Hi everyone!
I'm done with all of my finals! YAY! It has been a very busy time studying for all of my finals and now I'm officially done! I leave St. Andrews on the 30th and spend the night in Edinburgh before flying to London on the 31st and then spend the night there before flying to Dallas on the 1st and then on the Denver! I'm sad I'm leaving Scotland as I have had an AMAZING time here and plan to spend the next few days on the golf course and then out in the pubs at night soaking up the last bit of Scotland. I am truly blessed to have had this experience and will remember it for the rest of my life. While I am sad to leave I'm getting excited to get back to the USA and see everyone there.
Love y'all and miss you!
xoxo
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Alicante, Spain
Hey Everyone!
I just got back from Alicante, Spain and it was wonderful! I had a great time just being in warm weather! We spent as much time on the beach or by the pool as possible. It was so great! Back in St. Andrews today it was raining and cold all day! A rude awakening from the time on the Mediterranean Coast. Our hotel was literally right across the street from Playa Muchavista--the water was so clear and while not the warmest--still much warmer than the North Sea! Now I have to really get down to studying for my finals instead of laying on the beach pretending to study!
Love y'all and miss you!
xoxo
I just got back from Alicante, Spain and it was wonderful! I had a great time just being in warm weather! We spent as much time on the beach or by the pool as possible. It was so great! Back in St. Andrews today it was raining and cold all day! A rude awakening from the time on the Mediterranean Coast. Our hotel was literally right across the street from Playa Muchavista--the water was so clear and while not the warmest--still much warmer than the North Sea! Now I have to really get down to studying for my finals instead of laying on the beach pretending to study!
Love y'all and miss you!
xoxo
May Ball
Hey Everyone!
May Ball, which is put on by the Kate Kennedy--an all male charity organization, was on May 10th. It was so much fun! The Kate Kennedy members are known for wearing their tartan trousers and they were out in full force along with kilts at the event!
Love y'all and miss you!!!
xoxo
May Ball, which is put on by the Kate Kennedy--an all male charity organization, was on May 10th. It was so much fun! The Kate Kennedy members are known for wearing their tartan trousers and they were out in full force along with kilts at the event!
Love y'all and miss you!!!xoxo
Birthday!
Hey Everyone!
My 21st Birthday was this past Saturday- May 9th. And I had a great time with friends! We went out the night before to ring in my b-day at midnight and then on the 9th we went out to dinner (all 18 of us) to Bella Italia--a nice Italian restaurant in St. Andrews. It was so fun and I loved spending my 21st birthday in St. Andrews!
Birthday Dinner
The 40 balloon was under my chair at dinner! So we decided I turned 40!
Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Miss y'all and Love you!
xoxo
My 21st Birthday was this past Saturday- May 9th. And I had a great time with friends! We went out the night before to ring in my b-day at midnight and then on the 9th we went out to dinner (all 18 of us) to Bella Italia--a nice Italian restaurant in St. Andrews. It was so fun and I loved spending my 21st birthday in St. Andrews!
Birthday Dinner
The 40 balloon was under my chair at dinner! So we decided I turned 40!Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Miss y'all and Love you!
xoxo
Friday, May 1, 2009
May Dip
Hey Everyone!
Today was May dip! It is a tradition that on the 1st of May at sunrise the students of St. Andrews run into the north sea to rinse off bad luck. Also if you step on the PH that is in bricks in front of the main academic quad, which is where Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake for being a Protestant reformer, then to avoid having the rest of your academic career cursed you must do the May Dip. I did not step on the PH but I still wanted to do the May Dip as it was an experience that I will never have again. We ended up going out last night and then going back and changing once the pubs closed around 2am and then heading down to the beach. There were bonfires and everyone was hanging out on the beach. It was so great and I actually got some good pictures as well. After the dip at around 6am I made it back to my hall and took a shower--there was lots of sand in the bathrooms this morning oddly and headed to bed.
Classes are coming to an end (so soon! it is crazy!) and one of my classes actually ended on Thursday. I have lecture on Tuesday and Thursday next week, with one paper due on Tuesday and then I am done with school work except for finals. My finals are May 22nd, 25th and 26th. With the break we have between classes and finals some friends and I are heading to the South-East coast of Spain to Alicante for the 11th-14th. We want to get some sun while we are studying! I am looking forward to the trip! May 10th is May Ball--which is the Ball put on by the Kate Kennedy club. The KK is a male charity organization that is known for wearing their tartan trousers around town. And of course as you know May 9th is my birthday! I will be 21! I can't believe how old I am! May is turning out to be a very exciting month!
Love y'all and miss you!
xoxo
<3
Today was May dip! It is a tradition that on the 1st of May at sunrise the students of St. Andrews run into the north sea to rinse off bad luck. Also if you step on the PH that is in bricks in front of the main academic quad, which is where Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake for being a Protestant reformer, then to avoid having the rest of your academic career cursed you must do the May Dip. I did not step on the PH but I still wanted to do the May Dip as it was an experience that I will never have again. We ended up going out last night and then going back and changing once the pubs closed around 2am and then heading down to the beach. There were bonfires and everyone was hanging out on the beach. It was so great and I actually got some good pictures as well. After the dip at around 6am I made it back to my hall and took a shower--there was lots of sand in the bathrooms this morning oddly and headed to bed.
Classes are coming to an end (so soon! it is crazy!) and one of my classes actually ended on Thursday. I have lecture on Tuesday and Thursday next week, with one paper due on Tuesday and then I am done with school work except for finals. My finals are May 22nd, 25th and 26th. With the break we have between classes and finals some friends and I are heading to the South-East coast of Spain to Alicante for the 11th-14th. We want to get some sun while we are studying! I am looking forward to the trip! May 10th is May Ball--which is the Ball put on by the Kate Kennedy club. The KK is a male charity organization that is known for wearing their tartan trousers around town. And of course as you know May 9th is my birthday! I will be 21! I can't believe how old I am! May is turning out to be a very exciting month!
Love y'all and miss you!
xoxo
<3
Saturday, April 25, 2009
More Spring Break!
Hi Everyone! I will start where I left off...
April 3rd
We took the train from Rome to Pisa, where we stopped to see the leaning tower of Pisa. We walked from the train station to the Leaning tower and had some pizza on the way. Pisa is actually pretty small and as far as we could tell the only attraction was the leaning tower. It was so funny to see all these people trying to get pictures of them with the leaning tower and some had some very interesting positions holding up the tower. We then took the train from Pisa to Florence. Our hostel was right in the middle of town and close to where all the American students studying there go out and we took advantage of that! We grabbed some pizza once in Florence and then headed out with some friends who are studying there. We ended up at a karaoke bar and did a wonderful cover of Livin' on a Prayer.
April 4th
We started the day off with David in the Acadamia. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures but one of my sneaky friends snuck one! We then had lunch on a side street and then walked through the Market area and the food market and then had some gelato. We stopped by the Duomo to take pictures. We went to the Uffizi which was under renovation and all of the art was not on display so it was a disappointment. We then had dinner in the Piazza by the Uffizi and had some amazing grilled eggplant and pesto pasta. We thought that gelato was in order so we topped it off with some white chocolate and chocolate amaretto gelato---by far the best gelato I had at the Gelataria Negri on the river bank.
April 5th
Palm Sunday
We did our laundry in a laundromat and took over--all of the washers and dryers were in use by us! We then went to Mass at Santa Croce Cathedral in Italian--I could understand some of it but was mostly enjoying looking around the beautiful church and going to service. We then had lunch and I had the most amazing tomato, mozarella, turkey and pesto panini on focaccia. It was soooo good! We then took the train to Venice. We bought a 48hr watertaxi ticket that we took full advantage of. Our hotel in Venice was on Lido Island and was very nice. We then went to dinner and had pizza and wine and walked around Venice.
April 6th
We walked around Venice most of the day and went through the market area where I bought a beautiful Murano glass bead necklace. We ended up getting lost on all of the tiny side streets and running into dead ends into the canals! We found a small restaurant and sat down to have a drink and ended up meeting a great American family from Newport Beach, CA. They were so nice and we got to talking and they ended up buying all 7 of us a beer. We took a gondola ride which was great and was a great way to see the picturesque part of Venice. We had dinner by the main canal and enjoyed some delicious lasagna, calamari and wine. Venice was beautiful and truly one of my favorite cities.
April 7th
Train to Milan. We stored our luggage at the train station and walked around Milan. We had a very expensive lunch of a slice of pizza and a coca light for 9 euros. We then walked to the Castle and laid in the sun. We walked to the Duomo--which is the 3rd largest in the world and walked around the touristy shopping area close to the Duomo. We then had dinner for 6 euros---for one drink and an all you can eat buffett of snacks--which we capitalized on for two hours. We then went back to the train station to pick up our luggage and trained to the airport where we spent the night waiting for our 6:45am flight to Brussels.
April 8th
Arrive in Brussels. We are all exhausted and it is raining--not the best weather for us to walk around Brussels in. Our hotel was very nice but in an odd neighborhood of Brussels. We were in the middle eastern area and as we walked around and looked in restaurants and bars not a single woman was in any of them. When we did see a woman on the street she was in full coverage with only her eyes showing. I felt naked wearing jeans, a sweater and a jacket. We went to the Grand Place and walked around trying to find some of the major sights but failing. We finally gave up, had an early dinner and went to bed around 9pm.
April 9th
We slept in very late! We woke up in time for the free breakfast from the hotel and then back to bed until noon. We finally left the hotel around 1pm and were off to get lunch and then to Mini Europe. On our way to the metro we were attacked by a small gypsy child--it was very confusing trying to buy a metro ticket while being yelled at by a small child in a different language. Mini Europe was fun and we enjoyed seeing the Eiffel tower again in mini form! We then went back to the main part of Brussels to explore some more. We had a Belguim waffel and looked for the peeing boy and girl. The peeing girl was closed but we did find the peeing boy. We then headed back to the hotel and stopped to have a Belguim beer and some pub food.
April 10th
Took a train to Amsterdam. We arrived and headed for our hostel where we were meeting our friend Allison. Allison unfortunately had a biking accident the previous day and had to go to the hospital thinking that she broke her foot--she didn't--but she was our hop-along friend for the weekend. While she was at the hospital with her friend who is studying abroad there we took a walking tour and were able to see the whole city and hear some very interesting history. We met up with Allison after the walking tour and grabbed some food at a pub close to our hostel. We then walked around the city and in Dam square found a small carnival! Marissa and I did one of the rides---it was one of the most painful carnival rides in my life! It was sooooo long and a whiplash machine! By the end Marissa and I were almost crying from laughing so hard and from wanting to get off!
April 11th
We were awakened by our hostel roommates practically screaming at around 8am getting ready for the day. We thought it might be a good idea to capitalize on the free breakfast so that was our first stop. We then headed off to explore Amsterdam. I truly thought Amsterdam was a beautiful city. The canals were gorgeous and all of the people were friendly and very welcoming. We went down to the market area and walked around--Allison trailing behind with her hurt foot. We then went to the Heineken brewery and took a tour. We then walked around and explored more ending up back in Dam square where Allison and I did another carnival ride--the swings--a much better ride and not painful at all! We then ended up back in the hostel and took a break from walking before going out to a pub crawl.
April 12th
We spent our Easter morning at the Anne Frank house--we didn't realize we had booked our Anne Frank experience for Easter Sunday. It was a moving experience to see the Anne Frank house and where she actually lived. We then did a canal boat ride and got to see all around the city on the water. We then headed off to the airport heading back to St. Andrews.
It was such a wonderful trip and I truly enjoyed every minute of my trip.
I love y'all and miss you!
xoxo
<3
April 3rd
We took the train from Rome to Pisa, where we stopped to see the leaning tower of Pisa. We walked from the train station to the Leaning tower and had some pizza on the way. Pisa is actually pretty small and as far as we could tell the only attraction was the leaning tower. It was so funny to see all these people trying to get pictures of them with the leaning tower and some had some very interesting positions holding up the tower. We then took the train from Pisa to Florence. Our hostel was right in the middle of town and close to where all the American students studying there go out and we took advantage of that! We grabbed some pizza once in Florence and then headed out with some friends who are studying there. We ended up at a karaoke bar and did a wonderful cover of Livin' on a Prayer.
April 4thWe started the day off with David in the Acadamia. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures but one of my sneaky friends snuck one! We then had lunch on a side street and then walked through the Market area and the food market and then had some gelato. We stopped by the Duomo to take pictures. We went to the Uffizi which was under renovation and all of the art was not on display so it was a disappointment. We then had dinner in the Piazza by the Uffizi and had some amazing grilled eggplant and pesto pasta. We thought that gelato was in order so we topped it off with some white chocolate and chocolate amaretto gelato---by far the best gelato I had at the Gelataria Negri on the river bank.
April 5th
Palm Sunday
We did our laundry in a laundromat and took over--all of the washers and dryers were in use by us! We then went to Mass at Santa Croce Cathedral in Italian--I could understand some of it but was mostly enjoying looking around the beautiful church and going to service. We then had lunch and I had the most amazing tomato, mozarella, turkey and pesto panini on focaccia. It was soooo good! We then took the train to Venice. We bought a 48hr watertaxi ticket that we took full advantage of. Our hotel in Venice was on Lido Island and was very nice. We then went to dinner and had pizza and wine and walked around Venice.
April 6th
We walked around Venice most of the day and went through the market area where I bought a beautiful Murano glass bead necklace. We ended up getting lost on all of the tiny side streets and running into dead ends into the canals! We found a small restaurant and sat down to have a drink and ended up meeting a great American family from Newport Beach, CA. They were so nice and we got to talking and they ended up buying all 7 of us a beer. We took a gondola ride which was great and was a great way to see the picturesque part of Venice. We had dinner by the main canal and enjoyed some delicious lasagna, calamari and wine. Venice was beautiful and truly one of my favorite cities.
April 7thTrain to Milan. We stored our luggage at the train station and walked around Milan. We had a very expensive lunch of a slice of pizza and a coca light for 9 euros. We then walked to the Castle and laid in the sun. We walked to the Duomo--which is the 3rd largest in the world and walked around the touristy shopping area close to the Duomo. We then had dinner for 6 euros---for one drink and an all you can eat buffett of snacks--which we capitalized on for two hours. We then went back to the train station to pick up our luggage and trained to the airport where we spent the night waiting for our 6:45am flight to Brussels.
April 8thArrive in Brussels. We are all exhausted and it is raining--not the best weather for us to walk around Brussels in. Our hotel was very nice but in an odd neighborhood of Brussels. We were in the middle eastern area and as we walked around and looked in restaurants and bars not a single woman was in any of them. When we did see a woman on the street she was in full coverage with only her eyes showing. I felt naked wearing jeans, a sweater and a jacket. We went to the Grand Place and walked around trying to find some of the major sights but failing. We finally gave up, had an early dinner and went to bed around 9pm.
April 9th
We slept in very late! We woke up in time for the free breakfast from the hotel and then back to bed until noon. We finally left the hotel around 1pm and were off to get lunch and then to Mini Europe. On our way to the metro we were attacked by a small gypsy child--it was very confusing trying to buy a metro ticket while being yelled at by a small child in a different language. Mini Europe was fun and we enjoyed seeing the Eiffel tower again in mini form! We then went back to the main part of Brussels to explore some more. We had a Belguim waffel and looked for the peeing boy and girl. The peeing girl was closed but we did find the peeing boy. We then headed back to the hotel and stopped to have a Belguim beer and some pub food.
April 10thTook a train to Amsterdam. We arrived and headed for our hostel where we were meeting our friend Allison. Allison unfortunately had a biking accident the previous day and had to go to the hospital thinking that she broke her foot--she didn't--but she was our hop-along friend for the weekend. While she was at the hospital with her friend who is studying abroad there we took a walking tour and were able to see the whole city and hear some very interesting history. We met up with Allison after the walking tour and grabbed some food at a pub close to our hostel. We then walked around the city and in Dam square found a small carnival! Marissa and I did one of the rides---it was one of the most painful carnival rides in my life! It was sooooo long and a whiplash machine! By the end Marissa and I were almost crying from laughing so hard and from wanting to get off!
April 11thWe were awakened by our hostel roommates practically screaming at around 8am getting ready for the day. We thought it might be a good idea to capitalize on the free breakfast so that was our first stop. We then headed off to explore Amsterdam. I truly thought Amsterdam was a beautiful city. The canals were gorgeous and all of the people were friendly and very welcoming. We went down to the market area and walked around--Allison trailing behind with her hurt foot. We then went to the Heineken brewery and took a tour. We then walked around and explored more ending up back in Dam square where Allison and I did another carnival ride--the swings--a much better ride and not painful at all! We then ended up back in the hostel and took a break from walking before going out to a pub crawl.
April 12thWe spent our Easter morning at the Anne Frank house--we didn't realize we had booked our Anne Frank experience for Easter Sunday. It was a moving experience to see the Anne Frank house and where she actually lived. We then did a canal boat ride and got to see all around the city on the water. We then headed off to the airport heading back to St. Andrews.
It was such a wonderful trip and I truly enjoyed every minute of my trip.
I love y'all and miss you!
xoxo
<3
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