Saturday, June 30, 2012
And Kelly's Off
Just a quick post on the status of miss Kelly. We got Kelly to the airport this morning just fine. She is all checked in and through passport control already and her flight leave in about an hour and twenty minutes. Her bag was way overweight, so instead of paying $150 for overage fees, we bought a €10 bag at the airport and checked a second bag for just $70. All is well now and money saved yay! I hope he has a great flight and I especially hope she had a great time traveling (though I know she'll be happy to see home, the cats and dogs, her fam, and Dave). Back to traveling on my own for a bit now. Cheers.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Brussels
You know the drill by know. It was a travel day! This morning we packed up our things yet again and headed to the Amsterdam Centraal station to catch our train to Brussels, Belgium. The train ride was thankfully direct and very uneventful. I watched a movie and took a nap and then we were in Brussels!
Our hotel was literally across from the entrance to the train station do it was super easy to walk over and check in. We spent a little time relaxing in the room before heading out to explore the town.
We walked down the streets in search of food first, and ended up having minestrone soul at an Italian place. After our late lunch we went to the Belgian beer museum to check it out. There wasn't much there but it was inexpensive and a free beer was included so it all worked out!
After the museum we walked around for a bit looking for, you guessed it again, charms and shot glasses! No charm found today, but shot glass success. We didn't walk around too long, but saw some of the city before heading back to the hotel to drop some stuff off.
The hotel stop was short lived as we decided to find some chocolates and the famous statue of the peeing boy. We tried to find the chocolate shop Christine told us about, but the map just took us to a park, so we continued on. We eventually found the statue and a good chocolate shop and then went back to the hotel once more before dinner.
I treated Kelly to a last night in Europe meal at a local Brasserie type place that ended up being quite good. After dinner we went to check out the somewhat famous Delirium Cafe, which holds the world record for serving the most number of beer varieties at 2,004 (measured in 2004 ironically). We hung out there for a while before heading back to the hotel for Kelly to pack, and then headed to get some Belgian waffles! Now we're just watching a super duper lame MTV movie in bed before going to sleep! Sorry for the dry boring post, I'm super tired :)
Our hotel was literally across from the entrance to the train station do it was super easy to walk over and check in. We spent a little time relaxing in the room before heading out to explore the town.
We walked down the streets in search of food first, and ended up having minestrone soul at an Italian place. After our late lunch we went to the Belgian beer museum to check it out. There wasn't much there but it was inexpensive and a free beer was included so it all worked out!
After the museum we walked around for a bit looking for, you guessed it again, charms and shot glasses! No charm found today, but shot glass success. We didn't walk around too long, but saw some of the city before heading back to the hotel to drop some stuff off.
The hotel stop was short lived as we decided to find some chocolates and the famous statue of the peeing boy. We tried to find the chocolate shop Christine told us about, but the map just took us to a park, so we continued on. We eventually found the statue and a good chocolate shop and then went back to the hotel once more before dinner.
I treated Kelly to a last night in Europe meal at a local Brasserie type place that ended up being quite good. After dinner we went to check out the somewhat famous Delirium Cafe, which holds the world record for serving the most number of beer varieties at 2,004 (measured in 2004 ironically). We hung out there for a while before heading back to the hotel for Kelly to pack, and then headed to get some Belgian waffles! Now we're just watching a super duper lame MTV movie in bed before going to sleep! Sorry for the dry boring post, I'm super tired :)
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| The main square |
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| Manneken Pis |
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| In Delerium |
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| Delerium Bar |
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| Kelly and her Belgian waffle |
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| Me and my Belgian waffle |
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| Both of our waffles! |
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Canals and Pancakes
This morning Kelly and I slept in, which meant instead of waking up to an alarm around 9 or 9:30, I woke up at 10 miserably sweaty. It is so hot here right now and our room is convinced it should be even hotter.
Around noon we ventured to find a delicious Dutch pancake. I googled places to get them, and Kelly didn't want to walk too far so we chose the one that was nearest to our hostel called the Pancake Factory. I had a ham and cheese pancake and it was quite delicious and extremely filling.
After our yummy pancake adventure we walked around the touristy souvenir area so Kelly could get a shirt. We also went to a super cool cheese shop that had samples of everything. It was basically amazing in every way. I was not strong enough to not buy a small round of cheese.
After our quick shoppig break we took a Grey Line canal tour. The tour was nice, though the boat was a bit hot. We got some nice views from the boat and learned a bit more about the history and construction of Amsterdam.
After the tour we took a little break at the hostel for a few hours before heading out to the Anne Frank House! I think that was probably one of the most interesting things we did here. The history is quite amazing and the museum has been very well done. I am now very inspired to read the book made from her diary. I don't know how I've never read it before. It's so cool to see the secret annex in person and at the same time do hard to imagine eight people hiding out there for two years.
After seeing the Anne Frank house we had a delicious dinner at a tapas restaurant (Kelly's first time having tapas!) and then headed back to the hostel, where we've been hanging out since. It's very hot. I feel very sweaty. I can't wait for the lovely AC we will have tomorrow night in our fabulous hotel! Time for sleep, we have an early train. Night!
Around noon we ventured to find a delicious Dutch pancake. I googled places to get them, and Kelly didn't want to walk too far so we chose the one that was nearest to our hostel called the Pancake Factory. I had a ham and cheese pancake and it was quite delicious and extremely filling.
After our yummy pancake adventure we walked around the touristy souvenir area so Kelly could get a shirt. We also went to a super cool cheese shop that had samples of everything. It was basically amazing in every way. I was not strong enough to not buy a small round of cheese.
After our quick shoppig break we took a Grey Line canal tour. The tour was nice, though the boat was a bit hot. We got some nice views from the boat and learned a bit more about the history and construction of Amsterdam.
After the tour we took a little break at the hostel for a few hours before heading out to the Anne Frank House! I think that was probably one of the most interesting things we did here. The history is quite amazing and the museum has been very well done. I am now very inspired to read the book made from her diary. I don't know how I've never read it before. It's so cool to see the secret annex in person and at the same time do hard to imagine eight people hiding out there for two years.
After seeing the Anne Frank house we had a delicious dinner at a tapas restaurant (Kelly's first time having tapas!) and then headed back to the hostel, where we've been hanging out since. It's very hot. I feel very sweaty. I can't wait for the lovely AC we will have tomorrow night in our fabulous hotel! Time for sleep, we have an early train. Night!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
I AMsterdam
This morning was finally my first day ever to explore the city of Amsterdam. Somehow it has not yet made any of my previous European itineraries, even though I have always wanted to come here, but I've finally gotten my chance to see it!
I woke up earlier than my alarm because I was pretty hot, which sucked but at least I woke up naturally I guess. I woke up Kelly (much to her dismay) and we got ready to go on another free walking tour! I don't think that's Kelly's first choice of activity, but I think it's the best way to get an idea of a city you have never been to and know very little about.
So we ventured out into the city, first stopping to get Kelly a coffee, and met up with the Sandeman's New Amsterdam tour. Our tour guide was a Swede named David and he was pretty cool. He actually lived in the bay area for about six years, so we chatted a bit about that and about our recent midsommar experiences. So, we saw a bunch of cool places in the city, including the famous red light district, which was nothing like I anticipated. The girls are all shapes and sizes (and I do mean ALL) and are wearing nothing but a thong and bra in most cases. It is quite interesting. Only a few were in their window doorways during the day, but our tour guide told us to go back and explore at night. There is also a Huge church in the middle of the district and is the oldest church in Amsterdam. It apparently was able to be built so big in the past thanks to sailors indulgences for their sins after drinking and taking full advantage of the plethora of prostitutes in the area.
We saw a lot of other cool things in the city and heard some neat stories. Molly, you would love/hate this one street. It was the old Jewish area that had been devastated in the 1940's due partly to the war, and partly to a particularly harsh winter that caused residents to use anything they could to keep warm, including doors, stairs, wood beams, etc. The area stayed in dismay for years, until the 1960's when architecture students redesigned the street. Now you can imagine how lovely this sixties architecture is. Bright colors, cubism, and general ugliness is what occurred, but it leaves kind of an interesting story at least (you have to find some good in it somewhere right?).
After the tour we joined a few people and our guide at a local bar to hang out for a bit (and to find a useable restroom and some wifi!). Sitting after walking for a few hours was quite amazing so we stayed for a while just relaxing. We eventually got up and ventured back towards the main part of the city to find a charm for Kelly.
Once again charm hunting was no easy task. We couldn't find a jewelry store, and the first one we did find had nothing. We eventually gave up and started walking back to the hostel when I saw a small store that looked like it had charms! Kelly had almost walked right by it, but we had finally found a shop that sold good 14k gold charms that symbolized the city and country we were in. It's amazing how difficult those are to find! Once he was happy with a pretty tulip, we headed back to the hostel for some down time.
Around 7pm we met up with my friend Rachel who is from the general Amsterdam area. I met her through synchro years ago and hadn't seen her since her and her twin sister Esme were in NYC a few years back when I loved there. The three of us went to a cool area of Amsterdam where locals hang out and hung out for a while before she had to get home. It was great to catch up! She suggested we got to an Italian place for dinner near-ish to our hostel and she dropped is off there.
The restaurant was really good, though my portion was quite small. I would still eat there again for sure. I had a stack of tomato, eggplant, mozzarella, and basil (warm ad meaty of course) and it was super yummy. We were so happy to finally have dinner that everything seemed extra awesome as well!
After dinner we went back to the hostel to hang out in the lobby for a bit. On the way back we took a detour back through the red light district. It was definitely Mee interesting at night! There were a ton of girls (a lot of windows with the curtains drawn as well), and actual red lights showing they were open for business. It was quite an experience to see them hitting on men and to see how it all really was.
We eventually got back to the hostel and started watching the Spain-Portugal game and checking email and such. Kelly had a headache so we decided to call it an early night. I finished watching the game, which of course went to overtime and penalty kicks, and then joined her back in the room. We are now going to go to bed ad tomorrow is a no alarm day! Sleep in is definitely necessary, I just hope I dot wake up sweating again! The party is still sounding like it's in our room, but my earplugs are great! Night!
I woke up earlier than my alarm because I was pretty hot, which sucked but at least I woke up naturally I guess. I woke up Kelly (much to her dismay) and we got ready to go on another free walking tour! I don't think that's Kelly's first choice of activity, but I think it's the best way to get an idea of a city you have never been to and know very little about.
So we ventured out into the city, first stopping to get Kelly a coffee, and met up with the Sandeman's New Amsterdam tour. Our tour guide was a Swede named David and he was pretty cool. He actually lived in the bay area for about six years, so we chatted a bit about that and about our recent midsommar experiences. So, we saw a bunch of cool places in the city, including the famous red light district, which was nothing like I anticipated. The girls are all shapes and sizes (and I do mean ALL) and are wearing nothing but a thong and bra in most cases. It is quite interesting. Only a few were in their window doorways during the day, but our tour guide told us to go back and explore at night. There is also a Huge church in the middle of the district and is the oldest church in Amsterdam. It apparently was able to be built so big in the past thanks to sailors indulgences for their sins after drinking and taking full advantage of the plethora of prostitutes in the area.
We saw a lot of other cool things in the city and heard some neat stories. Molly, you would love/hate this one street. It was the old Jewish area that had been devastated in the 1940's due partly to the war, and partly to a particularly harsh winter that caused residents to use anything they could to keep warm, including doors, stairs, wood beams, etc. The area stayed in dismay for years, until the 1960's when architecture students redesigned the street. Now you can imagine how lovely this sixties architecture is. Bright colors, cubism, and general ugliness is what occurred, but it leaves kind of an interesting story at least (you have to find some good in it somewhere right?).
After the tour we joined a few people and our guide at a local bar to hang out for a bit (and to find a useable restroom and some wifi!). Sitting after walking for a few hours was quite amazing so we stayed for a while just relaxing. We eventually got up and ventured back towards the main part of the city to find a charm for Kelly.
Once again charm hunting was no easy task. We couldn't find a jewelry store, and the first one we did find had nothing. We eventually gave up and started walking back to the hostel when I saw a small store that looked like it had charms! Kelly had almost walked right by it, but we had finally found a shop that sold good 14k gold charms that symbolized the city and country we were in. It's amazing how difficult those are to find! Once he was happy with a pretty tulip, we headed back to the hostel for some down time.
Around 7pm we met up with my friend Rachel who is from the general Amsterdam area. I met her through synchro years ago and hadn't seen her since her and her twin sister Esme were in NYC a few years back when I loved there. The three of us went to a cool area of Amsterdam where locals hang out and hung out for a while before she had to get home. It was great to catch up! She suggested we got to an Italian place for dinner near-ish to our hostel and she dropped is off there.
The restaurant was really good, though my portion was quite small. I would still eat there again for sure. I had a stack of tomato, eggplant, mozzarella, and basil (warm ad meaty of course) and it was super yummy. We were so happy to finally have dinner that everything seemed extra awesome as well!
After dinner we went back to the hostel to hang out in the lobby for a bit. On the way back we took a detour back through the red light district. It was definitely Mee interesting at night! There were a ton of girls (a lot of windows with the curtains drawn as well), and actual red lights showing they were open for business. It was quite an experience to see them hitting on men and to see how it all really was.
We eventually got back to the hostel and started watching the Spain-Portugal game and checking email and such. Kelly had a headache so we decided to call it an early night. I finished watching the game, which of course went to overtime and penalty kicks, and then joined her back in the room. We are now going to go to bed ad tomorrow is a no alarm day! Sleep in is definitely necessary, I just hope I dot wake up sweating again! The party is still sounding like it's in our room, but my earplugs are great! Night!
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| A beautiful canal in Amsterdam |
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| The small version of the famous sign (we never saw the big one) |
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| The skinniest house in Amsterdam |
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Onwards to Amsterdam
This morning we had to check out of our hostel in Hamburg by 10, so we got our things together yet again, left them in the luggage room, and went out to kill some time in Hamburg.
It wasn't rainy, but it was still gloomy and we really didn't feel like doing all that much. We had breakfast at Starbucks where my lungs were assaulted by constant tobacco smoke as usual (eww) so we eventually moved to the far edge of the dining area. After eating we window shopped a bit in he huge mall, which was utterly un-exciting. We eventually walked out to the river/lake and looked at the duck, swans, and baby swans! Apparently the old saying is that Hamburg will be free and prosperous as long as there are swans on the Alster [river]. The town is in no danger right now!
After wildlife time we went I the Apple Store, because who can walk by an Apple Store anywhere and not go in!? We then went next door to have tea, how exciting.
After our time killing adventures we collected our things and went to the station. Three trains later we have arrived in Amsterdam! Our hostel seems fun, but unfortunately our room is basically right on the bar and it is like the party is in here! Hopefully I will get some sleep. We had a good dinner at a nearby Argentinian restaurant and ventured into a souvenir shop this evening. Everything in the shop either has marijuana, boobs, or a penis on it or somehow involved in the item (there are also a few clog, tulip, and windmill items but they are definitely the minority). This should be an interesting city!
For now it's off to bed so we can see the city tomorrow! Hopefully we'll actually get rest and not spend the day as zombies!
It wasn't rainy, but it was still gloomy and we really didn't feel like doing all that much. We had breakfast at Starbucks where my lungs were assaulted by constant tobacco smoke as usual (eww) so we eventually moved to the far edge of the dining area. After eating we window shopped a bit in he huge mall, which was utterly un-exciting. We eventually walked out to the river/lake and looked at the duck, swans, and baby swans! Apparently the old saying is that Hamburg will be free and prosperous as long as there are swans on the Alster [river]. The town is in no danger right now!
After wildlife time we went I the Apple Store, because who can walk by an Apple Store anywhere and not go in!? We then went next door to have tea, how exciting.
After our time killing adventures we collected our things and went to the station. Three trains later we have arrived in Amsterdam! Our hostel seems fun, but unfortunately our room is basically right on the bar and it is like the party is in here! Hopefully I will get some sleep. We had a good dinner at a nearby Argentinian restaurant and ventured into a souvenir shop this evening. Everything in the shop either has marijuana, boobs, or a penis on it or somehow involved in the item (there are also a few clog, tulip, and windmill items but they are definitely the minority). This should be an interesting city!
For now it's off to bed so we can see the city tomorrow! Hopefully we'll actually get rest and not spend the day as zombies!
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| Swans on the Alster |
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| Tea time! |
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| Yumm, Oolong |
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| The Hauptbanhof in Hamburg |
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| Flying Pig Hostel in Amsterdam |
Monday, June 25, 2012
Hamburg
First of all, no, I did not eat a hamburger today :)
Today was really our only full day in Hamburg, and Kelly's only full day in Germany. It feels kind of nice to be back in Germany since I have been trying to say "danke" to everyone since I arrived in Scotland on the 14th. I have spent way more time in Germany on this trip than I ever anticipated, but I am actually really glad. I have picked up more German words than I ever thought I would, and German food is really good. the only downside right now is the rain. Ugh so much rain. And to top it all off I left my rain coat in London, so I just have to deal with getting wet. Luckily the coat is already en route back to California thanks to the people at the hostel there.
Anyways, back to Hamburg! This morning Kelly and I took a free walking tour of the city. When I got up it didn't look like rain and my (not-so-)trusty iPhone weather app said no rain until 4pm! Perfect, I thought. So we headed out to the city hall area to begin the Sandemann's New Hamburg free tour. Of course it started raining about 10 minutes into the 3.5 hour tour, but we dealt with it. We saw many of the important sites in Hamburg from the city hall to St. Peter's church that has been left in ruins from WWII bombs as a memorial against war and violence. I think that was my favorite thing we saw today. I have been thinking about how the German cities should have left some things as they looked after the war to show the destruction that was caused, but this is the first place I have actually seen it. We stopped for a long lunch in the middle of the tour to escape the then pouring rain, and by the time we were done we miraculously had dry weather, and continued the tour much more happily.
After the tour ended Kelly and I walked around a bit before heading to her first German biergarten! We hung out there for a bit before heading back towards the hauptbanhoff to pick up Kelly's train ticket for tomorrow. Little did we know this would be a huge ordeal, so we went back to the hostel for a minute first. One we looked at the train reservations she had printed out we headed out to get her a charm and them went back to the train station where we waited forever to get her ticket printed out, but at least we have it now.
After the train ticket fun we got cheap pizza bread things for dinner and headed back to the hostel to relax since we are still erects beat for some reason. I think the dreary weather tends to make us extra tired! So, tomorrow we have a few hours to finish exploring Hamburg before we embark on a quite long journey to Amsterdam!
Today was really our only full day in Hamburg, and Kelly's only full day in Germany. It feels kind of nice to be back in Germany since I have been trying to say "danke" to everyone since I arrived in Scotland on the 14th. I have spent way more time in Germany on this trip than I ever anticipated, but I am actually really glad. I have picked up more German words than I ever thought I would, and German food is really good. the only downside right now is the rain. Ugh so much rain. And to top it all off I left my rain coat in London, so I just have to deal with getting wet. Luckily the coat is already en route back to California thanks to the people at the hostel there.
Anyways, back to Hamburg! This morning Kelly and I took a free walking tour of the city. When I got up it didn't look like rain and my (not-so-)trusty iPhone weather app said no rain until 4pm! Perfect, I thought. So we headed out to the city hall area to begin the Sandemann's New Hamburg free tour. Of course it started raining about 10 minutes into the 3.5 hour tour, but we dealt with it. We saw many of the important sites in Hamburg from the city hall to St. Peter's church that has been left in ruins from WWII bombs as a memorial against war and violence. I think that was my favorite thing we saw today. I have been thinking about how the German cities should have left some things as they looked after the war to show the destruction that was caused, but this is the first place I have actually seen it. We stopped for a long lunch in the middle of the tour to escape the then pouring rain, and by the time we were done we miraculously had dry weather, and continued the tour much more happily.
After the tour ended Kelly and I walked around a bit before heading to her first German biergarten! We hung out there for a bit before heading back towards the hauptbanhoff to pick up Kelly's train ticket for tomorrow. Little did we know this would be a huge ordeal, so we went back to the hostel for a minute first. One we looked at the train reservations she had printed out we headed out to get her a charm and them went back to the train station where we waited forever to get her ticket printed out, but at least we have it now.
After the train ticket fun we got cheap pizza bread things for dinner and headed back to the hostel to relax since we are still erects beat for some reason. I think the dreary weather tends to make us extra tired! So, tomorrow we have a few hours to finish exploring Hamburg before we embark on a quite long journey to Amsterdam!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Back to Deutschland
So today was the sad sad day we had to leave the wonderful town of Grundsund and say goodbye to our awesome family. We woke up and had a last breakfast together and then packed up our things yet again.
Bosse drive us down to the Landvetter airport in Gothenburg, and we even successfully avoided the post midsommar traffic! We had a bit of extra time so Bo drove us through Gotheburg city and showed us some things, which was cool. We didn't even get a ticket driving there!! Haha mom...
Anyways we got to the airport with plenty of time and got checked just fine. All of our planes were wonderfully on time and we got through Copenhagen and to Hamburg without any issues! I started reading Kelly's book about psychopaths on the plane and it is really good.
Once we got I Hamburg we took the S-bahn to the hauptbanhof which our hostel is right next to. The hostel is nie and the area seems central. We had a yummy dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant that was playing the Italy-England game (which is still tied at regulation). I'm about to go to bed now because I am utterly beat after such a wonderful weekend in Sweden. Night!
Bosse drive us down to the Landvetter airport in Gothenburg, and we even successfully avoided the post midsommar traffic! We had a bit of extra time so Bo drove us through Gotheburg city and showed us some things, which was cool. We didn't even get a ticket driving there!! Haha mom...
Anyways we got to the airport with plenty of time and got checked just fine. All of our planes were wonderfully on time and we got through Copenhagen and to Hamburg without any issues! I started reading Kelly's book about psychopaths on the plane and it is really good.
Once we got I Hamburg we took the S-bahn to the hauptbanhof which our hostel is right next to. The hostel is nie and the area seems central. We had a yummy dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant that was playing the Italy-England game (which is still tied at regulation). I'm about to go to bed now because I am utterly beat after such a wonderful weekend in Sweden. Night!
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| The Rolander/Johanson home |
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| My favorite, the Uddevalla Bridge |
Saturday, June 23, 2012
A day in Fiskebäckskil and Lysekil
This morning I got up before everyone else and chilled for a bit talking with Bo and Lena. When the others woke up we had breakfast and then took a nice walk through Grunsund, stopping at the grocery store which was fun to explore.
After our walk we left for a very late lunch in Fiskebäckskil. The restaurant was very good and I had delicious Whole Sole with the bones still in. The place was right on the harbor and had an excellent atmosphere.
When we finished eating we walked through Fiskebäckskil to the passenger ferry to Lysekil. Of course and soon as we got on the ferry it started raining. That was unfortunate but it didn't ruin out day. We went to Emilia's family's cafe to escape the rain a bit and figure out a plan.
We ended up getting some umbrellas from the cafe and went to a place where we bought some candy (a questionable decision). We missed the ferry just as we were leaving the candy shop. It was still raining a lot so we went back to the cafe again where I met Emilia's parents and two of her cousins.
It finally stopped raining so we took a lovely stroll through Lysekil and saw the town. We even saw the house of one of the members of Ace of Base!! Clearly that was a highlight of my day. Emilia knows him because he eats at their cafe a lot. Ace of Base was the best.
Anyways... We made it back onto the ferry eventually and got some pizzas in Fiskebäckskil on our way back to Grunsund. Dinner was yummy and we are now doing laundry and watching the second half of the Spain-France match. Spain is up currently at 55 minutes in.
Oh, and I got my favorite cookies that Ikea stopped carrying! Yay and yum!
After our walk we left for a very late lunch in Fiskebäckskil. The restaurant was very good and I had delicious Whole Sole with the bones still in. The place was right on the harbor and had an excellent atmosphere.
When we finished eating we walked through Fiskebäckskil to the passenger ferry to Lysekil. Of course and soon as we got on the ferry it started raining. That was unfortunate but it didn't ruin out day. We went to Emilia's family's cafe to escape the rain a bit and figure out a plan.
We ended up getting some umbrellas from the cafe and went to a place where we bought some candy (a questionable decision). We missed the ferry just as we were leaving the candy shop. It was still raining a lot so we went back to the cafe again where I met Emilia's parents and two of her cousins.
It finally stopped raining so we took a lovely stroll through Lysekil and saw the town. We even saw the house of one of the members of Ace of Base!! Clearly that was a highlight of my day. Emilia knows him because he eats at their cafe a lot. Ace of Base was the best.
Anyways... We made it back onto the ferry eventually and got some pizzas in Fiskebäckskil on our way back to Grunsund. Dinner was yummy and we are now doing laundry and watching the second half of the Spain-France match. Spain is up currently at 55 minutes in.
Oh, and I got my favorite cookies that Ikea stopped carrying! Yay and yum!
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| Best cookies ever (along with Pims) |
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| Fishy in Lysekil |
Midsommar
Yesterday was midsommar here in Sweden and it did not disappoint. We woke up and had breakfast before beginning to prepare for the day of festivities. The morning began by picking flowers and ferns to use for the midsummer pole and the head garlands everyone makes for the occasion. After collecting enough stuff we proceeded to make our flower garlands to wear for lunchtime. I was not terribly talented at making the garland, but it got made!
Lunch was a quite fun experience. Many people from Grundsund brought tables out to a nearby field area and we all ate a delicious midsummer lunch together. This was of course followed by dancing around the pole (no, not THAT kind of dancing), where we were little frogs, musicians, farmers, floor cleaners, rockets, and much more! All of the dances were so entertaining, so luckily I got some video to show people when I get home.
After lunch we took a walk down to the restaurant where the other midsummer pole was and hung out for a bit before heading back home (where I took a short nap). After a bit more getting ready and waking myself up we headed out to Erik's friend's house for dinner.
Dinner was quite fun and very delicious. All of Erik and Emilia's friends we're really nice and friendly, and then there was Carl who was afraid of us. He made himself so intriguing because he kept obviously avoiding Kelly and I because we only spoke English. Instead of being inconspicuous though it made us want to talk to him even more which was quite funny! We spent hours at the dinner party enjoying great people and conversation before heading out to the big midsummer party at Erik's friend's barn.
This party was nuts for being a private party. Greene were tons of people there, a bar, a place to buy hot dogs, a DJ, crazy club type lighting, and much more. It was really fun and we had a great time. The DJ was even wearing a SF Giants hat, which was awesome. We stayed there chatting and dancing late into the night when the light was already coming back (which doesn't say much because it was already really really light out by 3am). Around then I was pretty tired and we headed home where I quickly went to sleep!
I'm so glad I came out here and got to experience the big midsummer festivities! Grundsund is such a wonderful place :)
Lunch was a quite fun experience. Many people from Grundsund brought tables out to a nearby field area and we all ate a delicious midsummer lunch together. This was of course followed by dancing around the pole (no, not THAT kind of dancing), where we were little frogs, musicians, farmers, floor cleaners, rockets, and much more! All of the dances were so entertaining, so luckily I got some video to show people when I get home.
After lunch we took a walk down to the restaurant where the other midsummer pole was and hung out for a bit before heading back home (where I took a short nap). After a bit more getting ready and waking myself up we headed out to Erik's friend's house for dinner.
Dinner was quite fun and very delicious. All of Erik and Emilia's friends we're really nice and friendly, and then there was Carl who was afraid of us. He made himself so intriguing because he kept obviously avoiding Kelly and I because we only spoke English. Instead of being inconspicuous though it made us want to talk to him even more which was quite funny! We spent hours at the dinner party enjoying great people and conversation before heading out to the big midsummer party at Erik's friend's barn.
This party was nuts for being a private party. Greene were tons of people there, a bar, a place to buy hot dogs, a DJ, crazy club type lighting, and much more. It was really fun and we had a great time. The DJ was even wearing a SF Giants hat, which was awesome. We stayed there chatting and dancing late into the night when the light was already coming back (which doesn't say much because it was already really really light out by 3am). Around then I was pretty tired and we headed home where I quickly went to sleep!
I'm so glad I came out here and got to experience the big midsummer festivities! Grundsund is such a wonderful place :)
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| My garland! |
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| Kelly and I at midsommar lunch |
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| The amazing strawberry cakes |
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| View from the dinner party in Grundsund |
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| Around 3am when we were leaving the barn. So light out! |
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
London, Day 2 (and 3)
Yesterday was a fun filled day in London. We began our day by using the two for one deal I had for the Tower of London. Inside we saw old the old medieval palace, the armory museum, and of course the beautiful Crown Jewels. Did I mention they were beautiful? There were also a bunch of people dressed in costume acting out scenes from happenings at the Tower centuries ago which was pretty cool.
After exploring the Tower for a while we went a bit more north and has some lunch at a little pub. I has fish and chips, and besides having the skin on it was fantastic!
After lunch we went to an area that Kelly's friend suggested called Brick Lane that was supposed to gave good vintage shopping. We didn't end up doing much there besides looking at a lot of graffiti, and we walked through the Indian and Middle Eastern section of town to the tube stop. When we got to the stop we took the tube back to the hostel for a quick rest before dinner.
For dinner we met up with one of my friends and went to a really cool and delicious Italian place above soho. They even have basil and rosemary plants at every table so you can add it to your dish! After dinner we went to a small pub for a bit and then went to bed.
This morning we had to get our things together to check out and ten we headed out to Portobello Road. We strolled around for a while and found some things Kelly needed and ten want to a search for a charm. That was very difficult, but she ended up finding something luckily.
After finding the illusive charm we went to see Buckingham Palace, St James' Park, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. Whew! It was kind of rainy, but not too bad!
After our adventure we went back to Soho, grabbed some food for the pane, got our bags, and went to Piccadilly Circus to catch the tube to Heathrow. Once we got to the airport we had some soup and found out our flight had been delayed while we were eating! So now we were supposed to have left a half hour ago and we are waiting to board. Hopefully we will be off to Sweden soon for some midsummer fun!
After exploring the Tower for a while we went a bit more north and has some lunch at a little pub. I has fish and chips, and besides having the skin on it was fantastic!
After lunch we went to an area that Kelly's friend suggested called Brick Lane that was supposed to gave good vintage shopping. We didn't end up doing much there besides looking at a lot of graffiti, and we walked through the Indian and Middle Eastern section of town to the tube stop. When we got to the stop we took the tube back to the hostel for a quick rest before dinner.
For dinner we met up with one of my friends and went to a really cool and delicious Italian place above soho. They even have basil and rosemary plants at every table so you can add it to your dish! After dinner we went to a small pub for a bit and then went to bed.
This morning we had to get our things together to check out and ten we headed out to Portobello Road. We strolled around for a while and found some things Kelly needed and ten want to a search for a charm. That was very difficult, but she ended up finding something luckily.
After finding the illusive charm we went to see Buckingham Palace, St James' Park, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. Whew! It was kind of rainy, but not too bad!
After our adventure we went back to Soho, grabbed some food for the pane, got our bags, and went to Piccadilly Circus to catch the tube to Heathrow. Once we got to the airport we had some soup and found out our flight had been delayed while we were eating! So now we were supposed to have left a half hour ago and we are waiting to board. Hopefully we will be off to Sweden soon for some midsummer fun!
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| Big Ben with the Eye in the background |
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| Tower Bridge as seen from the Tower of London |
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Exploring London, Day 1
Last night after we got to the hostel we unpacked out things and headed to a lovely dim sum dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Ping Pong. We got delicious dishes, and most importantly pork buns! Everything was spectacular right down to the steamed buns filled with dark chocolate for dessert.
After dinner we walked around Soho for a while and ended up settling in at a bar called B@1, where we made friends with the bartenders. We ended up staying and chatting with them for almost two hours after closing (closing was at 11) and had a great time. They had great drinks and great company. When we finally headed home I got ready for bed and quickly fell asleep.
This morning I let Kelly sleep in until noon and I had breakfast at Starbucks (just some fruit). When I finally got Kelly up we headed to get her a new ball for an earring and then went off to Harrods!
Harrods is one of the coolest stores I have ever seen! We started off with a lovely lunch at the Italian restaurant inside. We both got the tortelonni which was amazing. We spent a bit of time eating before heading out to explore the store.
Our first stop was straight to the Pet World, where we got to see baby animals of course! There were two bengals, two yorkies, two chihuahuas, and two bassetoodles (Bassett hound poodle mix). They were so adorable and we watches them forever.
After we pried ourselves away from the puppies we went to the furniture section and looked at things we would decorate our places with if we were totally loaded (and living in London). Whoever has that kind of money is very lucky. We also looked at bedding and bath stuff and electronics along other things. I really love the store, even the escalator is amazing! Te one we mostly took was a whole Egyptian theme and so cool. I got a new iPhone case with Swarovski crystals that I think is really pretty and Kelly got a collar for Sabrina so we can now say we have officially shipped at Harrods!
We eventually decided it was time I move on and left to go to the London Eye! Surprisingly the Eye didn't have a long line at all so we got on fairly quickly and had lovely views of the whole city on a beautiful day (a little cloudy but not too bad at all!). After riding the Eye we took advantage of the free wifi in the area for a bit and then headed to an early dinner at a Japanese noodle place.
We are now back at the hostel since we are both very tired, and plan on doing a little reading before heading to bed early-ish. I'm also watching down of the England-Ukraine football match since Euro2012 is in the last day of the group rounds. Tomorrow I think we will head to the tower and check out some vintage shopping!
After dinner we walked around Soho for a while and ended up settling in at a bar called B@1, where we made friends with the bartenders. We ended up staying and chatting with them for almost two hours after closing (closing was at 11) and had a great time. They had great drinks and great company. When we finally headed home I got ready for bed and quickly fell asleep.
This morning I let Kelly sleep in until noon and I had breakfast at Starbucks (just some fruit). When I finally got Kelly up we headed to get her a new ball for an earring and then went off to Harrods!
Harrods is one of the coolest stores I have ever seen! We started off with a lovely lunch at the Italian restaurant inside. We both got the tortelonni which was amazing. We spent a bit of time eating before heading out to explore the store.
Our first stop was straight to the Pet World, where we got to see baby animals of course! There were two bengals, two yorkies, two chihuahuas, and two bassetoodles (Bassett hound poodle mix). They were so adorable and we watches them forever.
After we pried ourselves away from the puppies we went to the furniture section and looked at things we would decorate our places with if we were totally loaded (and living in London). Whoever has that kind of money is very lucky. We also looked at bedding and bath stuff and electronics along other things. I really love the store, even the escalator is amazing! Te one we mostly took was a whole Egyptian theme and so cool. I got a new iPhone case with Swarovski crystals that I think is really pretty and Kelly got a collar for Sabrina so we can now say we have officially shipped at Harrods!
We eventually decided it was time I move on and left to go to the London Eye! Surprisingly the Eye didn't have a long line at all so we got on fairly quickly and had lovely views of the whole city on a beautiful day (a little cloudy but not too bad at all!). After riding the Eye we took advantage of the free wifi in the area for a bit and then headed to an early dinner at a Japanese noodle place.
We are now back at the hostel since we are both very tired, and plan on doing a little reading before heading to bed early-ish. I'm also watching down of the England-Ukraine football match since Euro2012 is in the last day of the group rounds. Tomorrow I think we will head to the tower and check out some vintage shopping!
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| Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Bridge |
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| The London Eye |
Last day in Glasgow
I wrote this yesterday on the train but didn't get wifi...
Yesterday was out last full day in Glasgow with Christine. The weather started to look up (aka not raining but still pretty cold), so we took the opportunity to do some shopping. Chris and Kelly got a good assortment of things, and I got a pair of shoes. I also was able to explore the Apple Store which meant solid reliable wifi to use Skype for a few minutes with my very emotional mother who is helping me get my new condo together this weekend while in away (thanks mom!).
Anyways, after shopping we strolled through a little place called Sloans Market and stopped for a late lunch that was really more of a snack. We then wandered over to the central train station, stopping along the way to of course shop more.
Once at the train station I found the Virgin Train Center and printed out Kelly and my tickets for today's train to London. Thank goodness I did that yesterday because today we made it on the train with about 3 minutes to spare! After getting the tickets we headed to a champagne bar above the station called Champagne Central. It was a really cool place with good champagnes and prosecco and we had a great time killing time there until our dinner reservation.
Around ten till seven we got up and walked to Jamie's Italian, the Jamie Oliver restaurant in Glasgow. We made that our dinner that grandma was treating us to (thanks Gram!) and it was delicious! I had a pappardelle with Italian sausage and it was so good I wish I had ordered the bigger portion. We also had a few apps: Italian breads, polenta "chips," and risotto balls. Everything was wonderful and ended with a delicious warm brownie. We ended up staying at dinner from 7pm until almost 11pm at which time we took the bus back to Chris's apartment (though maybe I should say flat).
Once back at the flat we watched an episode of SVU, and then Chris and Kelly stayed up a bit longer while I got in bed and finished my book (The Lucky One... Now I can see the movie).
This morning we got our things all packed up before heading out to get some crepes again. We also walked to the main campus of the University of Glasgow and it was quite beautiful. Chris showed us exam hall and the two main quads and since the weather was amazing today it was awesome. So much blue sky and white fluffy non-rain clouds in the sky. It was also warm today yay!
After main uni we had some tea in the botanical gardens an explored some of the green houses, including the carnivorous plants one! It was so cool to see the Venus fly traps (which apparently only grow in the Carolinas who knew) and the pitcher plants an stuff. Definitely a neat place.
After the gardens we got baked potatoes for lunch before grabbing our things an heading to the train station. Like I said before we cut it quite close, but we made it on the train to London!
We are now in London and hopefully we will have a blast!
Yesterday was out last full day in Glasgow with Christine. The weather started to look up (aka not raining but still pretty cold), so we took the opportunity to do some shopping. Chris and Kelly got a good assortment of things, and I got a pair of shoes. I also was able to explore the Apple Store which meant solid reliable wifi to use Skype for a few minutes with my very emotional mother who is helping me get my new condo together this weekend while in away (thanks mom!).
Anyways, after shopping we strolled through a little place called Sloans Market and stopped for a late lunch that was really more of a snack. We then wandered over to the central train station, stopping along the way to of course shop more.
Once at the train station I found the Virgin Train Center and printed out Kelly and my tickets for today's train to London. Thank goodness I did that yesterday because today we made it on the train with about 3 minutes to spare! After getting the tickets we headed to a champagne bar above the station called Champagne Central. It was a really cool place with good champagnes and prosecco and we had a great time killing time there until our dinner reservation.
Around ten till seven we got up and walked to Jamie's Italian, the Jamie Oliver restaurant in Glasgow. We made that our dinner that grandma was treating us to (thanks Gram!) and it was delicious! I had a pappardelle with Italian sausage and it was so good I wish I had ordered the bigger portion. We also had a few apps: Italian breads, polenta "chips," and risotto balls. Everything was wonderful and ended with a delicious warm brownie. We ended up staying at dinner from 7pm until almost 11pm at which time we took the bus back to Chris's apartment (though maybe I should say flat).
Once back at the flat we watched an episode of SVU, and then Chris and Kelly stayed up a bit longer while I got in bed and finished my book (The Lucky One... Now I can see the movie).
This morning we got our things all packed up before heading out to get some crepes again. We also walked to the main campus of the University of Glasgow and it was quite beautiful. Chris showed us exam hall and the two main quads and since the weather was amazing today it was awesome. So much blue sky and white fluffy non-rain clouds in the sky. It was also warm today yay!
After main uni we had some tea in the botanical gardens an explored some of the green houses, including the carnivorous plants one! It was so cool to see the Venus fly traps (which apparently only grow in the Carolinas who knew) and the pitcher plants an stuff. Definitely a neat place.
After the gardens we got baked potatoes for lunch before grabbing our things an heading to the train station. Like I said before we cut it quite close, but we made it on the train to London!
We are now in London and hopefully we will have a blast!
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| Oranmor bar. Wish we had gotten to spend some time there. |
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| University of Glasgow main campus |
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| Scotch Egg!! |
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| Amazing Venus Fly Traps |
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| Chris, Kelly, and I in front of the Olympic Rings! (football will be played partially in Glasgow) |
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Glasgow and Edinburgh
So I have been in Glasgow since Thursday night and we have had a wonderful time this far, despite the rain!
Chris and I picked up Kelly on Friday morning and we spent the day doing the hop on hop off bus (which we rode the whole way through), had a yummy lunch at Waxy O'Connors where they had declared it Swedish day for some reason that I think had to do with the fact Sweden was playing England, got some stuff for Christine's bathroom, and had a delicious dinner at the Hillhead Bookclub, where our drinks came in teapot and chicken soup cups! After dinner we got some movies at Blockbuster and spent the evening watching Freeway Killer and The Inbetweeners Movie.
Yesterday we went to Edinburgh for the day. We saw the castle, decided it was too expensive so we didn't go in, and went to the Whisky Experience next door to learn about how whisky is made. There was a tasting at the end that I found utterly disgusting, but I think my dad would have thoroughly enjoyed tasting the single malts. After the whisky we wandered a bit and had a delicious baked potato at The Baked Potato Shop, and headed off to Mary King's Close, which is a (now underground) area that used to be a major trading close of Edinburgh. It was really awesome to learn about the people, the plague, and other things about Edinburgh hundreds of years ago! After the close we went to a pub to escape the rain and then took the train back to Glasgow for dinner at the Grosvenor Cafe. It was super yummy and we got to watch the Poland-Czech Republic game too! After dinner we went back to the apartment and watched a CSI (Vegas) episode before heading to sleep.
This morning we had delicious crepes for breakfast and now we will head out to explore more of Glasgow! Hopefully the rain holds off today! Sorry my post is so boring, but I'm trying to write it really quick before I leave wifi yet again!! Hope all is well back home!
Oh also, Sara showed me that I am te face of the class of 2012 on Stanford.edu! Guess class of 08 is representing :)
Chris and I picked up Kelly on Friday morning and we spent the day doing the hop on hop off bus (which we rode the whole way through), had a yummy lunch at Waxy O'Connors where they had declared it Swedish day for some reason that I think had to do with the fact Sweden was playing England, got some stuff for Christine's bathroom, and had a delicious dinner at the Hillhead Bookclub, where our drinks came in teapot and chicken soup cups! After dinner we got some movies at Blockbuster and spent the evening watching Freeway Killer and The Inbetweeners Movie.
Yesterday we went to Edinburgh for the day. We saw the castle, decided it was too expensive so we didn't go in, and went to the Whisky Experience next door to learn about how whisky is made. There was a tasting at the end that I found utterly disgusting, but I think my dad would have thoroughly enjoyed tasting the single malts. After the whisky we wandered a bit and had a delicious baked potato at The Baked Potato Shop, and headed off to Mary King's Close, which is a (now underground) area that used to be a major trading close of Edinburgh. It was really awesome to learn about the people, the plague, and other things about Edinburgh hundreds of years ago! After the close we went to a pub to escape the rain and then took the train back to Glasgow for dinner at the Grosvenor Cafe. It was super yummy and we got to watch the Poland-Czech Republic game too! After dinner we went back to the apartment and watched a CSI (Vegas) episode before heading to sleep.
This morning we had delicious crepes for breakfast and now we will head out to explore more of Glasgow! Hopefully the rain holds off today! Sorry my post is so boring, but I'm trying to write it really quick before I leave wifi yet again!! Hope all is well back home!
Oh also, Sara showed me that I am te face of the class of 2012 on Stanford.edu! Guess class of 08 is representing :)
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| Our lunch spot |
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| Kelly and I at Edinburugh Castle |
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| The Whiskey Experience |
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| Kelly and I before our whiskey tasting |
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| Chris, Kelly, and I before tasting the whiskey (you know its before because I´m smiling! haha) |
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| Largest whiskey collection in the world! |
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| Drinks in soup bowls and teapots! |
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| Not chicken soup! |
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| I´m famous! (and not a member of the class of 2012...) |
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