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!