Cote D'Azur - Nice, Monaco, Menton

**Warning: Most ADD post of my life...

To sum up this week: laying in the sun, getting sunburnt (classic), eating copious amounts of crepes, and running on the beach.  I think I could get used to this...

Tidbits from the week:
- Menton, France is one of the best kept secrets -- it has the southern france feel without crazy amounts of tourists and some of the best food we've had!
-Monaco is probably the MOST BORING place I've ever been. It would be fun if you like casino's or have a billion dollars to spend at designer stores.
- There was a tennis tournament in Monaco and we got to see the stadium (from afar)!

Today, we go to our last stop on this eurotrip to Copenhagen and then back to London for a few days before we come home to the good ole U.S. of A :)

I can't believe that in a week I'll be heading home.  I flip between being so excited and not excited at all (mostly because of the snow).

A few things I can't wait to do when I get home:
-Cuddle with SADIIEEEE
-Never smell cigarette smoke
-Run through hallways without hitting a billion fire doors
-Minnesota Nice <3

Went to the Trevi Fountain and didn't meet Paulo :(

Bonjourno from Roma! Hanna and I are on our first stop through our European adventure in Rome, Italy.  We left London on Monday and will move to our next destination on Thursday to Venice! Due to our long trip we both decided it would be best to pack in a real person suitcase (contrary to our Scotland trip which we did in a backpack – I’ll probably brag about that accomplishment for the rest of my life).  Because we had to pack in a suitcase we splurged for flights that allow checked baggage – gettin’ real fancy over here. My flight into Rome was more difficult than expected.  I had a flight on Alitalia which is apparently an Italian based flight company since EVERYTHING was in Italian.  All the notices, signs and announcements were in Italian and occasionally I would see some English.  The flight attendants would also give an English announcement but their English wasn’t too great and so they would mumble the entire time.  This was extremely difficult for me because I’m already deaf as it is when people speak clear English so I usually just followed what others were doing or would pretend I hadn’t heard anything.  The best part of the flight was the friend I made!! I was sandwiched between two old men and the one on my right was really fun to talk to.  He gave me some insider tips on traveling in Rome – with hand drawn pictures and everything! It was really nice to meet someone who was so passionately in love with their home town.  He inspired me to be really excited to visit this amazing old city. 

We booked a hotel for safety reasons and made our way into central Rome after arriving.  I’ve officially decided that the ghetto follows me AKA I’m ghettolicious. The hotel is in a run down area that was a little frightening.  We got here around 10 pm last night and were completely lost. It was pitch dark because the street lights here are far and few in between. We dragged our suitcases underneath a dark bridge past a gang of teenagers and I was close to hyperventilation by the time we reached the holiday inn.  Rome has a history of really bad pickpocketing and mugging so I’ve been on high alert the entire time we’ve been here.

Today, we hit a ton of sightseeing since we only have two days here! We saw:

·      The Coliseum: Built in 100 AD for public fights and games.

·      The Palace (It has a different name but I can’t remember it): A palace built in 1000 for the kings and queens of the time.  It was ruined partially when the “Galls” (French) overtook Rome.

·      Roman Forum: An area of public buildings that was made a monument in Rome during Ceasar’s reign.

·      Pantheon: Biggest dome built with brick and modern architects doubt it could be replicated.

·      Spanish Steps

·      Trevi Fountain: Where Lizzie Maguire meets Paulo #DUH

Tonight, Hanna and I met up with Jack a friend from high school.  He is studying abroad here and we went out to dinner with him.  FOOD COMA FOR LYFE.  The restaurant was accommodating to college students with the baskets of free bread (we got three), large portion sizes, and free dessert.  Not only did we get all that free food, but the waiter enjoyed us so much that he gave us an extra bottle of wine! It was a great night with fun company and delicious food : )

Tomorrow we are going to the Vatican and any other Roman monument we need to see before we head to Venice.  I’m so blessed to have this experience and I still feel like I’m growing so much.  Nevertheless, I CANNOT WAIT TO COME BACK TO MINNE <3 18 days and counting. Words cannot express my excitement. 

SUN!

My mom, dad and I have been in Barcelona for the past three days and I'm in love with this city! Despite my little knowledge of Spanish, I've been able to understand enough to get around.  With not a lot on the schedule, we have been able to nap in the sun, explore around our hotel, and just wander the winding streets here.  We've become European with our eating styles aka we eat lunch at like 3 and dinner at 8 which is DEATH for me who is always hungry #mylife. The best part of being in Spain is the warmer weather and the SUN is here almost everyday :) I love it! We also have Sangria at lunch and dinner which is the best!! It's so delicious.  Here they eat a big lunch and smaller dinners.  Usually they have tapas at dinner which are little appetizers for the table to share.  We've tried a lot of great tapas bars -- at my favorite we had chips and guacamole!

I had fun showing the family around London.  I can't believe that it was my last few full days in London.  I've completely fallen in love with the city and have enjoyed showing it off to all the family I had come to visit.  On Easter we went to dinner with the Manitz's, Nelson's and Claire who were all visiting.  We had drinks and then went to Chinatown - it was SO good!

I'm furiously doing laundry (it's free here :)) and preparing for my long trip with Hanna through the month of April.  I can't wait for our adventures and although I'm sad to leave Europe and have had an AMAZING time I'm ecstatic to come back to Minne <3 because I'm in love with our fabulous state.

Easter dinner :) 

The view from our terrace in Barcelona

Selfies on the roof of the Cathedral de Barcelona

Best candy shop in the world!! 

I thought this was "Naptime Abroad"....

It is officially the last week of school here at Queen Mary.  We are wrapping up all our classes and frantically finishing assignments (or pretending to...hehe)! On Friday, I will be done with my junior year of college and off for a month of traveling Europe #isthisreallife?

Last week, Grandpa, Aunt Marie and I had more adventures through London.  We went to the Portobello Market where I purchased my very first artwork (sew grown up).  It was a FREEZING day here in London and despite my 6 layers of clothing I was still frozen and had to make a pit stop at the hotel to bring my feet and hands back to life.  Clearly, spring is not here.  Now, to all my Minnesotans I may sound like a brat (which definitely could be the case) buuuuuuuut the cold here is so damp it gets in your bones and you can't get warm unless you stand under a heater wearing 16 bagillion layers! My lack of winter clothing is also becoming an annoyance. ANYWAYS, we went to a few other markets and tried a lot of delicious foods (cheese toastie, cheesy potatoes, pumpkin tortellini, etc).  On Sunday, Aunt Marie and I went to Afternoon Tea which was splendid :) We had finger sandwiches, scones and sweets and were completely stuffed the rest of the day! I was so lucky to have them here with me and enjoyed every minute of their visit.

Monday, I had the opportunity to go visit the American School in London.  This is where the story gets interesting.  The classroom I visited had a total of 18 students.  2 students were on holiday.  On Monday, there were 6 students present.  How many people were ill?!!??!!?!?!?! Not only did 7 students call in to say they were sick, 3 went home throughout the day.  As I watched this unfold, the germaphobe in me was silently freaking out.  I had walked into my own mini-hell.  The nurse came down at some point and began handing out anti-bacterial wipes (I wanted to take more than one but figured that would be excessive) and they wiped down the classroom which made me feel a little better.  After school was out, I ran back to my apartment to degermify (newest made up word) and drank a big glass of airborne...I refuse to get sick because........

COLLIE, KEVIN AND CULLIE COME ON FRIDAY!! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!  I'm not excited or anything.....I have our stay in London jam packed with activities and then we go to Spain for the week. I can't wait to go somewhere relatively warm and see the sun :) It's been a few weeks. Hanna and I have officially planned our April adventures and we will be traveling to Rome, Venice, Nice (France), Monaco and Copenhagen (Denmark).  I'm so excited to explore all these cities and get one last good look at Europe before heading home in one month.  I can't believe how fast this time has gone.

Loving London

It took me a little under three months to finally fall in love with London! After showing the city off to two different groups of visitors I fully appreciate what this city offers.  I love the different neighborhoods, the interesting people (especially some clothing/hair choices), the different languages I hear, the public transportation, everything! I'm not sure I'm ready to leave in a month...

Last night, Aunt Marie, Grandpa and I went to an Indian restaurant in the Whitechapel area. We were a little unsure of what to expect as we turned down alley way after alley way in a run down neighborhood but we found a really cool place! Aunt Marie expertly navigated the menu and we soon had a feast in front of us.  Everything was delicious! It was my second time having Indian food and I really enjoyed it.  AND!!! Grandpa tried ALL the dishes we got! Afterwards, we went and got bessert (yes, I did want to use a b instead of a d) :)

I guess I can't procrastinate anymore....off to write an architecture essay. BLAH. SO BORING. Mom, Dad and Cullie get excited for me to describe all the architecture of the buildings around London.......

Visitors on Visitors on Visitors

I've been slacking with the blog...hopefully I'll be better now that I have wifi again! Caitlin visited me last week in London and now Grandpa and Aunt Marie are here!! I'm so so lucky have so many visitors here in London and that I get to show off what a wonderful city it is.  Because so much has happened since then I'll keep this short and to the point :)

Caitlin's visit:

• We went food tourin' aka ate our way through London which was wonderful -- some of the favorites were crepes, ben's cookies, chinese food from chinatown
• We saw the Lion King and IT WAS AMAZING.  We were 5 rows from the stage! What an amazing show to see so close up.  Caitlin's seat mate was REALLY into the show with very enthusiastic clapping and laughing at the weirdest times.  He kept us entertained throughout the show
• We went to the IceBar in London which was really fun and REALLY cold - it's kept at -5 degrees at all times.
• Hodgepodge dinners were our speciality! We made some really good meals in the hotel room
• We went to Tea at Harrods which was so fun and it made us think of Grandma <3
• Overall, I was so lucky to laugh as much as I did with her.  It was fun having my best friend at my side and we had a blast adventuring through London :) 

Aunt Marie and Grandpa are here!! WOOHOO.

• Saturday, we walked around multiple squares in the city of London.  Aunt Marie had been wanting to see The Book of Mormon in theaters, however, it was a sold out show until May.  We went to see the theater just in case they had a lottery for some shows.  Surprisingly, they did! There was a huge crowd around the golden lottery ticket holder.  We decided on a whim to put our names in....AND THEN WE WON!!!!! We got two tickets for the front row of the show that night.  They were 20 pounds each while tickets currently sell for about 350 pounds....
• Sunday, we went to the St. Patrick's day parade and festival.  The parade was very abstract random with an ambulance in it, African dancers (not sure how it related to Ireland?) and various other confusing sights...
• Today, we walked around the Westminster area with Big Ben, London Eye, the Prime Minister's house.  We also explored Covent Gardens with a stop at Ben's Cookies!! It never fails to impress me.

Here are some pictures!!

HAHAAHAH mustache picture :) we didn't realize caitlin had a graffiti mustache until after the picture was taken....

leapin' into platform 9 and 3/4

At the Lion King! 

Best Crepes in the world...

GPA and Aunt Marie!! 

Mechanics vs. the Raasch's

I'm beginning to believe that I'm jinxed with mechanical problems (train in Italy, train to Scotland, Caitlin's plane...the list could go on).  On Friday night, Caitlin called me to let me know that her connecting flight from Southbend to Detroit had been cancelled due to mechanical errors.  For the next few hours I frantically searched for ways to get her here in time for our flights to Paris which was 6 hours after she was supposed to arrive in London.  After it was apparent that she wouldn't make it in time I began wondering if she would make it to London in general. 48 HOURS and a bagillion flights later, I can safely say that caitlin is OFFICIALLY in London!! She arrived at about 6:30am and I was bursting with excitement (probably because I downed a coffee that I had added 4 packets of sugar to...not my smartest decision cause I'm still shaky).  We were both crying and hugging each other over and over at the airport.  I don't think we could talk fast enough the entire ride back to Mile End. AND she surprised me with real Cheez-its!

Proof that we are TOGETHER :) <3

Although we missed out on Paris, we are going to have an amazing time here in London -- because of the fun adventures planned and mostly because we get to have sister time :) I could not be happier! Today we are going to go to Covent Garden for some lunch and ben's cookies.

ANOTHER S/O to the Edina Boys Varsity Hockey Team for winning STATE!! What an amazing accomplishment and I'm so sad I wasn't there to cheer them on.  YOU GO LIL BRO :) AND a happy happy early birthday to Cullie!! Can't believe you're already 17!

More later :)

19 hours and counting...

I can hardly contain my excitement...Caitlin arrives in London in 19 hours! WAHOO!!! This has been the longest I've ever gone without seeing my family and it will be so nice to see a familiar face.  Once Caitlin arrives in London we head out for a quick trip to Paris for the weekend.  I can't wait for our adventures and know it will be a blast :) I especially can't wait for the crepes - YUM.

This week was pretty low key.  I worked a lot on a few of my essays due at the end of March. It felt good to get two of them done and now I'm in the process of writing my last Architecture essay.  I visited a woman who is from Edina currently living in London on Monday.  We met at Starbucks a few days before I left and she offered for me to come visit once they got back to London.  I took her up on the offer and it was so fun.  She fed me pumpkin soup (so good) and we chatted a lot about random things that made me feel more at home.  I even got to hold and feed her 3 month daughter, Winslet. 

Last night, after a day of extreme boredom (I was talking to myself....it was bad) I watched the Edina hockey team at the State Tournament! It was so fun to watch the game and cheer on Cullen from London.  I just wish the game tonight was a little earlier since I won't be able to stay up to watch it tonight.  I got some good shots of cullen on TV which I'll put up.

 So intense....

I have so many exciting visitors coming in March I can barely stand it.  I'm so blessed that I have so many people coming to see me and London. 

Countdowns for March visits:
Caitlin: 19 hours
Grandpa & Aunt Marie: 8 days
Mom, Dad & Cullie: 20 days

PS. Since I probably won't have my computer on Sunday I just wanted to wish all the Mum's back at home a Happy MUM's day from London! They celebrate Mother's day two months earlier than we do and it has been so fun to see all the cards around that say "Mum." 

Mum, you may get one too! -->

Over the hill

Yesterday, marked my halfway point of studying abroad.  I've been here for two months and I go home in two months.  I can't believe how fast time has gone! It feels like I've only been here a month...The past two months have brought amazing experiences as Hanna and I traveled to Belgium, Holland, Scotland, Ireland and Southern England.  I can't wait to see what the next two months bring :)

WARNING: I'm going to be a little cliche here....but what I realized yesterday was important.

I took a lot of time yesterday to acknowledge what an amazing experience I am having here in London.  I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to live in a different country, learn about another culture and most importantly, learn about myself.  I think one of the most powerful parts of studying abroad is the fact that I am completely "stripped" of everything that I am used to.  Cultural norms, friends, family -- basically any support system that I have at home, I am now trying to live without.  It makes this process a million times more rewarding and a million times more challenging.  And it's these challenges that are blessings in disguise as they make me recognize how important my family and friends are to me and strengthen my faith. 

Okay enough cheesy-ness thoughts.  The GREAT news of the week is that I have all my teeth again! YAY!!! I went to the dentist on Monday and I was so nervous.  The dentist could tell and he was so kind to me.  He described everything he was going to do to recreate the filling.  He even let me help choose the colors that would match my tooth the best.  While he was recreating the tooth he was fun to chat with (as much as you can while they are working on your mouth).  He also made some jokes like how US dentists are WAYYY better than other dentists but in the UK they're pretty decent....not the most reassuring joke to me....but it all turned out alright and I can finally smile without getting weird looks! I also realized that I now have half a tooth from London -- BEST/MOST UNIQUE SOUVENIR EVER!

S/O to Cullen's hockey team who is going to State!! WOOHOO. So proud of you lil bro!! I wish I could be there but I'll try to stay in the loop with hockey hub.  ANNNNNNND Caitlin comes to London in a week.  March will be such an exciting month :)

Left a lil piece of me in Ireland -- MY TOOTH.

I left a little piece of my in Ireland -- and that would be my tooth.  Before I explain what happened I'll give a little back story.  When I was in fourth grade, Caitlin, Cullen and I were rollerblading up and down our drive way.  At one point, they dared me to rollerblade backwards and I, being the "smarter, older" sibling, took the dare and attempted the challenge.  It didn't go so well.  I hit a lip in the pavement and fell straight onto my two front teeth chipping them in half.  We made an emergency dentist appointment and the teeth were repaired the next morning.  Since that appointment, I have never chipped the fillings or my teeth.........UNTIL I'M CONVENIENTLY IN IRELAND.  After my blog post on thursday about Scotland, Maggie, Jenni, Hanna and I went to get lunch at the University Bar.  We had all ordered delicious panini's and were settling in when I was an IDIOT and went to pull open my powerade water bottle top with my teeth.  DUMB. I heard a loud crack and felt something fall out of my mouth.  I wish I had gotten a picture of the pure horror on my face...after processing that my tooth filling had fallen out I began to freak out.  I have never had to deal with this and the one time I have it happen to me I'm in a foreign country miles and miles and miles away from anything that I know.  Maggie and Jenni told me that Irish dentists are extremely unreliable and I should avoid them at all costs so I began calling a billion and one people trying to figure out what to do.  I called the Laane's and considered going to Belgium to see their dentist.  I called an acquaintance I know of here in London to see how reliable British dentists are and I called my mom.  The panic and tears really started coming when my UK cellphone decided to stop working completely.  I ended up moving from a classroom to the counselor's office at the university to the international office trying to find a phone that would call outside of Ireland.  Right now, I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning with strict instructions from my dentist (as the British dentists are not reliable either - but apparently better than Ireland?) I'm hoping that everything goes smoothly and they can temporarily fix my front tooth otherwise I'm going to continue to look like a hillbilly.  I've spent the past few days eating gingerly and trying not to smile to strangers - as I have found that gets me weird looks.  Keep your fingers crossed for me as I experience British dental services....

The look I'm sporting right now.....

Besides this tooth crisis, Ireland was beautiful.  We were able to go to the Cliffs of Moher which was another beautiful area that made me so thankful to be alive and on this amazing trip.  We got to see a little bit of Dublin yesterday before our flight.  We walked around a lot and went to the guinness factory.  It was interesting to see how beer is made but I don't necessarily like beer so it was little hard to get into.  We also got a free pint of beer and I'm pretty sure I gagged on the foam so I handed that off to the boys.  Being back in London is wonderful :) It feels so nice to be back and it is finally feeling like home.

Here are some pictures from the past week!

View from our hostel in Edinburgh -- This is the Edinburgh castle. 

The scottish highlands -- SO GORGEOUS

These are the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland -- again AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL. 

Famine memorial in Dublin -- thinking of my ancestors <3

In Love with Scotland

Hello from Ireland!! I'm currently using Jenni's computer while she's at class to update my blog about my adventures to Scotland.  I feel as though so much has happened in just a short week!

Hanna and I left for Scotland early Friday morning.  We took a train to Edinburgh which is the capital city in Scotland.  On our way there the train broke down...I'm beginning to think I jinx trains since almost every time I've ridden on one it has broken down.  We stopped in a small town on our way to Edinburgh and cleared the train so it could make it's way back to London to be repaired.  The entire train of people waited for another train to come pick us up and continue on our way to Edinburgh.  We finally made it and I was OVERJOYED when we got out of the train station by the beauty of the city and the bagpipe music I could hear.  I quickly learned that there is always a faint noise of bagpipe music the entire time we were in Scotland which made me so so so happy.

I didn't truly fall in love with Scotland until we went to church on Sunday morning. We found a small church by our hostel and we decided to go to the service.  It seemed like the average church until peace time came.  Then the entire church came alive.  Everyone was greeting each other like friends -- I think we kept giving peace until everyone had a chance to say peace to each other.  During peace, multiple people came up to Hanna and I saying "I'm so glad to see you," "How are you?" or "Are you visiting?" It reminded me so much of St. Stephens! At the end of the service they had a lady giving announcements and similar to St. Stephens people were giving her a hard time and trying to get out of listening to the boring notices.  After the announcements, the congregation went downstairs for coffee and biscuits.  I think we had five people come up to us asking us to please come downstairs.  Shelia, a particularly nice lady, took us under her wing and lead us downstairs.  We got some coffee, a roll and sat down at one of the many tables set up around the gymnasium.  We chatted for almost an hour with Shelia, and other church members who came up wanting to introduce themselves.  This whole entire time I literally did not know whether cry or laugh of happiness the entire time.  It made me realize how important St. Stephen's community is to me and how much my grandma is with me! Every time someone would come up and introduce themselves or ask us to come to coffee I was reminded of her spirit.  I am so blessed.

We did a lot of adventuring throughout the five days we were there but on the last day we went to the Scottish Highlands.  It was a 12 hour ride on a coach bus up and down the rolling hills.  It was the most beautiful place in the world.  We were extremely lucky with blue skies, sun and no clouds! I'll put up pictures once I get back to London.

Two more quick thoughts about Scotland.  First, hostel living is not that bad! It's almost comparable to summer camp.  I was in a 12 bunk room and at first it was really frightening but everyone is so nice and it's a blast to meet new people from a variety of  different places.  AND, I had my first Indian cuisine! It was pretty good but I liked the naan bread the best :)

Right now, we are in Galway, Ireland visiting our friends Maggie and Jenni.  It's so fun to be in a place that my ancestors are from.  It is a beautiful place and everyone is so nice! Tonight we are going to their favorite pub for some Irish music and (maybe) some beer.

Treat yoself!

This week has been booooooring as noted by the lack of blog posts - can't believe it's been over a week.  With the mid-semester break coming up (!! whaaaat??) we've had loads of homework to complete before our trip to Scotland and Ireland.  I've learned a lot about the vagueness of homework here as the teachers do not describe ANYTHING.  They basically tell you that you have an essay, a portfolio or an analysis due on such date and that's it.  So I spent my week running around meeting with various professors, advisors and other people to try to figure out what it is I need to actually do.  I have completed two of the four assignments and feel so relieved already! Right now I'm procrastinating the other two by writing this blog :)

Hanna and I leave for an 8 day trip to Scotland and Ireland tomorrow.  I'm so excited to explore new places and experience green country side.  We are staying in a hostel for five nights in Scotland and then we will be visiting Maggie and Jenni in Ireland for three additional nights.  I'm a little nervous about the hostel experience but I'm hoping it will enjoyable and not super creepy/dirty.  When we are in Scotland Hanna and I booked a day tour to Lochness, Glencoe and the Highlands.  We board a tour bus at 8 in the morning and drive north to see the many beautiful sights to see in Scotland.  We arrive back in Edinburgh (where we are staying) at 8:30PM.  I'm really excited to see all the mountains and who knows maybe I'll see the Lochness monster!!

This is a map of where we will be going! 

The other big learning experience with this trip is our packing situation.  We are taking the train to Scotland and flying from Scotland to Ireland then back to London.  We are taking Ryanair which is suuuuper cheap! Little did we know that Ryanair is also very strict on their baggage limit.  We found out last night that we have to pack for 8 days in a backpack and it can't weigh more than 22 pounds.........this has to be a joke.  For those of you that don't know -- I have serious talent with OVER-packing.  Last summer when I moved back to gustavus I filled up the entire van (without seats) and my toyota.  Sooo, needless to say, this will be interesting.  Luckily I do have my FBS (field based science) experience to help me try to only pack the bare necessities.  Wish me luck as I try to fit 8 days worth of possessions into my backpack....

This week, Caitlin and I booked our tickets to go to Paris once she gets here! I cannot waitttt to have visitors and see familiar faces.  Happy Valentine's day everyone! Side note: My (single ladies) valentine's day slogan is "treat yoself!" Go get something sweet for yourself :)

Lesson #2349568403 Learned While Abroad

Tonight I learned yet another lesson about myself while living abroad.  Lesson #2349568403: I do not prioritize well in emergencies. 

At QM (Queen Mary) they have practice fire drills every week.  The fire alarm will go off for about 10 seconds and then shut off.  The fire alarms here are worse than they are in the US -- like so loud and obnoxious I can't even explain.  Tonight I was reading and the fire alarm went off.  Because we've had so many drills I just waited for it to shut off and I could return to reading.  It never stopped.  This is where I starting learning that I suck at prioritizing in emergencies.  I put on my sperry's and my scarf (?! no jacket??) and proceeded out to my flat.  WHICH WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE. Seeing that this could actually be a real life fire I went back into my room grabbed my jacket and the ONE THING I chose to save from a potential real fire was my blanket.  WUT.  Not my computer, wallet, passport, or any other prized possessions that could help me survive/essentials to get me out of the country….just my blanket.  Turns out my flat was on fire thanks to my roommate who lit incense and just left it on fire (?) We waited for the fire department who casually WALKED into the building and checked the situation out.  After twenty minutes of standing in the freezing cold (good thing I grabbed my jacket at the last minute) the fire was put out and did not spread.  For the first time I'm thankful that we have fire doors throughout these buildings. 

Bicycles and Belgians

In Belgium and Holland, bicycles are extremely popular.  In Holland, there is said to be twice as many bikes to people! (Still not sure how that works out...?)

On Sunday morning, after feasting on dutch pancakes, 'MURICAN pancakes and bacon Toon offered to take Hanna and I on a bike ride.  Hanna and I, in our food coma and feeling in desperate need of exercise agreed to go.  We put on our warmest clothing and found some windbreakers to wear in the chilly weather.  Toon managed to find some bikes for us to ride and we set off! Newest fact I learned about myself: I SUCK AT BIKING.  The bike ride started out nice and easy as we bumped along the muddy paths in a forest near the Laane's house.  Then....I slowly started to fall behind Hanna and Toon which was the theme for the entire bike ride.  Toon and Hanna WAYYY in front and kelsey bringing up the caboose WAYYYY behind.  I also caused the bike crew to stop a few times - oopziez. The first time we had to stop on my account was because my gears were shifting weirdly so we stopped to make sure the chain wouldn't fall off. Crisis #1 averted! We continued on our path and we encountered a huuuuge hill.  Hanna and Toon powered up the hill annnnnnnnd, Kelsey? Got off and walked. So, Toon waited halfway up the hill for me and gave me a push (I reminisced my childhood - remember pushing us up the Vernon hill mom?) to get me started again.  Crisis #2 averted! We kept winding around paths in the forest that often weren't paved and covered in rocks and mud.  I picked the mountain bike thinking that it would make biking easier but without knowing it I also picked the bike with the hardest seat in the world.  Lets just say biking over bumpy rock paths on a seat that is as hard as pavement HURTS. I still wince when I sit down.  I began to slow down and stand up while going over the bumpiest parts of the bike ride which put me farther behind Hanna and Toon.  When we got to a certain point Toon asked us if we wanted to take the shortcut home or the long way, I answered, "the long way!" (I wanted to prove that I could keep up with them).  FOOLISH. Our 45 minute bike ride turned into a two hour bike ride (mostly due to my slow bike riding).   Every time we turned a corner I was sure we were close to going back to the Laane household and every time we turned a corner we arrived at a new path in the forest. When we finally reached civilization Toon offered to take up the caboose I was insistent that he didn't have to but he said he didn't mind.  Honestly, I feel bad.  I was legit going slower than a person walking would go.  Eventually, Toon went ahead to make sure Hanna knew where she was going (THAT IS HOW SLOW I WAS BIKING).  I took that opportunity to speed up a bit by getting off my bike and walking to where they were.  Once we had crossed some major roads I got back on my bike and finished the....get ready....FIFTEEN MILE BIKE RIDE. I got back into the house and laid with my feet on a heater swearing I would never trust a Belgian with a bike.

One more thing to note: The haircut was interesting and different than a haircut in the US.  In Belgium, they had one person wash my hair, another person cut my hair and a someone else styled my hair! It's crazy how different some things are here compared to the US.

We are back in London :) We booked some train tickets to go to Winchester, England this weekend to visit a friend and we are sooooo excited to experience English countryside.  I really hope I can see some sheep.  And my butt recovers.

PS. Hope the superbowl was fun....I saw a lot of interesting tweets that make no sense at all! I did try to watch some commercials (the only reason I watch the super bowl in the first place).

Belgium in two words - Food Coma

Greetings from Brussels, Belgium!!  Three days into study abroad I called the Laane's (family friends of ours) in a state of panic with no wifi and missing home.  They graciously offered us to come stay with them and we decided to make it our first trip outside of London.  We have been here since Thursday night and it has been wonderful! We took the Eurostar - a high speed train over to Belgium and it only took about two hours to get here.  It was our first time in "the chunnel" aka the tunnel underneath the English Channel that goes into Paris.  We made a quick stop in France and continued onto Belgium.  I cannot express what a relief it is to be in a house, in a suburb and see actual trees/grass/shrubbery!

Our room at the Laanes! Feels like home away from home

Our time here can be summed up to two words - FOOD COMA.  Hanna and I have struggled throughout our studying abroad because we are NEVER full.  My hunger is constant over here which is so crazy.  Being here, I finally feel full.  Thursday night we had beef stew, bread and salad with dessert which was chocolate chip cookies.  Everything was so delicious.  We finished the night by sitting in front of the fire chatting with the Laanes.  Friday we went into Maastricht, Holland.  It's about an hour drive from the Laane's house.  Maastricht is where Nick (the oldest Laane) goes to school.  We saw the COOLEST book store in the entire world there.  The book store was in an old church.  Being there and experiencing how awesome that is I launched into my classic topic of how I want a library in my house when I grow up.  Seeing this just made me more determined to make sure I have a library someday...Friday night we had ham, potatoes, cole slaw (which was SO GOOD) and green beans.  Then we had home made chocolate mousse for dessert - I was so full.

The outside of the bookstore 

Today, Hanna and I got up early and we were sitting around the kitchen when Toon (Laane's dad) came downstairs and asked us if we wanted to go to the market with him.  We walked around an open air market looking for a pancake pan -- although we didn't find that we found some olives, fresh baguettes, fresh flowers and sausages.  We went back and had baguette with nutella and peanut butter for breakfast YUM.  Toon, Hanna and I went to the grocery store and a gourmet chocolate store to get some authentic belgian chocolate.  This afternoon we went to Leurven which is a smaller town outside of Brussels to run some errands.  It was a blast to experience normal everyday life in Belgium.  Tonight, we are having lasagna, salad and tiramisu for dessert.  I don't think I can stuff another piece of food into my body but here goes nothing!

So much chocolate :) 

Another piece of exciting news, I cut my hair on friday! It's really short and it has taken time to grow on me but I'm starting to like it.