Exams

I've completed two of three exams now, with the third technically underway (it's a take home and I've written about 2/3 of it at this point). In about 24 hours I should be done which will be fantastic! I've never had such a relaxed exam period before.

Today I had an oral exam (meaning I had to speak with the professor for about 15 mins while he asked me questions about the course). I was nervous beforehand because I had never taken an exam that wasn't either multiple choice or essay. As I was getting ready I noticed I went through some of my normal rituals before an exam. I always have a cup of coffee, and even though I'm sick right now and that's the last thing my body needs, i had to have my cup of coffee. I also wore my runner necklace.

I've never believed that if I don't do something I won't perform as well, but there are certain rituals that I like to do before any nerve wracking event to put myself at ease. It started with races in High School. For pretty much every race in High School I wore my Torrey Pines hair ribbons. In college it shifted to a pair of running shoe earrings my mom got me. Later I'd even wear the runner necklace she got me as well.

Since I've been in law school I've either worn that necklace or those earrings for ever single final I've taken. What does running have to do with law school exams? In a way, everything. The simple act of wearing something that i used to use as a talisman for confidence in races transferred to me the confidence i needed to survive those 4 hour law exams. I feel the most confident in running shoes, hair pulled back, and a stopwatch on my arm. That's why when I'm confused or upset about something, i got out for a run. I regain my confidence in myself and my abilities from the simple act of my feet hitting the pavement mile after mile. I think I am the most myself when I am running. That is the true me. And the best part is that its me at my most confident. That is the woman who I want taking those exams. Ironic because most of my "failures" in life have probably come from running, but more out of sheer opportunity alone. I've run hundreds of races and there's no way that all of those can go well or as planned. Running has taught me that failure does not end there, but is a chance to learn and bounce back. Sometimes failure is out of our control, but we can control how we react to it and how we let failure affect us.

So an exam day is really game day. I go into that exam as a runner, and i draw on the confidence of the woman that can run for miles and miles and only get stronger. The exam becomes a challenge to attack rather than a fearful test. I might not always perform the best that I want to, but I know i got into it with my all.

What does this have to do with Copenhagen? Not much really. I've done well on both my exams so far (yay!) and am looking forward to coming home (next Thursday!!!!). It's been four months that I've been out of the country and I think it's about time to come back :)

Vienna

As the airplane cruised over Austria and descended upon Vienna, I knew we were gonna be in trouble. Everything was white. At first I thought it was the clouds, but then I realized that the whiteness was in fact snow. As my friend and I stepped off the plane, little flurries of snow swirled around us and settled on our clothing. It was cold. Very cold. I consider myself to have a bit of tolerance for cold after living on the east coast for a few years, so either I've lost it or Vienna was as cold as I thought it was.

It was dark by the time we settled in at the hostel and decided to explore the city a little. As we hit the city center I looked down one of the streets and saw beautiful Christmas lights. "We are going that way!" I declared as I turned on my heels and zoned in on the festivities. Turns out that one of Vienna's largest Christmas markets had just opened that weekend! I love Christmas markets. I haven't seen any in the US like the ones I've seen here in Copenhagen and Vienna. There are dozens of small huts selling all sorts of Christmassy goodies like ornaments, decorations, and little gifts. Then there are the huts that sell goodies of the edible variety. yummmmmm. There is every sort of pastry imaginable including small round donuts on a stick with warm apple slices in between and donuts where they actually fill it with what you want right in front of you. They also have Glogg which is mulled wine. I believe it's wine with rum in it, and warm with little berries at the bottom. At first it tastes funny, but it grows on you.

For the first day in Vienna we spent the morning walking about the main city. We started at the main opera house then wound our way through the city. There was a gorgeous cathedral that had these amazing windows that let the light just pour through. As beautiful as everything was, it was really really cold, as i mentioned before. Meaning that outdoor site seeing had to be broken up with frequent indoor activities. Luckily, one of the important aspect of the Viennese culture are their cafes. Cafes are everywhere. You can spend hours sitting in a cafe and sipping on a melange (essentially a cappachino) and nibbling on a piece of amazing cake. I must have had at least melange a day and I don't even want to discuss the cake aspect ;)

That evening we went to a museum displaying the art of this man, Hunderwasser. He had very interesting ideas about architecture. For instance, he envisioned neighborhoods where grass was on all the roofs of the homes and everything was eco friendly. He didn't seem to believe in straight lines so the floors were all rounded and dippy. He did believe in "tree tenants" which means you'd have a tree in your house that would grow outside your window to get light and air. He was essentially a hippie architect. On our last day we checked out an apartment building that he designed. It was pretty cool actually.

On the second day we went to an Austrian Palace. Even though at the point I've gone through several castles and palaces on my journey, i still always enjoy it. Everything is so beautiful and over the top. I did have a lot of fun going into the garden because it was something that would have been so beautiful had it been summer or spring, but was essentially dead and ugly while covered in white snow.

There are tons of museums in Vienna. It's another one of those perfect indoor activities to escape the bitter cold outside. Even though I'm not usually into modern art, we went to check out an exhibit called "True Romance." It was very strange. Some of the art was interesting and I liked. Other exhibits kinda freaked me out a little (like one montage of videos of movies from Hollywood with men beating women). One that I did find interesting was a reenactment of a couples conversations via chat on the Internet. Essentially actors were reading aloud their online written dialogue. It was interesting to see conversations acted out because it sounds so bizarre ("hello? Are you there? Why aren't you responding")

That night we went to hear a concert of Mozart and Strauss. There was also some dancing and opera singing. I've never really listened to much classical music, so it was nice to get the opportunity to hear live classical music in a place like Vienna, famous for Mozart. The concert was in a beautiful concert hall with gorgeous lights outside and an elegant interior.

On the final day in Vienna we went to its main museum. Museums are often hit or miss for me. Some I absolutely love and would go back again and again and others I'm kinda ambivalent about. This one fell into the category of love. Some of the exhibits were so unique (like one room dedicated to large and small cameos) but mostly i loved the set up of the museum. It was very private with small rooms and varied lighting. For instance there was this one room where you walked in, and your eyes had to adjust for a second because the lighting was so dim. Then you'd see everything come into focus and saw about 2 dozen busts, all near or below eye level. There was a spot light on each one. It was creepy but a strong way to present the busts.

There is so much more to talk about from Vienna, but for now I think I will end there. It was cold, but absolutely beautiful with its museums, cafes, and architecture. I had a wonderful time, and was saddened that it would be my last European city to visit for a long time.

On that note. I'll be home to SD in less than two weeks. I can't believe this adventure is almost over. But don't worry, I still have some more thoughts and reflections to post about ;)

Ireland

Again with the extreme delay in posting. Apologies.

Ireland was really beautiful and fun. It was the first trip that I wasn't really anticipating, and I think it's because I did it with a tour group, which I've never done before. I tend to buy a Lonely Planet and then start researching and planning everything that I want to see. It gets me excited about my trip. But since the tour group kinda plans everything out for you I didn't really do any research and just showed up. I'm still kinda debating if I enjoyed going as part of a tour group. On the pro side, everything is taken care of for you --> Transportation, hotels, sites, etc. You don't have to worry about much and its easy to meet people. But I thrive on exploring a place and felt I didn't have as much ability to really delve in as much as I would like. Plus you are grouped with people that might not share the same travel values as you (i.e. I like to avoid the label of tourist as much as possible, while some of the people in the group might as well have been wearing flashing yellow "BEWARE tourist" signs. My final conclusion is if you want to visit somewhere and have it easy, then go for the group, but if you want to get your hands a little dirty, plan it yourself.

Ok but now to the actual trip. The irony of the trip was that we had signed up for a pub crawl and i guess I assumed it would be a younger crowd. However, when we showed up it was just my friend and I, then two women in their late twenties, one woman in her early forties, and then senior citizens. I was more amused than annoyed :-P Plus to be honest I wasn't as interested in late party nights anyways (even though the small younger group of us did manage to check out the pubs all night).

We started in Galway, which is on the western side of Ireland. We went straight to the Cliffs of Mohr from the airport. It was so beautiful. I don't think I have the words to describe but I'll do my best. The cliffs dropped straight down into the ocean. The wind was so strong that I insisted on walking slightly hunched down for fear of blowing right off!!! All I could think was that Mom would NOT be happy if I managed to blow off the cliffs of Ireland. haha.

On the way to the hotel our bus got trapped in a traffic jam. See below. :-P

I really enjoyed the Pubs in Ireland. You see them everywhere in the US. There's an irish pub in every city. But the real thing is awesome. Irish music and Guinness. I love Guinness as well. Yay Guinness.

The second day involved much driving around the country side. It was so beautiful and it was one thing I definitely appreciated the tour for, because we were on these tiny roads that i could not have gotten to without renting a car. Everything was so breath taking.

The next day we drove to Dublin, which frankly just felt like any European city. Not that it wasn't unique in its own way, but Galway felt like IRELAND whereas Dublin was Europe. But there was still plenty to do. Over the two days were were there we went to the Jameson Distillery, Guinness Brewery, saw Trinity campus and the Book of Kells (12th century written gospels in beautiful writing with artwork), and just generally checked out the city. I also got to meet up with a friend of mine from Brown who is from Ireland originally. After being out of the states for so long is was nice to chat with someone who I've known for the past 6 years. Most of my interactions here in Copenhagen are with people I've met less than 4 months ago. It was nice to talk about old friends and things like running and college that people here don't know about.

I got back home and less than a week later was on a plane for Vienna...but that's a whole 'nother post. Coming soon. I promise.

Randomness

Tonight I am leaving for Ireland, so shall be away for the next five nights. I was originally planning on traveling in ireland during my solo adventures in the UK but realized right before I left that there was no way i could fit it in.

So here are some random thoughts to hold you over until i get back :-P

I am very upset about the writer's strike. The thought of losing Boston Legal and CSI for the rest of the year really upsets me. Not sure how I'm going to deal with this, I may need counseling. This news came to me shortly after I decided (for about the 10th time) that Boston Legal is one of the best shows on television. If you don't watch it you are missing out. I'm just throwing that out there.

It gets dark now around 4:30. This is very unfortunate. Being this far north definitely has some disadvantages. I am afraid to see what time it will be dark in December.

I am glad to hear that the Starbucks Red Cups are out already in the States. I feel a little better about jumping the gun for christmas.

This may be my most pointless post ever.

Random things i miss from the States (people and animals not included): Movies, Driving my car, the beach, the gym (knee is hurt again. boo.), control over a kitchen, cell phone, Starbucks, being able to afford to eat out.

All right, that's all for now. Pictures and Stories from Ireland to come!

Happy J-Dag!

One of the first things I learned about Copenhagen was that it had a very genuine christmas season. That may have been what sealed the deal for me to come here (Thought ironically it is the christmas season that has made me decide to come home a little earlier, more to come on that in a subsequent post).

So this season, I have been especially excited for Christmas. In two weeks Tivoli will be open for the Christmas season. In 2 1/2 weeks Santa is going to be parading through the city lighting up christmas trees. I'm quite excited.

Now how can one be excited for christmas when it is only November 5? I remember in the past I always will wait until after thanksgiving to get into the christmas spirit. I used to always race our last Cross Country meet the weekend of thanksgiving, and I would joke that as soon as I crossed the finish line I could start listening to christmas music (and i usually brought a xmas cd with me for the journey back home). My first hint of the holiday season has often been from Starbucks. They bust out the christmas cups and then you know its time. Have the red cups come out yet? No Starbucks in Copenhagen so I'm at a loss there.

But I am digressing and have not answered my own question. One can be excited for christmas this early because IT IS ALREADY HERE. All the grocery stores and knick knack stores have tons of christmas stuff out. Advertisements for Tivoli in Jul (christmas) are everywhere. And Last friday was a VERY important event for the Christmas season...the release of Tuborg's Christmas beer.

So we've established I"m a fan of Christmas. But I"m also a fan of good beer. An exciting evening for me is going to a bar and getting a good draught beer. I love Rock Bottom and Karl Strauss for their quality assortment of fine brews. I was recently just discussing my excitement to go to Rock Bottom because they always have a holiday beer in winter.

So I'm a fan of Christmas and a fan of good Beer. Imagine my excitement when I discover there is an entire evening in Copenhagen dedicated to the celebration of the release of Turborg's Christmas Beer. And this is no little celebration...For you, I will describe.

At 8:59 on Friday evening, all the bars are allowed to begin to distribute Tuborg's Christmas beer. I was at a student bar with some friends, anxiously awaiting, when the music from the speakers changed. All of a sudden, it was a bells playing Jingle bells and the crowd moved to the bar. Grinning students lined up like children excited for their first christmas present of the season. It was calm and exciting, no shoving, but polite waiting. The bartenders were wearing blue santa hats designed especially by Tuborg for the occasion. They gave out free pints of the christmas beer and the entire time Jingle Bells was playing (approx 30 mins). About an hour and a half later, the Turborg guys and girls came dressed up in the Tuborg christmas gear distributing bottles of the beer and Mistletoe Headbands. It was awesome.

So, for me Christmas is here. Next week I'm decorating my room and will start listening to my christmas music a week earlier than usual. And I'll probably have a Christmas beer while I decorate. :-D

Berlin

I am terribly behind in my posting, so today's post involves a slight bit of time travel. About a week and a half ago I traveled with a friend of mine to Berlin during our week off from classes. I really had no idea what to expect from Berlin, but let me just start off with the fact that it was fantastic! And this is despite being deathly ill my first day there (okay, i tend to exagerate a bit).

So far on my travels, I have never gotten sick and been forced to spend an entire day at the hostel. Unfortunately, my first day in Berlin broke that streak. The cold that had been surfacing the evening before was in full force, and it took all my energy to demand cold medicine and food from my travel buddy (even with a cold, my appetite will not be stifled ;) ). So the first day was essentially a bust, but the next two days were fantastic!

Day one involved a general walking tour of Berlin. It took about 4 hours and we covered so much! First thing of note is that most of Berlin was destroyed in WWII, so most buildings were rebuilt after that time. Any building pre-dating that time are sure to have shrapnel damage. It's amazing to me that a city had to completely rebuild itself. Another thing that struck me about Berlin was the emmense amount of history there. For instance, while studying the Berlin wall, we were also standing mere meters from the site of the gestapo and SS headquarters.

My interest in the history around WWII was definitely sparked by this trip. I want to learn more after visiting so many historical sites and memorials. Our second day we went on a Third Reich tour which focused on many of the sites from WWII. An interesting thing we touched on during both tours was the fact that Hitler's Bunker is barely marked, and currently is the site of a car park (*pause* I mean, parking lot). Our guide pointed out the dilema with how to deal with this site. If the bunker is destroyed, Germany is hiding its past. If it is turned into a museum of sorts it becomes a tourist attraction and Germany is exploiting its past. If it's turned into a memorial its controversial cause why should Hitler get a memorial. So no action is taken, and now you can park your car at the site where Hitler's dead body was dragged out from his bunker. Apparently a sign acknowledging the site was only put up recently in response to the accusation that Germany is ignoring its past.

On a completely different note, it was the festival of lights in Berlin when i was there. This meant that many of the buildings in Berlin were lit up in beautiful colors. It was fantastic to walk around at night.

We also managed to find one of those typical German Goth bars. It was pretty dead when we were there, but I did get to order a Twisted Sister and almost got kicked out by the bouncer (See below ;) )

Oh and B, I didn't get a chance to see Knut. I blame the lack of time due to illness. But I was in the same city as him so sent my warm wishes... :-P I could write so much more about the trip, but alas i think this belated entry is long enough so I will stop here for now. Suffice it to say the trip was fantastic and I was very sad to leave. Now I'm in Copenhagen for the next week and a half, so adventures at home will be sure to occur :-D

Fire in my heart

It appears I may have chosen the wrong semester to study abroad.

The fires continue to burn in San Diego. Newscasters claim these are the worst fires California has ever seen. Ramona, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Fallbrook, Chula Vista, Rancho Sante Fe, it almost seems that it would be easier to list the areas that aren't burning. And I don't know anything about the fires north of San Diego, but from what i hear, there are plenty up there as well.

After a day of attempting to be productive and not quite succeeding, i stepped out for a run in the increasingly frigid Copenhagen air. I was cold, and my knee bugged me a bit, but it felt good to get out of the house and get the blood flowing. I arrived back to my room sweaty, breathing hard, but feeling more alive. As I hit the intenet explorer icon and the signonsandiego page loaded i paused. I had actually noticed earlier in the day reports of wild fires, but such a thing is not an uncommon occurance in So Cal, so I wasn't overly stressed about it. What was different this time were two numbers that caught my eye. 5 and 56. It was like a jumble of words floating in front of me that just couldn't come together until an explosion in my mind. Evacuations West of I-15 East of the I-5 and North of the 56 freeway. That's where I live.

Instant confusion. There aren't wild fires in my area. Ramona, yes. Poway, sure. Tons of neighborhoods that I have associated with the risk of wildfires. But Del Mar? Rancho Sante Fe? Solana Beach? It made no sense.

Confusion set aside. Act. Open Skype and call mom. It was early in the morning there and I don't think I had gotten the news of the evacuation area much later than she had. I could hear the worry and concern in her voice, but my mom is never one to fall into panic. "I'm getting important paper work together. What do you want me to grab for you if I have to evacuate." Oddly the shock of the question didn't set in until after I answered the question. "Peg." I said instaneously, no hesitation, first thing that had to be saved. Peg is my stuffed pegasus from disneyland that i got when I was about 5. He has been everywhere with me, and the decision not to bring him to copenhagen was more about logistics than him not being an important item. He actually may be one of my most important possessions. He's been a constant my whole life. Then, after about half a second "...and my jewelry box." Those were the first two things I thought of. I hung up on Skype to let my mom do her thing but still called back in periodic intervals. "mom, can you find my box of running medals from HS and my scrapbook" an hour later "Mom mom mom, all my high school photo albums are in my closet." I even requested my favorite purse in the whole world and my entire dvd collection. You know you have an amazing mom when she is willing to pack up about 100 dvds and box sets because you are in a panic about your precious collection.

Since about 4pm yesterday I have constantly had four windows open on my computer. Signonsandiego.com with its up to the minute blog updates, my email, a google map of the fire and evacuation zones, and the MSNBC live newscast via the web. Last night I was afraid to sleep, because I didn't want to wake up to hear all that had been damaged in the 8 hours that i slept. I set my alarm and woke up every two hours to check the news. Not that there was anything I could do, but i had to know what was going on. I've been in touch with many friends in SD...mostly people whose families are in San Diego. I feel a lot of us are in the same situations, sitting in our respective homes on the internet waiting to hear from loved ones if they are evacuating or in any danger.

I can't imagine losing one's home. It's not just about the possessions. People make their home into a safe haven. It's constantly changing as you and your family change. A home and all that it contains represents the course of your family over time. In the last 7 years I've lived in various places. I've lived with roommates, in dorms, in flats, and in an apartment all to myself. But my home with my mom has always been my true home. I always say my heart is in San Diego, and if that is the case then that house is its center. I think even when I have my own place in San Diego I will consider that house to be just as much my home as the place that I live in and call my own. That house with the yellow roses in the yard will never cease to be my home.

That's something you can never replace.

Apologies for MIA

I've been absent from this blog for about two weeks now, which I hope is an absence that I won't repeat. Shortly after my last blog I received sad news from home, and wasn't quite sure how to handle it. I didn't feel like I could write about my life in Copenhagen and my travels while competely ignoring a significant event from home. I left for Berlin for a week and got back a couple nights ago, and now feel I've had time to digest, can write, then continue with blogging.

Less than two weeks ago I heard from my mom that my grandfather had passed away. It was very hard being so far away. All of my family flew to michigan for the funeral, and had I been in the States there is no doubt that I would have been there as well. I felt very, very far away. I wish I could have been there to say goodbye, and to be with my parents and other family during this time. At first I was extremely down and sad, but now after talking with my mom and hearing about the service, I know that he was suffering and was ready to go. I hope he is peaceful now.

I called my grandfather 'Papa Ray' (and I am named after him --> Julie Ray) and I'm not really sure how that started. He was never grandpa or gramps, but Papa Ray. I didn't get to see him as much as I would have liked considering I grew up in San Diego and he lived in Michigan with most of the rest of my Dad's side of the family. But I do remember going out to visit the family on numerous occasions. I always remember him being happy and smiling. I remember his eyes and his laugh, how the two would work together when he was amused. I hadn't seen Papa Ray for quiet some time...the last time may have been the summer between Junior High and High School.

I'm not going to write much more. I think I just needed to acknowledge that something happened before i could go on here. It means something to me even if it's just something as insignificant and trivial as a blog entry. I write this as much for me to digest my experiences as to share them with you, my friends and family.

Thanks you for the memories, Papa Ray.
Love,
Julie Ray

Oktoberfest!

I've been out of town for the past week or so, hence the lack of posting. But I will do a follow up post in a bit because I never blogged about Mom's last week in Copenhagen! But I'm going to skip ahead for now, because just this morning I got back from OKTOBERFEST!!!! Here are my some observations from the trip

By the Numbers:

Amount of beer in one stein --> 1L

Liters of beer consumed personally --> 4.5

Average number of steins the beer maids could carry --> 8-10

# of large pretzels consumed --> 2.5

Total hours at Oktoberfest --> 18

# of Beer Halls visited --> 4, but we hit one twice.

The People:

Munich ended up being a mini-Hastings reunion. I went with two other exchange students from my law school (both Hastings and CPH), along with another friend of theirs. We met up with 6 other Hastings student over the course of our time there. Additionally one of the girls from my school met up with a college friend of hers, who ended up being a guy from my HS (anyone from TP remember Ferdie?!?!) Small world...

The Venue:

I expected Oktoberfest to pretty much be a big grassy field with several tents set up and people getting drunk inside. Dude, Oktoberfest is way cooler than that. For the San Diegans, I would compare it too the Del Mar Fair, except without the livestock, more affordable, and with big Halls that are filled with benches and people drinking beer, a liter at a time. I think the Del Mar Fair could greatly benefit from some Beer Halls.

There were rides, and AMAZING food and snacks and desserts, and then, of course, the beer halls. It was a fantastic place to be.

Random Oktoberfest Observations:

Apparently, the White Stripes song is a drinking anthem. About every 15 minutes someone would start screaming the beat, but as no one really knows the words it sounds like "BAH buh-buh-buh-buh BAAH BAAH." This can be repeated almost indefinitely.

I am also quite sick of what I assume is the Bavarian national anthem. The bands would play that one about every 10 minutes.

Breakfast at Oktoberfest is a unique concept. Both days we arrived around 9 AM and for breakfast had a large pretzel and a stein of beer. When in Rome...

This is the last of my first pretzel. It was very heartbreaking that I finished the whole thing :-P

I saw people stack steins of beer mugs about 8 feet high, an impressive feat for when you consider that people must have consumed all that beer in order to have the empty mugs in the first place.

If you wear a costume (i.e. a bavarian dress) to Oktoberfest, you will get your picture taken about a thousand times. Also, a LOT of people dress up. Many pictures were taken (sorry, your truly did not dress up, but many of my friends did!)

The Tourists:

We also spent some time being tourists in Munich. The first day we did a walking tour to get ourselves oriented with Munich. I had been there before, but not for several years, and didn't really feel like I got a good feel for the city when I was. The walking tour was okay, but I really enjoyed the last day in Munich. We did a Third Reich walking tour and saw many of the places where Hitler was first building up his power and prestige. It was a nice contrast to the scene at Oktoberfest to get a little history about Munich. In WWII about 70% of the city was destroyed, and much of the buildup to Hitler's power started there. It was interesting to learn about, especially since i head to Berlin in a week and will be able to get more history on that period there as well.

Ok, that's all for now! PROST!

C'est la vie!

Ok, do you have to go to bathroom? Are you thirsty? In need of food? Now is the time. I'd suggest grabbing some caffeine as well. This is gonna be a long one.

I really do love Paris. In a way it feels cliche to say something like that. I don't know many people that go to Paris and don't find it to be an amazing place. For me, I love walking along the seine and watching the people and gazing at the architecture. I love sitting at a cafe with an espresso watching the world go by. I could spend countless hours in the Louvre. And I love getting lost in the winding and beautiful streets.

I met Mom at the airport (our flights arrived almost at the same time, though mine took 2 hours while hers took somewhere around 14). The first day we went on a tour along the seine, which was a nice way to reaquaint myself with Paris. It was strange to be familiar with such a grandeous place as Paris.

Our first day in Paris was very exciting for me, because I go to go back to the Louvre. The Louvre may be one of my favorite places in the world. It was the first museum I visited when I went to Europe, my first introduction to art. I remember being awed on my first walk through the sculptures and art. I had never been exposed to beauty of that sort before. I do wish I had more knowledge about the history that intertwines with each of those pieces. My favorite sculpture in the Louvre is the Winged Victory. I thinks she is fabulous. She is so powerful and strong. When I see that statute it reminds me of the same strength I feel when I am running. Strength, confidence, and beauty.

Mom and I walked up Champs Elysees up to another of my favorites in Paris, the Arc de Triomph. At the end of a long street of exquisite shopping, the Arc de Triomph is so massive and beautiful.

The second day was a trip to Versailles, where I have never been. This part of the trip was then new for both Mom and I. The first day I got to relive experiences, but also to see Paris through my mom's eyes, who had never been out of the country let alone never been to Paris. In Versailles, our wonder was both new as we explored the vast richness of the palace and the expansive beauty of the gardens. Versailles is a perfect example of excess. The rooms were beautiful with expansive paintines, beautiful furniture, and gold trimmings. One room was almost entirely mirrors in a time when even one such thing was a novelty. The gardens were never ending. Mom and I weaved between shrubs, trees, and sculpture gardens. We visited a tiny little village that Marie Antoinette had built because she like to experience the "common" life. Of course, that meant that she oversaw people working in the mills and farms that she had built. No wonder she was beheaded. haha.

The next day Mom and I walked along the Seine and around St. Germain. We started off at Notre Dame, which I believe was Mom's favorite site in Paris. I have been in so many cathedrals at this point, it was nice to have Mom there to remind me to stop and take in the beauty. Her gasp of breath as we stepped inside reminded me that this was not just another cathedral. It was massive and beautiful. That's one reason it's nice to travel with someone; they often can remind you to slow down and appreciate things you might take for granted.

Mom and I went to visit the Moulin Rouge area, another place I had never been, on our last full day in Paris. We walked up to Scare Coeur for beautiful views of the city, then walked around a quaint little area where Van Gogh and Renoir had spent some time living. A highlight for me was an espresso in the cafe where many scenes from Amelie, a favority movie of mine, had been filmed.

That night, as a final farewell to Paris, I decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Now, I am not necessarily afraid of heights. I get nervous in places where I could potentially plummet to my death, but I am not afraid of being in tall buildings or anything of the sort. However, as that elevator started going up from the second to the third viewing level of the tower, i felt my breath get short and my fingers grasp the side of the elevator. As I stepped out and felt the cool breeze brush by my face, i felt as if I were glancing down at the terrain from an airplane. Everything was so small, and so beautiful. I spent almost an hour up there, just gazing at the parisian city lights. I knew as soon as I left, I'd have to say goodbye to Paris, as our plane was departing early the next morning.

It wasn't as hard to leave Paris for me. I know that I will be back. The more I've traveled, the more I've discovered that if you want to go somewhere you can make it happen. We make excuses for ourselves, but sometimes you just have to decide to do something. I really admire my mom for taking the risk and traveling to a new and different country. It's not easy, and I often forget how hard it was when I first traveled and had to deal with different languages, currency, and culture. She did a really great job, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of her first experience in Europe.

Okay, congratulations on having made it this far. :-) You win a cookie.

Malmo, Sweden

Last Saturday I took a day trip to Sweden. Now, when I was living in Providence, I was always amazed when we'd have a cross country practice that would involve driving to another state (indeed, on some runs we'd actually be able to run to Massachusetts and back). But it's a whole new level when you can get on the train and within half an hour be in another country. And now I've been to Sweden!

I went with a Hastings classmate and one of her friends. It was really fun to go explore a new place with people I knew after having spent so long traveling by myself. Malmo was a quick easy place to spend the afternoon. We spent the first half of the day walking about the main street where there was shopping (yay!), fountains and beautiful buildings.

It was fun to just meander around and do something as normal as go on a shopping trip. The shopping for me was essential. One thing I have discovered about the Danes is that they are quite trendy. A Dane could wear bright purple tights, neon blue shoes, a yellow tunic, and have just created a unique look. So I felt the need to go to the stores and attempt to vamp up my wardrobe just a little.

We walked along the canals and through the various gardens. There was a beautiful graveyard with spaced out separate plots. It was such a beautiful and serene place. It was a nice contrast to the weather that day. It was so windy! I seriously thought I was going to blow away. By the time I got home I was exhausted and I seriously think part of it was a constant battle in the wind. We also went to the Royal Gardens where there are museums and a windmill! Unfortunately everything was closed by the time we go there, but we were still able to walk around the grounds and of course be tourists and take copious amounts of pictures :-D

All in all it was a great break in the weekend (oh those four day weekends are tough) and a chance to get out with people and do something really different. Oh and I was able to be in and take crazy pictures since I wasn't traveling alone! For now, I have much to do. Tomorrow at this time I will be in Paris with Mom!!! How exciting is that? So prepare yourself for what could be the longest post ever when I get back. You may need a lot of coffee. Or else i will take pity on you and do installments. :-P

Rugby!

Last night I witnessed my very first Rugby game. I went with my roommate and some of her friends to an Australian pub to watch and learn about this sport I knew nothing about. It was strange to see a sport and have absolutely no idea how to play it. I've definitely had friends who haven't known the rules for baseball or basketball before, but I never imagined I'd be one of those people who had no idea about the rules of a game.

I'd first like to say I think Rugby is way better than football. *ignores the shouts from Americans calling her a traitor to her country* To be fair, I've never been a big football fan. I think the only times I've really enjoyed it were High School football games, but I was there more to dress up in class colors and shake my keys at the freshmen. But rugby I could get into. In football you have huge men with layers upon layers of pads on them, and once you are knocked down everyone clears away and there is down time until the next play. Not so with rugby. When someone goes down in rugby, everyone else piles in, and the poor person on the bottom frantically gets the ball to someone else on his team, and that person runs like hell with the entire field chasing them down with the sole purpose of beating the shit out of him (or I supposed to get the ball, but at times it was hard to tell). And there's no padding. It's just men and a ball and the simplistic mission of getting that damn ball over the goal line. I loved it. It was fantastic. It felt like the game never slowed, and not a single player was free of blood streaming down their faces and onto their jerseys. The team doctors dabbed them with a bit of cotton and then sent them right back out into the field. It was amazingly hardcore.

I've also decided upon an underground reason why many countries dislike Americans. All other countries have rugby and soccer (er...foooootball) and there are these big games where one country pits itself again the other. Not so in America. We have Baseball and Football and we play amongst ourselves. We are like the group of kids in High School who think we are too good to play with the other kids. We have our own sports and would rather play with ourselves than with others.

And for all those who think I am going anti-American, that is not the case at all. It's just very interesting how all the other countries of the world seem to interact with each other more, and America is just so secluded. In America it's about West coast versus East Coast, New York versus LA, and Yankees vs. Red Sox. We are very much into our own thing. Granted there are many simple reasons for this: America is divided into many states, the differences between various parts of the country are extreme, and America is not as integrated as the various countries of, for instance, the EU. And sports are just an example. Another that comes to mind is what I mentioned earlier, about how students in the EU tend to learn several languages as opposed to just their native tongue.

I went to Sweden today and need to say a few words regarding that adventure, however, that will wait for another day.

Hej Hej!

Free Time?

I believe that last time I had free time was August 2005. I hadn't started law school yet and had just returned from a whirlwind trip of Europe. It was a month long period of leisurly trips to IKEA, long runs on the beach, and evening DVD marathons.

Ever since then, free time has been few and far between. There definitely hasn't been a consistent period of free time in my life since then. I remember last summer I would have a day here or there where I wasn't either working for the Judge or waitressing, and wouldn't actually have any plans, so I'd stay home all day and watch TV and read with a cup of coffee. Those days were fantastic. I had maybe 5 of them all summer. This past summer I may have had one day like that. Maybe. And this is not at all a complaint. My life has been crazy and busy for the past few years, but I've also been fantastically happy and excited about life.

However, my past lifestyle is going into shock over life in Copenhagen. I'm sure I've bragged to pretty much everyone that I only have two days of class a week. That leaves me 5 days a week to do...pretty much whatever I want. And the work level is not even close to that in Hastings, so maybe one of those five days I may dedicate some hours to reading.

It's the strangest feeling though! Last night I was in my room and was like, well, it's late, I should probably go to sleep because tomorrow I have to...Then the sudden realization that I had absolutely nothing to do today. So I rolled out of bed at 10 (I pretty much never stay in bed that late, NEVER!) went for a run, then decided that since it was raining I would sit at home, guilt free. So here I am. I did a little (pleasure) reading, cooked a little lunch, and booked a trip to Ireland.

And that is one of the most fantastic things about studying abroad. Not the free time, but the time to go on TRIPS! I currently have trips booked to Paris (We are going in less than a week, Mom!!!!), Munich for Oktoberfest, Berlin, and Ireland. Oh, and tomorrow I am going to go to Sweden for the day. It boggles my mind, truly. And meanwhile I am living in this fantastic city without the stress that constantly weighs on me in Law School. Life is pretty much fantastic.

Hej! Jeg er Amerikaner!

Today was an attempted infiltration into the Danish culture. First of all, I now have my bike. For those unaware, biking is pretty much the main form of transformation here in Copenhagen. Not having a bike in Copenhagen would be like not ever taking the subway in New York. It's just what you do to get around. Now, you would think with the plethora of bikes that abound in Copenhagen, one would be able to come across a decent bike for a pretty cheap price. Not at all. My bike is fantastic because it's mine and I can get everywhere faster and it has a cool basket on the front, but in the States you'd be hard pressed to sell it for 30 dollars at a garage sale. But in Copenhagen a bike which is squeaky, rusty, and old can go for about 130 dollars, the grand total I paid on my bike. Bike theft is also a problem here. In fact, I pretty much am going into the situation assuming that, despite locks and caution, my bike WILL get stolen at some point. I just hope I have it long enough to justify the initial purchase. I was told I had to name my bike, so i have decided up Rusty. I will post a fabulous photo of Rusty as soon as I get less lazy and actually take and post pictures.

My second attempt at infiltration today was through my Danish language course. So, not so much an attempt at infiltration, but the first step in my diabolical scheme to order food in Danish. Thus far I can speak such useful phrases as "my name is..." "I come from..." and "I speak English." This means I can converse (poorly) with a danish person for all of 45 seconds before our possible topics will be depleted. Though, I can now count to ten, so I could potentially start counting things to show off my skills. I'm sure I will be very impressive to these people who have been speaking English since they were in third grade.

At this point I would like to point out a deficiency in the American schooling system. As part of our introductions today we had to say what languages we speak. Everyone was rambling off atleast 2 or three languages. Then we came to the Canadians and the Americans. Go us. We all were proud to say "Jeg kan tale Engelsk." I tacked on "og meget lidt Fransk" because I can order a chocolate croissant in French. How is it that everyone else in the world is bilingual and so many Americans are not? There are people taking LAW CLASSES in their second or third language. There are law classes I could barely get through in my FIRST (and only) language. I am thoroughly impressed. And I'm a little bummed that I'll probably learn survival Danish and then a few months after I return to the States will barely remember how to count to ten.

My mentor suggested that I buy Harry Potter in Danish to stay fresh on the language...Either that or I can just move to Copenhagen until my language reaches fluency... (Don't worry I'm probably not going to move here. hahaha)

Going out in Copenhagen

I'd like to describe the scene of last Saturday night, because it is a unique experience to go out in Copenhagen. I am used to going out in several cities. In San Fran you hail a cab, in New York you catch the subway, in San Diego there's the dutiful designated driver, and in college students can walk from dorm to dorm for parties. Not so in Copenhagen. Picture the scene of 20 or so students pouring from an apartment, breaking the silence of the dark and peaceful night. They pull flashing lights from their pockets and clip them to their bikes, and all at once they are off, a herd of young adults pedaling down the street. Some are more adept at biking than others, some are just more sober. Atleast one takes an unfortunate spill (which was impressive considering he was at a standstill) They speed down the street obeying the traffic lights, a group of international students from all over the world with the common goal of getting their next cup of beer.

Overcoming both language and stupidity

For the most part, adjusting to life in Copenhagen is just like moving to any other city in the states. I've lived in San Diego, Providence, San Francisco, and even a short time in Massachusetts, and each time you move to a new place, you have to get the lay of the land. You find your grocery store, map out your route to classes or work, figure out the best places to eat, explore the nightlife...in other words, become one with the city. Every city has a different culture, Copenhagen is as different from San Francisco as Providence is from San Diego. So for the most part, I haven't thought of the adjustment as being in a different country halfway across the world. I've just once again found myself in a new and exciting city to explore...

With one important distinction. Danish. Even where everyone speaks English, Danish is still the native language, and makes for a unique twist in adjusting to a new city. Some examples for your amusement...

Today I decided to cook dinner, a real dinner that didn't involve just pouring sauce from bottle on top of spaghetti. Instead I would make my garlic zucchini pasta, which I already had the ingredients for. As I excitedly pulled my zucchini from the fridge i started complaining to my roommates about what a waste it was to shrinkwrap a zucchini. They looked at me funny, and proceeded to inform me that I was not in fact holding a zucchini. Much to my amazement, as the wrapping fell from my hands, I saw I was in fact holding a cucumber. This is one of the many pitfalls of not being able to read the Danish signs around the vegetables (And for the record, I blame the shrinkwrap for hindering me from making a positive id of the vegetable by sight).

The next story is somewhat embarrassing, but I'm always one to humiliate myself for others' amusement so here goes. I was having trouble with my shampoo. It wouldn't lather. I had many theories. It was weird Danish shampoo, we had hard or soft water, whichever one of those can screw with things, or finally that my hair was just dirty and if I put a lot in then eventually there would be a lather. Alas no luck. Today after I dried my hair and was walking down the street, I was quite bothered by the fact that my hair felt thick and almost greasy. It felt like I had put product in it. In fact, it almost felt like I had put in conditioner and hadn't rinsed it...oh. Yes my friends, for the past 5 days I have been washing my hair with conditioner, not shampoo. The worst part of the story is that the shampoo in Danish actually says shampoo, (the word for conditioner is different though), so it's more my own stupidity than the language barrier.

For those curious, here is a pic of my roomies and me in our kitchen!

Settled In...

While things definitely aren't slowing down, I'm much more settled in to the apartment then I was a few days ago. Most importantly I now have keys, alleviating much of the anxiety of whether or not someone would be home to let me in. Even though there was never a time when no one was in the apartment, it feels much more my home now that I have my own keys to get in. I also have sheets, a cell phone with a Danish number, and a coffee pot in the house. I survived my first week of classes and now have a full four days off before classes begin again. While that may sound like a lot of time, with all I still have to do I hope it will be enough time to get all that i need done complete!

One thing that has struck me is how much it feels like I am in college again. Part of that may be that many of the international students are younger than me. I went through this adjustment in Law School from hanging out with people my age with only a few years difference on each side, to being the absolute youngest have having friends at least 10 years my senior. Now, I'm the old one. I had dinner with some new friends the other night, and at one point everyone was saying how old they were. I heard a few 22s but it was mostly 20 and 21.

But it's not just the age thing. Since drinks are expensive, people are pre-partying here which was more of a college thing than grad school to me. I'm also surrounded by people from different subject concentrations than my own, though that may be more of a difference from Hastings than just grad school. But even my own schedule feels more like college. When I don't have class I go for a run and then waste time on my computer for a bit, which was essentially every Sunday for four years when I was in college. Part of it was that there wasn't as pressing of a need to get work done, whereas in Law School I had to get up early to run so I could get out the door and get to my reading.

Speaking of wasting time on the computer, my last little note: The time difference is a very strange thing. For instance, when I am getting up in the morning, my West Coast friends are about to go out for the night and my East Coast friends are coming in from going out at night. So when I get up, I have to wait for all of you to sleep the whole night before I can chat with you!!! All day long the people on IM or Gchat are pretty sparse, but then when evening comes around you guys are getting up and all of a sudden there are tons of people online.

So, I believe I have wasted enough time on the Internet this morning. I have my never ending to do list in front of me that I will attempt to tackle today. I may tote around my camera so I can add some pictures to this guys, as requested :-P

Copenhagen

So with all the craziness of moving to a new country and all, i realized i forgot to update this little blog. The transition has been a little bumpy, mostly due to unfortunate circumstances. I am not a fan of dwelling on the negative, so I'll give the cliffnotes version. I realized the night before I flew into London that I couldn't get my keys till Monday (I flew in Sat. morning) and panicked because I couldn't find any lodging under 100 bucks. Luckily my Mentor helped me find a hostel for a reasonable price, and it ended up being a nice place, so that worked out. Then I had the unfortunate experience of having my credit card and ATM card deactivated by my bank on a Saturday night, and the bank didn't reopen until Tuesday cuz of labor day. That was fun. Luckily I have an awesome Mom who saved me. My final issue has been that I do not have keys to my apartment. Apparently they were lost. So whenever I want to come into my place I have to buzz one of my roommates from the intercom. Luckily I live with five other people, so the odds of someone not being home are pretty slim and the keys should be here within two weeks.

So enough with the issues...I'm in Copenhagen! I have a wonderful apartment with my own room that will hopefully have some character added to it soon. My roommates have all been here for a month already because they took a language course, so they have been helpful with the things I am clueless on like where to get groceries. And speaking of groceries, that was a whole new experience today. I had no idea it would be so difficult! Everything is in Danish, obviously, but that makes little things hard. For instance, I had to figure out what all the different signs meant for the sales. Did I have to buy three to get that price? There were more issues, like, why can't i find turkey? What kind of bread is this? Oh, and everything is in Kroners, so I have to divide things by 5.4 in my head. I take long enough in an American grocery store trying to get the best deal. Add in the language barrier and math conversions and a simple trip to the store becomes an excursion! But, I do have food now, which I am quite pumped about.

Tomorrow I am going for a run near my apartment. There are two lakes near my apartment, and tons of people run around them. I am very excited that there is somewhere to run near where I live. The location of my aparment is fantastic! 20 minute walk or 10 minute bike ride to the city center, where classes are as well. Many students here don't even have housing yet, and others have to take a bus into town every day for class. I am very glad not to have to deal with that. No cabs or buses or trains. Though, we'll see how excited I am when the weather starts getting cold...which is pretty much now cause I'll be honest I'm pretty cold. Part of that may be living off the clothes I backpacked with. I'm pretty much a slob. After living in sneakers and the same few tops for three weeks, I'd give anything for a skirt and a pair of heels (according the USPS.com a package with said articles should be arriving any day now!).

I started classes today, and signed up for them based more on when they were so I could have my perfect little study abroad schedule. I wasn't actually sure what the content of the classes would be, the just sounded interesting. So when I got to class and read the handout I was surprised to see I was actually taking, essentially, EU Antitrust. I was happy with that. Then I realized that my next class was essentially international contracts. Cool, i like that too! Luckily I had a pretty good idea what mediation was about, so my last class of the day wasn't a surprise.

So that's pretty much where I'm at, in a sort of helter skelter posting. Things should be calming down in a bit, and I hope to be able to chat/email people that I haven't spoken to in awhile to hear how all of YOU are doing. :) Talk to you soon!

Stonehenge

My final adventure in the UK was a day trip to Stonehenge. I was prepared for it to be a let down, because everyone I talked to has told me as much. But I still wanted to see it, so I jumped on a train and made my way down to Salisbury. I decided to take a tour, though it goes against all my traveling principles, because it was going to be the same price as a bus and admission, and I thought maybe i could get some more information. Well it ended up being a good choice because there only were two people who signed up, me and this other gentleman. So I essentially got a private tour out of it.

The strangest thing to me about Stonehenge was its location. It's this amazing ancient monument that (at least one theory states) was a memorial to the dead, and Stonehenge is currently about 50 meters off of a highway. It's a strange juxtaposition.

Stonehenge itself didn't appear to be small to me, rather it was less spaced out than I had anticipated. But still it was sight to behold. One of the neatest things I learned was that the pieces fit together almost like legos! Also the sun rises over the Sun Stone on exactly June 21st, my birthday!

Today I arrived in Copenhagen, but unfortunately I had not read over my rental agreement in enough detail to discover that I could not pick up my keys until Monday. You can imagine my panic at 10 o'clock at night in London before my 7 AM flight the next morning. I was lucky enough to have my mentor/student buddy pick me up and help me find a hostel that actually had room (not such an easy feat on a saturday in August). He also took me on a tour of downtown copenhagen, so I am now more familiar with the area. Monday I'll get into my apartment and Tuesday classes start, so as one adventure ends, another begins!!!

Ben Nevis

When you are backpacking to many different locations, you have a variety of clothing, and usually make due with what you have in various climates and situations. For my hike up Ben Nevis, i was outfitted in my jeans, long sleeved running shirt, Michael Kors windbreaker, and sneakers meant more for fashion than function. I didn't think this to be much of a big deal, however i had seen many warning signs about the dangers and read the insanely long "Be prepared" cheklist. I decided I should at least get a map and a compass. Then I discovered compasses were expensive! Finally I settled on a compass/thermometer keychain for about four bucks. Perfect.

So there I was at the bottom of Ben Nevis, with my aforementioned supplies (plus a sandwich, candybar, water, and camera), ready to take on the mountain. I glanced around me. Everyone else had waterproof gear, walking sticks, hiking boots, and maps in waterproof packets around their necks. But here was my logic. They run this race every year up Ben Nevis. So I figure if someone can run a race up this thing, I can manage to scramble up it with my keychain compass and knock off ascics trainers.

The beginning of the hike was fantastic. There were tons of people, so i was less worried about the quality of my compass and paid more attention to the views. There were waterfalls rushing down the mountain, and you could hear the rushing water as it poured over the rocky surface. At one point I even had to cross over water in the middle of a waterfall (I watched in envy as those with the hardcore hiking boots just walked on through while I jumped from boulder to boulder to keep the socks and shoes dry).

Then, about an hour and a half into the hike, things began to change. The path was now surrounded and consisting of grey boulders and rocks of varying shapes and sizes, unchanging as far as the eye could see. As I looked up I could no longer see what my destination might be. All that was there was the cloud that shrouded the top of the mountain. As I climbed, soon I could not see below me either. Whatever view the peak of Ben Nevis might hold, I would not be seeing it today. As I climbed, the wind picked up. And as the wind blew, the heavy fog around me blew as well. For, even though it did not once rain, I was drenched from head to toe before reaching the peak. Water slid down my nose and clung to my hair. Finally, the terrain leveled out, and I could see nothing but gray. Gray stones, gray fog, and the only trail markers were gray stacks of rocks. At times I was completely alone in the dense fog, then I'd hear a crunching sound. But I'd see nothing. There might be a grunt or so, then a gray shape would slowly form in front of me, as a hiker, redfaced and soaked, passed by wordlessly in the opposite direction. I continued on.

For half an hour it felt as if the peak should be reached, but still all I could see was the next stack of rocks against the grey background. To my left was the edge of mountain, with a sudden and complete drop. In one of the crevices I saw snow. I fiddled for my camera, but my fingers would not obey. I could barely feel them. Alas, but here was some use for my keychain! I checked the temperature. It was below 40 degrees and the wind was howling. I pressed on. Then I saw it. The structures that marked the peak of the hike. A old ruined stone building, a war memorial, and platform one could climb, the highest point. I forced my body to move as I walked over to get the necessary photo that said, yes, I made it to the top. The wind howled around me, and at that point I had only one mission, to get the hell off this mountain.

It was a fantastically euphoric feeling on the way down. Maybe the suffering from both the coldness and the fatigue added to the experience. Like a cross country race that forces you to push yourself to the limits. It sucks and it's hard, but it is so rewarding at the end of the day. As I descended I noticed that the clouds had lowered considereably, and it actually took me several hours to get out from their heavy wetness. When I finally escaped, it felt like I could breath, and I hadn't even known before that I couldn't.

6 hours after i first started the journey, i reached the bottom. My body felt in agony (which was nothing compared to the hell i faced this morning when i tried to move), but the fatigue was fantastic at the same time. It was an accomplishment, and the drastic change from the sunny day to the creepiness of the grey fog at the top made it a unique and amazing experience. I'll never forget how it felt up there, dripping and shaking with cold, but accomplished, and so very alive.

The Highlands!

Hello Friends!
I've had trouble finding internet lately. It's quite expensive! I'm only going to be able to give a brief update, and hopefully when I reach London I'll be able to give some more detail and pictures. I spent my second day in inverness on a random daytrip. It was raining so i decided to veto my hike which would have left me stranded for 8 hours till the next bus to take me back to town. Instead I decided to take a scenic train ride of the highlands. The country here is so beautiful. I spent the entire train ride staring out the window and didn't even notice as time flew by. The hills and mountains stand tall sometimes spotted with heather giving them a purple hue. The clouds hang low often concealing the peak of the mountains. There are lochs everywhere. Then spotting the countryside are sheep. I have never seen so many sheep in my entire life. And one thing I have discovered is that sheep are really cute. Seriously, i always assumed they were ugly, but no, sheep are quite fantastic. Another thing is they have long tails! I never knew this, and when the train goes by a pasture, about half of them will just run like crazy away from the tracks with their tails smacking them in the hindquarters in encouragement. I also love the highland cow. If you do not know what this is, it is the best looking cow ever. he has large horns on each side of his head, and is a shaggy creatures. His hair hangs long completely covering his face. I have no idea how they see anything. I want one.

I spontaneously decided to jump off at Dunrobin castle and it ended up being an enjoyable decision. The castle was not ruins like the others i have visited, but rather was a modern castle (Mer, Em, and B - There was a clock on it!!!). My favorite part was the garden in the back. There were hedges shaped in mazes, several fountains, and all sorts of flowers and greenery. I stayed and watched a falconry show which was pretty cool. I also want a falcon. I may come home with all sorts of wildlife. (You don't mind, right mom? :) )

My next destination was Isle of Skye, which I knew nothing about. I got there and found my hostel was in the tiniest town ever, Kyleakin. Exploring the town consisted of walking 5 minutes in one direction, and then back. But my hostel was fantastic. It really was a 200 year old cottage with three bunk beds crammed into a little room. Downstairs was a kitchen and a living room that reminded me of the tacky cottages that have embroidered pillows blankets and trinkets all over. it was very comfortable and homey, and being as everything closed down early, i found myself curled up on the couch with a good book for the evening.

The next day I went north on Skye to do a hike. In order to get there, I actually took a school bus with all the kiddies of skye. I transfered buses, and ended up meeting two guys on the way to the same destination so the three of us tackled the hike together. It was only about three hours and the views were amazing. The hike centered on these magnificent rock structures that were created by landslides of volcanic rock.

I felt bad that I had to leave Skye so soon, as there are so many beautiful areas I didn't even get to see. The Bus ride from my hostel took me by waterfalls, tall mountains peaking into clouds, and of course, the highland cow. I wanted to see more, but alas my journey is nearing and end and I had to check out this morning.

So I had to make a little change to my itinerary and have now found myself in Fort Williams, Scotland, only about 2 hours south of Skye. I just got here a little while ago and am just beginning to orient myself. My hostel is another nice cottage type hostel, and I may have my own room. There is a kitchen and living room downstairs for the other people in my hostel. I will be able to post again when I get to London. Miss you all! Be in touch soon!

Seeking out Nessie

I have arrived at the home of the Loch Ness monster!!! But I have neglected to post regarding my last full day in Edinburgh, so I will write briefly on that before moving on the Inverness.

I took a day trip to St. Andrews, a small little town about an hour away from Edinburgh by train. St. Andrews is the birthplace of golf, and apparently it caught on so strongly there that the rulers of Scotland tried to outlaw it three times because they worried it was detracting from the defense of the country! Now one cannot travel a block without running into a golf shop or seeing golf paraphernalia from a local shop. I went down and visited the famous Old Course and New Course near the West Beach. Also of not in that area was the great expanse of beach where the famous scene from “Chariots of Fire” was filmed. I was quite tempted to run down the beach oh so dramatically loudly humming the theme song, but it’s far too early in my trip to be thrown in a loony bin. I’ll save that for later.

I also visited another castle. This one was right on the beach, so close in fact that portions of it had long ago fallen into the sea. Can you imagine living in a castle where you looked upon the sea from your bedroom window? The whole time I explored the grounds I heard the sounds of the sea crashing against the cliffs and beach. It was perfect.

I arrived at Inverness two days ago, and yesterday was the perfect touring day. I decided to take a three hour cruise in Loch Ness to start off my day. The morning was sunny and clear, and the views of the surrounding hills were picturesque. It took us an hour and a half to reach Urqhart castle, where we turned around to head back. With the wind at our backs on the return to Inverness, I sat comfortably watching the scenery pass by. We crossed the widest and deepest part of the Loch, and it was there I saw the Loch Ness Monster!!!!

While on the cruise I met a fellow lone traveler from Australia and we ended up spending the rest of the day touring Inverness together. We walked around the Isles of Inverness, several small islands in the river Ness near the city center. Small bridges connect the islands making for the perfect scenic stroll. We hit up a café and used book shop and compared notes on our travels. After dinner we found a pub with authentic Scottish music and enjoyed the atmosphere over pints of beer. It was fantastic to spend the day with someone after a week of pretty much solo travel. It’s nice to be able to share experiences with someone in person. Luckily the rest of my lodgings should allow me to meet more people and hopefully have some more travel days with other travelers.

FOO FIGHTERS!!!!

Have you ever had an experience that made you think that you had been missing something your whole life? Discovering the joys of traveling...being exposed to real emotional art...falling in love? Welcome to how I felt watching the Foo Fighters perform in Edinburgh last night. Oh. My. God. Some people have favorite bands that change over time, but ever since High School the Foo Fighters have been my band. And until last night I had never seen them perform live. Let me set the scene...At first I was in the stadium seating (the venue was a Track...how appropriate!). Responsible me was waiting for NIN to finish and I figured I'd hang in the back for the concert being as last time I went to a concert alone I got kicked in the head and thought I was going to lose consciousness. And this was a crowd of 20,000 people. So I figured, let's be safe. We're in a foreign country, no one knows where I am...let's just chill in the back. So I stood in the back...and was like...I'll get a little closer. Before I knew it I was jammed in the middle of the mob. So much for safety (it was worth it!).


Dave Grohl came out on the stage and opened with an accoustic Everlong. It was fantastic. Then after the chorus, the rest of the band joined in and I found myself jumping around and screaming like a maniac. I went crazy for pretty much the rest of the concert and was so sad when it was over.


I managed to do some other stuff besides worship the Foo Fighters yesterday. I climbed Arthur's Seat, which gave some beautiful views of the city. It was also an intense workout!!! Almost straight uphill!!! I was paranoid that it was going to give my knee and/or shins issues (health status: Knee feeling fine, shin splints in both legs that began in NY are recovering. Will be heading out for second run of UK trip tomorrow. woot.) Luckily I feel fine today. Surprisingly not even sore! This is me at the top (thanks to the Teen who took the picture and did not know how to count to three. haha)...

And this is where I was...

So that's all I'm going to report for now. I took a day trip to St. Andrews today but I'll write on that another day. This post is long enough.

I've managed to cram myself in my favorite little pub with a pint and free wireless. My timing is either really good or really bad because currently there is a soccer...er...football match between England and Germany and the place is pretty crowded. I'm pretty much the only one not living and breathing for each kick. So I leave you all for now. Tomorrow I head op to Inverness and will be attempting to find the Loch Ness monster. If you don't hear from me again just assume Old Nessie got the best of me ;)