Just got into Prague a little while ago, and I'm already in love. It feels like Florence! Old, with windy cobbled roads and colorful shop fronts. And our hostel is right in the middle of the old town!! And the hostel helper is SO sweet and our room is lovely, with a big window that looks right out onto the street. Free giant lockers, fully functional kitchen, towels and excellent free wifi!! What more could I ask for? Yes, cheap traveling leads to an entirely new set of standards.
A quick review of today: checked out of the berlin hostel bright and early after successfully making oatmeal in my coffee mug, then walked with my giant hiking backpack to the Gemaldegalerie art museum. Wayy longer walk than I anticipated, so I stopped and treated myself to a frozen yogurt. Yes, at 10am. It was delicious. The art museum was FANTASTIC- faves represented: Botticelli, Raphael, and even a couple caravaggios and bronzinos! Big selection of later Flemish and Dutch painters, but I'm not as into that.
After that I fairly smoothly caught the correct subway-bus-subway combination that got me to the Prague city center by 7:30 pm or so. Sauntered to the hostel and now here I am! Primo and Tommy should be getting in around 11.
I can feel a travel second wind coming on! Tomorrow will be officially 3 weeks straight of travel. Woo!
Much love,
Erin
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
German gallavanting!
Alright so tonight is my last night in Berlin. I'm on my own for 24 hours or so, which is a little scary but totally manageable. A little needed, too. Now I've got some time to chill in the hostel and maybe get to sleep early. Tomorrow morning I'll get up early, go to the art museum, and then take my bus to Prague, where I'm meeting with Tommy and primo. Woo!
Berlin in review: a very cool city with a fascinating and tumultuous past. The result is a people that have a deep social conscience and a very interesting psychology. There is a lot of righteous rigidity side-by-side with an artsy and more ambiguous philosophy, if that makes any sense at all. There's kind of an interesting comparison with Belfast. And a little bit of Glasgow in there too.
Anyway:
Sunday:
Flight at 2
Got in around 5 German time (3rd time change in 24 hours)
Made it to our very functional and efficient hostel and met up with the other girls (Christine, Hillary, Betsy, and Nicole)
Dinner at the American 60s diner (just couldn't resist, it was so random! Delicious baked potato)
Planning sesh and skype
Monday:
Checkpoint Charlie museum early in the am- very cool museum about cold war Berlin and all of the wonderfully creative escape attempts. People swam the baltic sea attached to mini submarines!
A free walking tour of the city. Fantastic! Took us past the Brandenburg gate at Paris plaza (named for Germanic victory over France in the 1800s), the reichstag parliament building (with it's glass roof to represent literal transparency to it's people), the Jewish memorial (very very well done. Simple concrete abstract blocks to walk through in a kind of maze. The city kind of ceases to exist when you get into the center of it), the remains of hitlers bunker (now a very very unadorned and unmarked parking lot), the old Nazi headquarters (now endowed with socialist propaganda), remains of the wall (complete with "death strip"), checkpoint charlie, gendarmenmarkt plaza (with twin German and French cathedrals, except the German one is about 3 Metres taller), bebelplaiz square (where 20,000 books were burned by students only two months after Nazis came into power, now complete with a memorial library, empty to show where those 20,000 books should be), memorial to war fatalities (with an unprotected statue of a mother and child, braving the elements), and museum island (full of museums, if you couldn't guess that one.)
Quick snack, some time recuperating at the hostel
A walk with Becky
A late and very German dinner- vegetarian and gluten free!
Tuesday:
Sachenhausen concentration camp. We took a free tour, and while it was absolutely worthwhile, it really made me question the sickness that would allow humans to treat other humans in such a grotesque, grotesque way. Being there and seeing the camp was heavy. It made me tired in a way I've never felt before.
Fortunately we had time to walk around a normalize a bit when we got back. We took the rest of the day easy, got a little dinner and then went back to the hostel.
Today (Wednesday):
Christine, Hillary, Nicole, and Betsy went ahead on the next leg of their trip, and Becky and I went to Berlin cathedral. We climbed the dome and got an excellent view of the city, which is very flat (built on a marsh, which occasionally you catch whiffs of).
We pretty much spent the rest of the day walking. Like, we stopped for a sit down coffee and for dinner, and that was it. We did an "alternative Berlin" city walking tour- very cool! Lots of street art and we saw a real life artists commune! If you don't hear from me for a while- you'll know where I've gone. It smelled like urine, though. Also it was so warm out today that I drank iced coffee and had frozen yogurt- sitting outside, no less!! Spring has arrived!
The frozen yogurt was obscenely good. I'm considering stopping by tomorrow morning. As in, frozen yogurt at 10am. I could totally swing it.
Anyway that's all for now. I'll check in again in a few days. On to Prague!
Much love,
Erin
Berlin in review: a very cool city with a fascinating and tumultuous past. The result is a people that have a deep social conscience and a very interesting psychology. There is a lot of righteous rigidity side-by-side with an artsy and more ambiguous philosophy, if that makes any sense at all. There's kind of an interesting comparison with Belfast. And a little bit of Glasgow in there too.
Anyway:
Sunday:
Flight at 2
Got in around 5 German time (3rd time change in 24 hours)
Made it to our very functional and efficient hostel and met up with the other girls (Christine, Hillary, Betsy, and Nicole)
Dinner at the American 60s diner (just couldn't resist, it was so random! Delicious baked potato)
Planning sesh and skype
Monday:
Checkpoint Charlie museum early in the am- very cool museum about cold war Berlin and all of the wonderfully creative escape attempts. People swam the baltic sea attached to mini submarines!
A free walking tour of the city. Fantastic! Took us past the Brandenburg gate at Paris plaza (named for Germanic victory over France in the 1800s), the reichstag parliament building (with it's glass roof to represent literal transparency to it's people), the Jewish memorial (very very well done. Simple concrete abstract blocks to walk through in a kind of maze. The city kind of ceases to exist when you get into the center of it), the remains of hitlers bunker (now a very very unadorned and unmarked parking lot), the old Nazi headquarters (now endowed with socialist propaganda), remains of the wall (complete with "death strip"), checkpoint charlie, gendarmenmarkt plaza (with twin German and French cathedrals, except the German one is about 3 Metres taller), bebelplaiz square (where 20,000 books were burned by students only two months after Nazis came into power, now complete with a memorial library, empty to show where those 20,000 books should be), memorial to war fatalities (with an unprotected statue of a mother and child, braving the elements), and museum island (full of museums, if you couldn't guess that one.)
Quick snack, some time recuperating at the hostel
A walk with Becky
A late and very German dinner- vegetarian and gluten free!
Tuesday:
Sachenhausen concentration camp. We took a free tour, and while it was absolutely worthwhile, it really made me question the sickness that would allow humans to treat other humans in such a grotesque, grotesque way. Being there and seeing the camp was heavy. It made me tired in a way I've never felt before.
Fortunately we had time to walk around a normalize a bit when we got back. We took the rest of the day easy, got a little dinner and then went back to the hostel.
Today (Wednesday):
Christine, Hillary, Nicole, and Betsy went ahead on the next leg of their trip, and Becky and I went to Berlin cathedral. We climbed the dome and got an excellent view of the city, which is very flat (built on a marsh, which occasionally you catch whiffs of).
We pretty much spent the rest of the day walking. Like, we stopped for a sit down coffee and for dinner, and that was it. We did an "alternative Berlin" city walking tour- very cool! Lots of street art and we saw a real life artists commune! If you don't hear from me for a while- you'll know where I've gone. It smelled like urine, though. Also it was so warm out today that I drank iced coffee and had frozen yogurt- sitting outside, no less!! Spring has arrived!
The frozen yogurt was obscenely good. I'm considering stopping by tomorrow morning. As in, frozen yogurt at 10am. I could totally swing it.
Anyway that's all for now. I'll check in again in a few days. On to Prague!
Much love,
Erin
Sunday, March 27, 2011
A whirlwind week!
Okay so I've got about half an hour. Got back late last night from Paris and I spent last night doing laundry and this morning getting my life together for my next two weeks of travel. Gah! It's fantastic but stressful. I've seen so much and I have such wonderful new experiences, but I've really got to be on my game! I tried to write a post last week in Paris, but our tour guide burst into the lobby and starting yelling at me to hurry in rapidfire french, so the post didn't quite make it. Sidebar: french is hard! Though I did have several successful shop interactions!! Two where I don't think they realized I couldn't speak french!! Arianne successfully taught me about three phrases, which I used, and then nodded or said "oui" to the rest.
Okay, to summarize:
Last Monday:
Early flight to Paris from Edinburgh (oh, Ryanair).
Lunch in Paris with teh templetons
Musee de Cluny
Walking (around the louvre, GORGEOUS!)
Epic hot chocolate (complete with MOUNTAINS of whipped cream) at Procope with Joanna
A shower at our lovely lovely hotel so wonderfully long and hot that I think I ceased to exist for a little while
Tuesday:
A morning stroll along the Seine
Breakfast (which was kind of sad, as I watched and smelled delicious gluten-ful pastries get devoured)
Saint Chappelle (where, because of Betsy, we got a private tour!)
Notre Dame, both the gargoyle-ful tower and the roman-ruin-filled crypt
Lunch along the river
Musee d'Orsay- impressionism! Faves: Renoir, Degas, Rodin
Another walk along the Seine: passing the Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, Jardin de Tuilleries, and Louvre
Dinner and Scarf Shopping at Mont Martre
Sacre Couer (surprisingly modern!)
Wednesday:
Versailles and the scary french tour guide- the hall of mirrors!
Lunch and some shopping- french boutiquey clothing and chocolate!
The Museum of the National Legion (that was actually an accident, we meant to find Orangiere...which is spelled wrong)
Musee National Rodin- GREAT!
First successful french ordering of coffee!
Caught the train to Tour
Meeting Odile- how to describe her? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down, you might as well ask.
yummy odile food! including gluten free vegetables in creamy sauce...mmm
Thursday:
A walk through Tour and a decision to try to start learning to enjoy the scent, if not the taste, of french boulangeries
Drive to Amboise
Chateau d'Amboise- sun and a picnic!
Clos Luce- the house of Leonardo da Vinci!!! Inventions everywhere. Fantastic.
Rogandin sighting!! Now, you ask, what is a Rogandin? Let me tell you: A massively giant river rat. As in, approximately twice the size of the ducks that it was chasing. Yeah. I've got pictures to prove it.
Drawing Betsy in Odile's Garden
Dinner in Old Tours and some really priceless Odile moments
Ice Cream, Jam, and Pear dessert. Amazing.
Friday:
A lazy start
Chateau de Chenonceau (scene of strife between Henry II's wife and mistress)
French Flea Market! Including one awesome awesome purchase that Odile made possible with her incredible haggling skills. Can't say what it is because it's a surprise birthday gift. I will say it's from 1920.
The Cathedral of Tour
Dinner and some much needed chillaxing
Saturday:
An almost-left-behind-in-France moment (not so fun) followed by a pleasant train ride to Paris and a sendoff from the Templetons
Exploring the Louvre- made it all the way through the Italian, Greek, and Ancient Roman art. Speechless.
Flight back to Glasgow- long but pretty smooth altogether
And now:
To berlin!!
I'll be back in Glasgow April 9th to 12th, so that's when I'll put up all the pictures, I think. For now, I'll leave it to imagination and my fantastic descriptions.
Further on and further up! (that's a chronicles of narnia quote)
Pooh quote: "Brush the honey off your nose, spruse yourself up so as to look Ready for Anything."
Much love,
Erin
Okay, to summarize:
Last Monday:
Early flight to Paris from Edinburgh (oh, Ryanair).
Lunch in Paris with teh templetons
Musee de Cluny
Walking (around the louvre, GORGEOUS!)
Epic hot chocolate (complete with MOUNTAINS of whipped cream) at Procope with Joanna
A shower at our lovely lovely hotel so wonderfully long and hot that I think I ceased to exist for a little while
Tuesday:
A morning stroll along the Seine
Breakfast (which was kind of sad, as I watched and smelled delicious gluten-ful pastries get devoured)
Saint Chappelle (where, because of Betsy, we got a private tour!)
Notre Dame, both the gargoyle-ful tower and the roman-ruin-filled crypt
Lunch along the river
Musee d'Orsay- impressionism! Faves: Renoir, Degas, Rodin
Another walk along the Seine: passing the Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, Jardin de Tuilleries, and Louvre
Dinner and Scarf Shopping at Mont Martre
Sacre Couer (surprisingly modern!)
Wednesday:
Versailles and the scary french tour guide- the hall of mirrors!
Lunch and some shopping- french boutiquey clothing and chocolate!
The Museum of the National Legion (that was actually an accident, we meant to find Orangiere...which is spelled wrong)
Musee National Rodin- GREAT!
First successful french ordering of coffee!
Caught the train to Tour
Meeting Odile- how to describe her? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down, you might as well ask.
yummy odile food! including gluten free vegetables in creamy sauce...mmm
Thursday:
A walk through Tour and a decision to try to start learning to enjoy the scent, if not the taste, of french boulangeries
Drive to Amboise
Chateau d'Amboise- sun and a picnic!
Clos Luce- the house of Leonardo da Vinci!!! Inventions everywhere. Fantastic.
Rogandin sighting!! Now, you ask, what is a Rogandin? Let me tell you: A massively giant river rat. As in, approximately twice the size of the ducks that it was chasing. Yeah. I've got pictures to prove it.
Drawing Betsy in Odile's Garden
Dinner in Old Tours and some really priceless Odile moments
Ice Cream, Jam, and Pear dessert. Amazing.
Friday:
A lazy start
Chateau de Chenonceau (scene of strife between Henry II's wife and mistress)
French Flea Market! Including one awesome awesome purchase that Odile made possible with her incredible haggling skills. Can't say what it is because it's a surprise birthday gift. I will say it's from 1920.
The Cathedral of Tour
Dinner and some much needed chillaxing
Saturday:
An almost-left-behind-in-France moment (not so fun) followed by a pleasant train ride to Paris and a sendoff from the Templetons
Exploring the Louvre- made it all the way through the Italian, Greek, and Ancient Roman art. Speechless.
Flight back to Glasgow- long but pretty smooth altogether
And now:
To berlin!!
I'll be back in Glasgow April 9th to 12th, so that's when I'll put up all the pictures, I think. For now, I'll leave it to imagination and my fantastic descriptions.
Further on and further up! (that's a chronicles of narnia quote)
Pooh quote: "Brush the honey off your nose, spruse yourself up so as to look Ready for Anything."
Much love,
Erin
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Castles and closes and ghosts, oh my!
Alright, so starting with last wednesday, I think? An overview, then! Probably one with gaping holes, as my goldfish memory can't handle more than that. Also my poor thumbs can't handle that much phone-typing.
So!
Wednesday: I went to my drawing class while Ker and ari explored the botanical gardens, then we met for a "play, pie, and pint" which the more religious of you followers might recall I did before and loved. Well, loved 1/3 of. Also I just referred to plural followers, because I now know that Arianne, in addition to my grandparents, regularly read this blog. Plural! Win. Anyway- play was wonderful. About Argentinian civil war. Then we (Ker, ari, Tory, and I) had gluten free high tea. I can't use enough absurdly positive adjectives to exclaim about this. Pictures are going to be crucial for that one. Cupcakes, custards, sandwiches...more food than four of us, hungry, could remotely finish. So much sugary goodness. Then we walked through the park and shopped a bit in the city centre, and had a lovely Italian dinner.
Thursday: Ker and ari went to the kelvingrove art museum while I was in my neuro class, then we met for a quick lunch and took a tour bus to Glasgow cathedral (home of st. Mungo). Then to the peoples palace, and then to the "lighthouse". Which, as it turns out, is not remotely lighthouse shaped. Aka why I couldn't find it before. Very cool artsy exhibitions and lots of great views. Constructed by Charles Macintosh. Then off to Edinburgh! In time for some st. Patricks day shenanigans (meaning having a pint in a pub).
Friday: Edinburgh castle, a whisky tour (at which time I discovered that I very definitively do not enjoy whisky), st Giles cathedral, the writers museum, a delicious delicious Thai dinner, and a very very scary ghost tour in the abandoned "underground city" of Edinburgh. Basically Edinburgh is built in layers on itself, and there are remains of each below the others. Scary remains.
Saturday: busy day. museum of childhood (for a dose of nostalgia), national museum of Scotland (for a dose of history), a hike up to king arthurs seat (for a picnic lunch and excellent views, and justification for a yummy gluten free brownie), then the peoples museum of Edinburgh, and an awesome tour of st marys close (a buried but historically excavated street, with stories about the people who lived there). Then we met Arianne and did a bit of an accidental pub crawl trying to hunt down a literary tour that we missed. Then a late bus back to glasgow.
Sunday: Ariana left around 5 am, and Ker around noon. Arianne and I saw Kerry off, then headed back to Edinburgh (our flight to Paris leaves early tomorrow from here). Today we saw Edinburgh castle (third times a charm! Fortunately free, as I'm now a member) as well as the st, marys close tour (round two! Our tour guide was phenomenally funny, even better tour than yesterday. Also fortunately no one recognized me.) Then a Thai dinner (again, round two! What can I say, I'm a creature of habit. And it was just so damn good!)
Also I neglected to mention the lovely juice bar that I discovered. Went there with all three of my visitors, giving me enough stamps on my loyalty card for a free juice when I come back! Win.
So, that's that! Traveltraveltravel! Tomorrow, off to Paris!!!! Can't wait. It was hard to see ker go, but I think a gluten free baguette or two (they mist exist!) will assuage my sadness right quick.
I'll update as soon as I can, and pictures as soon as I have a computer...so, Saturday?
Much love,
Erin
So!
Wednesday: I went to my drawing class while Ker and ari explored the botanical gardens, then we met for a "play, pie, and pint" which the more religious of you followers might recall I did before and loved. Well, loved 1/3 of. Also I just referred to plural followers, because I now know that Arianne, in addition to my grandparents, regularly read this blog. Plural! Win. Anyway- play was wonderful. About Argentinian civil war. Then we (Ker, ari, Tory, and I) had gluten free high tea. I can't use enough absurdly positive adjectives to exclaim about this. Pictures are going to be crucial for that one. Cupcakes, custards, sandwiches...more food than four of us, hungry, could remotely finish. So much sugary goodness. Then we walked through the park and shopped a bit in the city centre, and had a lovely Italian dinner.
Thursday: Ker and ari went to the kelvingrove art museum while I was in my neuro class, then we met for a quick lunch and took a tour bus to Glasgow cathedral (home of st. Mungo). Then to the peoples palace, and then to the "lighthouse". Which, as it turns out, is not remotely lighthouse shaped. Aka why I couldn't find it before. Very cool artsy exhibitions and lots of great views. Constructed by Charles Macintosh. Then off to Edinburgh! In time for some st. Patricks day shenanigans (meaning having a pint in a pub).
Friday: Edinburgh castle, a whisky tour (at which time I discovered that I very definitively do not enjoy whisky), st Giles cathedral, the writers museum, a delicious delicious Thai dinner, and a very very scary ghost tour in the abandoned "underground city" of Edinburgh. Basically Edinburgh is built in layers on itself, and there are remains of each below the others. Scary remains.
Saturday: busy day. museum of childhood (for a dose of nostalgia), national museum of Scotland (for a dose of history), a hike up to king arthurs seat (for a picnic lunch and excellent views, and justification for a yummy gluten free brownie), then the peoples museum of Edinburgh, and an awesome tour of st marys close (a buried but historically excavated street, with stories about the people who lived there). Then we met Arianne and did a bit of an accidental pub crawl trying to hunt down a literary tour that we missed. Then a late bus back to glasgow.
Sunday: Ariana left around 5 am, and Ker around noon. Arianne and I saw Kerry off, then headed back to Edinburgh (our flight to Paris leaves early tomorrow from here). Today we saw Edinburgh castle (third times a charm! Fortunately free, as I'm now a member) as well as the st, marys close tour (round two! Our tour guide was phenomenally funny, even better tour than yesterday. Also fortunately no one recognized me.) Then a Thai dinner (again, round two! What can I say, I'm a creature of habit. And it was just so damn good!)
Also I neglected to mention the lovely juice bar that I discovered. Went there with all three of my visitors, giving me enough stamps on my loyalty card for a free juice when I come back! Win.
So, that's that! Traveltraveltravel! Tomorrow, off to Paris!!!! Can't wait. It was hard to see ker go, but I think a gluten free baguette or two (they mist exist!) will assuage my sadness right quick.
I'll update as soon as I can, and pictures as soon as I have a computer...so, Saturday?
Much love,
Erin
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Kerry and Ariana- bring on the snow!
And by "bring on the snow" I am playfully referring to the fact that these darling two individuals appeared at Glasgow airport, and instantly the spring-like weather we had been experiencing became a torrent of icy sleet and wind and snow. That may not be exactly the truth, but it suits my purposes. Anyway I don't have a ton of time, so quick rundown.
Friday:
Picked up Ker and Ari at the airport (coffees in hand)
Dinner at La Tasca (gluten free tapas!)
Train to Oban
Hot chocolate at the cute hostel
Saturday:
Early ferry to Isle of Mull
Iona Monastery (first entry of christianity into Scotland, thank you St. Columba!)
Pub dinner in front of a nice hot fire
A rather frigid night (due to the entire island being out of power thanks to the storm)
Sunday:
Gluten free breakfast (bread included!)
Ferry back to Oban
War and Peace museum (not the book)
Castle Dunstaffagne (sp?)
Train to Fort William
Locating "Chasing the wild goose" (our hostel) in the abandoned farmland of Fort William
Monday:
Early bus to Inverness
Nessie Hunting!
Gluten free organic yummy lunch
St. Andrew's Cathedral
Island Walk
Imaginverness Museum
Bus back to Glasgow (getting in late late late)
Tuesday:
I went to sculpture class while Ker and Ari took a tour of the School of Art, the Tenement Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art
Coffee at the Biblocafe
Touring campus
Dinner at the "Wee Curry Shop"
Drinks at the Grosvenor Pub on Ashton Lane
Pictures are on facebook instead of the blog right now, since the blog is being troublesome about allowing more photos on here (something like I'm out of space??) But I'll work on that, and for now enjoy the album!
http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/photo.php?fbid=1309126412659&set=a.1309126012649.2029959.1365540530&theater
Pooh quote: "It isn't much good having anything exciting, if you can't share it with somebody."
Much love,
Erin
Friday:
Picked up Ker and Ari at the airport (coffees in hand)
Dinner at La Tasca (gluten free tapas!)
Train to Oban
Hot chocolate at the cute hostel
Saturday:
Early ferry to Isle of Mull
Iona Monastery (first entry of christianity into Scotland, thank you St. Columba!)
Pub dinner in front of a nice hot fire
A rather frigid night (due to the entire island being out of power thanks to the storm)
Sunday:
Gluten free breakfast (bread included!)
Ferry back to Oban
War and Peace museum (not the book)
Castle Dunstaffagne (sp?)
Train to Fort William
Locating "Chasing the wild goose" (our hostel) in the abandoned farmland of Fort William
Monday:
Early bus to Inverness
Nessie Hunting!
Gluten free organic yummy lunch
St. Andrew's Cathedral
Island Walk
Imaginverness Museum
Bus back to Glasgow (getting in late late late)
Tuesday:
I went to sculpture class while Ker and Ari took a tour of the School of Art, the Tenement Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art
Coffee at the Biblocafe
Touring campus
Dinner at the "Wee Curry Shop"
Drinks at the Grosvenor Pub on Ashton Lane
Pictures are on facebook instead of the blog right now, since the blog is being troublesome about allowing more photos on here (something like I'm out of space??) But I'll work on that, and for now enjoy the album!
http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/photo.php?fbid=1309126412659&set=a.1309126012649.2029959.1365540530&theater
Pooh quote: "It isn't much good having anything exciting, if you can't share it with somebody."
Much love,
Erin
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The calm before the storm...in a good way!
TOMORROW KERRY AND ARIANA GET HERE! Then it's traveltraveltravel for about two months, basically. I'm beyond psyched, and more than a little stressed out, to be honest. I so badly want to make the most of it!
A brief overview:
March 11-13: The Scottish highlands (Oban and Inverness) with Kerry and Ariana
March 14-16: Glasgow with Kerry and Ariana
March 17-20: Edinburgh with Kerry and Ariana (and Arianne joining us Saturday!)
March 21-27: France (Paris and Tours) with Arianne
March 28-31: Berlin with some of the Glasgow study abroad kids
April 1-3: Prague with Bowdoin abroad kids (Tommy and Primo)
April 4-8: Barcelona with Tommy and Primo
April 9-12: Orkney Islands? Don't know for sure
April 13-25: England with the family
April 26-May something: Finals
Yeah.
Anyway onto more normal post stuff. First, some quick commentary on the manic-depressive insanity of weather Glasgow decided to grace us with today. I experienced (separately and all while outside walking): downpouring rain that left puddles in my shoes, gales of wind that almost literally blew me in front of a truck, sleet that painfully stung my nose until I looked like Rudolph, and glorious sunshine that just left me absolutely bewildered. Why, Scotland? Why?
Also here are some pics of the latest development in my sculptural shenanigans:
Pooh quote: "If you're always saying, "We'll see," nothing ever happens."
Much love,
Erin
A brief overview:
March 11-13: The Scottish highlands (Oban and Inverness) with Kerry and Ariana
March 14-16: Glasgow with Kerry and Ariana
March 17-20: Edinburgh with Kerry and Ariana (and Arianne joining us Saturday!)
March 21-27: France (Paris and Tours) with Arianne
March 28-31: Berlin with some of the Glasgow study abroad kids
April 1-3: Prague with Bowdoin abroad kids (Tommy and Primo)
April 4-8: Barcelona with Tommy and Primo
April 9-12: Orkney Islands? Don't know for sure
April 13-25: England with the family
April 26-May something: Finals
Yeah.
Anyway onto more normal post stuff. First, some quick commentary on the manic-depressive insanity of weather Glasgow decided to grace us with today. I experienced (separately and all while outside walking): downpouring rain that left puddles in my shoes, gales of wind that almost literally blew me in front of a truck, sleet that painfully stung my nose until I looked like Rudolph, and glorious sunshine that just left me absolutely bewildered. Why, Scotland? Why?
Also here are some pics of the latest development in my sculptural shenanigans:
Much love,
Erin
Monday, March 7, 2011
Three countries, two girls, one day!
Also six cities and five trains per weekend and four hot beverages per day! (Tory and I spent a good amount of time thinking that one out, so appreciate it.)
Tory and I had a lovely and very busy weekend in Cardiff, Wales. Beautiful little city, very clean and bright. Friday we caught an early train in, leaving us enough time to see Cardiff Castle before dinner. Cardiff Castle was funny- they clearly tried to be multi-national by creating a fifteen minute wordless film about the history of the castle, but the plot was really complicated! A teenage girl found a book that brough the history of the castle to life, so historical figures were riding around without explanation. Walked out more confused than when I walked in. Had a fantastic dinner friday at La Tasca, which is a tapas restaurant with explicitly labeled gluten free options! Delicious delicious delicious. Then we saw the new Matt Damon movie! Maybe not a particularly Welsh thing to do, but it's Matt Damon! There's an intrinsic exception there.
Saturday we went to the National Museum of Wales, which covered a lot of ground for a relatively small museum! We saw the exhibit on Buddhist art from Dazu, China as well as an exhibit on the evolution of Wales and one on French Impressionism. Nice bit of variety. Then off to St. Peter's Cathedral, followed by quick lunch and then Llandaff Cathedral. The cathedral wasn't actually on the map of the city centre, it trailed off down "Cathedral Way," so we figured it couldn't be a very long walk. 45 minutes of quick-walking disproved that notion. Anyway we got there and then hung around the area until our ghost tour on the old monastery grounds. Good tour! Legitimately scary! But a good amount of history, too. 2 and a half hours! Cold, though. Really freaking cold. The space heater in the hotel was my best friend for a good hour after we got back.
Also, note- hotel, not hostel! No flip flops in the shower! Ahhh.
Sunday we went to St. Fagan's Welsh History Museum, which was the equivalent of a kind of Williamsburg, but for Wales. The exhibits were open air recreations of different phases in Welsh history. Also, they had a GIANT pig. I bet there are cows smaller than that thing. Terrifying.
Before we left we had time to go back to La Tasca for lunch. Round two was even better.
So, on to pictures!
Great weekend, and Kerry (and Ariana?) are joining me this friday!!! I can't believe how fast the time is going. So many places to go!
Pooh quote: "Pooh hasn't much Brain, but he never comes to any harm. He does silly things and they turn out right."
Much love,
Erin
Tory and I had a lovely and very busy weekend in Cardiff, Wales. Beautiful little city, very clean and bright. Friday we caught an early train in, leaving us enough time to see Cardiff Castle before dinner. Cardiff Castle was funny- they clearly tried to be multi-national by creating a fifteen minute wordless film about the history of the castle, but the plot was really complicated! A teenage girl found a book that brough the history of the castle to life, so historical figures were riding around without explanation. Walked out more confused than when I walked in. Had a fantastic dinner friday at La Tasca, which is a tapas restaurant with explicitly labeled gluten free options! Delicious delicious delicious. Then we saw the new Matt Damon movie! Maybe not a particularly Welsh thing to do, but it's Matt Damon! There's an intrinsic exception there.
Saturday we went to the National Museum of Wales, which covered a lot of ground for a relatively small museum! We saw the exhibit on Buddhist art from Dazu, China as well as an exhibit on the evolution of Wales and one on French Impressionism. Nice bit of variety. Then off to St. Peter's Cathedral, followed by quick lunch and then Llandaff Cathedral. The cathedral wasn't actually on the map of the city centre, it trailed off down "Cathedral Way," so we figured it couldn't be a very long walk. 45 minutes of quick-walking disproved that notion. Anyway we got there and then hung around the area until our ghost tour on the old monastery grounds. Good tour! Legitimately scary! But a good amount of history, too. 2 and a half hours! Cold, though. Really freaking cold. The space heater in the hotel was my best friend for a good hour after we got back.
Also, note- hotel, not hostel! No flip flops in the shower! Ahhh.
Sunday we went to St. Fagan's Welsh History Museum, which was the equivalent of a kind of Williamsburg, but for Wales. The exhibits were open air recreations of different phases in Welsh history. Also, they had a GIANT pig. I bet there are cows smaller than that thing. Terrifying.
Before we left we had time to go back to La Tasca for lunch. Round two was even better.
So, on to pictures!
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| Forgot to mention, we walked through this really beautiful park along the river before we checked into our hotel. |
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| Tory meeting Kip. |
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| Flowers! Spring! |
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| Duck butt. Hehe. |
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| Cardiff Castle. It has a moat! |
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| Kip inspecting the castle walls. |
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| Note Tory's sunglasses. As in, there was enough sun for SUNglasses. |
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| The city from the castle ramparts. It's really right in the city centre! |
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| Main street. |
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| There is an "animal wall" with all different stone animals. Kip wanted to join in. |
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| Outside of the national museum. |
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| St. Peter's Cathedral. |
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| I really liked the words on this window. It reads: "When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today." |
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| The market. We got super cheap and delicious blueberries and apples. |
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| Llandaff Cathedral. Haunted by more ghosts than you want to know about. |
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| The Museum of Welsh Life. |
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| The General Store. All the stuff is real! |
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| My Andy Warhol imitation. |
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| Kip made some friends, but then Tory ate them. |
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| He's more of a solo kind of bear, anyway. How majestic. |
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| Tory communing with the GIANT pig. |
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| Just look at that thing! |
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| The Celtic Village. |
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| The Celts were apparently very small people. |
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| Ducks look funny walking on land. |
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| This is Gwyn (that's welsh for "white"). He lives in the old mill and he is an exceptional climber. |
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| This is Gwyn about five seconds later. I'm convinced that cat is part panther. |
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| The remains (or lack thereof) of our lunch at La Tasca. Best. Thing. Ever. |
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| Tory pretending that she didn't just eat half of that. |
Great weekend, and Kerry (and Ariana?) are joining me this friday!!! I can't believe how fast the time is going. So many places to go!
Pooh quote: "Pooh hasn't much Brain, but he never comes to any harm. He does silly things and they turn out right."
Much love,
Erin
Thursday, March 3, 2011
A sculptural update
Hey guys!
So I'm leaving for Wales with Tory in the wee hours tomorrow morning, so I figured I'd post a quick update. This week has been great- very very hectic, but that's exactly the way I like it. Plans for spring break are popping up everywhere, same as the crocuses that remind me everywhere I look that spring is coming! So much to look forward to! Traveling, the potential for actually getting a sunburn, or even wearing a sundress!
Anyway here is the week 2 evolution of my sculpture, thought it could be kind of a fun continuity:
Pooh quote: "It's sort of comforting to know if you have fourteen pots of honey left, or fifteen, as the case may be."
Be back sunday! Probably will update with picture monday.
Much love,
Erin
So I'm leaving for Wales with Tory in the wee hours tomorrow morning, so I figured I'd post a quick update. This week has been great- very very hectic, but that's exactly the way I like it. Plans for spring break are popping up everywhere, same as the crocuses that remind me everywhere I look that spring is coming! So much to look forward to! Traveling, the potential for actually getting a sunburn, or even wearing a sundress!
Anyway here is the week 2 evolution of my sculpture, thought it could be kind of a fun continuity:
Be back sunday! Probably will update with picture monday.
Much love,
Erin
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Northern Ireland!
Okay, so. I think it'd be easier to do this entry in all-picture form. Enjoy! (I did.) Damn I love Ireland. |
| First stop monday morning: The Botanic Gardens outside Ulster Museum. Pretty much the most delightfully fragrant and peaceful place I've ever been. |
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| EVERYTHING was in bloom. COLORS! |
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| And check out the sunlight! |
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| Then we went to the Ulster museum, and after that it was time for a Coffee Break. Intentional use of capital letters to signify importance. |
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| Camila agrees. |
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| City Hall. |
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| Interior of city hall. |
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| Inside the very modern and cool mall, there's this "observatory" where you have a very cool view of the city. |
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| The clocktower. |
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| St. Anne's Cathedral. |
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| Me and Kip and a big fish by the waterfront. |
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| The harbour, near Titanic Quarter. |
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| Check out that seagull shot. Mad skill. |
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| Day two! The coast near the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. |
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| Gorgeous. |
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| Kip was a little nervous about crossing the ancient hundred-foot-in-the-air-over-crashing-waves bridge, but I talked him through it. |
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| Our shadows! dunno exactly how Camila became headless. |
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| Giants Causeway. |
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| Rock-scampering! |
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| London-Derry. Aka Stroke City. Gotta be careful with the name. For protestants, it's Londonderry. For catholics, Free Derry. Site of the Bloody Sunday Massacre and still home to some serious religious tension. |
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| A wall mural in London-Derry. |
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| Day Three! A wall mural in the Protestant Quarter of Belfast. The tensions in Belfast are still very prominent, though the city itself is safe. I love how those tensions are being translated into an artistic medium, rather than a physical one. |
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| One of the peace-oriented murals in the Protestant Quarter. |
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| This was a motto during the peace talks that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The people want to be involved in the peace-process, not decided for or about. |
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| One of the protestant murals. The gun follows you as you walk- watch. |
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| How weird is that? It's very creepy to walk past. |
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| The murals in the Catholic Quarter. The tendency here is to have current international as well local historical messages. |
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| Newcastle. A very summery and quiet but cute town- I wanted ice cream there, really badly. |
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| Camila and I playing in the fish-eye orb on the boardwalk. |
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| From our little hike near the town. |
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| Check out that reflection. |
Much love,
Erin
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