Paris!

I went to Paris for a wonderful weekend with my good friend Alexis, who lives in Paris.  I met Alexis when he studied abroad for a year at Knox.


 Alexis has an incredible two-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and comfy living room, all furnished with his skill of "finding things" (on the side of the road, basically).  It was actually really impressive how much of his furniture, stove, dish washer, oven, and even the bar in his living room were all FREE!  The man has got skills.  I got in Friday morning and it was just so good to sit and talk to him and drink real coffee for the first time in months!  He is going to school for graphic design in Paris and is really talented, he showed me some of his stuff and it was cool to see what he has been doing in the year since I've seen him.
After we talked for awhile we went out and got groceries because he said he was going to cook for me!  We went to the supermarche and I was so excited to see SO MUCH CHEESE!!!  There was a whole wall of the store dedicated just to delicious varieties of cheese.  We don't get that in Scotland!!!  Alexis also taught me how to pick good wine when in France-- there is a law that tells wine-makers how much of their own wine they can keep.  So sometimes they keep too much and have to sell it.  But you can tell which bottles of wine they intended to keep for themselves-- the best of the batch! -- because they have a red sticker on top with a french word that means it was from his personal supply.  So we got some delicious red wine!  You can get much better quality wine for a lot cheaper in France, obviously.

Then we got back to his apartment where Alexis insisted, "if you don't cook, you're not French." 

He made une tarte:

                                                                  avec roquefort (blue cheese)

                                       aux poireaux (leeks)  et les ouefs (eggs) et jambon (ham)

                                                         et emmental (more cheese!)

                                                        TA DAAAAA!  delicious!!!!




Saturday morning we went to la patisserie and got freshly baked croissants and had more coffee.  So good.

Then we walked along to Alexis' street, which is absolutely gorgeous and goes up a huge hill where you can see a lot of the city.  Here I am (almost) at the top of the hill

We walked all the way to the top of the hill, passing beautiful Parisian buildings......

where we ended up at Basilique du Sacré Cœur, a famous church.

From there we walked to the Eiffel Tower, which was a LONG walk.  Much of our walk was along the  Champs-Élysées.!  (which I know a song about) The street was lined with unbelievable buildings and stores I could only dream of going into.... Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.  
We ended up at the Arc de Triomphe!

 

 When we crossed the bridge over the Siene, I was so excited to see the Eiffel Tower in the distance that I wanted a picture right away!

 

The Eiffel Tower was gorgeous, as expected.  What I wasn't expecting was how BIG it really was!!  While we were sitting there look at it, Alexis said "Can you imagine the architect who thought to build that?  Who wanted to make something so huge out of so much metal?  He must have been crazy."  It's really interesting to think about how you would even go about designing something that huge, that complex, not to mention what a process it would be to build it.

Then we headed home, which was an adventure because the metro stop for Alexis' apartment wasn't being worked on.  It took extra long because we went out of our way to buy a couple Cuban cigars!  I have a weird interest in cigars, and the fact that I could buy something that was illegal in the US made me feel like I should.  So we did.  Just as good as I was expecting.

Alexis made homemade pizza for dinner.  Even made the dough from scratch!

 

So good.

That was basically my weekend!  Here are some of my favorite pictures taken around Paris......

 vineyards!

A building of plants?!?  

I woke up early and Alexis walked me to the metro station.  It was great to see him and get a taste of Paris, even if it wasn't long enough!

Love,

Kate

(almost) every day when I wake up I look outside and see rain and gray and clouds, so I like to cheer myself up with music in the morning.  For the past week or so, this song has gotten me in a GREAT mood and ready for the day!!! I thought I should share, in case people like happy music too.  If you want the official music video (which is great, but it can't be embedded for some reason) check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YCSJpF4g4





Biggest/most unexpected Expenses....

1.  Laundry
costs about $4 to wash and dry one load.  I only brought about 1 1/2 week's worth of clothes, so I am spending a lot on laundry!!!

2.  Taxis

I try to walk everywhere I can, but sometimes the weather is too awful to walk home, or it's late at night and I just want to take a taxi back from a pub.  An average taxi ride would be around $12, which adds up! 

3.  Nights out

Usually costs about $8 or $9 to get into a club.  Once you are in, drinks cost anywhere from $4-$9--pricey!  One thing we were warned about when we came here was that guys don't typically buy girls drinks.  Especially not as much as the U.S.  So girls spend a lot more here than they would back home.  A lot of people go out 5 or 6 or even 7 nights a week, but that's not financially feasible for me, so I limit myself much more than other people.

4.  Lunch every day
Our meal plan doesn't include lunch, and so I buy lunch out every day.  As much as I would love to make my own lunch which would be healthier and cheaper, we only have a mini refrigerator for the entire floor (about 35 people), so there is hardly any room to buy something from the grocery store and then put in the fridge.  I typically spend $7/day a day to get a sandwich and coffee.

5.  University events
Most plays are around $8 or $9, and club meetings or events can cost anywhere from $3-$40.  I'm trying not let it stop me from doing new things!


6.  Printing
I have already spent 25 pounds ($40ish) on printing!!!  We are assigned tons of readings for our classes, and when we meet for discussions, we need to be able to talk and directly reference our readings.  I usually print about 30% of my readings, and try to take notes on the rest.  $$$$$$$$  Not money I enjoy spending.

7. Umbrella
 This is a predicted monetary drain.  My mom sent me with a little frail umbrella that is totally perfect for Minnesota rain, but not good for deadly Scottish wind and rain.  I opened up the umbrella for the first time last week and it turned completely inside out.  I thought it was salvageable, but somehow the wind mangled several metal pieces inside so it won't open properly anymore.  So I need to invest in a solid umbrella.  The wind here is vicious!



8.  Buses.  $6 for a day pass.  I'm not payin' that.  So I don't,  I walk.  Monetary drain avoided.



9.  Going out for meals.  I avoid this at all costs.  Unless it's a special day.






Things that are Cheaper here:

Nothing.
If you plan on studying abroad, bring tons of $$$$$.  It's unbelievable how much money is spent on basic day-to-day living.  All of the Americans I've talked to said they have already blown through all the money they had for the entire semester because they weren't expecting the exchange rate to be so bad.  It might not be bad for one meal, or one dress, but EVERY SINGLE THING YOU BUY costs about 70% more than you'd think because of the exchange.  Deadly.



Luckily I am having the BEST time and I try not to let the cost of something hang over my head and get in the way of me having a great time!  I am going to a production of Noises Off on Thursday night that I am really looking forward to.



Let this note be a word of warning to all future European study-abroaders.



Love
Kate

This weekend went by so fast!  I had a really good weekend, partially because I (finally!) finished my midterm essays that took up all of last week.  When Friday rolled around and I was DONE I was so relieved.

My good friend Caroline was in Jekyll and Hyde, the musical.  So Irene and I bought tickets to go see her on Friday.  It was a wonderful show!  The singing and acting was really impressive.  It was so fun to see Caroline on stage, because for the past few weeks she has been almost completely M.I.A.--always too busy working on the play to hang out with Irene and me!  Now that the play is over we have her back!  :)

 

We got our golden tickets to the play!

Caroline, me, and Will after the show!  

Saturday I woke up early and it was a really beautiful morning.  Scottish weather is very temperamental, so I knew if it wasn't raining I should get outside before it started!  I had a really lovely run with great people watching.  All the tourists love to visit Holyrood Park and the craggs, and so the park is especially busy on the weekend.  I feel so cool when I run past them, clustered around a map, because I feel like they are the tourists, and I'm the one that knows my way around.  Edinburgh has really started to feel like home for me. 

  It was a good thing I got outside early, because after brunch it started raining.  Irene and I had brunch with our friends Chris, from New Zealand, and Ross, from Scotland.  Chris invited me along to watch the NZ vs England rugby game at a pub, and I went.  It was great to go with someone in full All-Blacks wear.  Most people in Scotland hate the English, so almost everyone in the pub was rooting for NZ.  Thanks to Chris, I now finally understand the rules of rugby!  It was a great way to spend a rainy Saturday.  Ross showed up halfway through and watched the ending of the game with us too.

Chris, me, Ross.  Doesn't Chris look just like Leo DiCaprio (circa Titanic)?!

Sunday I went on my first pony trek!  I went with my friend Stine from Norway.  We took a bus about half hour outside of Edinburgh and the trek leader picked us up and drove us to where the ponies were.  There were about 10 of us.  When we first got there, the ponies had somehow escaped overnight, so we had to walk down the road to the field of cows and try to find them.  Each of us were assigned a pony to rescue.  My pony did not want to be rescued.  My "rescue" was basically me struggling to drag it across a field, begging him to make it easy on me and just follow my lead!!! I am not a natural with horses.

My pony's name was Cal.  My pictures aren't the best because I had to hold the reigns with both hands while I was riding!  But the scenery was AMAZING.  We were surrounded by a mountain range covered in snow.  Even though I don't have much/any experience with horses/ponies, and I was the only beginner, everyone was very kind and helpful and I felt like I got a real pony-trekking experience.  We got to go on bridges over beautiful rivers and creeks, and through forests.  We saw foxes and deer!  The weather was beautiful, no rain, but it was SO COLD!   Luckily I was wearing long underwear.  Phew.

On our walk to rescue the ponies.  We found them in this field with cows.

Brushing Cal

My Norwegian friend Stine!

What a wonderful weekend! 

Love,

Kate

Fall Colors of Scotland

Beautiful fall colors here in Edinburgh!  Took these pictures on one of my runs last week.

Scottish Accent

5 Things I Did Today

1.  I got harassed by Fran, our cleaning lady.  She speaks in a really hard-to-understand accent.... think thick Scottish accent meets Ozzie Osbourne.  Fran scares everyone. Today I left my room to go two doors down to knock on Irene's door to ask her when she was going to lunch.  Fran was in the hallway watching me, and as soon as I took ONE step down the hall away from my door she charged after me and shouted for a solid ten minutes about the dangers of walking away from my unlocked door.  I understood about 10% of what she was saying.  I understand the premise why she was upset, but I was only going to stand in the hall in front of Irene's door, being less than 15 feet from my door.  But I said "Sorry Fran, sorry Fran" over and over.  But she was still very angry at me.  She also calls me Katie, and pronounces it Key-tey.  When I left my room an hour later to take a shower and (locked my door!) I came back to find my desk chair missing.  I know it was Fran because no one else has the key to my room.  I think she is punishing me.

2.  I tried Cadbury's Flake chocolate.  Amazing.

3.  I went to the university creative writing club, which was an...interesting group of people.  We wrote poems.  One girl wrote about the latest episode of Merlin (a BBC show).  It was a very intense, passionate sonnet about Merlin going into a cave.  And something about a crystal.  She brought a crystal as a visual aid.  I was really confused, but everyone else was really enthralled.  I sat next to a guy who was pretty cool, but then he wrote a poem about his "friend"-- we discovered in the last verse he was talking about his Blackberry phone.  Again, I was confused.  I wrote a poem about the sheep I made friends with on the farm in Cumbria.  If you remember, I mentioned the sheep Pet-- she had lost an eye and an ear because she never moved when sheepdogs wanted her too.  My poem was titled "Pet's Vietnam" and it was all about the sheep uniting in a peaceful movement against the sheepdogs herding tactics.  They were conscientious objectors.  I liked my poem, but it was no sonnet about Merlin.  I will definitely go back next week.


4.  I wore my best purchase yet-- a blue cashmere sweater from a vintage shop I pass every day on the way to class.  It was a steal- 20 pounds!  I have been looking for weeks for a big chunky sweater.  It is so warm and cozy and I get so many compliments when I wear it!!!  It's always a good day when I wear my true blue sweater.

5.  I joined the Edinburgh Pony Trekking Society.  (http://www.exmoorponytrekking.co.uk/)   The breed is Exmoor ponies, which are smaller than normal horses.  This works out perfectly because I am smaller than normal people.   Once I get on the pony, I think it will proportionately be exactly what normal people experience when they ride normal sized horses.  Kind of like how I have to buy special short jeans to achieve the same proportioned clothes as taller girls.

Busy day.  Halloween coming up...still deciding what I should be.

Love,
Kate

Weekend in Dublin

This last weekend I went to Dublin, Ireland.  Tessa, my friend from high school, was studying at the University of Cork (also in Ireland)  so we thought we'd meet in Dublin.
  I flew in at the crack of dawn on Friday morning, so (in theory) we would have the whole day to explore.  Unfortunately both Tessa and I were SO tired from preparing to travel/traveling, that most of the day we spent wishing the check-in time at our hostel wasn't 2:00 PM so we could take a nap!  After we did check in, we went into our room- a small room with 7 bunk beds for both men and women, there was definitely NO personal space.  It was a little nerve-wracking to leave our stuff there, but Tessa just kept telling me "We have to trust our peers."  So I tried.

                                            Me standing in front of the Liffey River


After we put our stuff down, we decided to check out the Jameson Distillery.  When we got there we found out a free drink was part of the tour, so we forked over our euros and were prepared to see a lot of cool stuff.
Well, when you are running on no sleep and they put you in a dark room, in a large cushy armchair.... it doesn't matter what movie is on the screen.  So I don't remember much of the movie.  After the movie we were lead on the official tour of the distillery.  It was interesting to learn how whiskey was made, and the importance of little things I had never even considered (ex- the properties of a barrel and how it affects the taste).  We learned the difference between traditional Scotch whisky and Jameson whiskey is that Jameson is distilled three times while Scotch is only distilled twice-- explaining its stronger smoky, peaty flavor.

After the tour, we had our drink.  It was really good... Jameson whiskey with Canada Dry!

After the tour we went back to our hostel and took a nap.  When we woke up we decided to find a good place for dinner.  Since it was so early, we planned to take advantage of the early bird specials.  We headed over to Temple Bar, which is an area of central Dublin with lots of great restaurants and night life.  Tessa and I found a really great Italian restaurant, and it was celebrated as both of our well-deserved first "splurge" of our study abroad experience.  Deee-licious!

After dinner we were excited to find endless possibilities for live music, so we stayed up as late as our bodies would allow (which ended up being 10:00 PM) before we headed back to the hostel.  It was nice to get a chance to talk to some of the people in the hostel.  A few guys we met were really friendly-- one was from New Zealand, and had spent 9 months backpacking alone, he was planning on heading home in December.  Another guy was from Canada and Dublin was his first stop on a 10-month solo backpacking trip.  Tessa and I couldn't figure out how these people had the money to not work for almost a whole year and just spend, spend, spend!!  Even though they were living cheaply, the hostel was still around $20 a night, and that adds up.


Saturday we woke up feeling a lot better after a night's rest.  Over our (free!) breakfast and (free!) coffee we looked at a map and decided what to do.  The Irish guy working at the hostel front desk was surprisingly un-helpful.  We asked him about things to do in Dublin that we had read about, and he kept saying things like "Usually I lie and tell people I've been there, but I haven't" (about the Guinness factory)   and, "To be honest, Dublin isn't that great." EVERY single thing we asked him about he hadn't done.  When Tessa asked about this supposedly cool magic show in Dracula Castle that she had read about online, the guy was really skeptical.  He said he hadn't heard of "Dracula Castle" and it sounded to him like maybe it was just some creepy old guy trying to get us over to his house.
After that, Tessa and I decided to create our own itinerary.


The first thing we did was check out Trinity College, which was GORGEOUS.  It looked like something out of a postcard.  There was a wedding going on there also, with a horse and carriage clop-clopping around the cobblestone campus.  Regretfully, I didn't take very many pictures of the gorgeous campus, because Tessa and I were A) too busy spying on the gorgeous wedding  ;   B) we were taking aback by how gorgeous the campus was and C) We were a little busy trying to eavesdrop on campus tours happening around us (It would have been $15 to take a campus tour!)

So here is a picture I found online, I didn't take it, but it shows how gorgeous the campus is:

The pictures I did take:

  
                                                                        Wedding

                                               watching the Trinity men's soccer (football) team

                                                                                 Tessa and I!

                                       The gorgeous windows of (one of) the libraries on campus


After our peek at Trinity College, we got some lunch at a really cute cafe.  It was yummy.

Then we went to Dublin Castle, for a tour!  That was really cool.  Dublin Castle doesn't really look very "castle-like" anymore-- a lot of the exterior has changed, and they took the drawbridge out.  But we got to see where the moat used to be, and they took us underneath the castle to look at the original stone work built by the Vikings!  The Dublin Castle is where a number of TV shows/movies were filmed.  I can't remember all the tour guide listed, but I do remember hearing that "The Tudors" and the movie "Leap Year" were both filmed here.

                                                         me, doing a strange pose in front of part of the castle

                                                                        throne!

                                                           one of the many gorgeous rooms in the castle


We also went to the Dublin Castle Chapel, which was small and gorgeous, with lots of natural light. 

After the Dublin Castle tour, we went to a pub where there was a rugby game on.  We met a bunch of guys that went to Trinity College that were dressed up as "Where's Waldo?"  characters.  But apparently in the UK, it's called "Where's Wally?"  so they kept correcting us.  They were very friendly.

                                                       I had my first pint of Guinness!


After the pub we saw a movie, got dinner, and went out to a few pubs, but it was a really busy and wild night so we didn't last long.  I had to get up at 4 AM for a flight, so we headed back to the hostel.


It was a great trip!  After conducting research several places around the UK, I've realized every single pub that plays live music that I have EVER been to has played this song.  Every time.  I usually hear it 3-4 times a night.  It is strange how obsessed they are!





Love,
Kate