Wales

I am almost done blogging about my fall break which was actually a month ago. Wow October was a super busy month! Anyway…

After visiting Maren I was heading to Wales to visit Kevin and Brit in Swansea for a few days. I arrived after a 5ish hour, completely uneventful train ride into Swansea station where I waited for a couple minutes for Brit and Kevin to come get me. First thing to do was to get rid of all my stuff so we went to the student village where they were living and dropped of my stuff in Kevin’s room. Then we headed right back into town to get something to eat and figure out something to do. We went to a Chinese place where we met up with 4 other friends. Kevin, Brit, Gilly and I then headed off to see a movie, UP which had just come out in theaters. Wednesdays at that theater are 2 for 1 night so that means cheaper! YAY!! It was great just to sit in a theater and watch a wonderful, funny movie without having to constantly concentrate on what they are saying so you understand. Wednesday was our low key night so after the movie we headed back to the student village where Brit went to her flat and Kevin and I to ours.

Thursday Brit and Kevin had some classes to go to and I had to do my laundry. I only had one small bag with me and there was no way to fit 10 days worth of clothes into it so I spent the morning doing laundry, and just kinda taking it easy which was really good for me because I was catching a cold. I have to say too that English tea is really good… although it really doesn’t seem that different. In the afternoon I went to the University to look around while Brit and Kevin were in class. I checkout out the garden and some of the cooler looking buildings and also talked to the student services to figure out my train to London and trip for the next day. When Brit finished with class we met up and went into town to do a little sightseeing/shopping and we met Kevin at Tesco the grocery store. I just have to say here that now I really appreciate having my host family because I don’t have to buy or prepare my own food! After shopping we went back to Kevin’s to make dinner (pasta bake) while watching the TV show GLEE.

Thursday night we were hitting the town! One of Brit’s flat mates Izzy came with too. Swansea for being a kinda small town has a surprising amount of night life and it was lots of fun too. Tonight we were headed for the dance club Oceana. We didn’t make it to Oceana but we still had a great time dancing in the other club that we stopped at. Since I am writing this blog like a month after it happened I obviously don’t recall everything but I don’t think we got home until almost 2:30am. It was a great night out!

For our next day we had made plans to visit Oystermouth Castle in Mumbles (yes that is the town name). We got to see the outside of the Castle but when we walked to the entrance we found out it was closed. Oh well so we walked a little of Mumbles and tried some fish and chips. I just had the chips which actually were unusually terrible. Kevin, Brit and Izzy all agreed that these were the worst chips they had ever had.

We also had planned to visit the Gower Peninsula, specifically Rhossili Bay and Worm’s Head. We took a bus out there which was lucky because they had extended their service to Rhossili until Christmas for just this year. I was super glad because it was beautiful and so much fun. We walked all the way out to the ocean but on the way we stopped to take shadow pictures, pretend like we were mountain climbers (or mountain goats), walk right to the edge of a cliff, and take some crazy pictures like handstands and such from far away (see posted pic with blog). And we stayed long enough that we were there for sunset which was absolutely STUNNING!

Then since it was my last night in Swansea we again went out for a night on the town; Brit, Kevin, Izzy and I. This time our mission was to tackle Wine Street, a pedestrian street with lots of restaurants, bars and general nightlife. Personally, I think we tackled it! I have no idea what time we got home (simply because it was a month ago) but I would guess around 3am but I do know that we all had a great time dancing in some of the different bars and singing in the street. (I did not participate in the singing, I was too cold). When we got back to the student village Kevin and I went our way and Brit and Izzy theirs. Kevin and I stayed up for another hour, we talked with his flat mates for awhile (apparently they liked me but I really don’t remember what I said) and then skyped with Bethany (Kevin’s girlfriend) and then I went to bed because I had a 9am train to catch and it was already 4:30.

Well I caught my train. Figured out the Tube in London (with the added bonus of construction on the route I wanted to take) and made it to the airport on time to find out my flight was delayed for over an hour. So I got to back to Madrid (an hour and a half late) and took the Metro to the bus station to get on my bus back home to Valencia and then got a cab to take me home since it was 5am and I had been traveling for almost 24 hours.

And thus ends my amazing fall break 2009! Thanks to everyone for letting me stay with you and showing me such a good time!

Manchester

My day trip to Manchester was fantastic. It was easy to get to and easy to find my way around. I stopped in the tourist information and told them I had a day to spend in Manchester and like 10 minutes later I was on my way with a map with the top attractions marked on the map.

First stop was the Manchester Art Gallery it was one of the more fun art galleries I have been to. It had a floor dedicated to more interactive displays of art and such. I of course checked out mainly that floor. I made my own stained glass art with a light display and pieces of plastic so the colors would shine through. I don’t think that I would make it as an artist... but it was fun nonetheless. Some of the displays were also musical which makes them super fun of course. There was one that looked like waves with fish jumping out that played music kinda like a music box. It was much more fun to be able to touch and move and play with all the displays.
Next stop and a must see was the John Ryland Library. This library was filled with old books of all sorts and other great stuff, like hieroglyphics, and a super old fragment from a bible, old printing presses, and lots of great books like a 1st edition of Darwin’s Origin of a Species. The building architecture was also amazing and something to be admired. I wouldn’t mind spending time just sitting and reading in that library! There was also history about how and why it was built which was all super interesting to me but I won’t bore you with the details 

After that the next closest building was the Manchester Cathedral. I am pretty sure I have seen more Cathedrals in Europe than ever before but they are always such amazing buildings with great art and architecture! This one was also wonderful because when I walked in there was a piano recital that I was able to listen to while I began exploring. I also met a man that told me where to find all sorts of info about the Cathedral. There was a really cool stained glass window that kinda looked like fire and also the angel stone. Which is just what is says a stone with an angel kinda sketched into it… I can’t remember the history of the stone but it was cool.

Nearby the Cathedral was the Chetham’s School of Music. Which I walked past and then happened to run into the same man from the Cathedral who started telling me how wonderful it was and that I should go in and check out the library and that it was free etc… He was really friendly and helpful but it was kinda funny that I ran into him twice (at least I think so). So I went in to see the library which is actually the only thing you are allowed to see which kinda made me sad cause I would have loved to just explore and hear all the music! I was slightly depressed for like 2 minutes when I saw like 10 year olds getting ready for a rehearsal, cause the school only accepts like 200 amazing musicians and these kids seriously could not have been older than 10. Anyway, the library was cool but nothing amazing. I was expecting a huge music library but actually the library is known for its collection of books of Jonah. Basically just more super old books!

Next stop was the Chinese Arts and Culture Center which was slightly disappointing. But on the way I passed Urbis which is actually I think a huge shopping mall but I didn’t stop to find out. There also was some cool modern art in just outside that I took a picture of. Anyway, the Chinese Arts and Culture Center seemed to be in the middle of a remodeling so the art was covered and it was small anyway so I didn’t really spend too much time there.

Next and last stop was the Manchester United Football stadium (p.s. football=soccer), which is actually a little outside of the city so I had to get on the metro to get there which was no problem because by now I am practically a pro at public transportation. The stadium was AMAZING and HUGE! I love how in Europe soccer is such a big thing. I took a tour of the stadium and got to sit in the seats where the players sit and I got to see the dressing rooms which all the jerseys and the family/interview/relaxation room. Then we got to walk out to the stadium the same way the players do with the music and everything which was fun. We couldn’t actually go on the field which was slightly disappointing but understandable since they had just planted new grass. I also toured the museum and saw all the trophies etc that they had won. They also had a plaque and wall dedicated to the tragedy that struck the team years earlier. A plane that was carrying the team crashed and about half of the team and many of the other passengers were killed. It was really devastating and sad. Overall, the visit was cheerful and really cool. I can’t wait to see the Valencia stadium, sometime this month I am pretty sure I get a tour and such! It’s going to be great!

England

Wow... I can’t believe it is already November! Sorry I haven’t had any recent blogs. My parents and grandma were here to visit and it was finals week so now I am going to be trying to play Catch-Up from almost a month ago! If you don’t remember I had just finished blogging about Ireland.

After Ireland I took a flight to Liverpool and a train to Lancaster where I would be visiting and staying with my friend Maren. I had a really great taxi driver to the Cork airport he was asking me about my “holiday” and talking with me about how it must be hard not to be close to my family. Then he started telling me about his family; he has I believe 8 children and one of his sons swam the English Channel to raise money for cancer because his wife and two of his son’s friends had recently died of cancer. It was just nice small talk and then when we got to the airport he told me I was lucky I was there early to avoid all the “queues.” The Liverpool airport was the John Lennon Airport so I passed the Yellow Submarine on my way out of the airport and all the signs said “Above Us Only Sky,” which I thought was pretty cool.

The bus took me to the train station (lots of modes of transport right!) where I purchased a ticket and got on the train to Liverpool. Liverpool and the English Countryside were beautiful and when I got to Lancaster 4 hours later Maren was waiting at the train station! I felt bad because I had to take a later train and had no way off letting her know so she was waiting awhile  On the way to campus where she was living I say some of Lancaster which is a nice smaller town and we went to Chinese food which was delicious because I had skipped lunch.

I really like the school that Maren is at. It kinda reminded me of Harry Potter. She was telling me about how they each have different schools (houses) that they belong to and that there is friendly competition between the schools (house cup) and that they each have their own area with a bar and lounge and basically it is just a nice place to hang out (house common room). We went over to her schools area to watch some British TV (they have way better commercials) and just catch up a bit.

The next day I took a day trip to Manchester but that is another blog…
And then all too soon I had to leave but on my way to see Brit and Kevin in Swansea I had an hour “layover” (I was traveling by train so I don’t think it is technically a layover) in Liverpool. So I saw all I could in that little time. I walked to the cathedral which was spectacular just to see from the outside and I walked by Chinatown. And I passed a cool looking church I think and other cool building that I didn’t have time to explore fully!

One sad thing... I never did get a picture of a stereotypical red phone booth :(

I kissed the stone and I liked it...

While visiting Cork my friends and I took a day trip to Blarney to visit Blarney Castle and do one of those stereotypical Ireland tourist things... Kiss the Blarney Stone. It was the perfect day for it too. The sun was shining and it was cool but not cold. It was like one of those golden days in fall that all you want to do is walk outside in the beautiful weather before winter sets in. Well luckily that is what we got to do.

We arrived in Blarney after a 45ish minute bus ride which was really cramped. My friends and I were standing and squished. It was really uncomfortable. The bus was always stopping and starting at the bus stops and stoplights so we were constantly being thrown backward and forward and to the side with every change in directions. Kirsten almost ended up sitting in this old mans lap! Luckily I caught her decided to be her seat belt until the man left and she took his seat. It was an uncomfortable but nonetheless interesting and funny ride.

Blarney is a really pretty place. For those of you who haven't seen it I would recommend it. It is hard to explain (like everything) but I think it was especially appealing to me because it was the most green I had been close to in like a month and a half! The stream, fields, flowers, waterfalls, trees, rocks, and castle were all beautiful.

Climbing Blarney Castle wasn't too bad for me. It was one of my not so clumsy days thankfully :) We started the climb and would take breaks to see rooms that came off of the stairway. When we got back on the stairs I would go out first and then let the girls pass me just that way if one fell I could catch them. The higher we got the narrower and smaller the stairs and passageway became. There were more than a couple times when I felt like I had to watch my head. But we made it no problem.

Next step kiss the stone. For those of you who don't know the blarney stone is said to bestow upon the kisser the gift of eloquence also known as the gift of gab. It also is located in the upper wall of the castle. So in order to kiss it you have to lay down on your back, scoot out, lean your head back and kiss it. There are two people there one to take a picture that you can later buy and the other to hold you so you don't fall. There also are handlebars to hold on to when leaning back your head to kiss the stone (a crucial part if you want to minimize your chances of falling).

Well my friends went first and I didn't think it looked to bad. But from there perspective it was terrifying simply because if you are shorter you are scooting out a little farther so your butt (I guess) may leave the castle floor. When it was my turn I was so ready to pucker up to that stone. Well I laid down, leaned back and in my excitement didn't even think about grabbing the handle bars (which if you recall minimizes your chances of falling) until the man helping was saying rather forcefully to grab the handlebars... so I did and I kissed it and later when we looked at our photos that they took I saw that I had a huge dorky smile when coming back up. LOL

After kissing the Blarney stone we walked around blarney for awhile and saw the caves and waterfalls and gardens etc. It was a great time. Oh and I found some play equipment... or at least that is what I used it for (see picture) Then it was time to explore the gift shop and head back.

Nothing is perfect!

Every good adventure has to have good times and bad. Well the start to this Cork adventure was probably the worst of my entire trip. Please bear with me as I set the scene… In Dublin a tragedy occurred that I did not mention; my cell phone ceased to function for reasons unknown which meant that now I did not only not know the time for flights and trains but also that I wasn’t able to call my friends in Cork to let them know what time I would be coming. (A pay phone also wouldn’t have worked because their numbers, of course, were saved in my phone.)

So I arrived in Cork at about 7:30, a little earlier than I expected and I knew the general direction that I needed to go to find my friend’s apartment and also the name of the complex. How hard can it be to find a large pink apartment complex? Well for me it proved to be about as difficult as dressing a screaming two year old in a pink tutu that is two sizes too small! (I imagine that would be difficult because I have never tried it.) Anyway, I wandered up and down the quay and surrounding area looking for the building. I asked about 10 people if they knew where it was (one was able to tell me to walk that way), rang at 2-3 different buildings that looked like they had potential to be correct (they weren’t) and finally stopped at an internet store to get my friends phone numbers off my facebook and tried to call them and also asked the store clerk if she could try for me in case I was doing something wrong. Turns out neither of us could get the numbers to work. (Later I realized that one of them had an extra number… but still don’t know what happened to the second.)

Now just to review… I am in Cork, with no phone and numbers that don’t work… I have a general idea of the building I am looking for but not the actual address or the number of the apartment. Bad planning on my part, YES I learned my lesson. Anyway, so I finally found a store clerk who knew where the apartment was after I walked another half hour following the strangers advice of “that way”. So I made it to the apartment building.

Next hurdle to overcome; I didn’t know what number was my friend’s apartment. So I rang at the reception, no answer so what other option did I have but to try another number. Well on my 4th try someone came to the door to let me in. Now I was in the apartment but still didn’t know which number I needed. I don’t know why but the number 23 suddenly stuck out in my head so I walked up the stairs and found door number 23 and knocked… no answer so then I knocked at 22 and an Irish man came out. I told him I had the wrong room and that I was looking for 2 of my friends… He told me there were American girls staying in number 21 across the hall. So I thanked him and tried that door and he was right, but they weren’t the right American girls. But they were able to help me. I told the girl that answered the people I was looking for and she called one of her roommates Lara who happened to be in my friend’s apartment for dinner. I finally knew what number (19) and was on my way I met Ellen in the stairway and the whole ordeal was over! Let’s just say I learned a lot about having a backup plan.

p.s. in case you are wondering about the picture I though a door was appropriate because if I basically had to knock on every door in Cork to find the right place!

Fall Break 09 Dublin

Sorry for the break from blogging…

As some of you may know this past week I did not have classes so I took the week to go visit 6 of my friends who are studying abroad in the United Kingdom. It was so wonderful to see some familiar faces and it was kinda a nice break to be speaking and hearing English again.

First stop on my 10 day holiday was Dublin. So after a bus ride to Madrid to get on my plane to Dublin I was off. Just a note never take taxis to and from the airport, I did but didn’t realize until I got there that I would have to pay a fee because I was getting off at the airport that was an unpleasant surprise for my wallet. I got into the Dublin airport at about 12:30 am. I had made the decision not to book a hostel that night because I figured I would be able to find one pretty easy. What I didn’t think about was how late it would be and cold… so I did find a hostel but in retrospect I think next time I will just book one in advance.

My hostel’s name was Paddy’s Palace and it was a pretty nice place, breakfast was included and the beds were warm and clean. I was in a shared room with 12 beds when I got there it was like 2 am and no one was there. I got ready for bed because after traveling for that long, even though I was mainly just sitting, I was tired. I had just climbed into bed and was almost asleep when my first noisy roommates came in. Shortly after that, all 6 of them were back for the night. They had been drinking so although they tried to be quite they had no idea how badly they were failing. I didn’t mind though because they were really funny to listen to. Needless to say I didn’t get too much sleep though because I was up early to sight see.

I only had one morning and early afternoon to explore all of Dublin which really isn’t a lot of time. I tried to meet with a free walking tour but couldn’t so I decided to just take the tour on my own which worked out well because I saw most of the things that they would have and was able to stop whenever I wanted. I toured the Dublin Castle which was a slight disappointment because it is more like a mansion than a castle but it was still cool to see. I also stopped in a few other places to explore a little. Oh and I almost forgot that it rained the entire time I was in Dublin but luckily I had packed my umbrella so I wasn't completely soaked.

Then I had to get on a train to Cork for my next great adventure…

Ciudad de las artes y ciencias

Before getting to the real point of this blog I need to pause for just one second to brag... It is about 75 degrees here and sunny! Hope everyone isn't freezing back in WI!

Anyway, this weekend I stayed in Valencia to do some more site seeing in this wonderful city and because this Thursday I will be leaving for the UK (Dublin, Cork, Lancaster, Liverpool and Swansea maybe London too)!

Friday we didn't have classes. So in the morning there was a organized trip (field trip) to the biggest aquarium in all of Europe (Oceanografico). Which is part of the Ciudad de las artes y ciencias (City of the Arts and Sciences) and happens to be like 20 minutes from my house. Yes, it was fantastic! We started our Aquarium visit with the dolphin show which was amazing. Dolphins really are smart and rather incredible animals. I almost wanted to change my career path (almost). After the show we explored all the different aquariums and walked through the underwater tunnels to see all the sharks, stingrays, fish, coral, walrus, seals, penguins and everything else under the sea! I was so glad that my camera had an aquarium mode on it so I could get some pictures! The diversity of all the fish is was really amazing to me. There were just so many different kinds, the aquarium had exhibits from all over the world, the Arctic, Antarctic, Caribbean, Atlantic, Pacific it was amazing! They also had a wetlands exhibit which included birds, turtles and some freshwater fish. It smelled bad but was cool because you could get super close to the birds since you were walking in there cage.

Saturday afternoon I went back to the City of the Arts and Sciences to check out the Museo de las Ciencias Principe Felipe (Science Museum) and the free gardens. The Science museum was so cool! It had really interesting science experiments that were interactive so you could actually try it them out which was amazing. I learned more about sound, the human body, space, natural science, global warming, and tons more. One exhibit that was super mega guay (super mega cool) was the Marvel Super Hero science exhibition. I decided that I wanted to take my future classes one field trips here because it was so educational and fun! (Which means I will not be a dolphin trainer after all) If anyone is planning on traveling to Spain this was great (a must see... especially for kids) and most of the exhibits were in English too :)

There are 2 more buildings that are part of the city of arts and sciences that I have left to explore. One is a Palace of Music which I am hoping to attend a concert in and the other is like a planetarium and IMAX theater!