Florence and Pisa

Okay, obviously these are super-duper late, but after reading back through some of my other posts, I've realized how much the details I included helped me to remember everything that went on. So I thought it'd be best to go ahead and write up blogs for Florence, Naples, Rome, and Germany before I completely forgot everything! Plus, for those who I haven't had a chance to tell stories to in person, I kinda left you hanging.. so here you go:

So, Florence. Let's see here. I believe we arrived in Florence sometime just after noon. After figuring out the complicated bus schedule, we finally caught the correct bus and took it towards our hostel. Ha, our hostel. Ohhhh goodness. It was fun. Well, different/fun.. all the same. It would be best compared to a 'home-stay' type deal. We knocked on the big, front door and lugged all of our luggage up the stairs to the second floor where we were greeted by an man in his 60s and his family. It was a tiny apartment, complete with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. One bedroom was packed full with bunk beds and I'm guessing the other was where the family slept. But, they were accommodating! They set us up with a map and places to see around the city and some free wine to taste! Can't beat that!

So after we got our map, Lacey and I headed back to the train station by foot, because we already had plans to catch a quick train to Pisa for the rest of the day. We arrived in Pisa and lemme tell you, that city is pretty much all about the famous tour.. there's not a whole lot more there, except for the other really cool building that stands on the opposite side of the lawn from the tower.. pobre building.. no one ever pays attention to it.

But before I delve any further, please let me try to describe Lacey's and my view as we were finally approaching the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We came through the last buildings on the street and BAM! There it was the tower, and BAM! there were all the people in the lawn before it, all with there hands up at different angles and some on their back with their legs up in the air.. HIL-AR-IOUS. It didn't take us long to figure out that they were obviously all taking the common picture of trying to hold the tower up or pushing it down. Still quite entertaining to see hundreds of pairs of hands in the air.

But of course, Lacey and I joined in the tourist-y activity. We took about a bajillion pictures each and finally settled to spend our last 3 Euros combined on gelato. I sure hope that doesn't surprise you. I think we'd find a way to buy that delicious dessert even if we were homeless and had no money. After gelato though, we decided it'd probably be best to head back towards Florence in order to get back to our hostel before dark and somewhat early because we wanted to get up early the next morning so we'd have as much time as possible to see the city.

About half way back to Florence though, we both realized we were starving and so once we got back, we immediately set out to find somewhere to eat. Too bad all the restaurants were closed... so we settled on walking about a mile to the nearest grocery store (which was to close in 10 minutes) and buying yet another cheap and unhealthy dinner consisting of deli sandwiches, cheese puffs, and something else. Ha, again.. not really surprising.

We then got to sleep at a decent hour because we were up the next morning and out on the town by 9 or so. Our first stop was Michaelangelo's David. This is where we found out the most exciting news of Italy: this entire upcoming week was CULTURAL WEEK meaning ALL museums were FREE!!!! Ahhh! It was SO wonderful! So we got in to see David for free, then headed down towards the Duomo and did a little browsing/shopping at the shops along the way, and then finally made our way up to a scenic overlook with a view of all of Florence and the Ponte Vecchio which expands across the Amo River.

Then we realized how little time we had to get back to the train station. Woops. Good thing there were taxis up on the overlook. Although we really didn't want to waste the money for a taxi, we HAD to get back to our hostel as quickly as possible. Since we were headed for Naples next, we did NOT want to miss our scheduled train. Not only because we already had a reserved time to make, but also because nothing good ever happens after dark in Naples.

So we made a break for it. We made it back to our hostel, grabbed our luggage and began to wait impatiently at the bus stop that we never thought would come. Well it did, but as if we weren't already stressed out enough, we got off at the wrong bus stop and then were SO turned around and couldn't figure out the next bus we had to take to our train station. It was terribly frustrating. Finally though, we found a nice bus driver that understood a little English and helped us find the bus we needed. Lucky for us, he was the driver! He made sure we got off at the right stop and told us which bus to catch next.

But then the trouble started up again. Since we departed from a different train station than what we arrived in, we ended up in a part of town we were completely unfamiliar with. We, again, got off at the wrong bus stop and had to haul our luggage a ridiculous way until we finally ran into someone who could tell us where we were going. About a mile and a half later, we finally saw the station and found the correct platform, just to find out that our train was running 30 minutes late.

So. Regardless of all our best efforts, we still ended up in Naples past dark. But, luckily for us, we shared a cabin with some great people. All Italian, and hilarious. We had a good time with them. We'd all try to talk to one another as best we could, but it wasn't too long before Lacey was just randomly saying things like, "spaghetti and lasagna." But it didn't take them long to catch on.. soon the whole cabin rang out in.. "ooohhh. SPAGHETTI!" in the typical Italian accent.. probably one of my favorite stories from the trip, but it definitely has to be told in person.

Okay, I think that's it for Florence and Pisa. Check in next time for Naples.. it's gonna be a doozie!

And The Countdown Begins..

Holy smokes! I'm headed back to school in T-7 days! SO pumped! However, as I'm looking at my schedule for this upcoming week, I'm beginning to worry about running out of time! I haven't even begun to think about packing. I've got to figure out what all I want to take for my apartment and how I'm going to get it all down there. And I've got all these plans I'm trying to squeeze in before the summer ends! I've got tomorrow and most of Monday and Tuesday to do some pre-packing activities, but then Tuesday evening, I'm headed up to South Bend with some friends and then we're spending all day Wednesday in Chicago and probably won't be back until the afternoon on Thursday. And I've already got plans for Thursday night, so that day's pretty much shot. So it's looking like I'm going to be the queen of procrastination again and pack everything up on Friday!

That'll be a busy day! Like I said, I have SO much stuff to pack.. clothes, furniture (including my amazing, new porch swing, thanks to the Bulingtons!), school stuff, oh and I have to go shopping too, to make sure I'm all stocked up on the necessary essentials, but that will probably happen once I'm back to the Castle.

Ahhhh! Seeing everything I still have to do, makes me think that maybe I should start packing now! Yikes!

Something Else to Occupy My Time

Welp, I guess I'll focus more on this blog now that I've de-activated from Facebook for the third time in my life. Yep, three whole times: once during finals my sophomore year, for the second time about a month ago (obviously that time didn't last too long) and now I'm ringing in numero tres. I know, right? It seems absolutely insane, but it consumes my life and I just can't handle it anymore. If it weren't for all of my pictures, the outrageously large Facebook community, and my slightly smaller network of friends, I'd be done with it for the rest of my life. And I'm going to work until I get to that point in time.. but for now, my de-activation is only temporary. I'm hoping to hold out this time until school starts.

So now instead, I can write more on here, or study for comps, or get some more summer reading in, or, mom's favorite: clean, organize, and pack my room up for college.

We'll see how that goes... wish me luck.

It's Been Tooooooo Long

Wow, where does time go? Almost three months have passed by since my last post, and quite a few things have happened, well at the beginning anyway.. I still have to update on Italy.. quick summary, pretty much amazing.. and my two weeks I spent in Germany! If I ever write just one more blog post, it'll be about Germany.. WAY too many great and amazing stories from that country to not share.

America, on the other hand, hasn't been so entertaining. Don't get me wrong.. I am SO very glad to be home where things are familiar and to be around family and friends again, but going from backpacking across Europe to having no summer job and not a whole lot to do has been a more difficult transistion than packing everything up and moving to Wales for four months. A few years ago, I would have been nothing short of excited to have a summer off and have all kinds of time to myself, but I'm not gonna lie, it's not been a real eventful summer.

However, on the bright side, I have had time to do a little bit of reading (I'm just about to finish "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, it's brilliant; I'd suggest it) and I've even started studying and reviewing what I've learned throughout the years in Psychology, which is lame, I know, but I'm hoping it will help later this semester.

And then there's my attempt at planning the rest of my life. Yikes. I'm about 95% sure that I won't be going to school to further my studies in Psychology. Instead, I want to try and find a job right after graduation, working outdoors. I'd eventually like to receive my Master's in Outdoor Education, however, in order to do so, I first have to have loads of experience in several different outdoor activities. And so I've been doing a little research and I've found that not only do Utah and Colorado both have amazing venues for hiking, rock climbing, etc etc, but they are also ranked in the top, economical states to live, not to mention, absolutely breathtaking. And yes, my mind will most likely change again here in the next few weeks, but as of right now, that's the plan and I couldn't be more pumped!

Annnnnd I think that's it for the updates! I'll try to keep up with the posts, but I can't promise anything, especially after school starts up and I'll actually be busy once again!

But until next time..

As Promised....

.... even if it is a little late..

Ah, well, Venice, or should I say, Venezia: the city of canals and gondolas! It was fabulous! Well, minus the whole getting completely lost part and eating our weight in gelato every day. Okay, the gelato thing wasn't that bad, not gonna lie. But the layout of the city definitely presented us with some challenges throughout our stay.

Just trying to find our hostel took us WAY too long. Good thing I knew a little bit of Italian, or rather, that Lacey didn't know a lick.. so when we stopped and asked a policeman for directions and he explained them to me in Italian and I was nodding and pretending like I knew where I was going, Lacey didn't have a clue (ha ha, sorry Lace. We found our way though, didn't we?).

Yes, in fact, we did. It wasn't too much wandering later that we found ourselves just off the Grand Canal, in our very unique hostel. It was called the Museum, and rightfully so. It was an old, not really renovated, building that definitely had the potential of being a museum back in the day. I think it would have been cool, if it hadn't been for the creepy cherubs and random faces that stared at you throughout the entire building. Oh well, the fact that Brad and Angelina and the dwarves were staying right across the canal from us, made up for the creepiness.

Yes, they were seriously staying in the building across from us. No, I didn't see them myself, but when I was out trying to orientate myself one night, I guess one of the kiddos came out onto the balcony and the paparazzi were going mad! Oh well.. I think I'll live.

Plus, there were WAY more exciting things going on. I mean, it was Venice after all. Lacey and I filled our days there with impromptu meals of bread, pizza sauce, and cheese, gelato for breakfast, and long walks window shopping and sitting on the edge of the canal. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of our overnight trains and the super-quick day trip to Vienna. We had the chance to just relax and have dinner at our hostel and made tons of new friends!

But before too long, we were packing everything back up and headed for Florence! Good thing we were traveling by train too! That ash cloud could have seriously messed plans up! Although, not gonna lie, I wouldn't have been too terribly disappointed to have been stuck in Venice....

Stay tuned... Florence is next!

Until next time!

My promise..

Okay, excuse time.
I did get to see Venice, Florence, Naples, and Rome, and I do have LOADS of stories about each and every one of them, but as you can see, I've gotten WAY behind, but I will start catching you up on everything.. However, I have 4 assignments due by Monday, and so I'm having to focus on those at the moment. But hopefully, I will have them done and will be able to write by Sunday! So check back then!

Sorry again!

Prague and Vienna

Yep, gotta group these two together. I am WAY behind, hence multiple posts in one day. I'm trying to catch up!

So, Prague was SUPER neat. The train ride there wasn't too bad and our hostel was absolutely amazing! It was newly renovated and the rooms were ginormous! Yes, gin-or-mous. It has most definitely been my favorite hostel thus far. And the town of Prague wasn't bad either! We got a pretty early start the next morning, and just started wondering around town. We first came across the atomic clock, a clock that has been telling time since the 1400s. In the same plaza, we got to see an amazing church. Seriously, the Europeans know how to construct and decorate a church. I feel like I've seen so many great works of art, just by stepping inside of random churches. Okay, they're not random, they're actually very well known tourists hot spots, but still cool, all the same.

We then continued to walk awhile to find this castle building off in the distance. We walked across the St. Charles bridge, stopped and bought a charm, then stopped in for coffee, and then finally made it to the castle. It turned out to be a cathedral, filled with much more intricate artwork and stained glass. Beautiful!

That night, we took off for Vienna on our first overnight train. It wasn't ideal, to say the least. We were stuck in a compartment, in normal seats, between people we didn't know. Yah, we didn't get a whole lot of sleep. So when we arrived at the Vienna station at 6:30 in the morning, we were pretty much like bumps on a log. We actually sat in the train station for the longest time and tried to catch a little shut eye. Around 11, we finally mustered up enough energy to grab some lunch and find our way to the historical downtown.

We found some pretty neat buildings and then happened to stumble across a museum. Since we had nothing else to do, and a lot of time to kill (we were catching yet another overnight train to Venice that night at 8:30pm), we decided to go in and check it out. It was pretty cool. We seriously considered sneaking into the dressing rooms at one point and falling asleep in a stall on the bench.. yep, we were that tired. But the huge collection of preserved animals kept us entertained for long enough. This museum also had the largest collection meteorites. And yes, we found meteorites from Indiana!! Woo-hoo! Go Indiana!

Around 4ish, we headed back towards the station, and found a quick place to get coffee.. we needed it. Then it was back to the benches to wait out the remainder of our time before we boarded our second and last overnight train. Finally, we were allowed to board and...

Well, I'll save that story for next time!

Berlin!

I know it, I know it. I’m behind. Bear with me. It’s just been a whirlwind of a week so far, with two overnight trains in a row and just not much time to sit down and connect with the social world, let alone write blogs.

But here we go.. Berlin! Beautiful city! Wow, I just realized I am wayyyy behind. Okay, anyhow. Yes, big, mostly clean, and friendly! Lace and I arrived around 5 or so and had help right off the bat in trying to buy a metro ticket. Little did we know, Germany believes in the honor system (dang, we could have taken advantage of that), but no, we were good tourists and bought our tickets. Then, once we arrived at the closest station to our hostel, we had yet another kind German help us find our way.

So we checked into our hostel and just vegged for the night. At least, I think we did. Ha, all the nights are starting to run together. But yes, I’m almost positive that’s what we did, then we hit the city early the next morning, since we had all day to explore! We ended up seeing the Brandenburg gate, the Reichstag (Germany’s version of the Capitol Building), Checkpoint Charlie (my favorite), Hitler’s Bunker, and the Holocaust Memorial. That last one was unreal. Kinda put a bit of a damper on our day. But by the time we got pretzels and shared them with the birds, we were in a much better mood.

The next morning, we took advantage of the hostel’s ridiculously-priced breakfast and stuffed our faces, then packed a lunch of cheese sandwiches and tea and headed out for the train station. We caught our train and were on our way to Prague before we knew it!

Well, I’m going to stop there and start a new blog for Prague. Hopefully, it’ll be a little more detailed. Until next time!

Luxembourg City and Brussels

Okay, well these two are going into one blog, because, to be honest, there wasn’t much to either of them. Actually, going into this trip, I expected very little of Luxembourg, and a lot more of Brussels. Turns out, I enjoyed Luxembourg much more than I enjoyed Brussels, but I think that had to do with many contributing factors. Let me explain.

We didn’t arrive in Luxembourg until 10 past midnight. From the train station, our taxi driver took us the scenic route (sly, greedy rascal), but really, we got a feel for the town. Within our 10 minute ride, we went up and down several hills, across a couple of neat bridges, spanning across the rivers below them, and around several, hairpin curves. However, it wasn’t until morning that we really discovered what a gem Luxembourg really was. So, instead of leaving at our pre-planned time of 11 o’clock in the morning, we decided to delay our departure until 1:30pm, so we had some time to check out the town. Our hostel was situated in quite a nice area, just a short walk away from the main center. We quickly found out that Luxembourg City was definitely a ‘posh’ city. Everything was very immaculate and fancy schmancy. But the thing I liked best was the valley the town square overlooked. It was absolutely picturesque, with a little river running through it and the green grass and the neighborhood houses of all different colors and then the remnants of medieval buildings up on the hill. Ahhh, it was cool!

Unfortunately though, we did have a train to catch, so we hauled our luggage up the giant hill to the bus stop and carried on towards the station and then departed for Brussels. Here’s where the town didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I don’t know if it was because we were in a ‘strange’ part of town or if it was the fact that we just didn’t have a whole lot of time or a map to plan out where we wanted to see, but I didn’t necessarily care for Brussels. Our hotel was nice though. Yes, I said, ‘hotel.’ It was actually one of the cheapest accommodations around, even though now I realize that the price was probably because of where it was located. Although hotels like the Sheraton and the Hilton were just a few blocks down, there weren’t a lot of main attractions nearby.

Since we were tired anyhow, we took advantage of our dull location and decided to go for a quick walk. On our walk, we found a delicious Italian shop, got pizza, a bag of potato chips, chocolate covered waffles (kinda like doughnuts), and a fruity beverage and headed back to the hotel to devour our ridiculously unhealthy meal and watch Sandlot. And by watch Sandlot, I mean, I made it insofar as I could while eating, and then passed out around 8 o’clock.

Don’t worry, I still slept in until 9. Yup, got 13 hours of much needed sleep. Because we slept in though, we had to skip our day-trip to Amsterdam in order to make it to our Berlin hostel on time. Even though we had to miss Amsterdam, we both agreed that the extra sleep was quite worth it!

Well, sorry, but that’s all for now! Until next time!

Ciao, Paris!

Well, I’m happy to say that Lace’s and my last day in Paris was a success! We were awake at a decent hour, hopped the metro to the train station, had a little snag while trying to make reservations for our next train to Luxembourg (we had to catch a 7:30pm train instead of the 2:30 that we initially wanted), and saw some pretty neat sights, including Notre Dame and the Sacre d’Coeur.

Notre Dame was ridiculous! There was so much intricate detail. The stained glass windows alone were amazing! We took a tour inside it, but to be honest, I liked the outside better. There was a small garden one side that Lacey and I sat in and just enjoyed the view for a while. The cathedral actually is situated on an island of sorts, and so the river runs on both sides of it. From our little garden bench, we could watch the boats go by as well as the ducks, which, of course, made Lacey very happy. Ha ha ha.

From there, we had a little look-see around the nearby streets. Crossing over the bridge to get to the mainland was like something out of a French book or movie. Actually, it kind of reminded me of Madeline, I think, when they cross the bridge and there are artists painting or selling their paintings.. I’m pretty sure that’s Madeline, at least. So yes, it was pretty neat to see that, and then we made our way through the winding streets, trying to find a place to grab a bite to eat. It wasn’t too long before we came across a delicious looking Gyro stand and so we got some food and then found yet another park to sit in and enjoy our food. I’ll tell you one thing, the French sure do have a lot of cute, little parks.

After lunch, we headed back to the hostel via metro. Once there, we had a quick Facebook break and then headed to the Sacre d’Coeur, which, unbeknownst to us, was just a block behind our hostel. There, we found a comfy, little spot on the hill and settled in and just people/pigeon watched, enjoying the sunshine and our last few hours of peace before we had to rush off to the train station for our 5-hour train ride to Luxembourg.

All in all, it was a great day! Couldn’t complain one bit! So until next time!

Pare-ee, wauh huah huah (said in a French accent, of course)

Well hello there!

Just got back from a WONDERFUL day in the beautiful city of Paris! Don't have a whole lot of time, seeing as Lacey and I have got to get to bed sometime tonight, but thought I'd fill yah in on a few things we saw/did today!

Let's see, after getting in around 10:30 last night, we were exhausted and decided only to look down the street closest to us, try some french desserts (a crepe for Lacey and a honey/doughnut thing for me), and then we went to bed. So this morning, we woke up, got ready, had some breakfast, and set out for town on foot. We walked and walked and walked and finally came to our first landmark in Paris, the Arch D'Triumph! From there, we walked to the Cite de l'Architecture, which is a HUGE building. If you align yourself in the middle of it, you can see the Eiffel Tower! So naturally, we hiked down to see it next, but not before we stopped and had lunch in the park!

But after lunch, we headed down to the base of the Eiffel Tower. We sprung for some tickets, and went up to the second story, took some very touristy pictures, bought a sweet Eiffel Tower charm, and then climbed back down. Since we still had loads of time, we decided to then walk towards the Musee de l'Armee (the Army museum) and take pictures there as well.

From there, we headed to the Louvre. My goodness! Was it beautiful!! We started at the beginning of the gardens, so we had a nice, long walk through the gardens to get to the actual museum. Once we were there, we took a bunch more tourist-y pictures and then headed in. We waited until later, like 6 o'clock, because they knocked 2.50 Euro off the regular admission price. However, we soon found out that those under 26 got in for free! Boy, were we excited!! So we got to see the Mona Lisa, some of Di Vinci's work, and other really neat things. Unfortunately, by this time, our feet were killing us and we were more than ready to head out by closing time, which was 9pm.

We had already decided beforehand that we were DEFINITELY walking back to the Eiffel Tower to have a Parisian dinner of cheese, bread, and wine, (and olives and cookies, of course). And by this time, it was dark, so we just sat on a bench, enjoyed our food, and watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle and shine with all it's majestic-ness. It was definitely worth the aching feet and interesting metro ride back to the hostel.

So, all in all, I'd say we had a pretty productive day! We really saw a lot and are definitely tired. So I'm gonna go and get some sleep. We've got quite the early morning again tomorrow... we're up to see Notre Dame (not the one in South Bend) and then to Sacre d'Couer and then to catch our train to Luxembourg! Hopefully we'll get some sleep there!

Welp, until next time!!

The End of the Beginning

Well, the first leg of my journey is about to come to an end. However sad that may sound, it's really not. I'm actually looking quite forward to seeing a certain Miss Lacey Berkshire tomorrow in the St. Pancras train station. Yep, I will be checking out of my hostel by 7 hopefully, catch the metro to the airport, and then catch my plane at 10:55! Once I land in Bristol, I've got a bus to catch to the train station and then my train leaves at 2 for London. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the strike has been rescheduled. If not, that may have me scrunched for time. But I think all was well last time I checked.

Anyhow, so yesterday, I went to the aquarium. Man, was it neat! Well worth the 23 E I paid to get in, however, I didn't even end up having to pay that much! Actually, let me start from the beginning of my awesome money-saving day! Let's see, it starts out in the market. I went to get some fresh food that I could prepare for dinner that night. Well, I got 3 potatoes, 1/2 pound of mushrooms, and a chunk of salmon for under 3.5o E. That's like, less than $5. Simply amazing. Then, never having caught a bus in my life on my own, I jumped on the correct bus (thank goodness) towards the aquarium and had no idea on when or where I was supposed to pay, so I just waited until we made it to my stop. Once there, I tried to offer the bus driver my 1.25 E, but he rambled off something in Spanish and just kinda shooed me off the bus, so I didn't have to pay the bus fare! And thennnn, I got to the aquarium and found out that students get a 3 E discount off general admission! Really can't beat that! So I was feeling pretty good still when I spent 3.10 E on a gigantic thing of popcorn that I knew I couldn't finish. Definitely didn't realize it was that much though, or I for sure wouldn't have bought it in the first place, but even adding that in there, I still came out in the green!

So yes, the aquarium was simply stunning to say the least. I ended up walking back to avoid any more embarrassing bus scenes and once I got back, I made my very odd, but still delicious dinner of mashed potatoes, grilled mushrooms, and salmon. The salmon was delightful even though I had never really prepared it myself before.. and certainly not just a CHUNK of it. It still had the skin on it and everything. . . but that just fell off when it was finished cooking.. Yep. I could sure get used to visiting the market everyday!

Thennnn today, I was set on getting some sun finally and woke up early to head to the beach! I had heard that the bus that went out that way was very rare and kinda hard to catch if you were a tourist. Great. However, after walking all over town and asking the Valencia tourist company, I finally managed to find the bus stop where I was supposed to wait.

Or so I thought. The tourist centre lady told me that the busses ran every hour, and actually, while I was walking to the bus stop, I SAW the bus I was supposed to take. Too bad I was still at least a 10 minute walk from the station. But I did make it to the station, waited for a good hour, and then finally gave up. This bus was not going to come and I was NOT going to waste my day sitting in the shade of the bus station when I could just as easily walk a block to the park and lay out a little.

So that's what I did. I did a little reading and then laid down and took a nap. It was only about 45 minutes or so though, and I woke up because I got really cold. Good thing too, because as I woke up and looked around, I saw dark, ominous clouds starting to roll in. I'm an Indiana girl, I KNOW that means rain. So I packed up and started the 25 minute walk back to my hostel. As the clouds got nearer, I decided to stop in at the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. When I left the store, it was pouring! It even thundered once or twice! But I made my way back through the rain, stopping to try some horchata (yet another traditional Spanish drink) on the way.

So, the day didn't go exactly according to plan, but at least I didn't make it all the way out to the beach just to sit and be cold and then get rained on. Knowing my luck, I wouldn't have been able to catch a bus back either. So really, it's probably all for the best. And since I got back so early, I re-packed all of my stuff and got it all organized for tomorrow's early departure and then went out for a little (okay, a lot of) gelato and a walk. And now it's 20 til 2 in the morning, and I'm guessing I should probably get some sleep if I don't want to be a zombie in Paris. Soooo, until next time!

First Few Days in Espana

Hola!

Ay yi yi! The past few days have been a blur! Let's see, where did I leave off? Oh yes, paella!

Oh. my. gosh. It was delicious! After wandering for about a half hour, I found the building in which the lessons were taking place. Then, I proceeded to wait in the wrong kitchen for about 15 minutes until finally, the instructor came down and found me and told me it was on the roof! Ahhh, what a beautiful night it was! We got to partake in learning how to make the delicious, traditional rice dish (I got to cook the artichokes), and then after about 2 hours, we finally got to see if it was any good. And boy, was it! We had made so much that everyone got an entire plate full! And then, the instructor brought out the Sangria (a red wine, flavored with pieces of fruit and sugar.. pretty much deliciousness). It was a great night, filled with great comida (food) and amigos (friends).

Then, the next morning, since I hadn't slept but an hour and a half in 36 hours prior to going to sleep, I slept in until almost noon. I know, what a waste! But, I still managed to do and see and awful lot! I started off by checking out the local street vendors, which seemed to stretch on forever. Then, after un cafe y una pasteria (a coffee and pastry), I decided to take a walk towards the Jardin del Turia, a park that lay in between two main roads and stretched for, at least, 3 miles. Before too long, I found myself at the Centre de Ciencias, which is one of Valencia's newest claims to fame. This area is known for the modern buildings which house a center for music, the sciences, and an aquarium. Since I planned on visiting the aquarium the next day, I settled for just walking past it. Woops, that was a mistake. That was when I kinda made a gigantic loop way out of my way. By the time I made it back to somewhere I could find on the map, I was tired and so I decided to catch the metro back into town.

However, as I was walking to the metro, I couldn't help but notice how close the beach was! So of course, I walked the extra mile or so to the beach. It was pretty neat. Went and stuck my feet in the Mediterranean Sea and got some pictures. The beach itself wasn't amazing, but I'm going to a blue-flag beach today, so I'll be able to enjoy it a little more. And, it's supposed to be nice and sunny and warm! Can't wait!

But I finally made it back to my hostel and then realized that I had nothing to eat. Not wanting to spend loads of money on food, I located a supermarket on the map and set off to try to find it. Got completely lost and ended up adding more mileage to my day, but finally came across it and got a few key items such as canned ravioli, tuna, and a bottle of wine. Yep, I didn't say they were great choices, but I turned it into a pretty tasty dinner. Or perhaps, I was just so famished that it tasted delicious.

Well, Monday wasn't too exciting. I just woke up and spent the entire day looking for a charm for my charm bracelet. If I've gotten any good at Spanish it's, "Tienes una.." and then I point to my charm because I still have no idea what it is in Spanish.. and then, "typico de Espana?" They seem to understand well enough, but unfortunately, no one has them! So I'm going to have to spend a little time today looking for just a charm. Not too much though, because the beach is DEFINITELY calling my name!

Actually, since it is already 9:30 here, I think that's where I'm going to leave off. This blog is already super long and I've still got to get to the market (to buy some stuff for dinner tonight) and find a charm before I catch the half hour long bus ride that will take me to the beach! So, check back, I'll most likely have another one up about going to the aquarium and the beach by later on tonight! Well, until next time!

VALENCIA!

Okay, I swear, this one won't be as long. Promise.

Anyway. . . I MADE IT! Safe and sound. Allllll the way to Valencia, Spain! My plane landed around 9:30 Wales time, so that's 10:30 Valencia time. And I want you to know, as we were flying in, the first thought that came to my head was, "wow, it's hilly." The second thought? "YAY! THEY DRIVE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD!" I was pumped! ha ha ha! By the time I had someone walk my checked bag up to me (yep, managed to completely skip luggage claim somehow), and got the metro, and actually found my hostel, it was just a little before noon. (Quick note: this hostel is AHHH-MAZING! I booked it because it was rated like, 99%, and boy, those ratings don't lie. It really is super nice). But my room wasn't quite ready yet, so I dropped off my luggage and set off to explore the nearby market I had passed on my way here. Mmmmmm... was it cool! I could definitely get used to having to go the market everyday for fresh produce! You walk in and you smell EVERYTHING. But then, you start going down the aisles, one by one, and you can pick out the distinctive smells. First, it's the super sweet and lovely smell of fresh frescas (strawberries), then you get brave and wander towards the seafood. You wouldn't think that'd smell so good, but trust me, when you're wrapped up in the first-time experience of a fresh-food market, you'll like it. Thennn, you pass the spices and herbs.. Ahhh.. and then finally, the fresh bread. Yum! I couldn't possibly leave without buying anything. Especially since I figured it was only open on Saturdays. So I managed to speak enough Spanish to buy "una pan dulce" (a sweet roll) as well as three, juicy, fresh, Valencia "naranjas" (oranges), and a small thing of "frescas!" Yep, and of course, I couldn't wait to try it all. Definitely inhaled my sweet bread, ate one of my strawberries, and made an absolute mess out of my orange. That was when I realized I hadn't eaten anything since one measly poptart (one, not the pack) at 4am this morning.

No worries though, I will be eating well tonight! I was in luck! I walked in to check in and found out that there's a Paella-making class! So, at 6pm, I will be headed to the other Home hostel to learn how to make Paella! And then, around 8pm, we're going to enjoy what we've created, along with a nice glass of Sangria. Mmmmmm.. I think I could live here the rest of my life!

Well, that is, if I could speak Spanish. Gosh, I feel like a complete idiot. You know, I do actually remember a lot from high school, but I just think it sounds so awkward coming out of my mouth.. especially since I'm nowhere near fluent. But I manage.. and I think the more I do it, the more I'll get used to it..

Oh, and one more quick thing I'm going to touch on before I go, but I'll most likely write about it again in more detail at a later time, but the city itself! I explored a bit, got to see a TON, and can't wait to see more! There are so many beautiful buildings and neat architecture! I've been trying to take as many pictures as possible, but I think tonight, when I walk home from my Paella dealio, the pictures will turn out even better!

Okay, this was scattered and I'm sure it's obvious that I didn't proofread, but bear with me, these next few weeks of blogs are probably all going to be like this. I'm just going to have so much to write about, and not a lot of time! So if you can forgive a few, little mistakes, I'll be sure to keep you updated as well as possible!!!

Until next time!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Like my title? Yep, I thought it was very suitable. A nice, young man sent an audio version of this Dr. Seuss’ classic to me this morning, before my three-week adventure commenced. I definitely thought it was fitting, and so I thought I’d share it with you! Believe it or not, it’s already calmed me down in the numerous times I’ve gotten worked up. Yep, only about 12 hours into my journey, and I’ve already got stories to tell.

Let’s see. Firstly, I woke up this morning, and it was POURING. Thanks a lot, Wales. You always know when to rain on someone’s parade. So, after packing up my final items and straightening up my room (of course, I couldn’t leave it a mess), I decided to call a cab. Problem was, I only had five pounds, in change.

Well, it was a good thing I called the taxi company I had stored in my phone; the number I had saved since the first night I arrived in Wales. This driver was the one that picked me up from the train station and was just SO nice and gave me all kinds of tips and what not, I think I told you about him. Yah, well, he was the one to pick me up this time. I told him, right off the bat, that I only had five pounds on me and that he could just drop me off wherever it got me. However, he insisted that I not worry about the extra 65 pence and took me all the way to the train station. What a nice guy!

So yah, I guess that wasn’t a real setback, but what happened next was:

I had booked my train ticket to Bristol, England (where I flew out of) in advance. After receiving my tickets, I looked up departing times on the website, and specifically remember choosing the departing time I did because of the least transfers (where you actually have to get off the train and load back up onto another one). Well, let’s just say it was a miracle that the conductor asked to see my ticket. I handed it to him, finding it a bit strange, because a). he was a new conductor, and b). I had not had to show my ticket at any other station. He looked at my ticket and then asked me, “and where are you going?” I replied with, “Bristol-Temple Meads,” and he said, “I think you’re aboard the wrong train.”

My first thought was NO! I thought I had boarded the completely wrong train to begin with, like, from Carmarthen. But I soon found out that I should have switched at the station we had just left. Phew. I could handle that. However, I was still so embarrassed. You know that saying, one’s ears are “red with embarrassment,” (or, at least, I think that’s a saying)? Yah, my ears were BURNING. Good thing the conductor was nice, or I probably would have started crying right there. But he just suggested that I get off at the next station. I’d have to wait a half hour until the next train to take me back a station, but if I just tell the conductor on that train, I wouldn’t have to pay for the ticket in between stations. Ahhhh.. Mark another one up for Welsh hospitality. To be honest, in retrospect, I now remember seeing that there was 1 change for this route, but 2 for the others. I don’t know why, but I must have just assumed the “1” stood for one train, not one stop. Woops.

But I finally did make it to Bristol. Thaaaaank goodness. Yep, I made it there and set out right away to find a nearby café with free Wi-Fi, and to my surprise, found one about 100m from the station. Can’t beat that! Well, I guess I could have. I walked in there and had already ordered a drink, when the barista told me that they were closing in 25 minutes. Dang. Welcome to Britain, where the warm hospitality comes to an end, I guess. But I took advantage of those 25 minutes anyhow, and Skyped with some key people (sorry mom, I would have emailed/Facebooked you, except only my Skype was working!) And then decided to just go ahead and head to the airport once they closed.

So, my initial idea of arriving in Bristol, finding a coffee shop with free wi-fi access and hanging out until 9pm or so, and then taking the shuttle to the airport and just sleeping, definitely didn’t go as planned... I definitely arrived at the airport a little past five o’clock. Blahh.. I’ve kinda been a bit bored. Let me tell you, sleeping in the airport is not all that it’s hyped up to be. But man, am I much better at writing these things when I don’t have internet access to distract me. Ha ha ha! Currently, I’ve staked out a spot right next to the bathroom… a nice, four-seat bench near an outlet, that no one thought of claiming. Perrrrrfect! I’ve been thinking about taking a little nap, but I just have so many valuable things with me, that I would totally kick myself if it were to get stolen, because the Lord knows I wouldn’t wake up, even if someone accidentally punched me in the face while stealing my bag. So, I’ve been doing other things to keep myself awake. Wanna hear? Sure you do:

Let’s see . . .

1). I’ve read about 50 pages or so of my book that I’ve brought from home, but haven’t been reading.

2). I tried to work on my homework, I swear, I did. But my computer decided to be neat and not save it… I mean, I’ve figured it out, but I’m just taking it as a sign from God that he doesn’t want me to work while on vacation.

3). I’ve played the laaaaaame games on my computer… mainly tic-tac-toe and collect four. I won both, on accident.

4). I started making a real cool song in GarageBand, but got bored with that realllll quick.

5). I’ve listened to music and have attempted to type the lyrics as I listen. Turns out, I’m not all that fast of a typer.

6). I’ve completely explored my computer. I found a few, new things I never knew I had… I love when that happens!

7). I’ve changed the background on my desktop about 17 times.

8). I’ve written this SUPER long blog entry.

8.5). And now, after I finish this, I’ll probably try to make a numbered list of all the countries I can think of.. sounds like it will keep me busy for a while. Ha!

I do hear a movie somewhere. Let me just tell you how angry I am that I didn’t think to bring any movies. How could I be so dense!? I should have at least popped one into my computer, so that it wouldn’t be taking up any room. DUH. Perhaps I’ll follow the noise, and hunt it down.., lurk in the shadows and watch it over someone’s shoulder. Okay, just kidding, I’m not that creepy, but I was seriously considering asking one of the baggage claim guys, who I KNOW for a fact, has a t.v. behind the counter, if I could keep him company and watch too. But decided not to…

However, back to this whole Dr. Seuss thing. It saved me a few times today. Whenever I found myself at a bump in the road, I just thought about moral of the story… no adventure in life is an adventure if you don’t have obstacles that test your strength along the way. You’ve just got to accept that they’ll happen and either push through them, or make the best of them! Hey, if I hadn’t missed my station on the way to Bristol with plenty of time, perhaps I would have missed a station that I couldn’t have afforded to miss, like when Lacey and I are in Europe. Or, if that coffee shop hadn’t closed early, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to sit and do all these wonderful things in the airport whilst being bored out of my mind! Ha ha ha!

Welp, only about three hours to go before I can even start thinking of packing up camp and attempting to locate my check-in gate. Espana, aqui voy! (that’s terribly translated and literally means, Spain, here I come!) Hopefully, my three years of Spanish in high school, mixed in with a semester’s worth of Italian in college will get me through the week! I will be sure to keep you updated on the subject! Until next time!

Alright, I lied. I’m still awake and I’ve just discovered a warmer part of the airport with a television! Too bad I only found it two hours too late. Crack me up, it was just down the hall from my last camp out spot.. and along the way there are people scattered everywhere. Guess I wasn’t the only one with the bright idea of sleeping here. It’s now 3 o’clock in the morning… and I’m still going strong. Well, kinda. I laid down for an hour an a half or so… never quite falling asleep… but just “watching the back of my eyelids,” as dad would say. Whew. I’m now sitting right next to Subway, and let me tell you, the more I smell it, the less and less appealing my s’mores poptarts are sounding. Ha. Oh well, just an hour more, I will survive. Okay, this time for real. Until next time!

Easter Break Itinerary!

What you are looking at, ladies and gentlemen, is a map of Europe. What's even more exciting though, are those little blue pins scattered around the continent. Wanna know why? Because where each of those pins are, marks a city that Lacey and I will soon be exploring over Easter Break!

Now, you may realize that there are 20 or so pins, and we only have 20 or so days. BUT! do not fret! We have it all figured out. We've spent hours upon hours planning this trip and we feel like we've finally gotten it perfected. Let me give you a little insight on our itinerary:

April 3-8: Valencia, Spain (Lacey won't be accompanying me on this little trip. Sadly, she'll be stuck in little Canterbury for one more week)
April 8-10: Paris, France
April 10-11: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (that's just another country to add to the books)
April 11-12: Belgium, Brussels
April 12: Amsterdam, Netherlands (we're not even going to risk spending a night here)
April 12-14: Berlin, Germany
April 14-15: Prague, Czech Republic (overnight train to Vienna)
April 16: Vienna, Austria (in Vienna for the day, then another overnight train to Venice)
April 17-19: Venice, Italy
April 19-20: Florence, Italy (with a little day trip to Pisa!)
April 20-23: Naples, Italy (on the 21st, we're going to see Pompeii and on the 22nd we'll be spending the day on the island of Capri)
April 23-25: Rome, Italy
April 25: BACK TO SCHOOL : (

Ahhhhh, the adventures we'll have! Be sure to keep checking back, as I will most definitely be updating as we travel along!

Until next time!

A Day on/in the River

Yep, got it written! I may update it tomorrow with some pictures, so keep an eye out for those!

Hiyah there! Just got back from a wonderful day of adventure! Because it has been raining for the last four consecutive days, we weren’t able to climb again this Thursday, so we decided to do some river-activities instead. And since it had been raining, the river was at a perfect height and the current was pretty decent as well. Honestly though, I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t too hyped up for the day. I figured if the day was going to be anything like the past few days, I was going to be cold and wet - two things I absolutely hate being at the same time. However, when I woke up this morning, the sun was shining and it was actually quite warm. And then, by the time I squeezed into two, yes two, wetsuits, I was more than ready to dive into the unknown conditions of the river before me.

The shop, where we got ready.** Jacque, there on the left, yah, he was a pro kayaker. And then the girl in the blue top and white helmet, yah, she fell out of her kayak too. Good thing she had that helmet on. And don't be fooled by the white-water raft in the background.. or the fact that none of the internationals are in this pic. Or that "Llandysul Paddlers" looks like it's been photo-shopped on. . .

Our venue was amazing! It was located in a little town, about 30 minutes north of Carmarthen called, Llandysul . It was situated right upon a “river,” (or so they say.. I’d call it an extremely swift and deep creek) and was clearly used for kayak runs and other fun activities, as they had good access points and “gates,” or markers that you try to get through when you’re kayaking (see below**).

The best thing I can compare them to are slalom buoys for competitive water-skiing. Anyhow, after we suited up, which took awhile we started off the days activities with a brief session on how to save someone from the edge of the water. We then progressed onto actually getting in the water. We started underneath the bridge, as seen below**,

(The view from the bridge, looking downstream.**)

and we had a quick lesson on how to swim in strong currents – also known as aggressive swimming. We then had a little lesson on defensive swimming, which consisted of pretty much floating down the water, feet first, on our back, casually steering with our arms. Once we finished, we put our newly acquired skills to the test. We proceeded to “swim” downstream, eddy by eddy, until we reached the end. Keep in mind now, that this stream/river does not just consist of smooth water. Quite on the contrary, there were some decent rapids to go through (as you can see below and yep, that's me.. I'm so hardcore**).

They were so much fun! It kind of reminded me of a wave pool, but SO much better.

Once we made it down to the end, we climbed out and hiked back up to the bridge where we started. We were then given the option of jumping from the bridge if we wanted, since the water was plenty high enough, and of course, we all did. Crazy fun, that was! It wasn’t much higher than the docks at the lake, but still kind of exhilarating because once you surfaced, you had to start swimming for the nearby eddy, or else you were going to go for a swim all the way down.

We then took a break for lunch. We went inside, had a cup of tea, some food, and warmed up then went right back out again. Only this time, we did a bit of kayaking. However, unlike the kayak I’m used to, where I’m settled “in” a kayak on smooth water, we opted instead for kayaks in which had no covering, so you were practically sitting on top, and then we took them down the river, over the white water. Again, awesome. We put our kayaks in on the little man-made lake that was right behind the place where we geared up, practiced for a bit, then made our way down to the river via a little stream between the two bodies of water. Again, like the swimming, we practiced how to turn quickly in a current and how to direct our canoe upstream in order to paddle directly across the river, both very important techniques to learn if you hope to make it down any fast water safely.

After all that practice, we set off, just as we did swimming and went from eddy to eddy. We got to attempt paddling straight up stream (which definitely did NOT work out, I totally tipped my kayak on that one), and we got to go through some pretty hefty rapids near the end. It was pretty darn neat. I enjoyed it thoroughly, that’s for sure. I’d definitely say that next to rock climbing, this was my favorite activity thus far in the semester. Although, we’ve got some pretty tough competition coming up. . . kayak and board surfing and coasteering. We shall see who wins…. Until next time!

**Okay, not gonna lie, I didn't take any of these pictures. Since we were in the water all day, it really wasn't sensible to take my camera with me. But the kayaking picture, yah, that's really me, someone else just took it. Okay, not really. It's just some other hard core person..that I wish I could be. Ha ha ha!

Caving!

Okay, one last blog to catch you up on my adventures. Just know that I've already started a blog from today's adventures, which will most likely be posted later on tonight.
Anyhow, last week, for Outdoor Pursuits, we went caving! Not so sure on how keen I was for this activity. The last time I had been in a cave was when I was about 8. We stopped by Mammoth Cave (in Kentucky) on our drive home from a family visit to Florida. All I really remember was this story about how this guy got stuck/lost in that very cave and had finally found a tunnel that he thought would take him out. Well, the tunnel got smaller and smaller, until poor "Abe," I think his name was, got stuck and suffocated. Little did he know, he was only about 100 m away from an exit.
So, great story. Are you a bit uncomfortable yet? If not, now imagine after remembering that story all throughout your childhood and adult years and finding yourself face to face with an environment fully capable of putting you in the same, exact situation. Yah, not so fun. However, the entire ride there, I rationalized with myself that if they were still taking us there, then there was a good chance that no one has ever gotten stuck and suffocated before. That helped a little.
So we arrived in the Brecon Beacon National Park once more, about half past 5 in the evening. We had previously decided to wait until after dark to go so that we'd have the caves to ourselves. Good decision. That, in combination with the fact that last Thursday was a crummy, rainy day, resulted in absolutely no one else besides our group in that cave.
Because of this, we were able to enter the cave in a non-traditional way. We loyally followed our instructor to a mere hole in the ground. Seriously, it looks like the hole Alice fell into in Alice in Wonderland. I was just waiting to see a rabbit wearing a waistcoat or a Cheshire Cat. However, we soon learned that absolutely NOTHING lives within the cave. So it was very important that no food was dropped or trash or anything, because bacteria can't even survive in these conditions and break things down. So what was left in the cave, stayed in the cave. It was quickly pointed out though, to many of our dismay, that things could live near the openings of the cave. What, you might ask? Spiders. HUGE, nasty looking spiders. Ewwww. Yah, that freaked a few of us out.. but once we got further in the cave (by repelling down through the hole), the spiders were gone and we were already looking at our first challenge.
Our first challenge was the most narrow passage in the entire cave. Well, at least I'd get my fears over and done with first thing. In order to go any further in the cave, we had to go one at a time through a gap that was no bigger than 1.5-2 feet between two giant slabs of rock. We even had to have someone push us from the other side in order squeeze through. Since I was determined to conquer this fear, I volunteered to go first. Believe it or not, I didn't get stuck and die!
In fact, quite the opposite happened. After I made it through that first, and certainly for me, the most intimidating obstacle, the rest of the caving we did was cake. We did some more tightly confined crawling, and then later on towards the end, we got into the "wet" side of the cave. Oh, I don't think I mentioned that this cave has a river that runs through it. Somewhere above, the river just kind of starts seeping through the ground and then has carved a path through the cave, which consists mostly of sedimentary limestone. It then exits from the mouth and main entrance of the cave. But it was here, on the wet side of the cave, not far from the river, that, despite our extremely attractive caving suits and rubber boots, we got soaked from the waist down. We started at a place called, "the toilet," - a hole in the floor that has water at the bottom and a tunnel to climb through to get back to where you started. And then later, we actually got to experience walking against the current of the water that was rushing into the cave and got to see where exactly in the cave it comes in. That was probably my favorite part. Even though we were all soaked afterward, I feel like the caving experience wouldn't have been complete without it.
Welp, it looks like I finally have you caught up with everything so far. Like I said, I'm almost complete with today's entry, however, I'm now thinking that I probably won't post it until tomorrow. So, until next time!

St. David's

Saturday was yet another international trip to the city of St. David’s and nearby Whitesands Bay. Known as the smallest city in the UK, St. David’s is named after, you guessed it, the Welsh Patron Saint, David. However, he was not born here. He was actually born a few miles away in near a place called Non’s Chapel, not far from the Pembrokeshire coastal trail. Here (as seen above), a chapel still stands as does the well that was said to have sprung up out of nowhere during a thunderstorm on the night little Davie was born (see below). However, this wasn’t just any ordinary well, it was a well of magical healing powers. The blind could splash its water upon their eyes and see again, and the lame could walk after a quick dip.
St. David, himself, was said to have super-natural powers himself. It was rumored that he raised someone from the dead back in his prime. His real “claim to fame” though, was when it was being decided whether or not he would become archbishop, there were concerns that not everyone would be able to see and hear him speak. Miraculously, the earth rose so that everyone could see him. Needless to say, he became archbishop (http://sucs.org/~rhys/stdavid.html). And yes, I did just cite that. This guy seems to know it all!

So, back to St. David’s. In this town, there stands a cathedral dedicated to David. In fact, before it was built, the monastery David attended was stood there. Now, however, this MASSIVE cathedral still hold Sunday services as well as the occasional choral concert and is open to the public most days of the week. Beyond the newer part, stand the ruins of the first cathedral built. And all throughout the grounds there are several tombstones and other ominous, foreboding objects.. it’s quite scary actually. I definitely wouldn’t want to be there alone at night. But inside the cathedral, it’s beautiful! The alter is absolutely astonishing, as is the gigantic stain glass window that’s at the opposite end.

However, the rest of town isn’t much. There are a few shops and cafes and two candy shops, which I most definitely checked out. My favorite place though, was where we stopped in for tea. It was a locally run café/restaurant/pub/ice cream shop called The Bench, and boy, was it delicious! The girls I were with all got coffee and dessert, but I had to order some food, since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was now nearing 2 o’clock. So I ordered a cup of tea, with extra sugar of course, and a ham and cheese baguette. YUM! It was delightful! And the atmosphere of the place was so neat! There were big, comfy couches everywhere, an outdoor patio, and no two tables were exactly the same (see below for a close up of a table-top). It was buzzing with originality. Even the employees were unique and very welcoming.
Then of course, on our way out, I HAD to get some ice cream. I had been craving it for I don’t know how long. They had lots of flavors, so that made it difficult to choose, but after about 5 minutes of debating, I went with the traditional Welsh honey and lavender. I wasn’t going to.. I thought it sort of sounded a bit odd, to tell you the truth. But I asked the scooper if he recommended it and he said he definitely did, so I decided to try it. It was DEEEELICIOUS! I honestly think it may be my new favorite flavor. Too bad I can’t find it at the local supermarket though. Perhaps I’ll write in to Ben and Jerry’s and suggest that they make it a new flavor!
Well, that’s really all I’ve got for now. So, until next time!

Rock Climbing!

Yes, this IS, in fact, post #2 within 12 hours! Amazing, I know. Actually, I had it written last night, but figured I'd give you some time in between. Looks like my impatience won here..
Let's see, the most interesting thing to happen the week before last was our expedition on Thursday for Outdoor Pursuits. We went rock climbing!! I had been waiting for this all semester, so I was SUPER excited! However, not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous too. My only rock climbing experience included maybe a 20 foot, transportable wall that had brightly colored, obvious hand and foot holds, and of course, a trained professional who "belayed" me (we'll get into what that means in a moment). However, it could have been that since I was only 12 at the time, I THOUGHT the person below me was a trained professional.. for all I know, they were just some circus drop-out, giving rock climbing a try.

But let me tell you, outdoor climbing is WAYYY different than climbing indoors. For one, you're at a MUCH greater risk of hurting yourself, or at least, it seems that way. We set off to climb somewhat early in the morning. Graham, our main instructor, wasn't able to make it, so Simon, (along with the help of two Trinity Outdoor Pursuits students, who specialized in rock climbing) got us geared up and on our way. The place we went to climb was right along the Pembrokeshire coast, not too far from where we had hiked (see above). Actually, I'm pretty sure we hiked right past it on our overnight trip. Simon organized it so that we had a couple different challenges. With the experienced Trinity students, we had about a 30 foot climb as well as a 40 foot climb, and later, a 55 foot climb, all in which, they belayed us from above. Belaying is the feeding of the rope through a "B" clip - if you've ever been climbing, you know what I'm talking about. If done properly, should the climber fall, the stress on the rope kind of "locks" the rope in place, sparing your hands from rope burn caused by trying to support the person from falling any further. Then, a few yards away, from another cliff, Simon set up a situation in which we could practice the technique of belaying from below.

That being said, I wasn't quite ready for the responsibility of Simon's area, so I practiced first on the 30 foot cliff - one that dropped straight down into the ocean (as shown to the left).

Little bit nerve-wracking... especially when I first started. In order to ensure that the rope was as taut as possible, I had to plant my feet, and lean back over the edge, trusting

that the rope, and the Trinity student, was going to hold me. Thankfully, they both lived up to their expectations, and I was at the bottom, ready to climb up before I knew it.

Which leads me to difference #2. Believe it or not, hand and foot holds aren't highlighted in neon colors when you're climbing a steep cliff face. I found this out the hard way... So I was scaling up, not doing too bad for my first, legitimate time rock climbing, and all of a sudden, I'm stuck. My left toe is balancing delicately upon a lip, maybe 5 cm wide, and my right hand has a hold of the only hand hold I could see. Within seconds, my right leg, which I have just pressed up against the rock, starts shaking uncontrollably. The Trinity students call it "Elvis Leg."

Rightfully named, my leg was bouncing all over the place. But at this point, I was in panic mode. I didn't have control of my body, and I knew if I stayed in one spot too long, trying to hold on, I would wear myself out. So I called up to my belayer, asking him for any suggestions of possible options. He pointed out that there was a GREAT handhold about 2 and a half feet up, which, unfortunately, was just out of reach for me. At that point in time though, it was my only way up and I refused to back track and try a different route. So, I dug my toes into the wall as hard as I could (seeing as there was no good foot hold) and pushed off my right hand (which had a good

hold), and reached as far as possible with my left hand for the AWESOME handhold that waited above for me. Here's how the sequence of events played out: Grabbed the handhold with my left hand. Feet slipped out from under me. Panicked, grabbed ahold of the handhold with my right hand too. Sat there dangling, in sheer terror, for about half a second before I realized that I was going nowhere. Then I dug in again with my feet, able to pull myself up until I found a good foothold and then, made it the rest of the way up. It was exhilarating!

After a few more runs on that cliff, I ventured over to where Simon was and tried that face out for size. After learning how to belay him from below, Simon took off up the wall, and along the way, placed these tools called “nuts” into strategically located crevices. From these devices, he clipped in the rope he was trailing, which would then be used as the lead rope for the next

person to climb up. Once Simon reached the top, the next

person started up, following the same path. It was the second person’s job to replace the lead rope with the rope he was trailing, which would then become my lead rope. Once the second person reached the top, and the rope was

switched out, I started up. By this point in time, I felt like an expert. I was only hesitant to c

ross the MASSIVE crevice at the beginning of the climb, but from there, it was easy as cake. On the way up, my job was to

remove the nuts as I reached them. Simon pretty much told

me I was an expert! The trick was to see which was they went into the crevice, then you just push them out the same way they went in. But if that didn’t work, I had a handy, dandy tool that made it easier. I really didn’t think twice about it, and before I knew it, I was at the top!

Ahhhh.. was it an experience! I've found that I enjoy rock climbing because it has the perfect balance of riskiness. On one hand, you can slip and be holding on for dear life, but on the other hand, you know that rope has you and you're never going to fall too far. Kind of like a dream. You can get into all kinds of trouble in a dream, but you know that you’re only a pinch away from waking up. I’m pretty sure rock climbing has been my favorite thing to do thus far! And I like it so much, that I’m seriously considering buying my own climbing shoes and harness when I get home. After all, I am a part of the rock-climbing club at school, I just haven’t taken advantage of it yet! Plus, Hoosier Heights, an indoor facility in Bloomington, is just a 40 minute drive away! I’m pumped! And we're climbing again this Thursday!! So look for yet another

awesome blog! Until next time!

The tallest/highest challenge

Kidwelly Castle

Yep, as you can see from the title, I'm starting to lose the ability to put effort into these blogs. Have no fear though, once I do finally get caught up, which WILL be by the end of this week, I will bounce back to my usual self, and come up with some more creative titles.. But as for now, this will have to suffice.

After my adventure on Sunday, I was ready to do a bit more exploring. So on Wednesday, my day off, I decided to take a train to the nearby town of Kidwelly and see the castle. Got dropped off at the tiny station (only because I told the conductor I needed to be) around 12 and made my way up the empty streets towards the castle off in the distance. Compared to Carmarthen, Kidwelly was tiny and desolate. I passed by only a few cafes and shops, but really, the castle was the only thing going for them.

The castle itself is one of the few Welsh castles in Wales (the rest were built by the Normans). I learned in my Welsh history course that a distinctive trademark of Welsh castles are that they were built in the shape of a "D." This was definitely the case here. Not only were the castle walls still intact, but the interiors of the castle were preserved as well! It was amazing!

Somehow though, despite the fact that I brought two cameras, I managed to drain the battery life out of both of them. Luckily for you however, my Kodak runs on double AAs, so I was able to buy a pack at the gift shop, and still get loads of pictures. I could try to explain all of it, but I think this blog would be better off as a picture blog. So here you go! Enjoy!

As much castle as I could fit in!

Again, from a different view.

The Chapel

Inside the Castle Walls

I really kinda stink at these...

Okay, well. Let's see, we left off last at London, I do believe. Sooo... the following week.. Oh! Yes! The following week was reading week for my Outdoor Pursuits class, so I have nothing too exciting to fill you in on there, but the Monday of that week, March 1st, was the Welsh National holiday, St. David's Day! And the next day, I, along with a few other international students, attended a reception in Wales' capitol, Cardiff, to hear the First Minister speak... kinda like the Prime Minister, but since Wales technically isn't its own country...
The venue was beautiful! The reception was held at The Senedd in Cardiff Bay, which is a newly constructed, eco-friendly legislative building that overlooks the water. We hadn't inquired before hand whether or not the reception was going to serve food, so we went to a place called, "Wagamama's." Deeeee-licious! It's an Asian restaurant, that has really fast service, but AMAZING food. I opted for a veggie dish.. something with eggplant, squash, sweet potato, and curry sauce...never really thought I'd ever just order something like that, but I was feeling pretty daring. And yes, in case you didn't gather already, it was really, really good!
So we finished up at Wagamama's and then headed to the event. We were a little bit late, but still caught the majority of the First Minister's speech. Shortly afterward, we learned that they were serving samples of tradition Welsh foods. Soooo no big deal, but we definitely went around and tried everything. My favorite was, well, I can't remember the name for it, but it was a hunk of grilled salmon in a creamy leek sauce, topped with a sprig of "fireburst," I think it was called. Normally, I would look it up and try to find the proper name, but I could not find it anywhere. Just know though it looks like a miniature stalk of bamboo, is choc-full with iron, is a little salty tasting, and grows along the coast here in Wales. Anyhow, it's good and cool, because it's kind of native to Wales and it grows wildly.
So, we went to the reception, stuffed ourselves even more, and had a chance to talk with internationals who were from other universities in Wales. It was a great opportunity to learn how the Welsh government works and to see the amazing building in which they hold their meetings.
The next exciting didn't really happen until the weekend. On Saturday, a few other girls and myself grabbed a train to Swansea for the afternoon. A couple of them just wanted to have a look around in the shops, but Anita (an international from Hobart Williams Smith in New York) and me went to go see Alice in Wonderland in 3-D! It sure was interesting. . . First, the movie theatres here are a bit different than back home. They're still outrageously priced, but rightfully so, as they have a candy buffet, preference seating, and a Ben & Jerry's on locations. Ha. I really just couldn't believe it! When I was looking up times earlier that day, I even saw the option of having a bean bag seat. Hmmm..
But the movie was great! Or at least, I thought so. Clearly, a Tim Burton film. You've got to be prepared in order to appreciate it, I think. I hadn't watched the original Disney version in a LONG time, so I watched part of it the night before to kind of jog my memory. I had forgotten how messed up that version was. But I really enjoyed the movie!
Let's see, and the last thing I'll leave you with is my hitchhiking story. Yep, hitchhiking. So, a couple of friends of mine and myself decided it would be fun to get up, pack a lunch, and walk all the way to Llansteffan, the coastal town that is about 8 miles away, that way, we could sit on the beach, eat our lunch, and then go check out the castle a bit more. That in itself was a fabulous idea. Besides the locals who don't abide by the general rule that, "pedestrians have the right-away," our walk there was pretty good! The last 3 or so miles seemed forever long, but again, I think it was because we were walking on a sort of highway (since there were no other ways of getting there). And, seeing as it was a beautiful day, EVERYONE was headed to the beach, and people were honking at us and giving us dirty looks the entire time.. sorry for walking.
But we finally made it into town, did all the fun things we went there to do, but kind of lost track of time. Woops. So, there it was, about half past four when we finally looked down at our watch, and seeing as it took us 2 and a half hours to walk there, we figured that there was no way we'd make it back into town by dark. So we set off promptly and Rhea, who is an experienced hitch hiker, started explaining all the techniques of hitchhiking.. make sure you make eye contact, smile, look more for bigger cars or those who don't have a lot of passengers, and so on. Ha, well for those who know me, you know I'm terrible with rejection, so this was a little hard at first, but then, when there were people taking pictures of us and others laughing uncontrollably, I was like, who cares, they obviously find it entertaining. So we kinda made a game out of it. We'd all take turns sticking out our thumbs and then cursing the lone drivers who passed three, well-dressed and groomed girls up. Ohhhh well..
The sun was starting to set and we were just outside of the halfway point, a little town called Llangain, when FINALLY someone pulled up, and was like, "need a ride?" Yes, sir, we do! So we climbed in, and his wife started explaining to us that they were headed into Llangain to have a drink at the pub and then they'd be headed towards Carmarthen. So we were like, yah, yah, that's totally fine. So we get to the pub, the guy PAYS for our drinks and then we sat and had a nice, long chat about where we were from, what we were doing in Wales, Barack Obama, music, EVERYTHING. Turns out, the guy is a digital music artist. He's just getting started, but he gave us his card, and so we're supposed to watch for him in the US.. he says he's gonna be there before too long!
But it was just too funny. While the guy was extremely loud, cursed like a sailor, drank, and smoked, his wife was the complete, polar opposite. She was very soft-spoken and didn't drink nor smoke. But you could see that they fit so well together. Ha ha ha. Yes, I was analyzing this the entire time.. I'm an odd one.
Anyhow, we finished our drinks and the ride into town was a short one. They dropped us off right in front of school and wished us luck, as we did them and went on their way. I've gotta say, if all hitchhiking is like that, I've GOT to do it more often! Nahh, but in all seriousness, I realize it can be quite risky, but I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't with two other girls and just outside of town. As my first experience with hitchhiking though, it was pretty awesome!
Well now, I've caught you up on a little bit. Keep your eye out for more. It's coming.. I have yet to fill you in on last week, and the activities that have already occurred this week! Until next time!