The Land of the Scots and the Engs: 1/1/09 to 9/1/09

I had the pleasure of showing my younger sister Hattie around the islands when she came over to visit. We stayed in Derry a bit, then stayed in hostels while seeing Glasgow and Edinburgh and stayed with my boyfriend Callum and his family in Newcastle while seeing a bit of England. Glasgow was quite a letdown to be honest, very industrial and gray. The city had no plant life and felt very lacking of culture, too. It was still good to see though! Edinburgh is a gem! We had a blast seeing the Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street, a real Scotch whisky tour, and a hop on hop off bus which brought us all around the city. It had great shopping with great prices, awesome restaurants, and easy pedestrian accessibility. Newcastle was a great place to stay to recover and just relax with a family, while seeing the city with a lifelong resident. We explored two of their bigger castles, the ocean, the Millennium bridge, and "experienced the nightlife." Overall, it was a really fun, relaxed trip!

Hattie and I on top of the Edinburgh Castle

The Castle from a distance

A really gorgeous monument

Sunset over the ocean in Newcastle

Never have drinking contests with Europeans. Callum and I

Eleven Days of Paris: 13/12/08 to 23/12/08

Robbie and I blew off some steam after a long first term in Paris, France. We spent 10 nights there, split between three hostels. The wine was cheap, food was expensive, and sights were breathtaking. We never ran out of things to see and would love to go back again. We hit the Eiffel Tower at night which I highly recommend (no lines and beautiful lights), the Louvre on the 26 and under free night (which is Friday after 6), Versailles (expensive ticket, but worth it), the French Military Museum (including Napoleon's tomb), Champes Elysee (look, don't buy), Salvador Dali Museum (well kept secret but worth the find), Notre Dame, Arch de Triumph, Gallery Lafyette, Disneyland, Sacre Coeur Basilique, and so on and on and on. Spending that much time in one city was super intense, but also really awesome because we had all the time in the world to see whatever we wanted. We went on a few tours aimed at college-aged backpackers (ie they were free and the guides made sex jokes) which were quite fun and incredibly informative. After all that, one of my favorite memories is death by fondue (cheese fondue dinner followed by chocolate fondue dessert. In one sitting.).

The famous pyramids outside the Louvre


Robbie and I in front of the one and only Mona Lisa

Railing at Versailles

Um. The Eiffel Tower.