elderly lady who had fallen backwards and was laying on the ground. I did not leave her side until the medics came. Then while I was touring the area by the student housing, a black cat seemed to appear out of nowhere (it was pouring buckets, mind you), and it bored into me with its sharp yellow eyes. And when I was walking back to find something to eat near the bus stop, I got shat on. Yes, out of the sky falls a nic big glop of bird doodoo. It was disgusting, and brought back unfavorable memories of the last time a bird decided to cover me with excrement (at Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan when I was about seven).
Despite these three incidents, I had a great time in Maynooth, and it is a very beautiful school. Half of it is hundreds of years old (the half with the seminary school), and the other half was built within the last forty or so years. The two sides are connected by a nice bridge.
I took the bus back to Dublin (oh, and by the way Christina, I have been thinking about you and your ancestors the whole time I've been here!!), and since it decided to not stop where I left from (even though it was supposed to) I completely lost my bearings.
I am now going to go back to the hostel and shower before exploring Dublin a bit further and hopefully going to bed early.
I should be able to update my blog pretty regularly while I am in Germany.
Hope all is well with all of you,
Jason
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Edinburgh and St. Andrews!!
Wow, Edinburgh is truly amazing. I want to live here some day.
After writing last night, I went on a pub crawl. It took us to four pubs around the city, and they were all really neat. One of them had more than thirty different flavors of vodka. It was ridiculous!! Anyway, I made some friends from Marquette who will be studying in London, and hung out with them most of the night. Instead of going to the last pub with the group, we decided to go back to the hostel, that is...until we walked by the graveyard.
It was already well after 1 AM, and we were all really tired, but we decided to try out our hand at ghosthunting. It was great fun. We went to one of the most "haunted" graveyards in the world, and walked around for awhile in the dark. For the first forty-five or so minutes, the only scares we got were from one of us creeping up on the other. But then, we went to the upper portion of the graveyard, where Edinburgh's most rich and famous were buried. While we were walking through there, the lights in two of the windows int he building right behind the graveyard started flickering. And this was not like oh-this-light-needs-a-new-lightbulb flickering, this was creepy intermittent flickering. It was two windows, one on top of the other (top two floors of the building), and they weren't blinking in unison. We thought it was pretty neat, and I think I was able to capture it on camera. But our treat was not over. We went closer to the building to check the lights out, and saw shadows in the window. Then, we heard a rustling on the ground a bit behind us. The rustling really startled us, and then we heard shrieking (it sounded like a little girl's voice to me). After the shrieking, one of the girls in the group was ready to run the heck out of the graveyard alone if we didn't go with her, so we all followed suit. So none of us actually saw any ghosts, but we think we heard spirits of some sort, and that was more than we really could have asked for. Tonight, I'm going back to the same graveyard on its "City of the Dead Tour," and I am pretty darn excited!!
I got back to the hostel after two AM, and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. I slept for almost seven solid hours, and woke up at around nine. I met the other two people who had checked into my room, they were a nice couple (he is from Portugal and she from Spain) . I went to a nearby shop and bought some peanuts and water, finally trying to start my day off with something other than coffee.
I went on the free walking tour that the hostel offers and it was great. It seems like we got to see almost the entire city. I then went to The Last Drop for lunch, which is where people went to drink their last pint before being hanged (the old gallows are right across the street from the hostel). I had a delicious wrap and some of the best hot chocolate I have ever had.
After lunch, I went to the National Museum of Scotland and it was truly amazing...the 0th floor any way. I was still looking through the Ice Age and Early People section when the fire alarm went off. What is it with Britain and its alarms? The whole museum was evacuated, and I decided that there was enough else I wanted to see that I did not need to wait until we were allowed in again. I made the trek to the University of Edinburgh, and on the way realized that the whole block had been evacuated. People were pouring out of every building on the street, and I overheard a couple of guys saying that a bakery was the cause of all the fire alarms. I didn't see anything burning, though!!
The University is absolutely beautiful--it would be ncie if UofA had a program directly with the school, but it is something I might look into anyway. I will see how I feel about the other schools, I suppose.
After looking at the school, I climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat (as in King Arthur). Once I reached the summit (it was one of the most incredible hikes I have ever taken) of 250.5 metres, I was embodied by a cloud. It was so neat. I waited for awhile to see if the mist would pass though, because I really climbed the hike for the views I thought it would present me with of the city. Sure enough, the clouds subsided (very temporarily) and it was so pretty. While I was up there, I heard somebody ask somebody else if King Arthur had a seat up there that he used to go and sit on...Anyway, it was certainly a different experience than hiking Camelback Mountain and the likes.
After the hike, I made my way to Princes Street and went into H&M to get a new belt (mine broke on the first day :(). I really need to try to limit my H&M visits while in the U.K., because I have neither the room nor the money to make the purchases I would like to make every time I go in that store.
After H&M, I thought about going in the castle, but it was closed for entry so I just looked at it from a distance (I WILL be coming back to Edinburgh and I can look at it then!!). I found a place to eat, and ordered a pizza margherita. It was delicious. I went back to the hostel, and started writing this entry before my time ran out, and somebody else was in line for the computer.
At ten o'clock, I went on the City of the Dead tour, and it was such a good time!! This guy at the hostel from Singapore who was ont he pub crawl the ngiht before and will be on my flight to Dublin went to, so I thought it was exciting that I actually knew someone going on it...but while I was waiting before it started I heard a couple of college students talking and I thought I heard the word "Tucson," so I freaked out and walked over to inquire. Sure enough, I heard right. I had barely even met anyone from the U.S. here, and these three kids were from Arizona!! They were with the ASU Barrett Honors College Summer in the United Kingdom/Ireland Study Program (the one that Amie Vigneux went on last year). So I hung around with them and the guy from Singapore during the tour. Our tour guide was great, hilarious and a bit scary. The point of the tour that stuck out to me the most was when we were standing at the top of the graveyard and our tour guide asked if anyone knew how many headstones were in the graveyard?" I ventured a guess of 300-350. He said "very close--it is actually just shy of 450." Then he asked us how many bodies were buried there. I guessed 5,000. The answer was somewhere between 250,00 and 400,000. In a single graveyard with 450 headstones!! He told us that the point we were standing at used to be the lowest point int he graveyard...yikes!! We got locked in a crypt for the last fifteen minutes of the tour, and that is where most of the sightings and other strange things occur. Nothing special happened this time around, but the tourguide had this perfectly planned scare that made everyone jump and scream. If I tried to describe it, it would not serve the atual effect it had on everyone any justice. I did capture some strange lights in a few pictures (but I think they might be from other people's flashes), and I woke up with a couple of scrapes that I had not before noticed, but I do not think they were inflicted by Mackenzie's Poltergeist (the "thing" that is believed to cause the mysterious bruises, bite marks, etc. that people sometimes acquire as a part fo this tour.
After leaving the graveyard, I went to a pub with my ASU friends and the tour guide, and a couple of his local friends. The pub was named after a dog that is believed by many to have slept on his master's grave for fourteen years after his death. We were told that it was actually a different John Grey's tomb that he slept on, which was a shame. The dog's statue (Grey Friar's Bobby is his name) is the most photographed statue in all of Scotland. Yes, I took a picture.
We had so much fun talking with the Edinburgh folk, and were a bit bummed when the pub closed. Afterwards, the ASU people and I went to find some grub, and then ate in a quad at the University. We finally bid farewell sometime after one. I went back to the hostel and tried to get online, but the internet was not working. I got a few hours of sleep before I had to wake up, check out, and head to Edinburgh Waverly train station.
I took a train to Leuchars, then a bus to St. Andrews. I wandered around for awhile and then finally asked a passerby for directions to my hostel. I was led slightly astray, but found it finally. It is pretty nice.
I checked in, dropped of my bags, and went exploring. St. Andrews seems to be the quintessential United Kingdom college town and a Golf Mecca at the same time. I checked out the University and honestly could nto believe what I saw. Pictures unfortunately were not able to capture quite what I saw, but some of the dorms and classroom buildings are old mansions that look like castles, and the departments of both Moral Philosophy and Economics, as well as Logic, are perfectly situated on the sea, and close to the castle ruins. Karissa, if you are reading this I am going to have some questions for you!!
After looking at the University, I went to the St. Andrews Museum and they had this really neat St. Andrews, A-Z exhibit. I got to dress up as a pilgrim. Oh, and I lay down on a bench outside of the museum beforehand--I felt kind of like one of the people you would see taking naps on benches in Tucson from time to time.
For lunch, I ate pizza...again (it seems to be the cheapest thing I can get everywhere--and it is always good!!) For dinner I went to Tesco and grabbed some snacky things. Then I went to Subway because I was still hungry.
I went to the sea and sat on a rock (maybe limestone) and did a couple of Wordoku puzzles. I also went to the castle. but it was evening already and it was closed to the public. I will have to go back tomorrow.
My hostel mates this time around are from Romania and California. 3 from Romania and one from California. We might be getting some more because there are eight beds in our room.
I was sad to leave Edinburgh so soon, but St. Andrews is absolutely beautiful (and old, as well). And the weather today was nice and chilly (I got to wear my Windwall the whole day), so it is all good.
Tomorrow I will do a bit more exploring and then head off to Dublin. Can't wait to see another old city!! And in case it is not evident enough from my blog, Scotland is AMAZING!!!
Jason
I went on the free walking tour that the hostel offers and it was great. It seems like we got to see almost the entire city. I then went to The Last Drop for lunch, which is where people went to drink their last pint before being hanged (the old gallows are right across the street from the hostel). I had a delicious wrap and some of the best hot chocolate I have ever had.
After lunch, I went to the National Museum of Scotland and it was truly amazing...the 0th floor any way. I was still looking through the Ice Age and Early People section when the fire alarm went off. What is it with Britain and its alarms? The whole museum was evacuated, and I decided that there was enough else I wanted to see that I did not need to wait until we were allowed in again. I made the trek to the University of Edinburgh, and on the way realized that the whole block had been evacuated. People were pouring out of every building on the street, and I overheard a couple of guys saying that a bakery was the cause of all the fire alarms. I didn't see anything burning, though!!
The University is absolutely beautiful--it would be ncie if UofA had a program directly with the school, but it is something I might look into anyway. I will see how I feel about the other schools, I suppose.
After looking at the school, I climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat (as in King Arthur). Once I reached the summit (it was one of the most incredible hikes I have ever taken) of 250.5 metres, I was embodied by a cloud. It was so neat. I waited for awhile to see if the mist would pass though, because I really climbed the hike for the views I thought it would present me with of the city. Sure enough, the clouds subsided (very temporarily) and it was so pretty. While I was up there, I heard somebody ask somebody else if King Arthur had a seat up there that he used to go and sit on...Anyway, it was certainly a different experience than hiking Camelback Mountain and the likes.
After the hike, I made my way to Princes Street and went into H&M to get a new belt (mine broke on the first day :(). I really need to try to limit my H&M visits while in the U.K., because I have neither the room nor the money to make the purchases I would like to make every time I go in that store.
After H&M, I thought about going in the castle, but it was closed for entry so I just looked at it from a distance (I WILL be coming back to Edinburgh and I can look at it then!!). I found a place to eat, and ordered a pizza margherita. It was delicious. I went back to the hostel, and started writing this entry before my time ran out, and somebody else was in line for the computer.
At ten o'clock, I went on the City of the Dead tour, and it was such a good time!! This guy at the hostel from Singapore who was ont he pub crawl the ngiht before and will be on my flight to Dublin went to, so I thought it was exciting that I actually knew someone going on it...but while I was waiting before it started I heard a couple of college students talking and I thought I heard the word "Tucson," so I freaked out and walked over to inquire. Sure enough, I heard right. I had barely even met anyone from the U.S. here, and these three kids were from Arizona!! They were with the ASU Barrett Honors College Summer in the United Kingdom/Ireland Study Program (the one that Amie Vigneux went on last year). So I hung around with them and the guy from Singapore during the tour. Our tour guide was great, hilarious and a bit scary. The point of the tour that stuck out to me the most was when we were standing at the top of the graveyard and our tour guide asked if anyone knew how many headstones were in the graveyard?" I ventured a guess of 300-350. He said "very close--it is actually just shy of 450." Then he asked us how many bodies were buried there. I guessed 5,000. The answer was somewhere between 250,00 and 400,000. In a single graveyard with 450 headstones!! He told us that the point we were standing at used to be the lowest point int he graveyard...yikes!! We got locked in a crypt for the last fifteen minutes of the tour, and that is where most of the sightings and other strange things occur. Nothing special happened this time around, but the tourguide had this perfectly planned scare that made everyone jump and scream. If I tried to describe it, it would not serve the atual effect it had on everyone any justice. I did capture some strange lights in a few pictures (but I think they might be from other people's flashes), and I woke up with a couple of scrapes that I had not before noticed, but I do not think they were inflicted by Mackenzie's Poltergeist (the "thing" that is believed to cause the mysterious bruises, bite marks, etc. that people sometimes acquire as a part fo this tour.
After leaving the graveyard, I went to a pub with my ASU friends and the tour guide, and a couple of his local friends. The pub was named after a dog that is believed by many to have slept on his master's grave for fourteen years after his death. We were told that it was actually a different John Grey's tomb that he slept on, which was a shame. The dog's statue (Grey Friar's Bobby is his name) is the most photographed statue in all of Scotland. Yes, I took a picture.
We had so much fun talking with the Edinburgh folk, and were a bit bummed when the pub closed. Afterwards, the ASU people and I went to find some grub, and then ate in a quad at the University. We finally bid farewell sometime after one. I went back to the hostel and tried to get online, but the internet was not working. I got a few hours of sleep before I had to wake up, check out, and head to Edinburgh Waverly train station.
I took a train to Leuchars, then a bus to St. Andrews. I wandered around for awhile and then finally asked a passerby for directions to my hostel. I was led slightly astray, but found it finally. It is pretty nice.
I checked in, dropped of my bags, and went exploring. St. Andrews seems to be the quintessential United Kingdom college town and a Golf Mecca at the same time. I checked out the University and honestly could nto believe what I saw. Pictures unfortunately were not able to capture quite what I saw, but some of the dorms and classroom buildings are old mansions that look like castles, and the departments of both Moral Philosophy and Economics, as well as Logic, are perfectly situated on the sea, and close to the castle ruins. Karissa, if you are reading this I am going to have some questions for you!!
After looking at the University, I went to the St. Andrews Museum and they had this really neat St. Andrews, A-Z exhibit. I got to dress up as a pilgrim. Oh, and I lay down on a bench outside of the museum beforehand--I felt kind of like one of the people you would see taking naps on benches in Tucson from time to time.
For lunch, I ate pizza...again (it seems to be the cheapest thing I can get everywhere--and it is always good!!) For dinner I went to Tesco and grabbed some snacky things. Then I went to Subway because I was still hungry.
I went to the sea and sat on a rock (maybe limestone) and did a couple of Wordoku puzzles. I also went to the castle. but it was evening already and it was closed to the public. I will have to go back tomorrow.
My hostel mates this time around are from Romania and California. 3 from Romania and one from California. We might be getting some more because there are eight beds in our room.
I was sad to leave Edinburgh so soon, but St. Andrews is absolutely beautiful (and old, as well). And the weather today was nice and chilly (I got to wear my Windwall the whole day), so it is all good.
Tomorrow I will do a bit more exploring and then head off to Dublin. Can't wait to see another old city!! And in case it is not evident enough from my blog, Scotland is AMAZING!!!
Jason
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
6 hours in London...and a bit of Edinburgh!!
So I want to apologize for any grammatical errors/typos, as well as any other inconsistencies in my writing. The keyboard here is a bit different and I have very little time to spend on the internet at once.
I arrived into London yesterday and it was warm and humid (I wrote a couple of entries on my laptop that I will post, assuming my laptop is still at my dorm, when I return to London). After finding my dorm (which is smack dab next to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben), it started to sprinkle. It was so nice. I explored many parks over in that area and walked around of the old sites. Finally, a bit after 6 PM, I really had to go to the bathroom. I walked forever until I found a public pay bathroom in the tube station. While I am in the bathrom, I hear some shouts, and then some loud noises ("were those gunshots?" thought I). Now before you freak out too bad here, sorry Mom!!, I hope that most of you can find a bit of humor in this story. It is comletely true, and it really scared the heck out of me. After hearing the shouts and the alarm, I am wondering if I should hang tight in the stall or if I should exit. After about three loooong seconds of decision-thinking mode, I decide to exit. While I leave the stall only to find a man in a kilt threatening the toilet tenant with a switchblade. I am not kidding about any of this. I feared for my life right then, and knew I did not want to stand and watch. I ran for the little metal rotator thing that lets you in and out, and it was locked shut!! I was in pure survival mode, and I hopped that thing faster than you would believe, ran outside, up the stairs, and now the man in the kilt and the bathroom steward are right on my tail. I run past some cops, who sort of push me to safety. They ended up retrieving this "bagpipe killer" and arresting him. My heart didn't stop beating at twice its normal rate for close to an hour. It was definitely one of the most scariest things I have ever encountered, especially after I thought I heard gunshots and seeing that knife. But my lfe never flashed before my eyes, so I think intrinsically I knew I would be okay. And please picture this man clad in fll-scale Scottish garb, clutching a switch blade. I really do not know if he intended to hurt anybody, or just wanted to make a scene, but no doubt would the paparazzi have a field day with this one.
Anyway, I left in the middle of peeing, and needed to find another bathroom pronto...so I went to St. James Park, and walked around the entire place, viewing the Buckingham Palace and some royal ponds just before the steady drizzle turned into torrential downpour. I huddled with several fellow tourists under an awning for about a half hour, until the rain let up slightly, at which time I went to a McCafe (I tried to get the Cadbury McFlurry thing Gabby wrote about, but it was too late in the evening), and then I proceeded to the train station.
Aside from that one incident, I felt completely safe in London and am thoroughly enthused about being able to spend four weeks there coming up. The Wigram House (my dorm) seems to be in a great location!!
Unfortunately when I was trying to transfer some photos to my iPod last night, there was a mishap of sorts. My iPod will not play any music now, and I had a nine hour bus ride overnight with no music and no sleep. It was a bit of a drag, and there was one giant raincloud that stretched across the United Kingdom. It absolutely poured the whole way. The visibility was about twelve feet for most of the time. It was beautiful to look at the green close by and the clouds and rain, but I must say that I was hoping to get a fair amount of sleep on the bus ride, and that certainly did not happen at all, despite taking sleeping pills!! :(
I got here a little after 8 this morning, only to wander around town for nearly forty-five minutes in the rain, without an umbrella (thank you so much for getting that parka mom!!). I found the hostel, left my stuff here, and went to a Starbucks where I was served my caramel macchiato in an actual mug. Oh, I tried this Mango Passion Fruit Frappuccino they have in London last night, and it was incredible. You are right Ali. And thank you so muchg for letting me use al of your stuff for this trip--it has all worked out great so far!!
While in Starbucks, the rain stopped and it actually cleared a bit. I went exploring the Royal Gallery of Scotland and went to the Nelson (or some other N name) Memorial. This entire city is so old, and it is so cool to look at the buildings from up close or from afar. The hostel I am staying at, Budget Backpackers, is great!! It was recommended by my sister and I can see why. From my room, I have gorgeous views of the Edinburgh Castle and some other spired monument. It is wonderful. Right now it is kind of cloudy outside and the temperature is in the high 50s. It is so nice!!
I went to this Italian buffet for a late lunch and it ended up being ridiculously expensive. Gabby, you would have laughed at the food they served. Let's just say I will not be going back there, but it wasn't that bad. For my family (minus Jon), it was comparable to the buffet food on the Sun Princess.
Anyway, despite the little incidence in London and my iPod being so uncooperative, I am already having such an incredible time. Thank you to my family for letting me go on this trip, and trusting me to explore the UK on my lonesome. I promise I will continue to be safe, and will update this as much as possible!! I am also taking a ton of pictures, but none will be posted until at least until I am back in London...possibly not until i get home (once again, crossing my fingers that my laptop will still be at my dorm when I return!!)
Oh, and did I mention that the sun came out at like 3:30 this morning (well, the clouds lightened up a bit because the sun was somewhere behind them, anyway)?? It was like Alaska all over again. And tomorrow should be the longest day of the year here, so I wonder how much daylight there will be...probably 18 or 19 hours.
I am going to go wander around town for a bit longer, and then hopefully get a great night's sleep!! So far I have met one of hostel mates. She is from Canada and has been in Edinburgh for four days already. She just spent two and a half months in the UK, and is leaving on Friday to go to Ecuador for three weeks for her best friend's wedding!! Crazy.
I shall write again soon!!
---Jason
I arrived into London yesterday and it was warm and humid (I wrote a couple of entries on my laptop that I will post, assuming my laptop is still at my dorm, when I return to London). After finding my dorm (which is smack dab next to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben), it started to sprinkle. It was so nice. I explored many parks over in that area and walked around of the old sites. Finally, a bit after 6 PM, I really had to go to the bathroom. I walked forever until I found a public pay bathroom in the tube station. While I am in the bathrom, I hear some shouts, and then some loud noises ("were those gunshots?" thought I). Now before you freak out too bad here, sorry Mom!!, I hope that most of you can find a bit of humor in this story. It is comletely true, and it really scared the heck out of me. After hearing the shouts and the alarm, I am wondering if I should hang tight in the stall or if I should exit. After about three loooong seconds of decision-thinking mode, I decide to exit. While I leave the stall only to find a man in a kilt threatening the toilet tenant with a switchblade. I am not kidding about any of this. I feared for my life right then, and knew I did not want to stand and watch. I ran for the little metal rotator thing that lets you in and out, and it was locked shut!! I was in pure survival mode, and I hopped that thing faster than you would believe, ran outside, up the stairs, and now the man in the kilt and the bathroom steward are right on my tail. I run past some cops, who sort of push me to safety. They ended up retrieving this "bagpipe killer" and arresting him. My heart didn't stop beating at twice its normal rate for close to an hour. It was definitely one of the most scariest things I have ever encountered, especially after I thought I heard gunshots and seeing that knife. But my lfe never flashed before my eyes, so I think intrinsically I knew I would be okay. And please picture this man clad in fll-scale Scottish garb, clutching a switch blade. I really do not know if he intended to hurt anybody, or just wanted to make a scene, but no doubt would the paparazzi have a field day with this one.
Anyway, I left in the middle of peeing, and needed to find another bathroom pronto...so I went to St. James Park, and walked around the entire place, viewing the Buckingham Palace and some royal ponds just before the steady drizzle turned into torrential downpour. I huddled with several fellow tourists under an awning for about a half hour, until the rain let up slightly, at which time I went to a McCafe (I tried to get the Cadbury McFlurry thing Gabby wrote about, but it was too late in the evening), and then I proceeded to the train station.
Aside from that one incident, I felt completely safe in London and am thoroughly enthused about being able to spend four weeks there coming up. The Wigram House (my dorm) seems to be in a great location!!
Unfortunately when I was trying to transfer some photos to my iPod last night, there was a mishap of sorts. My iPod will not play any music now, and I had a nine hour bus ride overnight with no music and no sleep. It was a bit of a drag, and there was one giant raincloud that stretched across the United Kingdom. It absolutely poured the whole way. The visibility was about twelve feet for most of the time. It was beautiful to look at the green close by and the clouds and rain, but I must say that I was hoping to get a fair amount of sleep on the bus ride, and that certainly did not happen at all, despite taking sleeping pills!! :(
I got here a little after 8 this morning, only to wander around town for nearly forty-five minutes in the rain, without an umbrella (thank you so much for getting that parka mom!!). I found the hostel, left my stuff here, and went to a Starbucks where I was served my caramel macchiato in an actual mug. Oh, I tried this Mango Passion Fruit Frappuccino they have in London last night, and it was incredible. You are right Ali. And thank you so muchg for letting me use al of your stuff for this trip--it has all worked out great so far!!
While in Starbucks, the rain stopped and it actually cleared a bit. I went exploring the Royal Gallery of Scotland and went to the Nelson (or some other N name) Memorial. This entire city is so old, and it is so cool to look at the buildings from up close or from afar. The hostel I am staying at, Budget Backpackers, is great!! It was recommended by my sister and I can see why. From my room, I have gorgeous views of the Edinburgh Castle and some other spired monument. It is wonderful. Right now it is kind of cloudy outside and the temperature is in the high 50s. It is so nice!!
I went to this Italian buffet for a late lunch and it ended up being ridiculously expensive. Gabby, you would have laughed at the food they served. Let's just say I will not be going back there, but it wasn't that bad. For my family (minus Jon), it was comparable to the buffet food on the Sun Princess.
Anyway, despite the little incidence in London and my iPod being so uncooperative, I am already having such an incredible time. Thank you to my family for letting me go on this trip, and trusting me to explore the UK on my lonesome. I promise I will continue to be safe, and will update this as much as possible!! I am also taking a ton of pictures, but none will be posted until at least until I am back in London...possibly not until i get home (once again, crossing my fingers that my laptop will still be at my dorm when I return!!)
Oh, and did I mention that the sun came out at like 3:30 this morning (well, the clouds lightened up a bit because the sun was somewhere behind them, anyway)?? It was like Alaska all over again. And tomorrow should be the longest day of the year here, so I wonder how much daylight there will be...probably 18 or 19 hours.
I am going to go wander around town for a bit longer, and then hopefully get a great night's sleep!! So far I have met one of hostel mates. She is from Canada and has been in Edinburgh for four days already. She just spent two and a half months in the UK, and is leaving on Friday to go to Ecuador for three weeks for her best friend's wedding!! Crazy.
I shall write again soon!!
---Jason
Monday, June 18, 2007
Ready to Go.
Right now I am sitting at the airport, after literally breezing through security. I do not see why it takes an hour when I fly domestically, and four minutes when I fly internationally...but whatever.
The plane is supposed to depart in a couple of hours here, and I am so ready. I still can't believe I am going to be in Europe for the next fifty days though--it is so surreal!!
I just looked at the weather reports, and I am definitely looking forward to highs of 51 in Edinburgh and 54 in Freiburg. It is going to be extremely nice to get out of this heat.
I do not know when I will write next, but I will try to update regularly before I get to London in three weeks and will have regular internet access.
For now, I am off, and excited about a nice long flight with my own personal TV set. I checked out the entertainment, and there is supposed to be an episode of Friends available. Some of the movies look pretty good as well.
My next post should be much more exciting!!
Adios,
Jason
The plane is supposed to depart in a couple of hours here, and I am so ready. I still can't believe I am going to be in Europe for the next fifty days though--it is so surreal!!
I just looked at the weather reports, and I am definitely looking forward to highs of 51 in Edinburgh and 54 in Freiburg. It is going to be extremely nice to get out of this heat.
I do not know when I will write next, but I will try to update regularly before I get to London in three weeks and will have regular internet access.
For now, I am off, and excited about a nice long flight with my own personal TV set. I checked out the entertainment, and there is supposed to be an episode of Friends available. Some of the movies look pretty good as well.
My next post should be much more exciting!!
Adios,
Jason
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