So I need to talk about a few places still.

I know its been a few months since I was in England, but I thought that I would fill in the readership of my blog with a few details from my last weeks there.

First off, I went to Edinburgh, Scotland...and fell in love! The trip involved me and a few friends, Aslak, Lauren, Thijs, Viola, and then we met Viola's boyfriend in Edinburgh. We began the trip early with breakfast on the train (made up of whatever we had brought with us...I almost brought a loaf of bread) The train ride was uneventful, except for the beautiful scenery we had on our way. The train went along the coast, at times I hoped that the train could just stop and I could run towards the water. After three hours we made it to Edinburgh and began our trek to the hostel.

The hostel we stayed in was in what is known as the "New town" meaning that it is not part of what has been built into the cliff face. What people normally think of Edinburgh its the Castle that comes to mind....and boy is it a site! From anywhere in the city you can see the castle. That day we went up to the main part of the old city and wandered around. We also decided to climb up Colton hill, where we got a perfect view of the city around us and again the castle. The next day was started by going through the castle. Lauren stayed behind, but Aslak, Thijs and I went through, and got to enjoy an air show as we were wandering around.

Highlight of the castle...finding out that my dorm room was the same size as a victorian prison.

After touring the castle, we met back up with Lauren, had some food, and wandered over to the university.

I am currently applying to their graduate program. The campus was soooo cooool!!!! There were old buildings mixed in with newer ones, and grassy areas, and it all felt right. It was like I knew that that was where I should be, and so I have decided that that is where I want to be.

That night we decided to do a ghost walk, which for me was a big step...because I scare easily. In the end it was very interesting. There was a lot of stories passes around, and we got to go through some underground caverns that did feel a bit funny.

The next day was our last day, and for me it was only a half day. BUT that day we decided we were going to climb the highest peak within the city limits...and that was AMAZING! I ended up climbing the whole thing with my backpack on because I was going to go straight to the train station from there. It was a very good experience for me and even though we only made it technically halfway, I now want to go back and finish the trek. The peak itself is located within the Palace (not castle...) grounds and was used as the royal hunting grounds. THe Palace was where Mary Queen of Scots was "imprisoned".

After we climbed that I headed back to the train station where I grabbed a train back to York to meet my Brother and Father, who had flown in that morning.

Here I will leave it with more to follow about the time my brother was with me. Sorry it was so short, but I wanted to get some of the highlights down.

Edinburgh was amazing and it is a place I would love to go back to and stay for a while. My goal is to do that within a few years, but in the end we will see.

Cheers!

home.

thought i should just let any of you out there know that I am back in Rockford. Have been for about two and a half weeks. Yea...oops.

xxx

FINAL CRAMMING PAPER TIME!

I am currently working on my final paper here and its so nice to have my brother sitting next to me and all that. I just thought I would say that I will be home in less then 7 days. So for those of you who love countdowns...start counting. I honestly do want to come home too...I know, shocking that I would want to leave this place, but hey I miss my stuff...and my parents, and my back garden and front garden and well my car and my hometown and my university and my friends back home.

I will really miss everyone here though as well...its going to be a tough goodbye I know that. It's going to be weird to leave and never return for class again. Even writing that feels weird.

I went to Edinburgh this past weekend, you will have to wait to hear about that...Mike is getting bored so I need to quicken my writing pace.

Cheers
Ellen XXX

Anyone out there?

Well. For those of you who keep asking me when I get home, I will be on US soil on teh 6th if July (that night sometime i think) so there. Now its down. What I am going to do with the last two and a half weeks is a good question. I will be writing a paper...due thursday, going to Edinburgh (hopefully), Picking my brother up from the train station and then celebrating the rest of my stay in the UK with friends (and a family member). Yea, thats it I think.

Anyway. Recently I celebrated my 21st birthday, and it was a grand time. I am not going to name or number the amount of drinks of that night. But I went to a party, had a GREAT time watching the end of the England Algeria game, and making fun of those blokes who decided that it was a great idea to YELL at the screen what they thought of the refs, players, kits, and even the ball itself. Once the game ended we had the whole upper floor to ourselves to party it up, including cake and a flaming shot of sambuca (dont worry this was not my shot of sambuca). After a while we moved the party to a local club where they played a handful of alternative songs I knew, and a handful that I didnt, but enjoyed anyway. Then we went home.

It was a good time, and I thank those out there who were there for a great time, and those that were not I wish you had been.

Now I am legal everywhere...not just Europe and Asia and Australia and South America and Central America and Africa (wait did I just name everywhere but the states!?) Huh...maybe the states need to get on board with the rest of the world.

Oh well.
Cheers.

lets procrastinate.

So, I'm sitting here in the computer lab over by my dorm (which finally has reopened) and I find myself doing everything but what I should be doing, of course. Which means I check my email, check my facebook, read a few articles on the217, listen to some WPGU...and now change the layout of my blog. Yea you might have noticed that it is no longer the dark brownish orange and the map picture is gone as well...well I have been noticing that a few of my friends have been changing the layout of their own blogs, and making them seem a bit more professional and I had to admit mine did not look that good. So I think this looks a bit better, if I knew code and stuff like that I think I could make it look even bettter, but oh well this will work for now.

If you have any ideas or comments please let me know.

Cheers!

a quick tidbit about what has been happening in England.

Well weather has been on again off again nice...I have been uber busy getting papers written and figuring out how to be a history person again.
May went by really quickly and now its June and I have two papers to write and a paper to edit.

Paige came and visited for a week and it was PERFECT to see her and all that and then my computer broke and then we went to London and saw Mark and Miriam and then a big group of us went to Oxford where I got a picture with a sword of sentimental meaning...and had a lovely time pretending I was a student. Then we came back to York and I had to deal with my computer and then Amy visited and that was FANTASTIC...and now I am beginning one paper and celebrating a birthday on wednesday (not mine...duh) and then Claudia comes on Thursday and the World Cup starts on Friday with South Africa playing Mexico and then Saturday is the UK vs US game and then monday my english paper is due and yea...im busy.

OH WORLD CUP STARTS AND IT IS MY VIEW THAT EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH. Please.

Well while I am here... Florence

Ok. Sorry for how long you have been waiting for this...I will try below to recount the rest of my journey through Italy starting in Florence and Ending in Milan.

Firenze (Florence) is beautiful.
Sure the train ride there was a bit stressful (we missed our train because I thought we should grab lunch) and yea once we got there we couldnt figure out where we were supposed to grab a bus to get to our hostel...but once we got to the place it was FANTASTIC! The owner met us at the door with wide open arms and a pink sports jacket. He was this uber nice uber italian old man who owned the house/hostel and ran it with the help of two (or three) other women and two dogs. After bustling us into the place and showing us where we would sleep he brought us each a glass of wine and we signed all the paperwork and paid the fees. The hostel was really cute! All white and airy with little querky touches.

Maria and I decided to walk down to the main part of the city then after moving in and we just wandered about and saw some really cool buildings. One there was no line for, and the next day when we walked by there was a line out the door and around the building. That night we also went out for dinner and had a pretty good meal...not our best, but we needed a good meal out.

After the meal we ended up racing back to the hostel because I was supposed to have an interview for a position as an intern working for LAS 101. Of course when I got to the hostel I couldn't get the wireless internet working, and then the computer provided couldn't work with the microphone and headphones I had brought, so in the end I missed my interview and had to write my answers to all the questions and email them to the interviewer. BUT I got that all worked out in the end and well I didn't get the position it was still worth a shot.

The next day Maria and I headed back into town ready to discover the rest of it. We began the day at the Museum that housed the original David sculpture. Yes, you know the one. Sadly I could not get a pic considering there were only about five other people in there with us. We had decided the night before to get to the building that housed him when it opened and we only ended up standing in line for about twenty minutes before they let us in. It was pretty neat that we got in so well, some girls the night before had purchased tickets to get into the building early, we just walked in and then walked back to see him...we didnt pay a thing. That I may say is a really good feeling. After that we wandere down to the center of town to see the buildings there including the Duomo...this building is beautiful. It is all Marble on the outside and then just really open on the inside with a beautiful fresco in the main dome. We also climbed the 500 odd steps to get to the dome and then up to the roof above it. The view was SPACTACULAR and it is how I fell in love with the city. Just looking at how its set up and then also just how beautiful the landscape surrounding the city was, made me decided that I would love to live in this city. Of course my love grew as we clambored down from the dome and went back out into the city. For lunch we decided to check out the central market and outdoor market that the city had. Here we found EVERYTHING from Italian leather jackets and bags to Fish heads and Bread and Cheese and Wine and all of the above. We bought dinner for later (A HUGE loaf of bread that lasted till Venice, some Parmesan Cheese, a bottle of Rose, and some creamy garlic mushrooms) For lunch we ate at a little stall in the back of the market and had pruchetta paninis. Everything was delicious and it was all just so CHEAP too. After wandering around the rest of the day taking pictures with random sculptures or gelato or just neat buildings we decided to wander down to the water front for the sunset. Boy was it beautiful, not orange and crazy like it is supposed to be, but still pretty gorgeous. Just chilling by the water too was so nice. We walked down the river over to this really cool central bridge that has stores on either side of it. Most of these were closed by the time we got there, but there were some street musicians playing and they were quite good. Finally after wandering to the other side of the river and then back up into town we headed back to the hostel.

While we had been out searching the city some friends had arrived and by the time we got back to the hostel they were back from their excursions around the city as well. We ate dinner and had some dessert (the owner provided dessert and wine every night) and then just sat around and talked for a while. The other people staying at the hostel with us were all some really nice people and it was just nice to chill. It was decided as well that the next day instead of going back into Florence we would instead head to San Giminiano with Lauren and her friends and then that night make our way to Venice.

The next morning after packing up our stuff Lauren Maria and I headed out. Of course everything went wrong beginning with the fact that our bus that we were going to take to the train station showed up about a half hour late. We would have walked, but Lauren had some way strained her foot (we found out when we got back to campus that she had a stress fracture) and so the bus it was. When we boarded it we tried to pay the bus driver for three tickets, but he just took the money for one and let us all on board. We thought that he was just being friendly, but about halfway through the ride these two 'officials' got on and asked us for our tickets...and of course two of us didn't have them. SO we tried to explain what had happened and then tried to explain that we didn't know better BUT in the end Maria and I ended up paying €45 fines. Yea...we were dumb. Later we looked back at this and wondered if it was a scam...because I don't remember them checking anyone elses tickets, and also they just were a bit too insistent. We also wondered what would have happened if we had refused or said that we didn't have the money and they could have fined us the €80 for 'late' fees but then we probably could have just not bothered paying those and got by. BUT we were all a bit freaked when it happened and we didn't want to end up in Italian jail or anything so we (literally) emptied our wallets and went the rest of the way.

This little incident had spooked us pretty well and had also put a damper on our impromptu trip to San Gimimiano. BUt we did end up finally getting there and having a good time. The town is located on a hill in Tuscany and it is really touristy, but so worth a visit. The highlight of our trip there was lunch, where we ate at this little Taverna down a back alley that surved Bruchetta. It was really good and the people there were really nice. We ended up grabbing Gelato on our way back towards where the bus would pick us up to take us back to the train station where we could either grab another train, or take a bus. We opted for the bus, because then we got to see more of the tuscan landscape and also it was cheaper.

Once back in Firenze we all went back to the hostel and Maria and I grabbed our bags and headed back to the train station to catch a train to Venice.

This is where we should have recognized that the rest of the trip was not going to be as we thought.

Our train to Venice wasn't until around 9 that night and so we grabbed some HUGE slices of pizza and hunkered down in the station to wait out the time. Finally the train arrived (late) and we hopped aboard. It was packed. There were no seats and people were lined up in the aisle with luggage. We basically sat where we hopped aboard. With our feet sitting on the steps we climbed in on and our bags tucked away next to me. We were surrounded by business men and women who were all trying to get to different places around Europe. This was all post Volcano when flights were just beginning to get cancelled. The lady sitting next to me told us that they were originally supposed to fly from Moscow where they started to Munich...but after their flight was cancelled they had to fly to Rome and then take this train that we were on up to Munich. They had been traveling all day. You could see it in their eyes that they were tired. Plus there was no way anyone could get even a good sleep sitting in the aisle of a train where half of the compartments in our car were filled with French school children. Finally after what seemed forever we got to Venice, only to find ourselfs on the mainland...not on the islands. SO we had to then hop a bus (leaving around 2) to get to the bus station located on one of the Venitian islands, and then grab a water bus to where our hostel was. It was by the time we went to bed that night 4am. BUT we had survived. The next morning dawned nice and sunny and we headed into the city, a little too happy to be there.

Venice is one really beautiful city...once you get into the back areas. I can tell you right now it has become a bit to touristy for me. Not that I wouldn't go back...

That frst day we spent wandering around the island of San Marco taking pictures of everything and just also spending money on gifts for people. It was a really nice day and Venice is so worth seeing. But that night everything went downhill quickly. That was when Maria got the email from Ryanair saying that her flight was cancelled, and that she had the option of rebooking, or asking for a refund. She decided on the refund, because at that point we still had hope to get a train to Paris, or to Frankfort or Hamburg or somewhere. We spent the rest of the night talking to parents and people trying to find a way out.

The next day we regretted our purchases of the day before and wandered around again in search for a Vodaphone store and a travel agency. We found both, Vodaphone was helpful, the travel agency gave us very bad news...we couldnt get to the coast. We couldn't get to Paris. We couldn't get to Hamburg. So we left and went back to the hostel to see what we could find...because it also seemed that she wasn't taking us so seriously...us being younger and all that. We went back to the hostel deciding to look into it all ourselves and what we found was trains available...but no way to book em. Also the websites were crashing slowly. We were not the only people in the hostel looking for alternative routes to Paris, or to Germany either. I think half of the residents were this way. We decided to go to the train station the next day and see what we could get.

Next day...trip to train station: results...nothing. There was no way to get us out of Italy basically. BUT we did get a call from Tim telling us that there was a flight scheduled to leave in about five days from Milan that had not been cancelled yet and also was still CHEAPish. We raced back to the hostel and spent the rest of the day booking that and then going back out to San Marco to try to see something else. But we had basically lost all motivation. We did see a good quartet play Vivaldi's Four Seasons and that was actually really nice. By now we had booked another night in the hostel beacause we were not going to be leaving quite yet...but we had the flight...and we had a plan.

The next day we headed back to the train station, this time though to purchase tickets to Verona, and then from Verona to Milan. We had decided to leave Venice...two extra nights was enough for us, and it was EXPENSIVE so we were going to head to Verona, see why Billy Shakes set one of his most famous works there. Again we wandered around Venice for the rest of the day knowing that in two days time we would hopefully be back in the UK. We also on this day went to Murano (where they make the beautiful glass) and Ledo (THE BEACH). Because of course that was going to be our last night in Venice...

Our morning the next day was nice and we headed (for the third time) to the train station to catch the train to Verona. It was a pretty uneventful train ride and we were pretty happy to be on it, Venice had become too much and we just wanted to get somewhere where it might be a bit cheaper. We were staying at a one star hotel instead of a hostel, which actually turned into a pretty good deal because we had our own room and there really wasn't anyone else on our floor so we had our own bathroom as well. The first day we kinda just lazed around and did nothing, going to the place next door for food.

Our second day in Verona we went and hit the sites. First of all we saw the castle and the really old bridge...then we walked into the city taking in the beautiful buildings and cobbled streets. We went to Juliete's house...where we saw the Dear Juliet Wall (not as cool as in the move i dont think) and then the balcony and her statue as well. The thing with the statue is that if you rub her breasts you get good luck...lets just say that there were too many young italian children on a school trip to get to the statue so we decided to skip that and head back into the city. After wandering some more we found a little cafe where we had THE BEST meal we had had so far. It was really good and italian and CHEAP! and all in all what we needed. We also had real fruit (something we hadn't really had...since we were kinda living off of bread and cheese) and then for dinner that night our usual bread and cheese.

The store where we bought the bread and cheese from also sold Lego's and I was really tempted to get something, just because it was really random that they had all this wine and bread and cheese and all that...and then a whole row of shelves stacked with lego kits.

Well that was our second and last day in Verona. The next day we headed straight to the train station catching the first train that left after we got there to Milan, and then hopping on the first bus we could to the airport. Our flight was leaving. We were headed home!!!!!

Like I had said our flight went out, and we had checked our backpacks and so carried plastic grocery bags onto the plane with what we wanted for carryon purposes. Yea we used grocery bags...but hey it worked and we were only allowed one carryon so we had to put our purses in something. On the flight we were both really excited and once we landed we headed to Kings Cross where we had a hotel waiting (THANK YOU DAD). It felt really good to be back in England. All the trains to York had gone for the night, so we caught the first one the next day and finally made it back. We were met with SUN and WARMTH and FLOWERS and little GOSLINGS and just a beautiful place.

That concludes my spring break.
Sorry if I left anything out...I might have shortened some things that I would have expanded on if i had the time...but im hungry and want to go eat dinner. So until next time.
Ciao

Sorry for the wait.

Hey guys...you may have to wait a little longer for the next post from me. My computer broke. Currently I am using Paige's...

Basically something is wrong with my screen so I am going to be taking it to the shop soon and then we shall see from there. Yea its freshman year all over again!!! lol.

Anyway I'm heading back to London this weekend so you will hear about what happened with my computer next week sometime i think.

Cheers!

Ellen

whoever said that cygnets are ugly...was wrong.

These are the cutest little baby swans I have really ever seen...enjoy. (if you cant figure it out click on swans)

Lets finish up Europe.

In my final installment of Easter break (and when I say of easter break I mean about easter break) we will be talking about the many goods (and bads) if Italy.

Starting in Rome.

Good. No customs.

Bad. Train to city center was15 euro...probably should have used the Eurail pass.

Good. Hostel...really nice people, free breakfast and dinner (if you signed up for the dinner), free internet (well you got a half hour free a day)

Bad. Neighborhood around hostel (basically it smelled funny...otherwise it was a pretty good neighborhood)

Good. Roman ruins...were everywhere, I mean this is a city where you are just ambling down a street and then Oh look! A dig site.

Bad. Ellen does not speak any Italian.

Ok enough with the goods and bads, Rome was pretty nice. It is not a city I will most likely ever live in, what with it being quite large, and well not quite that clean and I dunno it just didn't really feel right to me. BUT I have to admit that I did enjoy myself. In Rome I met up with a few friends from York, them being Maria, Katherine, and Lauren. Lauren ended up meeting with some of her friends as well...so our group at the hostel seemed to grow until it even encompassed a few guys we had met.

What we saw:

Well in Rome the two main attractions are the Colosseum, and then The Vatican (which technically is not in Rome). Of course these two sites are both quite large and on different sides of the city itself, so we decided to split them into two days. On our first day in Rome we really didn't see anything huge. There was a Basilica close to our hostel that we went to and then Lauren and I wandered up to a nice square thingy that was quite interesting as well...but that was it. Maria wasn't getting in till late and we really didn't want to see any big sites without her. Of course we had a lovely time just catching up. That night we ate the pasta dinner that the hostel provided every night. Let me just say that homemade Italian pasta sauce is very good...well at least this lady's was. It was spicy and just plain delish.

The next day we decided to see the Colosseum and Palatine Hill...aka all those lovely Roman Ruins. I love anything that has crumbled and fallen into disarray...makes me wonder why I didn't decide to go into archeology (oh wait...there is that thing called science involved that I am not quite that good at) but anyway. Up to the point that I got off the subway at the Colosseum stop Rome hadn't really felt that much like Rome. I always thought of it differently...but I mean when you walk out of the subway station you basically go... "hello...thats the Colosseum" because there it is. That thing that everyone always talks about in regards to Rome...where movies have decided to film, just because of how cool the building is...where people have died and survived all because of how well they fought...that place is right in front of you. And boy is it a sight. If Erica Dahl and Lauren Wallem are reading this at all, we got the color wrong when we did that one project where we had to reconstruct the Colosseum...its not really a red anymore...and I don't think it really was that red to begin with...

At the Colosseum there were tons of groups, groups of little kids and medium kids and older kids and students of varying ages. There were also a ton of tour guides just hanging out outside of the building trying to get people to join their tour group. Thats what we did...for 10 euro (less then that stupid ticket from the airport to the city) we got into both the Colosseum and Palatine Hill...and tours for both of those areas. Of course at first we didn't think this was that legit. but the guide herself was a professional. It was a good tour as well. If you visit the Colosseum you have to do a guide of some sort because inside there is no real explanation for anything, so if you want info you either buy the audio-guide (rent actually) or you hook up with a tour.

Now what I basically can say about the Colosseum is that it is a pretty impressive building, honestly a bit smaller then I expected, but I also didn't get to go upstairs at all and you really cant go all the way around the building. A few interesting facts I did learn were that most of the marble from the Colosseum front, and inside is now located in the Vatican, and any other church around Rome...because the church decided to "recycle" it all, and then another is that when the Roman's built it, they actually made it Earthquake proof...the only reason its now missing a good chunk of the outer wall is because in the "Dark Ages" when the Colosseum was abandoned the people took the metal out of the columns and walls and used it for weapons and all that...so now it's not as earthquake proof as it once was. This de-proofing of the building is also why there are holes all around the Colosseum in the walls and all that, because thats how they took the metal out (and I think recently possibly put some back in). Something else, there are four tiers of seats in the Colosseum, the first was for the rich men of Rome, second common men, third slaves and servants, and fourth and highest was for the women. Now the fact that the women were on top is not because of the fact that they were women (well it kinda was) and that they were "lower" then slaves, no it was because everyone wanted to separate the men and the women since games could last all day...people would eat and drink...and drink...and drink...while watching. So the designers decided it was probably best to separate the men drinking from the women. Smart I think.

After that tour we walked over to the Palatine Hill entrance to grab our next tour. Palatine hill is where the rest of the Roman (main) ruins are located, and it is also the hill where the emperors of Rome built their homes/palaces. It was also where in myth Romulus and Remus were found and raised. Hence it is the Hill that Rome began on. It is another place where a guide of some sort is necessary because again nothing is labeled and you really don't know where you are standing unless someone tells you or you did some research. What's left on the hill is the remnants of the Palace of Domecian (I think I have that right). There are some remnants of what was Caesar Augustus's living quarters (his was just a normal house, not a palace) as well and also a place where they think the two babies were brought up, but the main focus is the palace and small museum. Again there is not really that much left, but what is there is pretty cool. The view out over the city is quite nice, esp the view out over the Roman Forum which is nestled at the bottom of the hill right at the front of the palace (nice location for a governmental building I thought). Something else that is quite oddly at the top of Palatine Hill, is one of the houses of Mussolini (now used as basically a storage unit for marble statues found in the area). I guess he wanted to live where the previous rulers lived, so Palatine Hill.

As I stated as well, the Roman Forum is located at the bottom of the hill and it (I think) is more amazing then the rest, what with the white columns and ruins everywhere you can actually see how there was a town there once, the streets are still lined in stone...covered in grass...and the fronts of a few buildings still stand. Columns protrude from random areas showing where other buildings once stood and overlooking it all are some of the most beautiful buildings left in Rome.

The rest of that day was left wandering around Rome and then later meeting up with our friend Judith who was studying in Rome at the time.

Next day we went to the Vatican. Our tour guide from Palatine Hill had told us that she was doing a tour of the Vatican the next day, so we had decided to go with her, and so the next morning the three of us, plus a guy from the hostel...hopped the subway up to the Vatican for a 9:30 tour. No you do not need your passports to get across any boarders...anyone can enter...but security is quite crazy (although not as crazy as Parliament in London). There was so much within the Vatican that its very difficult to actually write about it. Let's just say that it is one of those places (just like the Louvre) that you could spend days wandering around in. For me the highlight of the whole trip was of course the Sistine Chapel, famous for its ceiling frescoes. It is also a place where you are not allowed to take pictures, not because it will ruin the frescoes or because the Vatican says no, but because the recent restoration was paid for by a Japanese company and they do not want people taking pictures, so that they can sell their postcards, and books, and posters etc. That is the reason why I have a few pictures. If the Vatican was the ones who owned it, or if it would ruin the ceilings...then I would not have taken the pictures. It was pretty remarkable though. I have never seen a place like it before.

After the Vatican (lets just say that it was about a 4-5 hour tour) we were quite hungry...so after asking around a bit someone told us that the best Roman pizza was close by at a place called Alice's. And they were right. For one thing, you paid by the 100mg...so everything was quite cheap. Another thing, instead of having tables and a sit down feeling, they had mats that you could put down on their steps and sit on. They also had a wide variety of pizzas, my favorite being just the classic prosciutto and cheese, but the potato and cheese and some cream sauce one was quite good as well.

After the Vatican we also visited Trevi Fountain where we found a place to relax and just breathed for a bit.

That night six of us, Lauren, Maria, and I...and then Jeremie, Jordan and John (yea all J's) who were the guys we met at the hostel went out for a view of the city at night. It was one of the best nights I have ever had, and Rome is a city that is (almost) as good at night as it is during the day...for one thing the place empties out pretty well, most of the sites are not populated by people everywhere and so you can actually just walk...and not have to worry. I also ended up running into two guys from Illinois (my school) who were studying in England and who I had met on the University of Illinois London Weekend trip.

The next morning Maria and I got up and got ready to head to Florence (Firenze)... Lauren and her friends would be heading our direction a day later. We went to the station and booked train tickets...and then ended up going back to the hostel to drop our backpacks off because we really didn't want to sit around the train station for two hours. Of course when we went back we hadn't eaten lunch or anything so I was all...lets grab some sandwiches for the road...and in the process of doing that...we missed our train. Yep... so...after scurrying around trying to find out where we were supposed to go to get a new ticket...we finally got onto the next train...faster, nicer, more expensive sadly...and took the train to Firenze (arriving ironically at about the same time as our previous train)

HELP!

So I know this isn't the next instalment of ellens european adventure, but I decided to write something about what is going on here in York. Well its (supposed to be) spring, which means that there are baby water fowl everywhere along with the signs saying "Don't desturb nesting birds". I have to admit though that it is pretty cool to walk to class and see a nesting swan. Currently I am biding my time to start the reading that I have to do for tomorrow. Since I only have my english class (Modern Irish Poetry) once a week for two hours I feel that I should really actually prepare for that class. My other class (Historical Perspectives) is a class that the reading technically doesn't have to be done until thursday, when I have my discussion, but there are questions involved so I kinda am tempted to start it as well now.

Well this week starts classes and its looking like my schedule shouldnt be that bad. I have three hours of class on mondays one hour on tuesdays none on wednesdays and then one hour on thursdays.

Upcoming trips that are still in the planning stages include Ireland (specifically Dublin) with some friends, and then there is another trip to London that is also in the works currently (yes Paige the one with you!). I also am trying to plan a trip to Germany to see a few friends as well. So, so far thats whats coming up. Erasmus is all planned out so I have to start putting their dates in my date book as well. This semester is going to be a good one. I hope.

Well since I still need to finish A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and read a bunch of poems from Yeats I will bid you all ado and promise that my next post will be on Italy and the insanity that followed.

Well, I am back...

Yes, I have finally made it back to York after one of the craziest trips of my life. You of course have already heard of my time in Spain, but you have not heard of the other places I have been...and there is a lot to tell. So lets just jump in.

Amsterdam.

Well I guess it really doesn't begin in Amsterdam, but in England, because I had to meet Maria in London, so I packed up, grabbed a bus to the train station and got on a train heading to London. There I found her at the British Museum. After wandering around there for a while we headed to the Spitifield Market, next to the Liverpool St Station where we needed to catch our train to the FERRY(!) we were going to take across the channel. The Market was really neat and is destined to be visited again.

But back to the good stuff...after waiting a good long time we boarded a nice little (bumpy) train to the ferry. After about a half an hour train we were at the ferry. Now I don't think I have seen two adults act so much like little kids as Maria and I were acting. ( I mean I know some adults who are basically big kids...but we were sooo excited!) It was soo cool!!! I mean it felt and looked like a HUGE cruise boat, but it was just a ferry. Our room was sooo nice! There was a full bathroom and enough room in the whole thing for both of us comfortably to move around, and it was nicely lighted and decorated and the beds were SOOO COMFORTABLE!!!! If I could have I would have taken that duvet with me. But I did not have any room.

We had decided to travel at night, hence saving us a day, and the pain of trying to find a hostel in London, or book another night in Amsterdam. So, Maria and I enjoyed our stay on the boat and went to bed. Of course we forgot about the fact that when you go to Europe...you lose another hour, so even though we set our alarms for 6:00...we really didn't wake up until the captain called over the loudspeaker that it was 7:00 and that we would be landing shortly. Ooops.

To get to Amsterdam we had to take a train via Rotterdam. Once in Amsterdam we had to figure out where we lived. Of course I forgot to look up where our Hostel was, and so did Maria, so after much searching on maps and on the internet at the information center we asked someone. Of course it ended up that I had picked a hostel outside of the true center of Amsterdam and so we had a half hour tram ride. On the plus side...free breakfast and internet. Another odd plus was we got towels two of the three nights we were there. Also our roommates were all some really nice people.

Now Amsterdam itself is a very interesting city known for the things that are legal there and not everywhere (for the most part) else. If you do not know what these things are...well ok.

We of course went there not for those things, but for the history and the buildings. Amsterdam as a city is a very interesting place. Full of canals and trams and dams and kerks and bikes. LOTS and LOTS of Bikes. To get around we decided to purchase hop on hop off canal boat tour passes. These lasted for two days and were really nice, but sadly we didn't really use them to their full potential. We went to the Rijksmuseum on one day...and after going through it went to get lunch at a nice outdoor cafe. After sitting down...it rained on us...then the rain got a little stronger, and all of a sudden it wasn't rain anymore...but hail...which grew in size until it was the size of a raspberry. We of course could go nowhere...so we stayed put. Me sheltering my camera, purse, and in a way Maria while Katherine hid under her umbrella. We were told later that that is the usual weather pattern...sun, rain, hail, sun, hail, rain...etc etc...crazy.

The next day we were in Amsterdam it was just Maria and I, Katherine had moved on to meet her family in London. We were set to meet up with a friend from York though Maartin. In the morning we decided to use our boat bus tickets for one more final lap around the canals and then set out to meet Maartin at the Dam (center of town). Once he caught up with us we all went to lunch and had a pleasant conversation about something Maria had eaten (ended up possibly being horse.....still not quite sure) and just life in general. Afterward we got coffee and headed back toward the Dam. Once there we decided to take a tour of the Royal Palace...which Maartin told us had not been open to the public in a while and which was one of the coolest places I have ever been. I recommend looking at my pictures of that place. My favorite room was the main entry hall...because on the floor were three maps...one was of Europe and Asia and Africa...one was of the stars, and the third was the "new world" meaning north and south america. That night was our last night in Amsterdam. The next morning I woke up really early and hopped the 600 tram back into the city to catch the train out to the airport to fly to Madrid where my parents were arriving the next day.

This should catch everything up to the post before this. I will write more later about my trip from Spain to the beautiful country of Italy.

Yes I know its skipping a few places...but now is better then never.

MADRID!!!!

Hello from Spain. It is currently my last day here...with my parents. I am hoping to come back at some point because it is better then it ever could be here. I have spent this past week with my parents...well since the 3rd, I got into Madrid on the 2nd after visiting the great city of Amsterdam. But this is not going to be about Amsterdam...this is going to be about spain...and the fun with my parents...also this comes not just from me, but from them as well...well my mom since she is sitting next to me, and my brother who just walked away from us so maybe not so much from him.

We are currently sitting in the lobby of a hotel located supposedly close to the Madrid airport...but we passed the airport on our way here, so I am not so sure its the closest...oh well it works since tomorrow I am flying to Rome at a really bad time (7:40...meaning i have to get up at 5:00 AM) and my parents have to fly home back to good ol´ Chicago as well.

BUT here is what we have been up to.

As I stated already I got into Spain a day before them, and because my dad is such a nice person, checked into a nice hotel only a short walk away from basically the center of Madrid. Since I hadn´t really eaten anything at all since that morning in the airport in amsterdam my first goal, after taking a REAL shower (more about the shower situation in Amsterdam later), I decided to get some food. Now the dilemma was...should I brave the city with my really poor spanish, or should I just order room service and laze about. I decided to go for a walk and see what I could find. SOO an Ice Cream sandwhich in Parque de Buen Retiro worked for lunch. After sitting under a tree for a few (ten) minutes watching some guys playing football (european football...not american) and a really cute little girl blow bubbles into her unlucky brothers face, I went back down the hill in search of el Museo del Sofia Reina (if my spelling/naming of places is wrong...deal with it...i am in a hotel lobby, not at my desk with the paraphanalia from the trip around me) in the hopes to waste some more daylight. Now this musem was a little confusing...because once you walked into the square in the middle, only one door from it actually let me back out, or should i say back in, to the museum...but once i figured it out I actaully saw some good art. There were of course a good amount of modern art, since the museum is a modern art museum, but I saw some Dali originals and that made me really excited...my camera had died though, so i didnt have any way to take pictures of them. THere was also a really good short silent film that I watched that made me laugh and that I am going to try to search for (probably with no luck) once I am back in York.

Dinner (sadly) consisted of a cheeseburgar and small fries from Mc Donalds...I know I am dissapointed in myself as well. The rest of the night I ended up watching american movies and tvshows dubbed in spanish...if you thought it was hard to follow the Gilmore Girls banter in English...its ten times worse in Spanish...but as good.

The next morning I was awaken by the sound of my room telephone and the voice I heard was MY DAD!!!! They had arrived. Now...when I had arrived I had tried to switch my room to a double...meaning TWO BEDS...but the place was completely full so that was not possible...so my room (which was about the size...maybe smaller...then my room back in York...which is basically the size of my brothers room back home) had to soon fit four people (mom, me, dad, mike) plus about five persons worth of luggage (no one travels light) in it. Lets just say I went to breakfast. My dad fell asleep right away (check out wasnt till noon and it was only 8) my mom tried...but soon joined me at breakfast...my brother just didnt bother...until later when we were actually going to try to see something. SOO after some napping...and some reading...and some repacking...we all checked out of my tiny room and hopped a cab to our REAL hotel. Which was a basically luxury hotel complete with huge ceilings and a perfect view of a more historical Madrid. My brother and I got one room and my parents took another. Lets just say that my brother and I got the better end of the straw with the good view. My parents looked out on a wall. Umm...the rest of the day was taken up by unpacking and then heading out into the city. We decided that our first conquest should be the Palacio del Reyes where we stood in line for about a half an hour and got rained on for about the last ten minutes. BUT it was worth it. The palace was really really nice. It was filled with rich rooms and huge chandeliers...some of which would not fit in a normal size room. There was gold, and silver, and brocade, and fine jewels, and jade, and a good amount of ceramic work...some of which was on the walls and ceilings.

After the palace though we decided we needed food and drink and so found an ok restaurant by our hotel.

Quick side note...my brother doesnt really experiment with food...meaning that anything that was not cheese, ham, bread, or a burger, was out of the question. So hunting for dinner was very difficult for most of the trip...that is until we got to Seville. More on that later

In Madrid we also hit the Museo del Prado (BIIG ART MUSEUM:::which ended up being free) and the Catedral (which we actually kinda of went to for about five minutes on Easter sunday). We walked by the Opera a good amount and even went to the Plaza del Sol and Plaza Mayor on a few occasions...Mayor was one of our frequent stops for food...and Chocolate con Churros. This dish...was basically hot chocolate (and when I say hot chocolate I do not mean the drink...but what happens when you melt a candy bar in a pot...and add a little bit of milk) and churros...which if you have never tasted before are basically fried dough. Of course it was not just one churro per person, no when you ordered they took into consideration that there were four people...and so gave you about ten peoples worth of churros. It was delicious.

Other things that happened with my parents were that I did not have to pay for much, meaning DAY TRIPS!!!!
First one, Toledo.
Toledo is a little town about a half hour train ride from Madrid located in a very hilly area. It is an oooold town that really hasnt changed much in the time it has been around. Of course the main attraction (the Alcazar) was closed, but we still did see the Catedral there and also a Monestary and a lot of really interesting small alleys. Something that was in excess was paintings by El Greco. If you do not know who he is...ask my brother, I think he now has become the expert.
Second day trip was Segovia.
This town is again very small and very old. The main attractions are the Roman Aquaduct...which has been standing for about 2000 years...without mortar...the Catedral, which is HUGE! and another Alcazar...which looked like a true Castle...picture fairy tale castle with not so many towers and brown. Of course this castle had been burned down...at some point but the replica in its place did have original work in it and still had original ceilings and walls in a good amount of the area...so it was realllllly worth it. We also climbed up its tower...all 152 steps of it and saw the whole valley and the mountains beyond and the storks and the hawks and it was just magnificent. My camera again died at the wrong moment.

After these road trips and Madrid my parents and I said goodbye to the wonderful center of Spain and headed South. Here it was increadably WARM!!!! All of us got to Seville and the first thing on entering our hotel (that is after going up and down through tunnels and courtyards to get to our rooms) was all of us changed into shorts. Yes I wore shorts for FOUR DAYS!!! IN APRIL!!! Lets just say it felt good to shed the jeans and get some sun.

Our hotel was a very interesting place. It was located in the Old Jewesh Corner of the city, where all of the old cool stuff is, and was made up of four different buildings, all of which were crawling in flowers and vines and tunnels (the easiest way to get between the buildings) and stairs and it was just perfect. I got pictures of some of the areas, so look for those(also look for my brothers tour of the tunnels...lets just say its pretty good). Our building had something to do with Music, and we did hear music from the building behind ours. We had a two rooms again, my brother and I in one, and my parents in another. There was a nice littler veranda between the two which we soon took over (I kinda felt bad for the other guests we shared it with...we used it more then them for sure). In Seville we took our nice time seeing the sites doing a bus tour the day we got in, and then a walking tour and the Alcazar the next day. I am ALWAYS doing walking tours from now on. Having a live guide is so much better then listening through headphones. In Seville we also vistited the Catedral, one of the three largest in Europe and the Plaza del Torros (bull ring). No we did not see an actual bull fight...but there was one the night before we left. Of course the Real Madrid Barcelona game was top priority for us. (YEAY BARCELONA!!!) Most of our trip in Seville was centered around really good food (lucky us the restaurant across the street was top notch) and relaxation, giving us time to visit with each other, play some cards, and get a slight sunburn.

Well that basically wraps up our nice little trip. As we sit here my mom is already starting to get emotional about leaving tomorrow. I am just dreading getting up so early to get to Rome...but hey its better then flying in at 9 PM. I am also about to hit a slightly thinner budget...yep...no more splurges on room service buckets of ice, and well places with roomservice. Time to go back to Hostels and cheap food.

Thats it for now,
Signing off from Madrid again, its the WHOLE GUIRL FAMILY, not just Ellen.
The main part of this group will be back in Rockford Monday night, of course I will be continuing my eurpoean excursion and will try to actually get something up about Amsterdam at some point...oh and my London trip as well as my mom has just reminded me.

Cheers.

Alrighty. It's Spring Break

Oh it is finally here! SPRING BREAK! I have turned my paper in, and so now I can laze around and do nothing. Or can I?

Anyway I know that I said I would get a post up about my grand weekend in London with the whole UK UofI gang, but at the same time I really dont feel like going that deep into my memory and fishing around for a while. Right now my brain deserves a break. So today's blog entry will be about life in general I think. Just catch you up on life in York.

Its Grand

Ok next topic.

Haha just kidding here are some more details:

Life in York is something completely unique. Since the city is so old every day (well every time you go down to City Center) feels completely amazing. I mean being able to wander around and run into streets as wide as a steam tunnel (University of Illinois Reference) or a bike lane (another one) with little shops selling everything from fudge, to scottish knit sweaters (I am still contemplating one...) to old touristy things or chic clothing or books or pasties or cheese or whatever is something that I am still getting used to. There are also the buildings that have been around since the Tudor reign and then the newer places as well...tucked in right next to them. Its fantastic. The mix of old and new is just perfect. But anyway City center is a place I go to get things if needed, like most recently new clothes...my style is not in fashion with what people wear here...lol. So a few new purchases were necessary. Other things that I get in city center are just the everyday things you need to survive (not food though...that i get at dining halls and grocers).

Anyway York itself is just too nice to give up. I know that by the end of the time I am here I will not want to leave.

Other fun facts about life here. Well the weather has warmed up. I am in search of a true spring jacket...because the one I have right now is actually too wintry for spring here (its also not quite waterproof) so yea flowers are blooming (crocuses and snow drops) and daffodils are pushing up more and more randomly around campus.

We have had really good weather recently as well...like a little rain, but mainly sun. Its been really nice.

Ok since this is getting not that great (my brain is shut down right now...so everything is coming out in like blurbs) I am going to post this and tell you I will write again soon...since I am on break from now till the beginning of May.

I think I need to catch everyone up...

Alright...since its been about three weeks since I went to Paris, I think its time to make another post about it. Also maybe one about London (not this past weekend but the weekend before that). I mean what else do I have to do right now...other then laundry...i think i just went four weeks...not sure how. I also have a paper due this week...so I have been hanging at the library for a few hours each day...going back later today, once laundry is done. Other then these two things I really need to catch up on this blog...because at the end of this week I will be done with term one here and so will be getting ready to head to EUROPE for a big tour. Hopefully I will see everything I want to see. But we will see.

Right. Paris.

Well Kristin and I flew out on Friday morning after taking the 830 train to Leeds (830 train means waking up around 650 to get to the bus by 720 so we can get to the train station with time to spare). We had booked seats on a Jet2 flight to Charles De Gaul. The plane itself was not what I was expecting...it was a real airplane. I guess when I hear cheap flight I think ooold plane looks like it's about to fall apart with uncomfortable seats etc...but the flight was fine. I had the window seat with a younger couple sitting next to me. I tried to read the whole way, but definitely fell asleep for a little bit. It was weird though looking down and seeing FRANCE!!!! I was soo excited. When we landed there was a full rainbow right next to the runway which was neat and as we towed into the terminal I even saw the Concord which they have mounted in a way between the terminals. But anyway so we got from the airport to the city and then from one metro stop we caught another metro to where we were going to be staying. The hostel was called ABsolute Paris, and it was really interesting. On the outside it looked like the rest of the surrounding buildings, but once inside it was completely different. The rooms had very unique wall paper and there was a huge stairway winding its way up to all of the six or seven floors. The kitchen was in the basement which was very cellar like. All in all it was an interesting place. We were supposed to meet up with two of Kristin's friends, but sadly both of them ended up not being able to get flights, after their flights were cancelled. So instead of having a room to just us we shared it with one other person, who was a very nice girl from Brazil.

After dropping stuff of Kristin and I decided to go for a walk and basically wandered our way down through Paris over to Norte Dame and then around the island it is located on. We got ice cream from this little shop that Kristin's mother had recommended and just wandered around eating ice cream and exploring the little shops and alley ways that wound their way around. After a while we headed back towards the hostel trying to figure out what we were going to do for dinner and what we wanted to do that night. Kristin had a connection in Paris and we wanted to try to get together with him. So in the end we got a call from Valentin and met up with him and a friend for dinner. Then drinks with a few more of his friends. It ended up being a really fun night and Valentin agreed to meet up with us the next day to help us around Paris.

The next morning Kristin and I went back to Notre Dame to look around inside, and we also went to Sainte Chapelle which is the most beautiful place I have ever been. After these two churches we went to a cafe got some cafe and a water and then met Valentin. All three of us then wandered toward Champs-Elysees where the Arc de Triomphe is located. As we walked we also passed through the gardens surrounding the Lovre. After seeing the Arc de Triomphe (and almost getting hit by a car....hey its not my fault that its in the middle of a street) we went towards the Eiffel Tower and walked around it. We were thinking of climbing the stairs and looking around, but the line was really long and you had to pay for it as well. And who really wants to pay to climb stairs. So after wandering around the gardens surrounding this monument as well, we went in search of food. But of course all of the bakeries were closed, so we finally stumbled upon a crepe place called Crepe King, and it was delicious. I had a crepe with ham, cheese, and egg in it. I am not sure if I will be able to eat crepes with peanut butter and chocolate again...this was too good. Once we were all filled up we went to the Lovre, because none of us had really gone before and found out that THE LOVRE IS FREE TO STUDENTS IF YOU CAN PROVE YOU ARE A STUDENT! Twenty minutes into the Italian Renaissance exhibit though a voice came over the loudspeaker stating that all visitors should start heading towards their closest exits it was closing... so we saw the Mona Lisa....and left. After that we went in search of the best hot chocolate in the world...but ended up in the wrong place. So instead we found a pub and just hung out for while. Dinner was served up by Valentin and his friend Nicolas at Nicolas' flat.

The next morning we had decided to play it by the weather, and since it was rainy and windy we decided to go to the Musee d'orsay which is located in an old railway station. We wandered around looking at the art for a few hours at least and then decided to try to find the worlds best hot chocolate again. This time we were successful...and it was soo worth it. The place is called Angelina's and you will never taste true hot chocolate till you have this. It's the best. After Kristin and I had our chocolate fill we hopped a metro to the catacombs. Before going in though we bought sanwhiches at a bakery and went in search for Valentin and his friends Nicolas and Thomas in line. They had said that they would meet us to go to the catacombs and lucky for us they were about fifteen people from the front of the line, so we got into line with them and headed into the catacombs.

Now. The catacombs of Paris are not for the faint of heart...or the clausterphobic. They are located under the city within some of the shortest tunnels you have ever seen (well in some places). After you go through some winding tunnels of just rock on all sides you finally get to where the famous part begins...now this is where it gets creepy. For from floor to ceiling its bones...all lined up with skulls making funny patterns between them. Yes they are all real bones, no they are not labeled who they are any more...so for all you know you are touching some famous person's bone, or skull. There are supposedly some down there...but they are not labeled at all.

This was probably where I had the most fun, because instead of really thinking hard about where we were and all that, we just had fun, goofing off, and taking random pictures. It was a fun final thing for my trip.

After these we went for a cafe and then I headed back to the hostel to grab my bag and head out. I finally made it back to the terminal after taking a train to a train...then that train to a bus...then the bus to the airport. Once I was through security and finally at the gates...I relaxed. Finally time to board...and then plane away from Paris and back to Leeds. There I had to grab a taxi with two other people to get to the train station to catch the second to last train out of Leeds to York.

This was my trip to Paris...I want to go back, because there is so much more I could see and do and because it is a city unlike anything I have ever seen.

Now...I need to go back to working on the paper, because I got my laundry done and I told myself that I was just going to write this while doing laundry. Oh...and its raining outside...its a true English Day.

Paris...oh Paris.

So. There is too much to say about Paris, so right now I am still absorbing it all and trying to wrap my mind around the idea that I WAS IN PARIS THIS LAST WEEKEND! It is a weird concept to think about really, that I flew from one country to another for a weekend. In the states this is really unheard of...I mean you will travel to another state, but not another country.

And along with this idea, it was soo cheap! I mean i flew for only around 140 pounds, which is nothing really. Prices there were a little steep, but for two nights at the hostel we stayed at it was only 48 euro, and i only had to pay to get into three of the attractions we went to... Sainte-Chapelle Musee d'Orsay, and the Catacombs. Otherwise I got in free at Notre Dame, the Louvre, we didnt go up the Eiffel Tower, or Arc de Triomphe, and everything else we really just walked around and saw.

Paris was amazing though. Each day made me not want to leave, what with how nice the weather we had, or even just how nice the city is, and how light it is. In england you have the very medieval dark gothic atmosphere with dark stone and red brick and just dark greens and everything. In Paris everything was white stone or yellow stone, and everything was tall and narrow and just elegantly simple. The city was really beautiful. Even the metro stations were not that dirty or anything. A bunch of them had themes or even some type of decoration on them.

Anyway...I promise to do a day by day account as well...I just wanted to get this out there first. Like I said I am still a little stunned that I just jumped countries for a weekend. I mean I knew that was possible, but I guess I never thought that I would be doing that.

The rest of Cardiff

Considering I have not finished my Cardiff weekend I will now continue:

Sunday morning found the three of us not quite getting out of bed as quickly as we should have...oddly enough I was the first one out of bed. After a quick shower I went down to breakfast soon joined by Maria and Katherine. Instead of the orange marmalade I used apricot...and it brought back memories! During breakfast we discussed what to do, and could not decide if we wanted to go to the Cathedral (a good thirty minute bus ride we thought) or just go to the National Museum (A brisk walk past the castle). Maria and I decided that, well, since we had the Minster in York, no Cathedral would look better then that, but Katherine wanted to go, so at Millennium Stadium we parted ways, she going to catch a bus, we to walk to the museum. On our way though we stopped in a store that we were planning on going to the other day, but neither of us had cash and not enough merchandise for credit. So we went in there and got our little dohickys that we wanted to get and then mosyed in the direction of the museum.

Of course since I was leading the way without a map, we found out we were going the wrong way when Katherine called saying that the bus wasnt coming and she was heading our way. So once she arrived she got us going in the right direction and we headed off.

The Museum was really nice on the outside, but was under construction (they were adding exhibit areas and galleries) so there really wasnt that much on the inside. But they had a really interesting exhibit about evolution with fossils and ooold rocks and replica's of different dinos and oooold mammals etc.... They also had an exhibit where they had artifacts and bones from the various tribes and empires and human races that have lived in Great Britain and that was really neat because for the most part it was all real, no replicas. One really neat thing was a pile of coins, mostly from the roman era and looking at how intricate they were and well preserved. They also had a bunch of jewelry and weapons and tools and crockery etc. Some of it looking like more modern, but it was still really old.

The final part of the museum we went through was the art gallery they had. It was fascinating how many paintings they owned. Some Picasso's there were a good amount of landscapes and a whole gallery full of portraits. I have to believe that my favorite was a landscape portrait done on the lid of a harpsichord. Since harpsichords were more angular there was a whole corner added later when it was removed from the instrument itself and so if you look closely at the painting you can see where the corner was connected to the original. Of course this added piece was still painted by the original artist, so that there was no mistakes or difference in brush strokes or colors between the two making the painting look like it had been that way the whole time.

After the museum we knew that we needed to head back toward The River House so that we could grab out bags and head to the train station so we began looking for a place that we could possibly eat lunch. We ended up at this little pub, that looked like it was not so banged up due to the night before and trundled inside. It was quite a nice pub...we were the youngest people in the joint (well the bartender might have been our age) since it was oh only about one, but we got a nice table right under a tv with a football game on and settled in. I ordered Chili, because i had seem a good amount of places advertising it, Katherine got the sunday roast, and Maria ( i want to say) got either a chicken dish, or a burger..... The chili was pretty good (don't worry mom yours is still the best) and it was the perfect dish to warm me up before a long ride back to York.

When we grabbed our bags we said goodbye to the staff at The River House, traded information with a few of the other travelers, and headed off. Honestly it was a little bittersweet because that place had been so nice and comfortable and amazing. We left really nice comments in the guest book.

I had looked up all the information for our trains home so I knew the time of each one and it was easier to figure out which track and all that. Before we boarded though we each purchased something for the ride...as either a snack, or as dinner, because we didnt know how much time we really would have between the two. So I grabbed a small bag of mixed nuts (unsalted of course) and a bag of dried mango, I think Maria got nuts as well, and Katherine got some biscuits, and we were planning on just sharing everything.

WAIT!!! Back up to the beginning of the day before we headed out I forgot somehting...so here it is. When we went to check out Mum (the lady who cleaned up after us and was always it seemed bustling around the kitchen) had told me about a open air market that happened down the street from the hostel. So before we headed off we went through it, and oh it reminded me so much of the Urbana market that I almost started dancing...there were stalls with vegies, there were jewelry stalls (although it didnt look like anything i would have wanted) there was a butcher there and i think a fishmonger, and then there were like three stalls with baked goods. I purchased a bag of cheese scones so that we would have them on the way home, and Maria got a pack of Welsh cakes. Both of us were tempted to stop and get some spices from a spice stall and then also a salad stall had some interesting looking salads (like potato salads etc.). This market made me love Cardiff just a little bit more, because wherever I end up living HAS to have an open air farmers market, I just love them soo much!

So we had the scones and welsh cakes too if we got hungry, although those never got opened. The train ride home was actually really nice. Our first train was from Cardiff to Manchester, and it was quite empty so we ended up getting two seats to each of us and a table...we were very happy to have a table. So I read, Maria fell asleep (except when I woke her up to see sheep) and Katherine read as well. The train from Manchester to York was quite busy BUT after some switching of seats Maria and I ended up at a table with an elder couple, who were quite odd it seemed...i couldnt tell if they were speaking english half the time, or welsh, or another language, and then Katherine ended down the isle from us as well. We all got home safely though, grabbing a taxi at the train station to get us back safely, and because we were quite tired by this point.

Well that is the final day of Cardiff...sorry there really hasnt been that much going on in my life, but I hope you enjoy these gigantic posts.

I am leaving you all with the recipe for a "baked good" that I have grown to love called a flapjack. http://www.flapjackrecipe.com/

I think i might try to start leaving recipes here or something at the end so that you get to try a bit of the culture back at home...we shall see if i remember this every time.

anyway...more to come later.

Saturday arrived sunny and...well sunny and clear...which was not what I was expecting. SO we all got up, got showers (some warmer then others) and went down to breakfast...where we were greeted by a lady who went by Mum. She was soo nice bustling around the kitchen making sure everyone got what they wanted and more, and cleaning all of our dishes afterward. I had toast with orange marmalade, a little chocolate croissant , a small bowl of frosted flakes with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, in it, and a cup of tea. Maria and I had finished at the same time, so we grabbed shoes and coats and headed outside. Katherine was still getting ready, but she agreed to meet us over by the castle and Maria and I were off. Instead of going straight to the castle though, we headed into Bute Park which was located right next door. Here we found the quietest, prettiest, little park I have ever seen. The trees were huge and it was quite muddy, but there were ruins in it and a nice little garden thing, and we could see that daffodils had already started to push up through the ground. It was really pretty and a good way to start the day.

Katherine finally caught up and we headed to the castle. Here we purchased tickets for the "exclusive" tour. We walked into the castle and just wandered around for a little bit. The first thing that seemed weird though was that there were three really big guns sitting on the lawn and men in uniform wandering around. We just thought that this may be something normal and went up for our tour. The inside of the castle is really interesting. It was built in the 1800's so it is old...but not as old. The rooms are exquisite though...so detailed and beautiful. The tour we paid for even gave us access to rooms that people do not normally see...which was really cool. Since my camera didn't work (the battery was dead) I did not get any pictures of this castle...but my friends did...so I will try to get them from them.

After the tour it was close to noon and there was something going on on the lawn. We found out that the reason there were guards and guns was that Queen Elizabeth took control of the country on that day...she wasn't crowned...but it was the day she became the one with the power. SO in remembrance of that there was a great parade thing. There was a marching band in the red uniforms(they played some old marching songs and anthems and all that...they also played the Indiana Jones theme...odd)...and then some important people with guards and then they shot the guns off. And these guns were loud. They shot of a good amount of rounds as well..more then six, but i don't remember how many exactly. It was really lucky though that we had gone on that saturday and saw that though.

Well after the castle we decided to head towards the bay, but of course got sidetracked by our stomaches and then also the really neat victorian arcades that Cardiff has. These are basically small alleyways with shops everywhere that are normally covered and so give you the feel of street shopping, but without getting rained or pooped on. Down one of these arcades we went and found ourselves stopped in front of the cutest little shop ever. It was a cheese shop, with a cafe and fresh bread as well. Oh we decided to eat lunch there. After about fifteen minutes we actually got a table and each of us started going over the menu. I ended up getting a chicken and mushroom pie with salad and bread, Maria got a stake pie with salad and bread, and Katherine got a lamb stew and bread and cheese. I have not eaten anything as good as that...the bread was fresh, the salad was great, and the pie was delish! I recommend this little place, although i do not remember what it was called. Well after that we started our walk toward the bay.

We had been told that it was only a 20 minute walk, but i think that was if we had taken a different route, it took us about thirty to forty minutes to finally see water. But once we got there, it was realllly cool. This is where I am going to sidetrack for a moment and explain some things that have happend recently

I have become slightly obsessed with the BBC television show Dr Who. For those of you who know the show...the more recent Doctors, not the older ones...for those who do not know the show...shame, shame on you...just joking.

Now this show was one of the reasons we went to Cardiff. Many episodes of both Dr. Who, and its side show Torchwood are filmed here, plus they have a small exhibit showing off costumes and props from the most recent series. So walking into the Bay area was like walking onto set, because there were the monuments, the shops, and the walkways that are seen within the episodes, all that was missing was a Blue Police Box. The bay though is not just famous for these shows, no it is also a really modern up and coming place to go. With a really nice boardwalk, shops, restaurants, different museums and exhibits and many Multi-Purpose Buildings (along with the national assembly). The rest of our afternoon was spent wandering around the bay, through a small museum about the bay area, and then trying to find the Dr Who exhibit...which was cool, but not as cool as it could have been. We were all expecting costumes and props from all of the different doctors, instead it was mainly focused on the final series that has happened. So there were people/creatures that I did not recognize, and some that I did.

After the bay we decided to take a bus back towards the River House, trying to make it back in time for Free Soup...we made it, and had a nice cup of soup and some bread for dinner, before trying to plan the next day. There was a rugby match on, Wales versus England and it was a big deal, so we thought we would try to find a pub, but of course after soup the game had already ended, with England winning, so the pubs were emptying out. But we had a good night and went back and went to bed.

Well that was Saturday. It was a good day, we got to talk with some of the other people staying at the hostel, one group were american students studying in London, a group of Irish men, either studying or working, or we never really figured out why they were in Cardiff, a group from Germany, touring on holiday, and then one guy from Alaska, who was touring Ireland and England after just recently graduating. Those were the people we talked to, but there were also people from somewhere in Asia, Australia, and I think Italy staying in the hostel as well.

So.. I went to Cardiff this past weekend.

And it was awesome! Well most of it was.

Friday (February 5) morning I woke up and finished packing up all of those things that I would need/possibly need/just wanted to bring. All of these things I was able to just fit into the backpack I had brought with me...and when I say just fit...i mean just fit. After that I lounged around (checked the weather...and then packed my umbrella) and then at noon I gathered up my stuff and headed to Katherine's for a lunch of pasta before we headed out. Our train was at 2:30 out of York and so we caught a bus and headed over. Once at the station we asked to find out where our train was going to be (platform wise) and then went and sat around at Platform 4. Now York station I have to say is one of the coolest looking stations ever...it looks old if you look at the details, but at the same time it has a very modern feeling to it as well. I like it. Well anyway so after waiting around at the station our train finally came in and we boarded...with a good amount of other people so we ended up not being able to find seats (seems a theme with me). Of course since we were not really thinking when we booked tickets we didn't reserve seats so we had to figure out that whole "these are reserved...these are not" thing and ended up just standing around in the luggage/bathroom/doors/people who did not reserve seats area for the first lag of our journey. Now this was not that bad...except that Maria was falling asleep standing up and I had to try to read Midnight's Children standing. After a few stops (as in like 6) Maria and Katherine were able to actually get seats...I tried, but didnt notice that the seat was actually reserved so got kicked out by a kind business man. So, back to standing room only where there was a little niche that was supposed to be used for bikes...but there were no bikes there...so it became my seat. I just chucked my stuff in the corner of it and sat down and read...it worked...it wasnt the most comfortable thing in the world...but it worked and it was better then standing and i was in no one's way. Now our first lag was from York to Birmingham where we caught another train. This train we also didn't luck out and get seats. It again was standing room only...but we did end up standing in the First class area where we could see seats open...but having economy class tickets we were not allowed in there. So we stood around the bathroom again...eating the biscuits that Katherine has brought with her and drinking the water I purchased for the trip.

Quick side note for those family members reading this: One of the stops between Birmingham and Bristol (our next transfer) is CHELTINGHAM! (ok that might be spelled wrong) so I got really excited when we went through.

Anyway so finally we got to Bristol...but there were two different stops for Bristol...so another nice business man looked up on his phone to see if the first stop would have a train for us to get to Cardiff...and there was so we got off and then went to find another info desk to find out where we were supposed to go next platform wise...when we got to the platform we had like five minutes and then a very small train pulled up...and I mean it wasnt small...it just seemed not so nice/large as the other ones. The good thing...WE GOT SEATS!!! since it was close to seven o clock by now there weren't really that many people going to Swansea (which was where the train was going...Cardiff was a stop). So we all sat down and I started reading some more. Maria was finally able to fall asleep and Katherine read as well...The train wasnt really all that packed...as it was Maria was actually sitting in a reserved seat...but the girl it was reserved for was sitting in a seat two rows ahead because there was a table there...so she said that Maria could have the seat.

So...final lag of the train (about 45 minutes) and we got to Cardiff. Now Cardiff for those of you who do not know where this is...is in Wales. It is the capital of Wales. At night it kinda looks a little scary. BUT we unloaded and headed in the direction of where the Hostel we were staying at was. About 10 minutes later...past Milennium Stadium and then over the river and then down a nice little picturesque street we were standing in front of The River House. Once we got into the building the reception guy Charlie gave us a tour and then gave us keys. Our room was a four person "public" room...so we ended up sharing it with one other girl (who we later learned was from Germany) but we were able to lock the door and we each were given lockers and locks to keep out stuff in...if we wanted. We all did of course. The bedroom was two sets of bunk beds and We had two bottoms and one top. I had a bottom with the other girl (german girl) having the top. We unpacked our stuff and since we hadn't eaten anything yet went back downstairs to see where Charlie would recommend for food. We ended up going to a pub called The Prince of Wales...which was one really large sports bar that was built within what used to be a theatre I believe. It was an interesting place and we all enjoyed our food. After that we wandered down to the castle to see it at night and then went back home to plan out the next day and for me to read a little more.

We all slept that night pretty well. The whole journey there had worn us all out and even though the beds were not the most comfortable of beds...they were still good enough to just fall asleep in. (Plus by then I had figured out the heat and gotten the room to a not freezing temperature...and we had DOWN pillows (well they felt like that type) so the bed itself was made that much better).

Well I am going to leave it there...because I like keeping you all in suspense...and i need to eat something so I am going to go get lunch and will post more later!

This one is for you Kelley (although you might not be reading this)

So I have decided to do a complete blog on the various birds that I have seen around my campus. Now these birds are mainly various water fowl including ducks, geese, swans, seagulls, some little black bird with a white head that looks similar to a kiwi...but with a short beak, and then of course pigeons (which aren't really water fowl...but they do drink water and smell fowl).

Well lets start with what I see everyday...out my kitchen (and now bedroom) window:

Two (sometimes four) Ducks... Normally Mallards in their nice little pairs, male and female. These are also the type of bird that has not found my window...I think they like me.

Two (sometimes just one) Geese...these do not show up every day like the ducks...they come occasionally and if they do not get fed they leave. The type that we have on campus (and that come see us) are Greylag Geese.

Two black swans...who make this funny noise...and I am a little afraid of. Because they have such long necks they can almost get to the crack in the window where we drop food out of and so I am a little afraid to feed them...or go near them...I guess after looking them up on a few different pages that they must be Mute Swans but they are black...with pinkish beaks instead and they do make a noise. These show up occasionally as well, although they have been more frequent than the geese.

Then the mystery bird. These are all over the campus but I cannot really seem to find out what they are...oh wait...there they are...they are Coots. The funny things about these are their feet. They are bigger then their own head. Which I think makes them look really peculiar.

There are other forms of ducks...I think this website has a pretty good selection...but i haven't seen all of these... http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdidentifier/form.asp#

I think my favorite bird on campus though are these: ok well they are either Bar-headed Geese or Barnacle geese...I have only seen them from afar and they look really pretty (yes Kelley I think they are pretty) so yea. Hopefully I will get some pictures myself and then post them on here...someway...haven't figured that out yet.

OH yea then there are the seagulls that fly around and screech their heads off and the pigeons that you have to watch out for...because there are a few overhangs that they can perch on...and poop from.

I have heard some really pretty sounding song birds, and seen some crows...but that is all with the normal birds.

Anyway this is all the wildlife I have seen...water fowl. I know its kinda pathetic, I thought that I would have seen a fox by now...and maybe heard an owl. But no luck.

Well I'm off to bed. Hope you enjoyed this. Will publish more about my daily life at another time.

so...its been another week.

This past week I started class...which went alright. Monday we had a lecture that was just an overview of what we would be learning in this module (thats what they call class here) and then some basic stuff about Postcolonial lit and how it works with other lit etc. etc. etc. I have to admit that this was one of the best lectures I have ever sat through though, not because the guy giving the lecture had a really cool british accent...but because he really knew his stuff. He was able to really explain everything and at the same time come off his notes and give examples or pronunciations or spellings or just more general knowledge to us. Sadly, he did get interrupted by the fact that we had to leave...so we never really finished the lecture, but still the fact that I came out of a 9:15 lecture really happy and really feeling like I got something was really nice.

I then didn't have class till 1:15 that same day. This lecture of course didn't pick up where he left off...it wasn't even the same person. Instead it was over the library and how to work the online stuff...boring!...but helpful...kinda. Anyway the library system here is not as extensive as at U of I where every department has their own library and then there is the Undergrad and the Main Stacks as well, no instead it is all in one building...but their online resources trump U of I's by tenfold. I have to admit that the library is really nice. They don't have a cafe right inside or next to it, which makes me really sad...but the places to work are really nice and big and quiet, and the stacks are really easy to get through...and they have something called Key Texts which is really nice because then certain books you know are always going to be there for you to check out for four hour periods of time. I have used this already with an assignment that i had to do (see later in this blog) and also have used the library as a place to study a few times...one thing that I keep forgetting is how cold it gets. It gets REALLY cold in there. I am always wearing like a t-shirt and then a sweater...or yesterday i wore a long sleeve shirt and a tank top and still froze. It's not cool. (well I guess it is cool...but you get the idea).

Ok, off the library and onto class again. My next class period wasn't till Thursday, but my tutor (TA) had assigned everyone groups and presentation topics on our first book (Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys) and so I had to meet with my group and work on that. Our topic was the historical context...and i was stumped...but it worked out. When I met with the other two girls I was assigned to work with they both had done some pretty extensive research, where I had only found one article...so I had my work cut out for me...but I did get my own topic to work off of, Jean Rhys and her history. They both did historical context of the book. It turned out to be a really good presentation (really chill and not that much pressure) because we covered all ground. I think my tutor was impressed with it. But that was done thursday at 4:15-6:15 in the afternoon. Having class that late is really weird...I mean i am kind of used to it (orchestra...) but not when it comes to a "real" class. It turned out nice though and we did get to go through a good amount.

I didn't have a movie screening this week...so I do not know how that works...but I do have those every other week at like 3:15 till whenever the movie is over. It's really interesting having all of these times for one class. Also I have a ton of reading...its not just one text per week...but then the tutor can add texts on to our reading that she wants us to do for maybe a tutorial (go to her office and discuss stuff) or for seminar, or both. So I have another novel to read for tomorrow (I am half way right now) and then four big packets of poetry and essays and then some poetry in an anthology of caribbean poetry (that is in the mail and should arrive tuesday via amazon.com)

Classes here are at first glance similar to those at home...but honestly the reading load is a lot larger. I also had to think of my first essay topic for this week...they do not hand out general topics that you have to specify or choose from... you decide what you want, and then thats what you get...so we shall see if she likes my topic...i think i can write a good paper on it (only 2500 words)

So there is a general look at class structure and how much I have to do...I have spent a few nights out with friends, but at the same time I spent those days at the library. SO it evens out.

This weekend I planned a trip to Cardiff...hung out with friends, watched a football game(soccer) and then a rugby game (all of this was on tv) and then got a student rail card and wandered the Minster today...oh and dinner/coffee/fun-ness with Katherine, Maria, Claudia, and Lena.

If I didn't say enough or you have questions you can reach me at email address...or facebook...or snail mail. Ask mom for address (unless you are a U of I friend...then ask me).

To those who read this...I am sorry.

Yes, I will be a week behind if I let this slide before tomorrow. Of course tomorrow I start school...and I already have homework...as in a presentation for thursday so I really do have to get the book I am reading done at some time...hence the fact that there is no update yet. Here is a brief overview of what I have been doing.

Tuesday: General Visiting Students Orientation. Then later English Visiting Students Orientation. Then downtown for a night with Erasmus at The Louther. Much fun, met new people, had a blast, barely caught the bus home.

Wednesday: Orientation for History Visiting Students. That was it.

Thursday: read, hung out, watched Bones. Went to McQ's which is a pub next to my College(dorm) and saw local college life at its best. Very chill, Maria and Katherine and I had a good time.

Friday: oh friday...epic day. Went to the Grocery store, got a good amount of food (I thought...lots of veggies and fruits and some chicken...) then went back and got ready for a Pub Crawl with Erasmus society. Went to four different places. It was a blast.

Saturday: Woke up at noon and then went shopping at two with Claudia. Shopped at a few stores, got two cute dresses and a pair of leggings...still looking for new boots and a few other items. Then went to the Courtyard for its first birthday. Danced till about midnight then went home...talked to parents, grandparents, joy, and lauren...oh and Alex. Bed.

Today: LAUNDRY!!! forgot to wash one pair of jeans...bummer. Then read. Dinner with Katherine (I cooked chicken...lots of chicken...and i didnt burn it!) then hang with Lea (from California) Maria, and Katherine in Katherines kitchen meeting her flatmates and all that. Then back to my room to read.

There. I am caught up. More to come...now back to reading.

First of many Manic Mondays!

Alright it really wasn't manic, actually far from it. Katherine and I decided that today we were going to try to figure out classes. I knew that I had to run by the english department at some point to pick up a packet of information and she knew that she needed to run by the philosophy department. Also we had been told that there was going to be an International Student Welcome thing. So we headed out into the cold in search of these places. First we went to Langwith where the english department is and I got my packet and also my timetable for my course. Yes course. Singular, not plural. This term I will be taking only one class, Literature in English. Thats it. Its worth one whole term's amount of credits, so that is all they will let me take. Honestly I am looking forward to this, one class monday tuesday and then thursday. Its set up differently though.

I have three different types of class setups. I have lecture, then seminar, then tutorial/movie screening. So in all my schedule actually sounds like this:

Monday lecture from 9:15 to 10:15 then again at 1:15 to 2:15.

Tuesday I have lecture again from 9:15 to 10:15.

Then wednesday I have nothing assigned.

Thursday I have seminar from 4:15 to 6:15

and then every odd friday I will have a movie screening.

tutorials are set up at my tutor's (at u of i they would be either TA's or instructors) discretion.

So this term (ten weeks) I will just be doing that. Not so bad I think.

After we went to the english department we went to the philosophy department and Katherine figured out that she was currently not enrolled in any philosophy classes. I also found us free planners. Hey they were sitting on the table with a sign saying to take them, so now we have York versions of the iBook, or basically a weekly planner with anything date-wise or information-wise in them. After that we went back to Langwith where the International Welcome thing was being held. This was a big stroke of luck, because at first I felt like we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I felt like I was a freshman again trying to hang out with the big orientation leaders or something, everyone seemed to know everyone already, but in the end there were a few who were new as well. The group is called Erasmus and you will hear a lot about them later because they are my new group of friends.

But back to the meeting, well Katherine and I sat down and started to chat with a few of the people there. I talked to a girl from Germany named Claudia about school and what I was studying and everything and she told me that she was actually working not studying in York. We also learned about this Treasure hunt they were going to put on later in the City Center and because Katherine and I needed to still pick up some basic food essentials we said that we would come back later for the treasure hunt.

I honestly didn't really want to go back, I wanted to instead go back to my room and curl up and watch a movie or read or do something solitary...but Katherine thought it sounded like fun and so I decided to go as well.

We went to the grocery store and I picked up lunchmeat, some grapes, diet coke, milk, greek yogurt, and a microwavable rice thing. I thought that this would last me a couple of days, and it has...sorta. We then both went back to our dorms so that we could put the stuff away and then meet up to go back to Langwith.

Skipping to the treasure hunt...when Katherine and I got back to the Erasmus welcome room there was a slightly larger group. We sat down next to a girl named Maria from Cornell University and began chatting with her. A few minutes later three other girls joined us. These three are from Norway and they are Siv, Marie, and Suzanne. This was our group for the treasure hunt. Our goal was to answer all the questions as we went around a already mapped route through the city center. We would not have a guide, or anyone to help us. It was just up to us. So everyone headed down via bus (sadly these buses are not free) and we started off.

We had two hours to do the whole thing, but it ended up only taking us about an hour and ten minutes. We worked well as a team, with Katherine and I's prior knowledge of the city, and the Fantastic Norwegians energy to win we knew we had it in the bag. The quest started us off of Parliament square and ended us at the minster, but we didn't just go straight there. No we went through the shambles, over the bridge a few times, to Clifford's Tower and also the Kings Manor. Now we finished the whole thing after the first group...but their guide to their starting position also went with then through the whole thing, while we told Chris (our guide) to leave so we wouldn't cheat. After turning in our answers we set off for dinner at a pub Suzanne had noticed on our way back to the Minster. It was called The Hole in the Wall and was quite cozy. They had a good menu and good tea. They also had a fireplace! Which was the reason Suzanne noticed it in the first place. We all chatted and ate and passed paper around to get phone numbers and facebook names so that we could stay connected and all that. After we ate we headed back to meet everyone else so that we could catch the bus...but of course they had left. So we called the guy in charge and he walked back to get us...nice guy and all that. We found out then that we were also the winners of the contest by one point. I now have a large box of shortbread sitting on my shelf waiting for a chance for all of us to get together to eat them.

When we got back to campus the Norwegians had to leave, but the rest of us, after dropping stuff at rooms, went to a campus pub called The Courtyard. There we sat and talked until it looked like they were cleaning up. After that, back to dorms to sleep.

Because of Erasmus I have now met and become friends with some really interesting and fun people. I have found a niche and I am glad that I have.