Soaring, Flying

Whenever everything goes right for me in an airport I feel as though the security people et al are not being vigilant/attentive. Because how often does one make it through security with nothing happening at all? It's strange.

So, I had planned in advance to make sure the hotel I stayed at was connected to the airport, not that it ended up helping me with my baggage struggles. I may have sent home two boxes of stuff, however my bags were still really heavy and I basically had to walk across the entirety of Terminal 2 in Charles de Gaule airport. But I made it and boy was I glad to get my suitcase checked! So long sucker! Until Philly! It ended up weighing 23.5 kg, and I just converted that and it's 51.8 lbs, so I realize the lady at the Air Canada counter was very nice. Maybe she took pity on how sweaty/exhausted/out of breath I was after walking what felt like miles through Terminal 2.

La Dernière Semaine

Here's a strange occurrence, brought upon by my own and a friend's awkwardness. So Monday evening we decided to get pizza at this little shop with maybe three tables out front. We order our pizzas and they make them in their small wood burning pizza oven behind the counter and we take them and sit down at one of the tables. We open our pizza boxes and realize it's just one round pizza; they haven't been cut or anything. We discussed whether or not we should ask for knives, but for some reason decided that wouldn't go down too well. We looked around as we debated whether to just eat the pizzas calzone style or rip them with our hands and we came to the conclusion that the area in which we were seated was for customers who were waiting for their pizzas. Why? I don't know. Maybe not having knives threw us off our game. Perhaps it made the sitting area feel unwelcome. I have no idea. Sometimes these things are inexplicable. So we left and we were just

Hot hot hot

Oh my goodness, la chaleur! It's too much. If only I could spend the entirety of my days at the beach, but alas no. There's class and a research paper I need to start writing. Friday a bunch of us decided to venture out to the zoo after class and boy was that a mistake. To be fair, the rhinoceroses (rhinoceri?) were very cool (not in the cold sense of the word) - much larger than I expected. It was also fun to watch the three bears swim and play around in their pond. And there were giraffes, and I do like giraffes. But aside from the animals, which were far and few, it was basically just like a nature walk with a serious lack of shade. I suppose when I look back at the visit from an air-conditioned environment, I won't be as negative. I did enjoy myself though, even though it felt like I was melting.

Le Weekend

Cloisters

I was so excited about sleeping in on Saturday, but it turns out that I'm unable to sleep in. It seems like a waking-up-early habit has developed. So I was up at 8 AM on Saturday and I decided that today would be the day that I would get my packages into the system (i.e. mail them home to avoid excess baggage fees at the airport, hopefully). Well I carried them there, and they were heavier than I originally thought they would be so that was a tad difficult and I was a bit out of breath by the time I arrived at the post office. I was able to fill out the customs forms and shipping forms easily enough, but then things got difficult. For future
reference, in France a driver's license doesn't count as a form of identity and when shipping overseas you need valid proof of your identity so I ran home to get my passport. The post office was only going to be open for 45 more minutes so I had to be quick. Thankfully I returned with time to spare, but then their card-swiper machine thing wasn't able to read any of my credit/debit cards so I had to withdraw a large sum of money from the ATMs with 5 minutes left until they closed. Luckily the ATM worked and I was able to successfully send my packages on their way. Hopefully they'll arrive. Fingers crossed!

Tour de France

USA!

Phew, I'm glad this second week is over and I finally get to sleep in. I said I liked how active this trip has been, but I need a recovery period. Anyway, there's something about being out of the US on the 4th of July that makes you even more patriotic than you would have been in the US, or that could just be me. In any event, I was feeling the patriotism on July 4th, especially when the Tour de France came through Montpellier. USA! I actually did get a picture of one of the Americans on the Tour, though I didn't realize it at the time. The cyclists sped by so fast it was difficult to take pictures, but for real.

Nîmes & Pont du Gard

Nîmes arena

This trip was the start of the never-ending week and by that I mean I would really like to sleep in. I've been up before 7AM too many times for a person my age. Anyways, griping aside, Nîmes was a very interesting place with a lot of Roman influence. It was a very hot day though. We climbed to the top of La Tour Magne where we were greeted with great views and we also saw other Roman

Montpellier - Week 1

You know your in France when...

I have too much luggage. Way too much luggage. When did I realize this you may ask? Well, I really knew it all along, however I was made aware when I had to carry it up to the top of the train we took to Montpellier. Oh my goodness. Anyways, we arrived in Montpellier and it was a beautiful day. It had started to rain as we left Paris and in Montpellier there were blue skies, a bit of wind, and a nice warm temperature. In other words, completely different from Wales. Each place has its own charm though, don't get me wrong. So, I get off the train and meet my host-mother and I am all at once immersed in French. She is apparently super sporty, having hiked mountains in Peru and is one of the people you see skiing up the mountain. There is a bit of an accent though: un accent du soleil :) Overall though, this first week has been super busy and it's hard to believe that barely one week ago I arrived in Paris. It feels like I've been here for months!

Paris

Definitely in Paris

So, relatively speaking my journey to Paris from London was uneventful. I got to St. Pancras, realized I have a ridiculous amount of luggage in comparison to everyone else, and boarded the train. I'm pretty sure I passed through the Chunnel, but it was dark so there wasn't much to see in the transition from England to France. The sky got grayer and cloudier as we approached Paris and right when I walked outside to stand in line for a taxi at Gare du Nord, it started pouring. Of course my umbrella was packed somewhere in the depths of my suitcase along with my rain coat, so I got rained on. One of my bags isn't waterproof so some things got damp, but it wasn't too bad. Nothing disastrous thank goodness, knock on wood. So I made it to Paris and took a taxi to the hotel. Thursday was a free day so I decided to head to the catacombs. Unfortunately the line was super long and I was told that I wouldn't be able to make it in before they closed at 4PM. So I journeyed over to the Pompidou Center to see some more modern art. Also, this is pretty accurate :)

So long, Cardiff

My minuscule hotel room

I've officially left Cardiff and it was a little saddening to think that I probably  won't be returning anytime soon. It feels like just yesterday I was walking through the slush looking for my flat and now it's June and I'm about to start the second part of my studies abroad. Before heading to Paris though I have three days in London, but I don't really have any plans. Last time I was Harry Potter focused and this time is more of a what seems interesting/is free. Free being key. The hotel room I'm staying in is so basic it's comical. Oh lordy, a pigeon nearly flew in through my window. No need to worry; I'm quick-thinking and was able to clap my hands to scare it away. I feel like all city pigeons, Venetian pigeons in particular, are a tad unstable. I'll try to recap my adventures thus far:

Reflections

As my time in the UK nears its end I find myself reflecting on the past five months I've spent in Cardiff and now I'm going to try to write down this semi-mental list of things I've noticed that are different here.

Wales - Llandudno & Llanberis

Trekking up Mount Snowdon

Great Orme mini golf

From Holyhead I took a train to Llandudno, which in a basic sense was a resort town for the aged. Great weather - I got sunburned again though, which made me realize that I should've taken the sunscreen from OBS when I had the chance. I visited the Great Orme in Llandudno, though I'm still not entirely clear on what it was, but it was a nice walk down back to town. I took the tram up mostly because I didn't know where the trail was. There was actually a mini-golf course at the top, which was the first sign as to how touristy this location was. This made me appreciate the fact that there is not yet a "Moher Mini Golf" at the Cliffs of Moher. After the Great Orme I walked along the pier, which was a bit sad. The word that kept going through my mind was derelict. Definitly long past it's prime, which could perhaps be the reason there were so so many old people - they obviously came to Llandudno as kids when it was in it's peak and are now returning for their retirement... Perhaps? I walked to the Little Orme at the other end of the "boardwalk," but I didn't climb it and am not sure if you can. The beaches at Llandudno have very little sand. There are mostly rocks that look like what I imagine dinosaur eggs to look like and yet, people were sunbathing on them. It just looked very uncomfortable to me.

Ireland - Belfast & Dublin

Giant's Causeway

The journey from Doolin to Belfast was probably the most complex part of the entire trip going from Doolin to Galway, Galway to Dublin Airport, and Dublin Airport to Belfast, taking about eight hours. We made it though! It was a long day of sitting, but what was interesting was that upon entering Northern Ireland there was an explosion of Union Jacks so you knew you were no longer in the Republic of Ireland but rather Northern Ireland, still part of the UK. Even some curbs in Belfast were painted red, white, and blue.

Ireland - Doolin

OBS with awkward suitcase

Before I could commence my travels in Ireland I had to catch a 4:55AM train to Bristol Temple Meads and then a bus to Bristol Airport. Paranoia is the word that comes to mind when I think back to that pre-dawn walk along the Taff Trail, but it's my own fault. I've started watching too many horror shows and I'm too cheap for a taxi. Anyways, I made it to the train station, however, and I feel as though this is a solid piece of advice, I hadn't collected my tickets the day before and I recommend that if you know your old-fashioned swipe card isn't accepted by the quick-track ticket machines and you pre-purchased your tickets and need an actual human to print them for you, get them printed the day before your pre-dawn train because no one is at the ticket counter at 4:40AM. But if you don't do this then simply feign a catatonic state on the train and the ticket-collectors should leave you alone :) So, not having my tickets did not deter me from boarding my train, and I eventually made it to the airport and hopped on the shamrock decorated Aer Lingus plane to Dublin. Smooth flight, arrived in Dublin, found OBS, and then we boarded a bus for Galway. Relevant.

Procrastination Post

To Castell Coch

Whoa, the weather just changed in a rather drastic manner going from blue skies and a light breeze to an intense wind that looks like it's going to blow over the tree outside my window. With rain, of course. Blue skies when I was logging in to write this and then rain, right as I began to type. I mean, this is the norm, but it never fails to surprise me how quickly the weather can change here.

Quinoa salad I made for dinner

Classes have officially ended and we are now in the revision period. I only have two exams, though both are my least favorite classes here - ancient history. So my revision has not been that productive. You could probably say that this post is a form of procrastination. The weather has mostly been so nice for the past week or so and I've just been wandering around the Cardiff area, walking around the city center and along the Taff trail. I found that I'm able to walk to Castle Coch, so I plan to do that when I get back from Ireland.

Varsity

So, from what I've gathered from my time spent in the UK thus far, there are no real college teams, but rather everything is a club and is run through the student unions. That being said, today was pretty much the equivalent of homecoming here in Cardiff. There were multiple events with varsity games going on all day against Swansea, culminating in the men's rugby match held at Millennium Stadium in the evening (which is like the stadium of Cardiff - it was passable as far as stadiums go). I actually went and it turned out to be an interesting match. Apart from the rugby, there was a streaker, a flasher, and some guys who decided to throw their beer on everyone around them. Let me just say that security was prepared for that streaker, tackling him like a rugby player. Anyways, Cardiff was reminiscent of the Nats, what with having the lead in the beginning and then just losing 13-21. It was disappointing, but I'm happy to say that I was able to understand what was happening in the game. Thank you one semester of rugby at W&M! It was really fun to watch and I recommend going to see a rugby match if you ever find yourself in the UK. Oh, I made oatmeal raisin cookies at some point since my return from Italy (as a tangent from sports). The raisins I used, flame raisins, really expanded in the oven. 'Twas quite strange, but they were delicious. In all, things are mellowing out here now, what with exams coming up. Time really has flown.

London

HA RYANAIR! HA!

I started this leg of my journey with a large breakfast. I then made my way to Bologna's airport via public transportation (bus) and I almost lost my ticket! Thank goodness someone noticed it had fallen out of my pocket and chased after me. Ryanair would have charged me to have it re-printed because it was less than an hour before the flight by the time I got to their

Bologna, Venice, Ravenna, oh my!

San Luca walk

My time exploring Bologna was limited because Bologna was more of my base to visit other places due to its central location. From what I saw of Bologna though, it seemed to have a lot to offer in the gastronomy and shopping departments. It was a lot more gritty than Florence for sure, with graffiti being prominent pretty much everywhere and a lot of dog poop. I just tell it how I see it. Bologna did have its charms though. When I arrived via train it was raining and my umbrella was wedged somewhere in my backpack. Bologna though, has this whole system of porticoes that basically make having an umbrella unnecessary for the most part. They're also very picturesque when you look past the graffiti and people begging.

All roads lead to the Duomo in Firenze

Panorama of Firenze

Man oh man do my feet hurt. I've done nothing but walk! Walk and take pictures and eat gelato! Rough life, I know. So, my first full day in Florence (Firenze) I went to the Uffizi Gallery where I saw numerous Madonna and Child/ Madonna Enthroned works and a lot of Greek myth stuff including Caravaggio's Bacchus. Now, if you are going to Florence, I highly recommend that you take a renaissance art history themed class before going. I happened to take such a class last spring so it was interesting to see all of the actual works I had worked so hard to memorize.

Momentous Occasions

Fatto in casa (home made)

Corn & bean salad

Holy guacamole! Spring break has started and I leave Cardiff for London on Thursday (03/28) for a 6:30AM flight on Friday to ITALIA! Now, I didn't make guacamole this week, but I did make my own bread and corn and bean salad on Monday. It was a bit lonely being by myself in the flat this week, and a tad creepy too. Gosh darn my active imagination. So, in an attempt to keep myself occupied I decided to make bread. I think it turned out okay for my first attempt, nothing artisanal or spectacular though. Kind of misshapen and a tad lopsided, actually. But it tasted good if I do say so myself.

Weird Weather

You know, it's like the weather here is against me or something. After spending the majority of the past two weeks cooped up ironically researching sedentary lifestyles in Prehistoric Britain among other things, I decided it would be good for me to get some fresh air, get away from the computer that I have been glued to for the past two weeks researching vikings, Merlin, and sedentism, and perhaps venture outdoors. Maybe a bit of physical activity, like a run or something. So I lace up my shoes and head out the door into the partially sunny courtyard and I start running. But then it gets really dark, really fast, and it starts raining. No matter, I think to myself, I like running in the rain. I'm pretty sure the

Old Lady Hair and History

The first of March is St. David's Day here in Cardiff. Saint David is the patron saint of the city and is known for his saintly doings around the area. Some people get dressed up in their "traditional" Welsh clothing (a made-up tradition to instill national pride) and others opt for a simpler demonstration of pride, pinning daffodils to their shirts or just painting red dragons onto their faces. It was fun to see everyone march down the street dressed up. There weren't any floats or anything too elaborate but it was still fun to watch.

Kitchen Experiments

I can cook! Kind of. I mean it's nothing fancy and tends to be carb heavy (lots of pasta and bread), but I am officially making my own food! Sorry I'm not sorry that this post is a bit self-congratulatory. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of my puppy chow, poached egg, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, experimental quesadillas, and some other stuff, but I am still able to present you with delicacies that were  thoroughly enjoyed by moi.

Dream on

If only :)

Bath

Saturday, today, was the day I took it upon myself to visit Bath. It did not turn out how I expected it to. For one, I didn't have enough time to make it to the Fashion Museum. Two, I wasn't able to magically stumble onto the locations that I wanted to see. I'll start from the beginning. This morning was nice, walking through Cardiff. It wasn't raining, though it was still gray. There was a mini market going on in the city center, so maybe when the weather gets warmer there will be more stalls. I'll have to go back because that could be fun to go to. I managed to make it to the train station, find the correct platform, and board the right train, getting off at the correct stop: Bath Spa station. From there, I proceeded to get lost.

Pancakes & Caesar!

"Pancakes"

I realize I may have sounded a tad bitter in my last update,
but that is easily explained. See, actually experiencing this much rain is not even remotely comparable to just hearing about how much it rains in Cardiff. I also miss quality quesadillas, but I am slowly moving past this obstacle. Perhaps I should have gone to Italy (or Mexico considering my

TBD

I wish they had Mexican blend cheese here. Muenster as well, but mostly Mexican blend just for my quesadillas. I've been using shredded cheddar as I'm a bit apprehensive to try the Welsh cheeses, and the results have been eh. And I just discovered that pretzel sticks are nonexistent! No whole grain or wheat bread either. Just whole meal, which I've never heard of before and in my ignorance, am going to say it's wheat. It also rains here, a lot. I wish they'd learn how to properly lay down stones so that when you step on them, they don't move and squirt water up onto your jeans getting you all muddy. Did I mention they don't have pretzel sticks? Anyways, now that my most pressing complaints are out of the way, I feel as though I can discuss my week thus far. Nothing

A week of firsts

Well, how do I put this... I certainly have a lot of free time here. For every class that I'm taking this semester, we only meet once a week for about fifty minutes. My language

Disclaimer: Not actually my food

classes are two hours, though. It's a very strange schedule, but it's nice. For example, I have Wednesdays off, so the possibilities are endless! I can do my laundry, go to Tesco, maybe the library... I will eventually start exploring Wales. Cardiff is a pretty compact area, so it'll be fun to visit different places. It might just be me, but I think W&M places more of an emphasis on academics than Cardiff. Anyways, this week it has rained just about everyday, except

Coach Tour!

Llancaiach Fawr

Time-themed smoking room

It was interesting to ride a gigantic tour bus around the city today... I still don't understand how people drive here. They are all very aggressive and don't really care about pedestrians or cyclists. As frightening as it is to imagine myself driving here, it's just as scary attempting to cross the streets, so it was nice being in a really big bus for a change. My pedestrian woes aside, the tour was fun because

Tesco - Shopping for Food

Delicious hot?

AKA Goldfish 

Are Flakes unappealing then?

Tesco is basically Walmart. It seems as though they have everything there, which is good considering how close it's located to me. By that I mean it's very close, like less than a ten-minute walk down the road past McDonald's and

KFC to Tesco's automatic doors. It's really great having something that close to where I live. It really is. The walks to campus are so long and somewhat dangerous. Can you tell my feet hurt? Anyways, the grocery cart system is a tad odd because you have to put a pound coin in to get a cart and then when you return the cart you get the pound back. I guess it ensures that their cart supply doesn't diminish, though there are a lot of carts around the Talybont North area. If I'm ever desperate for money I now know what to do. I was happy that I was able to find Chobani Greek yogurt! I also saw the foods I eat at home, though labeled differently. That's globalization for you. My favorite was seeing Goldfish as Finz! They were also doing flu shots there, but they call shots "jabs," which in my opinion is a

The First Few Days

Talybont North Houses

It's snowy and slushy and icy here in Cardiff and I'm not quite sure whether or not the people here are familiar with de-icing techniques. From the condition of the sidewalks, I would have to say no. (Let's be honest, there really isn't that much snow...) I'll just say that I probably should have brought that pair of boots in my closet and I am glad I did bring my winter coat. My place of residence, Talybont North (House R) is located a good distance away from the main campus area. It's about a 20-30 minute walk, depending on which building you're going to. I suppose that means a lot of exercise.

Packing

Me and my luggage

Overweight luggage is considered above 50 lbs and if your luggage happens to be overweight, you are required to pay some exorbitant fee for being over the limit. However, excessive luggage is over 75 lbs and won't be accepted by the airline for overseas flights... I am near the point of having my luggage being classified as "excessive," unfortunately. It's no longer a question of being overweight, but just hoping that somehow my suitcase weighs less than your average Alaskan Malamute Husky (i.e. 75 lbs). I mean I only have three bags, and I like being prepared. In my defense of the excessiveness, it is difficult packing for two different climates in only three bags. Oh god. I just double checked and it's actually 70 lbs. Not good.