Last day of my trip. We walked along the Thames and saw some cute things. After that we met up with Matt one last time for lunch. From there we collected our bags and made our way to Heathrow via the tube. It took a while but I fell asleep a few times. Ummm we had quite a hike to our gate, but when I got there I of course saw a rando wearing some Charter Club gear. I go to Europe for two weeks and I meet up with eight Princeton people on purpose, and one accidentally. What the heck?
Our flight was a little delayed but fiiinally we got moving. I watched two movies then passed out for basically the remainder of the eight hour flight. THUS ENDING MY TRIP. So sad to be home...classes now start TOMORROW and I'm totally not in the right mindset. Can't I just travel forever?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
September 4, 2011
On Sunday my dad and I made our way to Reading, which was about a 30 minute train ride. There we had a little indoor barbecue (stupid weather!) and I met some family for the first time. I met my grandfather's sister, her daughter, her husband, their son, and his son! Four generations right there. It was really lovely :) They had a springer spaniel (although Welsh, not English like Yodie) and she was cute as well, of course.
Straight from Reading we went back into London and went to my uncle's house for dinner with Matt. I hadn't seen him in a few years so that was good...even though he's a complete pain in the ass. Whoops.
Passed out around midnightish back at the room. Yikes!
Straight from Reading we went back into London and went to my uncle's house for dinner with Matt. I hadn't seen him in a few years so that was good...even though he's a complete pain in the ass. Whoops.
Passed out around midnightish back at the room. Yikes!
September 3, 2011
Well, Saturday had a bit of late start since I was pretty hungover. I was lucky enough to get to meet up with Dave Ralston, a former counselor at Camp Mason! I hadn't seen him in 7 years (seem to be the theme, huh?) We met up for some dranky dranks from about 3-6ish. Then I met up with Lucy, my PU Band friend, at Big Ben. We walked around for a little bit and took a last look around. We ended up meeting up with Chris, an Oxford student who spent the year at Princeton and in the band :) It was brief, as he was waiting in line with some friends for the London Eye. I was not about to spend £18 on that (it's a large, super low moving Ferris wheel).
It started getting cold, so we took a scenic bus ride back to my room so I could get changed. Then we headed off to meet Graham, another former camp counselor! We went to three different bars and had a grand ol' time. We ended up hanging out in one of them after-hours with the two bartenders. Super fun but poor Lucy had a little too much. Graham was a little schwastyface, too. Whooops!
It started getting cold, so we took a scenic bus ride back to my room so I could get changed. Then we headed off to meet Graham, another former camp counselor! We went to three different bars and had a grand ol' time. We ended up hanging out in one of them after-hours with the two bartenders. Super fun but poor Lucy had a little too much. Graham was a little schwastyface, too. Whooops!
September 2, 2011
I'm guessing these next few posts will be rather brief since so much time has elapsed...whoops.
Hmm let's refer back to my photos to see what Friday had in store for me..
Oh yes! My dad and I walked around London for quite a while. After sitting next to an Australian couple from Canberra (Isaacs, even--where my grandma lives!), we saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. It was actually pretty difficult to see anything due to crowds, but I most definitely heard the band playing :) Hilariously enough a lot of them were Frank Sinatra songs. From there we went to the Horse Guards and of course took some silly photos. One of them mumbled to me through his teeth saying, "I wanted to say you're gorgeous". Wowwy, thaaaaanks! The dude looked about 18 haha. Bad boy for talking :P We walked around the Mall and yada yada. We saw St. Paul's and St Martin In The Fields, where we went for tea in the crypt.
We met up with Matt in Shoreditch for some dinner, then I went to Matt's flat to hang out and pregame before going out. We went to two places, ultimately ending up at a gay bar (of course). It was a pretty wild night, actually. Passed the eff out as soon as I got back to the flat (which was around 3:30 or so)
Hmm let's refer back to my photos to see what Friday had in store for me..
Oh yes! My dad and I walked around London for quite a while. After sitting next to an Australian couple from Canberra (Isaacs, even--where my grandma lives!), we saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. It was actually pretty difficult to see anything due to crowds, but I most definitely heard the band playing :) Hilariously enough a lot of them were Frank Sinatra songs. From there we went to the Horse Guards and of course took some silly photos. One of them mumbled to me through his teeth saying, "I wanted to say you're gorgeous". Wowwy, thaaaaanks! The dude looked about 18 haha. Bad boy for talking :P We walked around the Mall and yada yada. We saw St. Paul's and St Martin In The Fields, where we went for tea in the crypt.
We met up with Matt in Shoreditch for some dinner, then I went to Matt's flat to hang out and pregame before going out. We went to two places, ultimately ending up at a gay bar (of course). It was a pretty wild night, actually. Passed the eff out as soon as I got back to the flat (which was around 3:30 or so)
Friday, September 2, 2011
September 1, 2011
Ewww, September. Cold weather (which is new at home, at least), school, and blehh.
Today was yet another somewhat uneventful day. I left Matt's flat around 11:30 to meet my dad at the hotel that he booked. The two of us went to Piccadilly Circus, Carnaby Street, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Bridge, and took a peek in the National Gallery. I know it sounds like a lot but it was mostly just walking around for a while. My dad is jet-lagged and generally exhausted from traveling...so he's basically been sleeping since 5 pm (it's 10:11 right now). I was supposed to go to some sort of gallery walk with Matt tonight with free alchy, but that was canceled for some unknown reason :[ So only about 3-4 hours of my day were actually spent doing things.
I feel so isolated in this random hotel! I want to be in the middle of the action, meeting people and going out for drinks and such. Hopefully tomorrow night will be fun? I'm planning on seeing some friends on Saturday and I'm looking forward to that. There's supposedly a bar here in the hotel but hotels are used by families and old people.
This stupid hotel has the nerve to charge £10/day for WiFi. What the effffffff. So I'm here on the lobby computer. It's free but it'd be nice to have my own computer...upload photos, use my own crap, whatever.
I've also only had one meal today. I'm not incredibly hungry but I know it'll hit soon. I don't want to go to bed quite yet because it's still pretty early, plus I took a nap for about two and a half hours. Whoops. Maybe I'll bring my backpack down here and sew on a patch or two. And read? Ughhhhhh so bored! :[
***
Okay so now it's 12:26 and I realize that this computer's time is stuck on 10:11...so I'm not actually sure when I wrote that first bit. Couldn't have been too far off, I suppose. I just went out to Piccadilly Circus with my dad for some food. There we met a Canadian couple sitting next to us and had a bit of a nice chat. I'm reeeally hoping I can see Les Mis while I'm here.
Today was yet another somewhat uneventful day. I left Matt's flat around 11:30 to meet my dad at the hotel that he booked. The two of us went to Piccadilly Circus, Carnaby Street, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Bridge, and took a peek in the National Gallery. I know it sounds like a lot but it was mostly just walking around for a while. My dad is jet-lagged and generally exhausted from traveling...so he's basically been sleeping since 5 pm (it's 10:11 right now). I was supposed to go to some sort of gallery walk with Matt tonight with free alchy, but that was canceled for some unknown reason :[ So only about 3-4 hours of my day were actually spent doing things.
I feel so isolated in this random hotel! I want to be in the middle of the action, meeting people and going out for drinks and such. Hopefully tomorrow night will be fun? I'm planning on seeing some friends on Saturday and I'm looking forward to that. There's supposedly a bar here in the hotel but hotels are used by families and old people.
This stupid hotel has the nerve to charge £10/day for WiFi. What the effffffff. So I'm here on the lobby computer. It's free but it'd be nice to have my own computer...upload photos, use my own crap, whatever.
I've also only had one meal today. I'm not incredibly hungry but I know it'll hit soon. I don't want to go to bed quite yet because it's still pretty early, plus I took a nap for about two and a half hours. Whoops. Maybe I'll bring my backpack down here and sew on a patch or two. And read? Ughhhhhh so bored! :[
***
Okay so now it's 12:26 and I realize that this computer's time is stuck on 10:11...so I'm not actually sure when I wrote that first bit. Couldn't have been too far off, I suppose. I just went out to Piccadilly Circus with my dad for some food. There we met a Canadian couple sitting next to us and had a bit of a nice chat. I'm reeeally hoping I can see Les Mis while I'm here.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
August 31, 2011
Well, waking up at 7:15 this morning was easier than I thought it'd be. Making my way to Gare du Nord was pretty simple, only one quick transfer on the metro. I took the Eurostar high-speed train for the first time to London. I slept pretty much the entire ride. Luckily no one sat in the seat next to me so I was able to spread myself across two seats. Win.
I got to London and met up with my cousin Matt. I was able to drop my bag in his office woooo. I then got the idea to fill my extra day with a West End musical! I took the bus to the half price tickets booth and got a ticket for the only musical matinee of the day: "We Will Rock You". I had never heard of it (rightfully so, it's not in New York). I went back to Matt and got lunch with him. That was nice. Then back to the theater! Honestly the show was ehhhhhh. The dancing was great, the singing was great...but the story was SUCK and the choreography was meh. Not something I'd see again...but at least I saw something I can't catch at home.
Now I'm back with Matt in his flat..we ate dinner, watched the news, and shared many a YouTube video. I'm pretty sleepy.
I got to London and met up with my cousin Matt. I was able to drop my bag in his office woooo. I then got the idea to fill my extra day with a West End musical! I took the bus to the half price tickets booth and got a ticket for the only musical matinee of the day: "We Will Rock You". I had never heard of it (rightfully so, it's not in New York). I went back to Matt and got lunch with him. That was nice. Then back to the theater! Honestly the show was ehhhhhh. The dancing was great, the singing was great...but the story was SUCK and the choreography was meh. Not something I'd see again...but at least I saw something I can't catch at home.
Now I'm back with Matt in his flat..we ate dinner, watched the news, and shared many a YouTube video. I'm pretty sleepy.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
August 30, 2011
Today was another low-key day but I enjoyed it! Honestly not really much to say about it at all. I tried to go to a CouchSurfing picnic in some obscure little park...took the bus and wasn't really able to find it. But not to worry, I made my way to Jardin du Luxembourg and it was really pretty. I got some lunch and ate it there, then proceeded to lounge in a chair for nearly two and a half hours. The sun was so nice!
I then took another bus then a metro to Boulevard de Clichy--the Red Light district. I wanted to see the Moulin Rouge, even if just from the outside. That took about two seconds, so I continued my way to Sacre Coeur. On my way, a guy outside of some sex show asked me (in French) if I was looking for work....uhh no thanks!
Sacre Coeur was nice. I ended up juggling a soccer ball with a bunch of people for maybe a half hour? I seriously was just enjoying the sun and was in no rush to get back. I ended up eating a yummy dinner with Devan's parents before meeting Quentin, Bluey, Elodie, and Scott for a drink in the Marais.
Now I'm back at the apartment and stupidly have to wake up at 7:30 am. I booked my train to London a day early....now I'm going to be all alone for an entire day, as my dad arrives on Thursday :[[ I'm hoping to meet someone on the train or in the train stations or at leeeast shortly after arriving. Blah!
I then took another bus then a metro to Boulevard de Clichy--the Red Light district. I wanted to see the Moulin Rouge, even if just from the outside. That took about two seconds, so I continued my way to Sacre Coeur. On my way, a guy outside of some sex show asked me (in French) if I was looking for work....uhh no thanks!
Sacre Coeur was nice. I ended up juggling a soccer ball with a bunch of people for maybe a half hour? I seriously was just enjoying the sun and was in no rush to get back. I ended up eating a yummy dinner with Devan's parents before meeting Quentin, Bluey, Elodie, and Scott for a drink in the Marais.
Now I'm back at the apartment and stupidly have to wake up at 7:30 am. I booked my train to London a day early....now I'm going to be all alone for an entire day, as my dad arrives on Thursday :[[ I'm hoping to meet someone on the train or in the train stations or at leeeast shortly after arriving. Blah!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
August 29, 2011
I think I could get used to living in Paris...just saying (ignoring the fact that the US Dollar totally SUCKS). I seriously want to try to work in a hostel next summer or at Disneyland Paris!
Today Devan and I walked to the Eiffel Tower again, where we made a new friend! I met Claire, 24, from Australia when she asked me to take a photo of her in front of the tower. We started chatting and, realizing that we were both traveling alone, decided to pair up for the day. We walked around quite a bit, unsuccessfully visiting both the fashion museum and the museum of modern art. We stopped at a cafe for lunch which was pretty nice. We really just ended up hanging out in front of the Eiffel Tower all day. The sun FINALLY came out here and there and it was nice for a bit! We saw this Michael Jackson dance group at one point and it was pretty good. I miss dancing :[ I joined them for Thriller hahah. I stopped off at the apartment to grab a jacket (I'm definitely going to miss borrowing that tomorrow and once I get to London..) then headed to her hostel to grab hers. We then went to an Irish pub for a drink.
The two of us met Valentin for dinner near his apartment. Super yummy food! We then went out for wine and cheese. So French! I took a somewhat amusing video on the hunt for cheese. Now I'm back in Devan's apartment and ready for bed!
Today Devan and I walked to the Eiffel Tower again, where we made a new friend! I met Claire, 24, from Australia when she asked me to take a photo of her in front of the tower. We started chatting and, realizing that we were both traveling alone, decided to pair up for the day. We walked around quite a bit, unsuccessfully visiting both the fashion museum and the museum of modern art. We stopped at a cafe for lunch which was pretty nice. We really just ended up hanging out in front of the Eiffel Tower all day. The sun FINALLY came out here and there and it was nice for a bit! We saw this Michael Jackson dance group at one point and it was pretty good. I miss dancing :[ I joined them for Thriller hahah. I stopped off at the apartment to grab a jacket (I'm definitely going to miss borrowing that tomorrow and once I get to London..) then headed to her hostel to grab hers. We then went to an Irish pub for a drink.
The two of us met Valentin for dinner near his apartment. Super yummy food! We then went out for wine and cheese. So French! I took a somewhat amusing video on the hunt for cheese. Now I'm back in Devan's apartment and ready for bed!
August 28, 2011
Geez, I have to look through my photos to remember what I've been doing these past two days!
Yesterday I woke up and walked down the street a bit with Devan and her dad to buy a chicken and some breakfast items (croissants mmm). After a delish brekkie, Dev and I went to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and met Quentin, Bluey, Scott, Gracie, and some others for a picnic! It was super cute and French. After that we were pretty tired and came back for a nap. I ended up sleeping nearly three hours, whoooops! Yet another scrumptious dinner ensued before taking a walk on the Champs-Élysées. I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour from the Trocadéro, which I hadn't seen before :) I came back to the apartment but at 11 pm I got in touch with Valentin and we ended up meeting for a drink! I hadn't seen him in SEVEN years. Good ol' Camp Mason.
So overall it was a pretty low-key day but I'm more than happy to just relax and enjoy the mere feeling of being in Paris again.
Yesterday I woke up and walked down the street a bit with Devan and her dad to buy a chicken and some breakfast items (croissants mmm). After a delish brekkie, Dev and I went to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and met Quentin, Bluey, Scott, Gracie, and some others for a picnic! It was super cute and French. After that we were pretty tired and came back for a nap. I ended up sleeping nearly three hours, whoooops! Yet another scrumptious dinner ensued before taking a walk on the Champs-Élysées. I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour from the Trocadéro, which I hadn't seen before :) I came back to the apartment but at 11 pm I got in touch with Valentin and we ended up meeting for a drink! I hadn't seen him in SEVEN years. Good ol' Camp Mason.
So overall it was a pretty low-key day but I'm more than happy to just relax and enjoy the mere feeling of being in Paris again.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
August 27, 2011
Meeeeep! I woke up super, suuuuper tired this morning and possibly still a little drunk. 7:30 is not a fun time to wake up after a long night out. Luckily all of my stuff was ready to go and leaving Sara's apartment was quick and easy. I really had a great time with her :)
I managed to find my way to the Eurolines stop without any hassle! Go me. I slept almost the entire four-hour trip. I made a friend as I left the bus, Jed, from Australia. We kept each other company as we got confused about the station. We wandered around like idiots for about an hour (although I FINALLY got to put credit on my phone and he found some WiFi in McDonald's) and then we were on our way to our respective destinations.
I'm staying with Devan and her parents in the 16th quarter. Super beautiful! The apartment is magnificent. I have my own little room. I took it pretty easy today; showering, washing clothes, and doing things of the like. We had a really nice dinner and then Devan and I met up with my friend Quentin and some of his friends for some drinks. I met Quentin last summer in New York! It was such an international group of people: me from the US, Devan from Canada, Quentin from France, Gracie from England, Bluey from Australia, Scott from Zimbabwe, and some other randos showed up from Italy. Crazy! I had a really good time with them. They were all continuing on to a gay club that Devan and I didn't feel entirely up to. I was hoping to meet up with my new Aussie friend Jed but for some reason or another he didn't respond to my last text. Oh well!
Tomorrow we're planning a picnic! That should be nice. The weather is supposed to be warmer (but still cold!!) and sunny. Hooray! I'm not really looking to do touristy things while I'm here--I did that stuff in 2004. I'm sure there are some things I'd like to see and didn't get the chance to, but for the most part I'm happy just to walk around.
Also I seriously packed for the summer. I even checked the weather before I left! It's so cold here--it's definitely Fall weather. I feel dumb for not having my cute Fall clothes with me. Siiiiigh. Oh well. I'll just wear jeans every day....
Sidenote: The amount of unread items on my Google Reader is frightening.
I managed to find my way to the Eurolines stop without any hassle! Go me. I slept almost the entire four-hour trip. I made a friend as I left the bus, Jed, from Australia. We kept each other company as we got confused about the station. We wandered around like idiots for about an hour (although I FINALLY got to put credit on my phone and he found some WiFi in McDonald's) and then we were on our way to our respective destinations.
I'm staying with Devan and her parents in the 16th quarter. Super beautiful! The apartment is magnificent. I have my own little room. I took it pretty easy today; showering, washing clothes, and doing things of the like. We had a really nice dinner and then Devan and I met up with my friend Quentin and some of his friends for some drinks. I met Quentin last summer in New York! It was such an international group of people: me from the US, Devan from Canada, Quentin from France, Gracie from England, Bluey from Australia, Scott from Zimbabwe, and some other randos showed up from Italy. Crazy! I had a really good time with them. They were all continuing on to a gay club that Devan and I didn't feel entirely up to. I was hoping to meet up with my new Aussie friend Jed but for some reason or another he didn't respond to my last text. Oh well!
Tomorrow we're planning a picnic! That should be nice. The weather is supposed to be warmer (but still cold!!) and sunny. Hooray! I'm not really looking to do touristy things while I'm here--I did that stuff in 2004. I'm sure there are some things I'd like to see and didn't get the chance to, but for the most part I'm happy just to walk around.
Also I seriously packed for the summer. I even checked the weather before I left! It's so cold here--it's definitely Fall weather. I feel dumb for not having my cute Fall clothes with me. Siiiiigh. Oh well. I'll just wear jeans every day....
Sidenote: The amount of unread items on my Google Reader is frightening.
August 26, 2011
What a long day yesterday was!
I woke up at 7:20, made sure I had all of my stuff together, then hopped on the tram to the Eurolines office. Well...ends up the office =/= where the buses go out of. Should've realized that before but the website was pretty ambiguous. Dumb. I ended up having to take the 10 am bus once I got to the correct site, but that wasn't so bad. I slept for a bit on the bus and got to Brussels around 2 pm. I managed to find my way to Sara's apartment. Sara's a CouchSurfer whom I contacted a few weeks ago about meeting up. She was super awesome about letting me stay the night so last-minute.
Unfortunately, Sara had to give a presentation that she was supposed to do the day before, so she was unable to show me around the city. Althoughhhhhh this other CouchSurfer was in town and she arranged for us to meet. His name is Fernando and he was with his Belgian friend, Bruno. The three of us walked around a liiiittle bit (honestly didn't see too much of the city, apart from one area and what I saw on the bus) and got some drinks.
Later, Sara, Fernando, and I went to her friend's apartment for a bit of a pregame. Then it was off to a local bar! There was a funk DJ and that was pretty fun. I got to try some Belgian beers that aren't available in the US. Not bad at all! We ended up moving on to another bar. There miiiight have been some felafel in the mix :]
I think we got back to her apartment at 3:30 am or something. Which sucked because I only got about 3 and a half hour of sleep or so.
So although I didn't really see much of the city, it was definitely fun to meet local people and make friends. I'm sure I'll be back in Europe again and I'll have more time to really see Brussels.
I woke up at 7:20, made sure I had all of my stuff together, then hopped on the tram to the Eurolines office. Well...ends up the office =/= where the buses go out of. Should've realized that before but the website was pretty ambiguous. Dumb. I ended up having to take the 10 am bus once I got to the correct site, but that wasn't so bad. I slept for a bit on the bus and got to Brussels around 2 pm. I managed to find my way to Sara's apartment. Sara's a CouchSurfer whom I contacted a few weeks ago about meeting up. She was super awesome about letting me stay the night so last-minute.
Unfortunately, Sara had to give a presentation that she was supposed to do the day before, so she was unable to show me around the city. Althoughhhhhh this other CouchSurfer was in town and she arranged for us to meet. His name is Fernando and he was with his Belgian friend, Bruno. The three of us walked around a liiiittle bit (honestly didn't see too much of the city, apart from one area and what I saw on the bus) and got some drinks.
Later, Sara, Fernando, and I went to her friend's apartment for a bit of a pregame. Then it was off to a local bar! There was a funk DJ and that was pretty fun. I got to try some Belgian beers that aren't available in the US. Not bad at all! We ended up moving on to another bar. There miiiight have been some felafel in the mix :]
I think we got back to her apartment at 3:30 am or something. Which sucked because I only got about 3 and a half hour of sleep or so.
So although I didn't really see much of the city, it was definitely fun to meet local people and make friends. I'm sure I'll be back in Europe again and I'll have more time to really see Brussels.
Friday, August 26, 2011
August 25, 2011
Ahh, must write this quickly..I'm waking up at 7:20 tomorrow morning!!
Let's seeeeee. Today Judith took the day off from work :) We managed to get out of the apartment by noon, which isn't so bad. I rode on the back of her bike, just above the back wheel. I'm basically a total pro at hopping on, now. I remember the first time I sat on a bike like that...I was scared completely shitless in the middle of New York City at night. Ahh! Luckily I feel very safe on a bike in Amsterdam and I've learned that it's actually pretty easy to not fall off.
We got into the center of the city and topped off the credit on Wouter's phone (he is AWESOME for letting me borrow it these last two days--bless his little heart), then got some fruit to eat on a bench. We went to the Cat Boat!!!! We're kind of joking about being suuuper excited for it--like it's the highlight of the trip. But actually of course it was awesome. Just a bunch of stray cats on a houseboat. Awesome! Meow. We then went for a touristy boat tour. Very pretty!
After that we stopped at a little cafe along the canal and had some wine. Judith unfortunately wasn't feeling too hot so I ended up at the Anne Frank house alone. I managed not to shed any tears but it was pretty heavy stuff. I actually ran into Allan as I was leaving. I didn't get to see the guys again (besides that, obviously) but I'll see 'em in a few weeks on campus, duhhhh. When I was done with the Anne Frank House, Judith decided to head back to the apartment :[ Wouter took me around a bit and we grabbed some dinner on the way home.
I'm now about to make sure that I'm completely packed up before I go to Brussels in the morning! I decided to stay a night. It doesn't make sense to rush around and then get to Paris at a sketchy hour of the night. I'd rather not waste day time and leave early in the morning for Paris on Saturday :)
Let's seeeeee. Today Judith took the day off from work :) We managed to get out of the apartment by noon, which isn't so bad. I rode on the back of her bike, just above the back wheel. I'm basically a total pro at hopping on, now. I remember the first time I sat on a bike like that...I was scared completely shitless in the middle of New York City at night. Ahh! Luckily I feel very safe on a bike in Amsterdam and I've learned that it's actually pretty easy to not fall off.
We got into the center of the city and topped off the credit on Wouter's phone (he is AWESOME for letting me borrow it these last two days--bless his little heart), then got some fruit to eat on a bench. We went to the Cat Boat!!!! We're kind of joking about being suuuper excited for it--like it's the highlight of the trip. But actually of course it was awesome. Just a bunch of stray cats on a houseboat. Awesome! Meow. We then went for a touristy boat tour. Very pretty!
After that we stopped at a little cafe along the canal and had some wine. Judith unfortunately wasn't feeling too hot so I ended up at the Anne Frank house alone. I managed not to shed any tears but it was pretty heavy stuff. I actually ran into Allan as I was leaving. I didn't get to see the guys again (besides that, obviously) but I'll see 'em in a few weeks on campus, duhhhh. When I was done with the Anne Frank House, Judith decided to head back to the apartment :[ Wouter took me around a bit and we grabbed some dinner on the way home.
I'm now about to make sure that I'm completely packed up before I go to Brussels in the morning! I decided to stay a night. It doesn't make sense to rush around and then get to Paris at a sketchy hour of the night. I'd rather not waste day time and leave early in the morning for Paris on Saturday :)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
August 24, 2011
If we haven't noticed by now, the dates in the titles reflect the day I'm writing about!
Hmmm yesterday..let's see. I woke up to a cute message on the white board from Judith telling me to have a great day. Too cute. I got to borrow Judith's bike and that was pretty cool. Although scary..Needless to say, I got lost trying to get into the center of the city. Nothing too bad but still a little stressful. I was looking for the Van Gogh museum but ended up at the Rijksmuseum instead. Not to worry! I had a nice time looking at all of the really historical Dutch paintings and artifacts. I then managed to get in contact with the HCrew boys: Chris, Alex, Gustav, Allan, and Turner. We all met up at the Van Gogh museum, which ended up being just down the block.
Then we headed over to the Heineken place. They don't actually brew the beer there anymore, but it's been turned into a bit of a museum/"experience" (as they call it.) The boys managed to get free tickets from some ridiculous connection through some Princeton frosh. His mom controls the shares of Heineken or something crazy like that. We saw her in some pictures and videos which was pretty amusing. They also managed to swindle some more beer token things (everyone has two to use at the end). Win.
I headed back to their hotel (they called it a hostel but it really wasn't) with them for a bit before checking out the Red Light district. It was definitely something to see all of the prostitutes in their little windows and the red lights. Bangkok has hookers and wild shows but Amsterdam is just a little different. Got some dinner and dranky dranks. There also might have been some sketchy things that my eyeballs witnessed but let's not go there. It was an early night and everything was really said and done by 1 am.
Here's a miracle and a half: I managed to bike my way back to Judith and Wouter's apartment without getting seriously lost. I only missed one little turn (by one block) and stopped to make sure I was on the right path ermmm twice. Not bad, considering how freaking confusing Amsterdam is. The roads loop and bend and nothing is clearly marked. Also I literally have the worst sense of direction. Fun times were had. I'm glad I got to meet up with the boys so I didn't have to spend the day all by my lonesome. I do feel kind of bad for crashing their brofest, though (I mean they had already been together for like twelve days or something but still).
As always, refer to my albums on Facebook for details through photographs.
Hmmm yesterday..let's see. I woke up to a cute message on the white board from Judith telling me to have a great day. Too cute. I got to borrow Judith's bike and that was pretty cool. Although scary..Needless to say, I got lost trying to get into the center of the city. Nothing too bad but still a little stressful. I was looking for the Van Gogh museum but ended up at the Rijksmuseum instead. Not to worry! I had a nice time looking at all of the really historical Dutch paintings and artifacts. I then managed to get in contact with the HCrew boys: Chris, Alex, Gustav, Allan, and Turner. We all met up at the Van Gogh museum, which ended up being just down the block.
Then we headed over to the Heineken place. They don't actually brew the beer there anymore, but it's been turned into a bit of a museum/"experience" (as they call it.) The boys managed to get free tickets from some ridiculous connection through some Princeton frosh. His mom controls the shares of Heineken or something crazy like that. We saw her in some pictures and videos which was pretty amusing. They also managed to swindle some more beer token things (everyone has two to use at the end). Win.
I headed back to their hotel (they called it a hostel but it really wasn't) with them for a bit before checking out the Red Light district. It was definitely something to see all of the prostitutes in their little windows and the red lights. Bangkok has hookers and wild shows but Amsterdam is just a little different. Got some dinner and dranky dranks. There also might have been some sketchy things that my eyeballs witnessed but let's not go there. It was an early night and everything was really said and done by 1 am.
Here's a miracle and a half: I managed to bike my way back to Judith and Wouter's apartment without getting seriously lost. I only missed one little turn (by one block) and stopped to make sure I was on the right path ermmm twice. Not bad, considering how freaking confusing Amsterdam is. The roads loop and bend and nothing is clearly marked. Also I literally have the worst sense of direction. Fun times were had. I'm glad I got to meet up with the boys so I didn't have to spend the day all by my lonesome. I do feel kind of bad for crashing their brofest, though (I mean they had already been together for like twelve days or something but still).
As always, refer to my albums on Facebook for details through photographs.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
August 23, 2011
Local time: 12:46 am (Again, technically now the 24th)
Travel travel travel. Literally I haven't done anything on this entire trip.
I woke up this morning, had some breakfast with Matt, and did the whole "shower and get my stuff together" thing. I'm pretty impressed that I was able to sleep from 1:30 am until 7:45 am when Matt's alarm went off. I left his flat around noon and caught a (double decker!) bus to Liverpool Street. It was about a 15 minute trip. From there I snagged some free WiFi from McDonald's before miraculously finding the coach bus to Stansted Airport. I fell asleep for maybe 10 minutes of the one hour ride.
In typical me fashion, I made a friend on the little monorail thing on the way to the gate. EasyJet is weird in the way that there are no seat assignments. I ended up sitting next to my new American friend, Kevin, in the exit row. Score! Good thing he managed to get that row...he's 6'8". The flight was about 40 minutes and I managed to stay awake. Kevin was super nice and helped me find my way to the train once we collected our bags. I then managed to get on a train for about 6ish minutes to a place with a hard-to-pronounce name, and then took the tram to some other crazy Dutch-sounding stop, also about a 5 minute trip. Judith was there to meet me at the station! It's so funny to be with her in Holland--we met in Thailand last summer.
Sooo we made dinner and I've been hanging out here all night. It's pretty low-key but after two straight days of traveling I'm okay with it. I enjoy the company of her and her boyfriend, Wouter. The phone I have can receive text messages but apparently do nothing else...I tried to put some more money on the account via the internet but it doesn't accept Visa. I'm borrowing Wouter's phone tomorrow so I can contact the HCrew boys and Judith if need be. I also noticed that I forgot my camera charger...I'm going to borrow Judith's camera for when I'm in Amsterdam but still use my own lens. The extra battery for my camera should last me through Paris. Good thing I have that one--the current battery is on its last bar. Yikes! Stupid me. I ALWAYS forget something when I travel. I guess it's because I really haven't done anything but travel...but I've seriously taken maybe four photographs. I also decided that every day at 2 pm I'm going to take a picture wherever I am. Okay also I had my computer plugged in for hours and when I unplugged it I only had about 40 minutes of battery life :| Technology hates me in Europe.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to wake up relatively early and get myself to the Van Gogh museum before hopefully meeting up with da boiz at the Heineken Factory I guess around 2 pm. Woohoooo! I'm not sure what else I'll be doing tomorrow, but Judith is taking the day off from work on Thursday and we're going to go around the city together :]
I didn't (really) nap all day! It's 12:33 am and I'm getting ready to go to sleep.
Travel travel travel. Literally I haven't done anything on this entire trip.
I woke up this morning, had some breakfast with Matt, and did the whole "shower and get my stuff together" thing. I'm pretty impressed that I was able to sleep from 1:30 am until 7:45 am when Matt's alarm went off. I left his flat around noon and caught a (double decker!) bus to Liverpool Street. It was about a 15 minute trip. From there I snagged some free WiFi from McDonald's before miraculously finding the coach bus to Stansted Airport. I fell asleep for maybe 10 minutes of the one hour ride.
In typical me fashion, I made a friend on the little monorail thing on the way to the gate. EasyJet is weird in the way that there are no seat assignments. I ended up sitting next to my new American friend, Kevin, in the exit row. Score! Good thing he managed to get that row...he's 6'8". The flight was about 40 minutes and I managed to stay awake. Kevin was super nice and helped me find my way to the train once we collected our bags. I then managed to get on a train for about 6ish minutes to a place with a hard-to-pronounce name, and then took the tram to some other crazy Dutch-sounding stop, also about a 5 minute trip. Judith was there to meet me at the station! It's so funny to be with her in Holland--we met in Thailand last summer.
Sooo we made dinner and I've been hanging out here all night. It's pretty low-key but after two straight days of traveling I'm okay with it. I enjoy the company of her and her boyfriend, Wouter. The phone I have can receive text messages but apparently do nothing else...I tried to put some more money on the account via the internet but it doesn't accept Visa. I'm borrowing Wouter's phone tomorrow so I can contact the HCrew boys and Judith if need be. I also noticed that I forgot my camera charger...I'm going to borrow Judith's camera for when I'm in Amsterdam but still use my own lens. The extra battery for my camera should last me through Paris. Good thing I have that one--the current battery is on its last bar. Yikes! Stupid me. I ALWAYS forget something when I travel. I guess it's because I really haven't done anything but travel...but I've seriously taken maybe four photographs. I also decided that every day at 2 pm I'm going to take a picture wherever I am. Okay also I had my computer plugged in for hours and when I unplugged it I only had about 40 minutes of battery life :| Technology hates me in Europe.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to wake up relatively early and get myself to the Van Gogh museum before hopefully meeting up with da boiz at the Heineken Factory I guess around 2 pm. Woohoooo! I'm not sure what else I'll be doing tomorrow, but Judith is taking the day off from work on Thursday and we're going to go around the city together :]
I didn't (really) nap all day! It's 12:33 am and I'm getting ready to go to sleep.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 22, 2011
Local time: 1:27 am (August 23rd, technically)
I’m here in London! I was successful with my all-nighter last night. I allowed myself a ten minute nap on the train to the airport, and about a half hour nap at the gate. My plan to sleep immediately was foiled as I ended up sitting next to someone with whom I enjoyed conversing. I think I managed to sleep three or four hours…not entirely sure. Although I DO know that I missed a meal and the jerk flight attendants didn’t wake me up for it! It’s okay, I got to eat maybe about an hour and a half before we landed and I’m still pretty full from that.
I managed to catch the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station (£18 what the heck?!), where I then met Matt (my cousin) and we took the tube together back to his flat. It was about a 10-15 minute walk from there. Unfortunately there’s no internet here but that’s alright…before I get to the airport tomorrow I’ll pop in at McDonald’s and soak up the free WiFi while I can. Here’s to hoping I make it to Stansted without getting lost…
It’s 8:33 pm back at home but I’m more than ready to call it a night and get some sleep! I think my plan was pretty successful… I guess we’ll know for sure tomorrow.
I’m here in London! I was successful with my all-nighter last night. I allowed myself a ten minute nap on the train to the airport, and about a half hour nap at the gate. My plan to sleep immediately was foiled as I ended up sitting next to someone with whom I enjoyed conversing. I think I managed to sleep three or four hours…not entirely sure. Although I DO know that I missed a meal and the jerk flight attendants didn’t wake me up for it! It’s okay, I got to eat maybe about an hour and a half before we landed and I’m still pretty full from that.
I managed to catch the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station (£18 what the heck?!), where I then met Matt (my cousin) and we took the tube together back to his flat. It was about a 10-15 minute walk from there. Unfortunately there’s no internet here but that’s alright…before I get to the airport tomorrow I’ll pop in at McDonald’s and soak up the free WiFi while I can. Here’s to hoping I make it to Stansted without getting lost…
It’s 8:33 pm back at home but I’m more than ready to call it a night and get some sleep! I think my plan was pretty successful… I guess we’ll know for sure tomorrow.
Monday, August 22, 2011
All-Nighter
Okay so it's 2 am and I've decided to pull an all-nighter in preparation for my trip to Europe in the morning. I'm hitting London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris! My journey begins with a 5:25 Dinky...my flight to London is at 9 am. I'm expecting to pass the eff out as soon as I sit down in my seat. Once I land I'll be taking a train and then catching the tube with my cousin back to his flat. It should be pretty late (local time) and my guess is I'll still be exhausted enough to mostly sleep through the night. So that's my plan! Three more hours to go before I leave my apartment...we'll see if I survive. I'm pretty beat. I'm a little anxious to pack every last item on my very thorough packing list, but there are still the morning essentials that I have to use before they can be safely put in my bag. Speaking of which, it's a tad heavier than I would have liked. Although, to be fair, my camera bag (complete with body, two lenses, and various little things) is resting at the bottom (in its own closed off section! Glorious). So many parentheses in this.
I've got my passports and my tickets all printed out and ready to go! I still have yet to book a bus from Amsterdam to Paris via Brussels but that'll happen soon.
This is a stupidly long post for still being in Princeton, but I suppose it's a good way to kill these three hours.
I've got my passports and my tickets all printed out and ready to go! I still have yet to book a bus from Amsterdam to Paris via Brussels but that'll happen soon.
This is a stupidly long post for still being in Princeton, but I suppose it's a good way to kill these three hours.
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