Hello!
So my computer broke and I haven't been able to write any posts since. I have been dying without my computer. First world problems. Anyway I just got the chance to post three new posts about my various trips, so be sure to check them out! (three posts not including this little snippit).
Oh and I am using my still-broken-minimum-function computer to write these posts. The operating system on my computer is now an Irish system so my spell check is in British-English. Sorry but you'll just have to deal with it. OK that's all... I think. If you want to see pictures, your best bet is to check my facebook!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Amsterdam and the Homeland (Belgium)
Halloween night, my computer crashed taking my completed 5 page paper with it. this was no ordinary paper however, it was one that was due the next day and worth 50% of my grade for the class. Luckily one of my friends let me borrow her computer and I managed to finish and submit the paper 15min before the cab arrived to take us to the airport! our flight was crazy early, so I never got any sleep that night but was able to sleep on the plane to Amsterdam. From the airport, we caught a train into the city centre, where it was pouring. We were all exhausted so we grabbed a lunch at Bagels and Beans. The food was delicious, plus I got a massive Cappuccino that was magical. From there we planned on going to the Anne Frank house, but the line was way too long. Instead we made our way to the hostel, taking an insane amount of pictures along the way. We checked into the hostel, then headed out to explore the city some more. I needed to use an ATM but there was not a single one around, it was a bit insane actually! We wound up at the Heineken experience which was pretty entertaining. I have to say, I enjoyed it more than the Guinness factory! We got to taste barley and the sweet stuff before the liquid ferments... or at least I think that's what it was, it tasted like tea. There was also an interactive ride, where we stood on this platform and were moved around, misted with water and warmed by a heat lamp as we travelled through the process of making the beer. With out our tickets, we got a free pint and it was kind of amazing how much better Heineken tastes at the factory! We then hopped on a free boat ride back into the city centre.
for dinner we went to dinner at pizzeria and then to a chocolate shop for dessert. Dessert involved a delicious nutella waffle that disappeared within seconds.
The next day we woke up early to make it to the Anne Frank house before the line got too long, however our plan was unsuccessful we ended up standing in line outside for an hour, and by the time we made it inside my fingers were completely numb. It was terribly painful, but I bought a pair of gloves which did help quite a bit. The Anne Frank house was really cool too to see, I had read her diary before so it was cool to actually see the annex. It was amazing being there in real life but also a quite a sad place to be.
From there we went back over to our hostel and rented some bikes. It was really cool to see Amsterdam by bike, we were able to visit the "I am Amsterdam sign and Vondelpark before my bike got a flat tire. I was not happy. Plus I had to walk the bike back to the bike shop which wasn't near by. After getting a new bike, we rode aimlessly for a bit longer before we had to return the bikes.
The next morning was early, we headed to the bus station to catch a bus to Brugge. The bus lady was evil and I couldn't catch a bus to Brugge with my friends. luckily I was not the only one without a ride, one of the other girls was also stuck. I had to navigate alone back to city centre alone in order to meet with her and we caught a train to Brussels instead. The first thing I did after getting off the train was to buy a waffle which was magical. that waffle was the best waffle I have ever had, hands down. We wandered around for awhile and grabbed food at a Greek place. That night, we went to a bar that held the record for the most kinds of beers available (certified by Guinness book of world records of course). I think it had something like 2,008 different kinds of beer.
The next day was also full of wandering around and tourist-ing, before we had to head over to the airport and catch our plane back to cork!
for dinner we went to dinner at pizzeria and then to a chocolate shop for dessert. Dessert involved a delicious nutella waffle that disappeared within seconds.
The next day we woke up early to make it to the Anne Frank house before the line got too long, however our plan was unsuccessful we ended up standing in line outside for an hour, and by the time we made it inside my fingers were completely numb. It was terribly painful, but I bought a pair of gloves which did help quite a bit. The Anne Frank house was really cool too to see, I had read her diary before so it was cool to actually see the annex. It was amazing being there in real life but also a quite a sad place to be.
From there we went back over to our hostel and rented some bikes. It was really cool to see Amsterdam by bike, we were able to visit the "I am Amsterdam sign and Vondelpark before my bike got a flat tire. I was not happy. Plus I had to walk the bike back to the bike shop which wasn't near by. After getting a new bike, we rode aimlessly for a bit longer before we had to return the bikes.
The next morning was early, we headed to the bus station to catch a bus to Brugge. The bus lady was evil and I couldn't catch a bus to Brugge with my friends. luckily I was not the only one without a ride, one of the other girls was also stuck. I had to navigate alone back to city centre alone in order to meet with her and we caught a train to Brussels instead. The first thing I did after getting off the train was to buy a waffle which was magical. that waffle was the best waffle I have ever had, hands down. We wandered around for awhile and grabbed food at a Greek place. That night, we went to a bar that held the record for the most kinds of beers available (certified by Guinness book of world records of course). I think it had something like 2,008 different kinds of beer.
The next day was also full of wandering around and tourist-ing, before we had to head over to the airport and catch our plane back to cork!
Spain and Lots of Rain...
In late October, three of my friends from Ireland and I took our long weekend and visited Madrid, Toledo, and Barcelona. We spent a day in Toledo, two days in Barcelona and Madrid, and a night and a day on the bus travelling between them. We started out trip in Madrid and after checking into the hostel we wandered around Madrid. We found a cheap place with a deal for €1 tapas and ate dinner there. After dinner we found a bar to watch the soccer game (Real Madrid vs somewhere in Germany). Unfortunately Real Madrid lost, but it was still amazing to see a Real Madrid game while in Madrid! We enjoyed some sangria and a free little plate of paella while we watched the game.
The next day was packed full of tourist-ing. We spent a day exploring Toledo, the former capital of Spain. Toledo was a really pretty town with skinny winding streets. The buildings all looked exactly what I had imagined Spain to look like and the city had so much history!
After spending some time wandering around Madrid, we took a Night bus to Barcelona. The Bus was about 8 hours long, but felt much longer and was terribly uncomfortable. Luckily we were able to check into our hostel early, and had time for a little nap before heading out to explore the city. Barcelona was very different than Madrid. Madrid was more of a international city, where Barcelona was more of a tourist city. Barcelona was very pretty and I am sure it would be even better when it is warmer! The first night, we went to an ice bar which was freezing. The bar provided us with really warm coats and gloves, but the room with the ice bar was kept around -18C (which is about 0F). the glasses were even made of ice and it was fun to smash them when my drink was gone! there were also some cool ice sculptures we took pictures by whenever we weren't bouncing around and trying to stay warm!
The next day we visited the Sagrada Família, that really crazy looking cathedral
It was cool, but so crowded! we stopped for just a short while before we headed off to the beach. Me and one of the other girls were determined to swim in the Mediterranean even though it was freezing out. After a hasty change in the smallest and most disgusting public bathroom, we sprinted into the Mediterranean, dunked our heads under water and booked it back to the disease of a bathroom to dry off and change. I was cold, but it was worth it!
We also made a trip to Park Güell which was so pretty. I remember looking at pictures of the mosaic bench in my Spanish book, but I was so much prettier in real life!
The park was so unique all around and was defiantly one my favourite things I visited in Barcelona! we caught a day bus back to Madrid which was painfully long. the one good thing about the bus was getting to see some of the more "countryside" like parts of Spain.
The next day was packed full of tourist-ing. We spent a day exploring Toledo, the former capital of Spain. Toledo was a really pretty town with skinny winding streets. The buildings all looked exactly what I had imagined Spain to look like and the city had so much history!
After spending some time wandering around Madrid, we took a Night bus to Barcelona. The Bus was about 8 hours long, but felt much longer and was terribly uncomfortable. Luckily we were able to check into our hostel early, and had time for a little nap before heading out to explore the city. Barcelona was very different than Madrid. Madrid was more of a international city, where Barcelona was more of a tourist city. Barcelona was very pretty and I am sure it would be even better when it is warmer! The first night, we went to an ice bar which was freezing. The bar provided us with really warm coats and gloves, but the room with the ice bar was kept around -18C (which is about 0F). the glasses were even made of ice and it was fun to smash them when my drink was gone! there were also some cool ice sculptures we took pictures by whenever we weren't bouncing around and trying to stay warm!
The next day we visited the Sagrada Família, that really crazy looking cathedral
It was cool, but so crowded! we stopped for just a short while before we headed off to the beach. Me and one of the other girls were determined to swim in the Mediterranean even though it was freezing out. After a hasty change in the smallest and most disgusting public bathroom, we sprinted into the Mediterranean, dunked our heads under water and booked it back to the disease of a bathroom to dry off and change. I was cold, but it was worth it!
We also made a trip to Park Güell which was so pretty. I remember looking at pictures of the mosaic bench in my Spanish book, but I was so much prettier in real life!
The park was so unique all around and was defiantly one my favourite things I visited in Barcelona! we caught a day bus back to Madrid which was painfully long. the one good thing about the bus was getting to see some of the more "countryside" like parts of Spain.
London Adventures
In October went to London with other students from U of I who are also studying in UK/Ireland. The trip was really fun, we got to do some unique things and I've always wanted to see London! We started by going to the theatre and seeing a play called "yes, prime minister!". The play was really good, it had a lot of subtle things that were pertaining to the British culture, but there was still plenty of funny things for the Americans! The next day we started with a bus tour of some of the more famous places in London. Our tour guide was hilarious and showed us some great things! We saw all the usual places
(Buckingham palace,
Westminster abbey, The Parliament building,
and tower bridge)
- as well as some fun places like a pub that was covered entirely in flowers and the place where diagon ally was filmed.
For the second half of the day we had a scavenger hunt that involved running all over London and taking pictures of various famous things. This was a great opportunity to see a bunch of things we may not have visited otherwise like the Rosetta stone, Trafalgar square and Oxford street.
We finished the scavenger hunt at a restaurant were we learned how to cook our dinner from a French chef. The food was delicious, we made teriyaki chicken with pasta mixed with some veggies and mushrooms.
The last day was a short day because everyone was leaving at different times. For me, my flight wasn't until the next morning so I went to the tower of London with the rest of the group. We spent the morning wandering around, looking at the armor and jewels. For lunch I went with another girl to a pub for some traditional English pie that was so delicious!
From there we wandered to old Stanfield's market and made a quick stop at petticoat lane. The old Stanfield's market was really cool. It was an old building that was packed full of tents for vendors to sell their clothes, food or jewellery.
After wandering around the market, the girls I was with had to catch their train, so we made one final stop at king's cross station to take the stereotypical "platform 9 & 3/4" picture.
From there I made the trip back to the airport and spent the night in the airport waiting for my 6am flight.
(Buckingham palace,
Westminster abbey, The Parliament building,
and tower bridge)
- as well as some fun places like a pub that was covered entirely in flowers and the place where diagon ally was filmed.
For the second half of the day we had a scavenger hunt that involved running all over London and taking pictures of various famous things. This was a great opportunity to see a bunch of things we may not have visited otherwise like the Rosetta stone, Trafalgar square and Oxford street.
We finished the scavenger hunt at a restaurant were we learned how to cook our dinner from a French chef. The food was delicious, we made teriyaki chicken with pasta mixed with some veggies and mushrooms.
The last day was a short day because everyone was leaving at different times. For me, my flight wasn't until the next morning so I went to the tower of London with the rest of the group. We spent the morning wandering around, looking at the armor and jewels. For lunch I went with another girl to a pub for some traditional English pie that was so delicious!
From there we wandered to old Stanfield's market and made a quick stop at petticoat lane. The old Stanfield's market was really cool. It was an old building that was packed full of tents for vendors to sell their clothes, food or jewellery.
After wandering around the market, the girls I was with had to catch their train, so we made one final stop at king's cross station to take the stereotypical "platform 9 & 3/4" picture.
From there I made the trip back to the airport and spent the night in the airport waiting for my 6am flight.
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