When I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, I couldn't believe it. I was at the Arc d'Triomphe, in Paris, and happened to glance over to see the top of the Tower peeking above some buildings a distance away. And as we walked to it, my happiness was intense. I think when I stood in front of the Eiffel Tower, it was the moment when I realized for the first time, what I was doing. I think it had finally sunk in that I was traveling to these places and seeing these things. It was unbelievable. Astonishing. Stunning. Beautiful. I would try to put a French word in there to describe it, but I don't really know French.

Which was okay. The only French words I knew going into France were "Bonjour" and I could count to three, and I could say goodbye (but I can't spell it at all which is why I'm not attempting) and I could say "Merci", which means "thank you". My French vocabulary was limited. But it was okay. I learned a few phrases from a handy guide we received before the trip and everything worked out fine. You would think that by not knowing the language it would be extremely difficult, it not impossible to communicate with people. But that is not the case at all. We were always able to communicate with people somehow, which is a really great thing.

Paris was so amazing. My legs and feet hurt really bad. REALLLLLLLLLLLLY bad from walking and walking and walking and walking and walking and walking and walking and walking and climbing and climbing and climbing and climbing and climbing more winding and twisting and winding and twisting and winding and twisting and narrow and winding and twisting and narrow stairs. But it's all good now. We got the most amazing views ever from trekking up all those 1,234,585 stairs. And that's an exact number. No, it's not, but it sure felt like that. And seriously, there were a ton of stairs. But it was so worth it and I would do it again. We saw the most beautiful tower in the world, got to sing a song from "Hunchback of Notre Dame" ontop Notre Dame, saw the prettiest stained glass EVER, went on the most fun boat ride in the world, got to see what Paris looked like lighted up at night, went to Red Light District, saw Moulin Rouge, did some wine and cheese tasting, ate some crepes, ate another crepe, ate some other kind of French dessert that I can't think of the name of but was really good, ate some wonderful French food, went to Versailles, got to see some of the worst artwork in the world at Versailles. Terrible terrible artwork that took away the majestic-ness of Versailles. But I will look past that. I will look past that terrible lobster, and vacuum cleaners, and pool toys, and blue moon thing, and michael jackson with bubbles...oi vey. That was the artwork cluttering the beauty of Versailles rooms. But time to focus on the positive.

Paris was one of the most beautiful cities I've been to. The lights are amazing. The people are amazing. And it was another wonderfully amazing trip.

So can I just say...

that I LOVE chocolate. I LOVE CHOCOLATE. I. LOVE. CHOCOLATE. CHOCO CHOCO CHOCO. CHOC-O-LATE. CHOCOLATE. Yummy, yummy, yummy...in my tummy. Seeing as I've made my point about my love for all things chocolate, it's time to move to more important matters. Such as chocolate factories!! Yes, my dream come true. A blog about chocolate! CADBURY WORLD!!!!! I don't even know what to type right now because I'm filled with so much glee. I really can't type this blog right now. I'm too happy to type because I can't stop thinking about Cadbury World, which makes me think about chocolate, which makes me think about happiness.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Okay, I'm going to force myself to type this. We went to a magical place. It's called Cadbury World. We went the weekend after the Stonehenge/Bath/Oxford trip. We got to see what it was like to be rained on...in chocolate. We got to chase...chocolate. We got to see what we looked like...in chocolate form. We wrote our names...in chocolate. They gave us free...chocolate. We went on a little ride thru Cocoa Bean Land where there were dancing flowers, and talking and dancing cocoa beans that are later turned into...chocolate. We got to see where Cadbury packaged...their chocolate. I got to eat a marvelous creation of a mixture of popcorn...and chocolate. I bought lots of...chocolate. Probably too much...chocolate. I will not say how much I spent on it, but it was worth it because, duh, it was...chocolate.
What a happy happy place it was. And I was a happy happy person because of it.

We also went to Birmingham, which has the biggest mall I've ever seen in my life. I actually didn't see the whole thing because it was so gigantic and we had to go to Nottingham that night too. To see the Mighty Boosh. Even though Old Gregg wasn't there, it was still really awesome. I saw the guy who plays Old Gregg, which is good enough for me. And Howard Moon too!! Happy times!

Just a few mismatched rocks...

The end of October and beginning of November was spent in several cities. We were on a travelin' spree. First to Oxford, home of Oxford. University. Great town, although we only spent a couple hours there. But it was enough time to see where they filmed Harry Potter!!!! We went into one of the rooms where they filmed the Great Hall. I used my Rupert Grint senses to sniff out which chair he sat in during filming. And I do believe I found it. Or maybe I just picked out a chair at random and claimed to everyone that he sat there. Believe what you want. I know the truth.

Anyway, we later went to Bath. Home of the Roman Baths, which, by the way, are some of the coolest things ever and reminds me why I want anthropology to be my second major. I love those moments. Bath was super cool. We went to a spa. Thermae Spa (sp?) to be exact. Now, I've never been to a spa before, but what better place on the earth to go to one than Bath? Perfect. The spa was AMAZING. The water was so warm and there were steam rooms and warm water and steam and warmth and non-cold, and we were so warm, and it felt so good because we weren't cold because it was warm and good and cozy and the steam and the water was good and warm and warm and water and more warm and steam that smelled like Christmas. There were four steam thingies that you could go in. My favorite one was the one that smelled like Christmas. They were all pretty great though. They cleared my senses. Ahhh it felt so good. Annnnnd, there was a rooftop pool (with warm water, yes!) and a spectacular view of Bath. We went to the spa at night so it was absolutely breathtaking. And it was raining. So we got the awesome mixture of the warm water with the cold rain hitting our faces. Sensational.
We also played the Bath version of Monopoly, properly or not-so-properly titled, 'Bath Endeavor'. Fun times. Even though we got tired of it because it was lasting so long.
Then on to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is out in a random field of sheep. There are sheep everywhere around you and then you turn around and you're like "oh there's Stonehenge, look at that." Stonehenge was really really cool though. It's something you've seen pictures of and heard about your entire life, and to actually be there beholding its glory is a pretty great feeling. I really enjoyed it. Yeah!

No excuses

So I've been away from my blog for awhile. Maybe I'm a bad person. Maybe I haven't had access to my computer. Maybe I forgot my password. Maybe I have nothing to talk about. Maybe...uhhh....I've run out of excuses. None of those are true. I've just been too lazy to blog. Which, in turn is biting me in the butt because now I have to talk about Spain, to Oxford/Bath/Stonehenge, to Cadbury World, and now this past weekend Paris. This is what I get for being lazy. Jeez. So, um, where to start? I don't want this to be a terribly long blog (this is an impossible task) but I'm going to try my hardest to condense it. And also get in all the necessary information. Maybe I'll do four separate blogs. I think that's what I'll do actually. Instead of making the reader say, "oh look how long this blog is, I don't wanna read all that," they will see four shorter blogs and feel like they have the time to read it. It's all the way you present it. It's all about marketing. Okay, I'm rambling and you don't want to read this right now...so...on to Spain.

SPAIN. SPAIN. SPAIN. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. Is that right? I don't know. Anyway, about four weeks ago (if four weeks ago equals October 16th-ish, then that's right) we took an independent travel trip to Madrid. Honestly, Madrid is one of the most vibrant, energetic, moving, colorful, musical, and wonderful cities I've ever been to. It makes me feel alive.

There are street performers galore. And I love street performers. I really really do. Whenever I see someone playing music on the street or those people dressed up in costumes who do stuff when you put money in their container I just stand there. In awe. Transfixed. I get so excited when I see them, I can't even describe it. Wherever we went in Madrid, we heard music. I mean, seriously, people were playing all kinds of instruments on every street. It was spectacular. I would get to the point where I would hear the music and search to seek it out to see where it was coming from. I got a little obsessive. But I would still do it. It was great. It gave Madrid such a moving atmosphere. And the people moved indeed. Not a fast-paced kind of moving like London, but the people were up at all hours. Siestas are wonderful. We took one. These people don't go to bed until 4 in the morning or some absurd hour like that. It's crazy. It's not just some people, though. It's the ENTIRE city. The city does not sleep.

I, being a pro at speaking the Spanish language (LIE) was able to get us around to everywhere we needed (LIE). Ha, but communicating with people was not too difficult. I knew the basics and I was just fine. I used the term "lo siento" frequently during the trip, being that it's one of my favorite phrases.

We ate churros and chocolate (don't ask me if I spelled that right because I don't think I did and I don't feel like looking it up). It was good. I like chocolate. I've realized that chocolate gets me hyper sometimes. But I like it. It was like fried dough and you dip it in this rich...creamy...decadent...liquid...thick...steamy...luscious...divine...tasty...hot...chocolate. And then you eat it. And it's good. Really good. Really, REALLY good. Too good. I want some now.

Yeah, so I really would love to visit all over Spain. It's definitely different from Ireland and all that, but Madrid sure was a wonderful city. It's definitely one of my favorite places I've been so far. And I would love to go again. And yes, I do realize I say this about everywhere I go.

Who all seen the leprechaun say "Yeah!"

Unfortunately, none of us thought about acting out that news story in actual Ireland last weekend.

Did we see any leprechauns? No. A rainbow, yes. Which very well could've had a pot of gold at the end, although we were on the coach when we saw it, so no one could venture out to look.

Speaking of the coach...whoa. I've never spent so much time on a bus in my entire life. I slept a little bit, watched a couple of movies, but spent a lot of the time looking out the window at the wonderful countryside of Ireland. Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. I still can't believe I've been to Ireland. I felt like I was walking in a landscape painting the entire time. You just don't have these kinds of spectacular views back home. The hills, the grass, the farms, the abundant amount of sheep, some of which were in the middle of the road at one point of the trip. The food is the best, but the views...just absolutely breath-taking. The water was so clean, clear, pure, and the beaches were untouched. It was like we were explorers uncovering the land for the first time.

I went on another new mode of transportation for the first time. A ferry. We took it from Wales to Ireland. I slept the majority of the time on it, seeing as I got practically no sleep the entire time, which continues here at Harlaxton. But, I did go out on the top deck. And now know what it feels like to be in a hurricane. The winds just hit ya. It was so hard to walk around up there, but it was really cool.

We went to Killarney, where I sang the only words I knew to "Christmas in Killarney" which was basically, "It's Christmas in Killarney" (because that's about all I know of the song) and went to several pubs where they had some awesome music. A man playing an electric fiddle. I was transfixed. What's not to like about that? The atmosphere was so great. Lively, happy, just easy-going. I wish we had pubs in the States, though. I mean we are really missing out in the U.S. by not having those things. Definitely. Killarney's a cute little town. The hotel we stayed at was very quaint.

We spent two days in Killarney, the second we went on the Ring of Kerry. We rode around in the coach and got off at different stops. We saw waterfalls, the Atlantic Ocean, other bodies of water, mountains, hills. Words cannot even explain the views we saw. It was such a feeling standing at the top of a hill and looking down at a farm or a small village at the bottom. Or driving by the hills and seeing sheep or cows just grazing on the side. Or being on the other side of the Atlantic. Or seeing a man play the banjo with the greatest scenery in front and behind him. IT WAS JUST SO GREAT. I still can't get over it. AND we had great weather.

We then rode in the coach to Dublin. Dublin is a really cool town. I wish we could've spent more time there, but it was still amazing. We went to the Guinness factory, the drink Ireland is known for. It was really neat seeing all that went in to making it. We walked around Dublin a bit, finally ending up in the Temple Bar district, which had great food and great music. I've come to the conclusion that Ireland has the best food and the best music. Ever. In the history of the world. Yep, that's that.
I LOVE IRELAND. GREAT TRIP.

Edd-in-burr-oh

Or spelled as Edinburgh. I spent the past weekend in my new favorite place on earth (which I'm sure I'll say about every new place I go to). But for this week, it's my favorite. We spent a couple nights in a little hole-in-a-wall hostel in a 14 person room, 11 of which were us, because we dominated. Surrounding us outdoors were Scottish souvenir shops. Everywhere. Literally. It was great. I knew, going to Scotland, that I wanted to buy some small bagpipes. Not full-size bagpipes (because those are too expensive), but some smaller ones. So within a couple hours of being in Scotland, I made my purchase. Even though I still don't really know how to make a note come out of them, I still love them. A lot.

There were REAL bagpipe players everywhere. If you couldn't see them, then you'd be able to hear them. Ahhhhhh my dream come true. And yes, they were wearing kilts. Kilts galore. Kilts abound. Kilts everywhere. Kilts, kilts kilts. I almost bought a kilt, but I didn't.

The train ride to Scotland was excellent. I'd never been on a train before, so it was another numerous new mode of transportation for me! The views were beautiful. We saw the North Sea, fields, hills, ahhhhh it was gorgeous. Beautiful, marvelous, spectacular. We ended up climbing to the top of those hills (which was quite the arduous task), but the end view was great! And we also walked to the North Sea, which took 80 minutes to walk. 80 fuh-reakin' minutes. Talk about some exercise for the legs. I'm telling ya. Yikes. So sore. I think I might still be feeling it.

Scotlannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd. I love it there. I'm pretty sure I might want to live there. We went to a pub where there was a guy singing and playing a guitar and another guy playing the electric violin. Yes, the ELECTRIC violin. I was pretty jealous of his skills. It was great. It was so crowded in there, so hot, but the atmosphere was jumpin'.

The streets were stone, there were castles, old buildings (really old), beautiful land, beautiful people, birthdays, a cool place named Camera Obscura, awesome shops, and yet there still managed to be a McDonalds, Subway, and KFC.

Laddie.

I'm not sure if I'm living in some kind of time warp, or what, but time seems to not exist here. Hours, days, weeks, fly by and absolutely no homework gets done. I thought that I would not be a procrastinator here, but I failed. And I continue to fail right now, because as I type this, I know darn well I should be researching for one paper or another. Ugh. Really though, it's absolutely unreal how the day is gone in a couple hours (or so it seems.)

Which brings me to my next point...studying. Gross. I don't really think I have that great of study habits. I'm trying very hard to develop them into something better, but there are too many distractions. Not that I'm complaining, because I like the distractions. A LOT. But I know down inside that all of these due dates are around the same time and I'll be forced to buckle down. That's why I'm trying to get it done early, but it's not possible. Not possible at all.

Not when you have a trip to Scotland in just a few days!! Yay! Scotland will be my third country I've been in, right behind England and the good ol' US of A. I want to buy some bagpipes, but they probably cost a bajillion pounds. And that's almost double in dollars. So make that a gazillion dollars for bagpipes. But hey, I at least want to see someone play them on a hill, wearing a kilt. Yep, it's my dream. But Scotland will be extremely fun, I think. I'm getting a good feeling about it. Good vibes, good vibes.