So I am half way through my Chicago exploits; can't believe I've only been back in the country for a week! Europe seems so far away here, even though I am becoming ever more fond of the windy city. The dancing is getting easier as I slowly drag myself back into shape, but my efforts keep being interrupted by stupid little things that have forced me to sit out of two classes already, which I hate. Today especially, when a stupid thing like an infected blister on my toe prompted the teacher to tell me to sit out for the majority of the day. It sounds so ridiculous when written down, but the little thing made it impossible to put on my pointe shoes because its all horrible and swollen. I hate sitting out of class, it makes me feel so useless and sort of lonely, so I was extremely frustrated that something so insignificant stuck me on the sidelines. Plus I feel like everyone is judging me as I seem to have gained a reputation as the girl with all the problems. I know they probably have better things to worry about but I would hate to think that anyone thinks I am wimping out or exaggerating anything. I am also not too excited to spend my one free day going to the doctor to make sure its not anything too serious, but I am hoping to get some meds to get it healed up quickly so I can get back into class and forget about this whole mess.
As a nice distraction I went to the movies with Katie this evening to see Friends With Benefits. If you are looking for a nice escapist chick flick its a pretty pleasant watch. Mila Kunas and Justin Timberlake are obviously quite charismatic actors and they manage keep the whole thing from being overly cheesy. I enjoyed it much more than I expected actually. I love going to the movies; even cringe worthy films are more enjoyable in a cinema. It did hit me though, while watching the previews before the movie, that there don't seem to be very many strong women in films this year. Every single movie advertised that featured a girl had them either scantily dressed and vapid or frightened and in need of rescue. I know this is a pretty well known issue but honestly I had never noticed it for myself before. Even in the preview for Footloose Julian Hough's character seems to do little more than jump all over the male lead and throw temper tantrums. Argh its so frustrating! Of course there are lots of strong, girl power films out there, but they seem to be few and far between this summer.
As a final thought; if you are ever in Chicago go to Garret's Popcorn! Its divine and worth every single gram of fat that I am sure it is full of. yummmmmmmmmmmmmm

Chicago!

So my first couple of days here have gone really well! Unfortunately I have only seen about five or six blocks of State Street between my dorm and the studio, but hopefully this will be remedied by some super shopping on Saturday (I love alliterations). One of the best things about this program is that I have the freedom to go wherever I want in the city whenever I have spare time (as long as I sign out and all that jazz). This makes things a whole lot less claustrophobic; at most programs you are stuck in the same place with the same people for weeks on end and it can get a little crazy. Similarly, in some ways it is nice that my two roommates and I are all in different levels which means we don't really have time to get sick of each other. Katie is from Cincinnati and very cool and friendly. She is a modern dancer which is rather refreshing as she is so much more relaxed and logical than any bunhead. Sonia is from Bulgaria and super smart as she has traveled all over the world. She even knew about Richmond and considered going there! I love meeting people like her that have so many amazing life experiences to share.
The classes themselves are challenging but it is getting easier as I slowly get myself back into shape from my relaxing but long break from ballet. I am learning a lot and the Balanchine style just comes so much more naturally to me than the Russian style that I dabbled in early last week (wow, can't believe that was just a week ago!). We are learning stars and stripes which I love as it is super cute and fun to dance. The teachers here are demanding but very supportive and I have had lots of encouraging feedback which, let's face it, is a nice change.
In a way I am glad I came straight here as opposed to staying in Lexington; I have had really bad post-Europe blues but have been able to distract myself by staying busy and drinking in the liveliness of the city. I feel like if I was just sitting on my butt at home I would be pretty miserable. That said, I do miss my KY friends  a whole bunch and am excited to seem them all one more time before everyone heads off on their college adventures.
Hopefully I will have more Chicago-related exploits to write about next time.

Conflicted

Don't get me wrong, I definitely want to keep up this blogging thing because I am really enjoying it! But I am a little unsure as to how to approach it now that I am not traipsing all over Europe and my escapades may not be as note worthy. For example; I would very much like to document my experiences here in Chicago but my perceptions of people play such a huge part informing my opinions of such things and I am not sure if it is appropriate to write about those here. Of course I am not going to be bashing anyone and will probably refrain from giving names but I want to be able to give an honest picture of how I see things while still being respectful to everyone around me. You can never predict what will offend and want won't. I realize that my reader base is not that large but you can never be too careful about what you post on the internet, and I want to be able to promote by writing without worrying about who reads it. I am sure there are more experienced and successful bloggers who manage to do this efficiently, anyone know of some examples I can look up? Suggestions? Thoughts?

I'm Cursed

Poop. Stewardess told me to turn off my phone so I lost everything I had written inthe past hour. I should have just nodded and hid it like everyone else does. Oh well.
So I seem to be cursed as I am yet again delayed in transit, this time due to bad weather, which seems to be following me all over the world. Despite slight annoyance I am pretty calm about the whole thing as it is all out of my control and it is too late to even try and rush to my orientation meeting. I have however made contact with my roommate who (over text at least) seems equally chill and perfectly normal, which is always a plus. My serenity is probably due to fatigue and jet lag but I'm not complaining. I have even managed to entertain myself with a fantastic new internet discovery; A blog called Mark reads Harry Potter in which a witty Potter newbie records his thoughts as he reads Philosopher's Stone. It is not exactly unknown, I am just slow on the uptake, but is hilarious and so interesting to hear an "outsider" write about HP as I honestly can't remember a time I didn't know what Quidditch or a Muggle was. Thank god for smart phones.
Ok we are attempting to take off again, fingers crosse and praying to the weather gods.

Much Ado About Quite A Lot

So can I just begin with the fact that I love David Tennant, even more than I did before.  As you can probably guess, the show last night was just fantastic and no one can really stop talking about it even twenty-four hours later. First of all a night of  any Shakespeare is bound to be exciting, but throw in some fantastic actors,  a spinning stage,  and some skimpy 80's style costumes and its just magical. Catherine Tate brought a lot of  laughs (especially while spinning around on the ceiling) but I was surprised to find that David Tennant surpassed her in comedic as well as Shakespearean ability. From his entrance on a union jack covered golf cart to the rather ridiculous but very enjoyable dancing finale he was spot on...and  may I say he looks quite fabulous in a denim mini skirt and lace leggings. Even my mum who is not a fan girl keeps going on and on about how great it was.

After the show we ran around to the stage door, but from our seats in the second  balcony we were a little too  late to make it to the front of the barriers holding back all the fans. But Alex pushed her way to the middle of the crowd and  held out both of our programs for autographs, which we got from both stars. They were so nice and calm, even in the middle of all that craziness. I didn't see either of them turn down a request for an autograph or picture. I felt very awkward standing there because in  a way I felt bad for them (which is of course ridiculous as they are both very successful actors with great careers), it is such a strange way to treat people that you admire; sticking cameras in their faces and pens in their hands. I am sure they expect it and at this point it doesn't freak them out anymore, but it still made me feel uncomfortable...although I am very glad to have their autographs so that pretty much makes me a hypocrite.

This morning, still  running on a David Tennant  high, we drove to Oxford (my aunt and uncle's alma mater) for some punting to celebrate the first sunny day of the week. It was quite hard work but so much fun, even though I was pretty useless. No one fell in but we all came pretty close, particularly when we encountered a traffic jam of clueless, noisy Italians who were just pushing their punts around in the water with one hand, cigarette in the other, and yelling at each other. It was both incredibly frustrating and highly entertaining, especially when Erica had to flatten herself  down on to the stern of the boat to avoid being decapitated by some branches hanging over the river. My mum said it was like something out of a Mr. Bean sketch and everyone was crying with laughter. After all that hard work we went for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant and devoured about a dozen delicious dishes between us.

It was such a lovely day to finish off the most amazing holiday of my life, but I am still in no way ready to go home. Of course I don't really have time to be sad about it because I am only in Lexington for less than twenty-four hours before catching yet another airplane to Chicago (where I seem to spend quite a lot of time now a days) for Ballet Chicago's Advanced Intensive which lasts two weeks. I am excited to get back in to dancing but I still cannot bare the thought that this is all coming to an end. It has been such a learning experience...as well as good old plain fun! It is nice to know I only have a month or so before I will be back in England, I know I just belong here even though I love and miss everyone back home. 

Thank you so much to everyone who has been keeping up with me here, it means a lot to know that people want to read what I write and  I hope you will stick with me because there are lots more adventures to come!

And thank you of course to Alex, the world's best traveling companion, love you.

London

I love London, it has such a different vibe than Paris; more energetic and modern. It makes me so excited to think that next time I'm here it will be to stay! We've had a nice combination of lounging with cousins and hard core sight seeing. Unfortunately I've missed out on some of the touristing because I've been taking ballet classes in the city. It was so nice to do some dancing again but as it was a Russian school with scary Russian teachers it was way different from anything I've done before and my legs are still recovering. But I did make it to a tour of the globe theater, which was good despite the super obnoxious tourguide. And then on Tuesday I ran over to the Victoria and Albert (which you could easily spend a whole week exploring) and got a glimpse of the theatre and performance exhibition which included one of Margot Fonteyn's tutus, a costume worn by Judi Dench, and a hat that belonged to Dame Edna Everage; pretty cool stuff! We then all trudged through the rain to Harrods to drool at the enormous food hall, it's also a fantastic place for people watching, Alice even spotted a
model from our favorite guilty pleasure show The Model Agency. Alex, Alice, Emma, and I stayed behind to do a little extra shopping and even splurged on some expensive but delicious Harrod's cupcakes to keep our strength up. Then we went to HM where I found an amazing pair of boots. While in the store I also managed to fall down a whole flight of stairs and land on my bum, thankfully the only person who saw was a nice lady who made sure I was ok before hurrying off.
On Wednesday I had an audition in the morning and then an appointment to see my future school which, until this point, I had only visited in pictures. It is a beautiful campus that backs up on to Richmond park and is only about a fifteen minute walk from Richmond high street which has every type of restaurant and shop you could need, and once there you are only a short tube ride away from the center of London. I am still getting used to the whole idea of college but I think Richmond looks ok.
After a quiet, rainy morning spent at Costa and rewatching Harry Potter we are all getting quite excited to head into London tonight. We have tickets to see Much Ado About Nothing starring none other than Doctor Who's David Tennant and Catherine Tate, can't wait! Also gives me an opportunity to wear those new boots...although my legs are still in quite a lot of pain after being beat up by the Russians. I am sure I will let you know all about it soon enough.

Versailles

We are now back safe and sound at my uncle's house outside London. It's raining of course but it is so nice to come back here after such an exhausting week. When we walked in the door Alex said, "it feels like home." Very excited to see my mum and sisters this evening! But of course we couldn't leave Paris without a visit to the world's most famous chateaux;
We dragged ourselves out of bed early again on Friday so that we could meet Anna and catch the metro to Versailles. Having grown up in Paris I was shocked to hear that Anna had never been before but perhaps it is just the sort of thing tourists do. The line for tickets was about a mile long but moved quickly, especially when we discovered we could cut out quite a bit of waiting time by using the ticket machines. I decided that this would be a good time to break my fifty euro note...except that the stupid thing decided to give me all thirty-two euros of change in two euro coins which was quite embarrassing as they all wooshed out of the machine, but it did keep Alex and I laughing for about thirty minutes afterwards as I sounded like a walking piggy bank for the rest of the trip. The main interior of the palace was just as beautiful as I remembered despite the fact that it was packed. Then Anna had to leave us so Alex and I decided to go explore the gardens and try to find Marie Antoinette's little house. It was such a beautiful day that I was quite happy to just get lost in the garden but Alex was a little exasperated that I didn't remember the map in my bag until about twenty minutes into
our adventure. On our walk to the house (this time heading in the right direction) we took loads of creeper pictures of cute couples having picnics and adorable children running through the fields, they turned out really nice even though we had to be discrete while taking them. The queen's domain itself was enchanting; lots of wild flowers and a little stream with a working mill. But the whole thing felt more like Disneyland than a historical building. Although I still think Marie Antoinette was a complete air head I can't blame her for wanting to spend all her time out there.
The weather just made the day so perfect, but unfortunately also gve me a pretty spectacular sunburn, complete with a stripe across my shoulder from my purse. But it was so worth it!

Bastille Day and Some Other Stuff

My feet hurt, my legs are sore, my eyes are drooping...but I am a very happy person. We have done so much in the past couple days that it feels like we have been here for weeks, in the best possible sense. Despite trying not to waste any time we need have a nice long sleep Wednesday morning after our night of Potter mania. Unfortunatley, as we were eating breakfast  our stove became possessed (probably by Voldemort) and starting sparking of its own accord so we had a little bit of a rocky start and it wasn't until one or two pm that we finally arrived at Sacre Coeur. This church has a very different feel to Notre Dame; more solemn and traditional. I have to say I prefer the latter as touring Sacre Coeur made me feel more intrusive than welcomed. The dome however was well worth the three-hundred or so steps it took to get there; you can see all of Paris and there are lots of good photo opportunities which made Alex very happy. We then went down into the crypt (because I like that sort of thing) and there were all sorts of creepy statues, lots of treasure that had been gifted to the cathedral, and even Nearly Headless Nick...well kind of.
I also wanted to pay a visit to the Palais Garnier, one of my favorite places in the whole city. We got a little lost on our way there so of course arrived just as it was closing, but I was so desperate to just get inside that we snuck in through the gift shop and were able to see the grand foyer from a distance and take some pictures. One day I will actually go there to watch a performance! After a quick breather on the steps of the Opera we ventured back down into the metro and went to St Paul to meet Jean Pierre, a friend of Alex's family. He took us out for a yummy dinner and I tired Creme Brule for the first time, its delicious! Feeling very full and happy, Jean Pierre took us on a tour of Marais which is a very vibrant neighborhood but also full of history ; from Louis XIII to WWII. Jean Pierre knows the story behind every building and so we were quite happy to just listen to him talk as we walked around looking at the beautiful rose gardens and great old houses that stood next to the trendy shops and cute restaurants. We saw a part of the old wall that used to surround Paris in the days of the emporer but what was really interesting was that it had been built up to attach to an old school from which Nazi soldiers took Jewish children to be deported to the concentration camps. It was very sad and yet fascinating to see all that history squished together. As we headed back to the apartment the crowds had already begun to gather for the pre-Bastille Day festivities but we were too tired to join in. The evening over all was certainly one of the best we have had so far. Thank you so much Jean Pierre for taking us off the tourist path!
The next morning we woke up much earlier and headed out for the Bastille Day parade. The Champs Eleysee was already packed when we got there even though we had over an hour to wait! To get close to the road you had to wait in an endless line and go through security which we sneakily evaded by perching ourselves on top of the barricades and securing a much better view. The atmosphere was electric as rows and rows of well dressed soldiers marched down the streets (they definitely show up the American army in the fashion department). Alex and I had fun awarding prizes for the best hats and laughing at all the funny tourists. We even saw President Sarkozy for about two seconds as he wizzed down the road surrounded by scary looking security gaurds. Even though we left before the parade was officially over it was still a nightmare trying to get away and we ended up taking a side street to get to the Arc de Triomphe. We managed to get in the street and take some great pictures of the Arc in all its glory before the police men shooed everyone away. Next we met up with another friend, the son of Marie whose apartment we are borrowing, and had a nice long stroll all the way past Les Invalides to the posh part of town for lunch (more yummy deserts but I promise I am walking it all off). Alex and I decided to make a spontaneous visit to Napoleon's Tomb on the way back as admission was free for the day. I wondered aloud if Napolean was a very large man as his coffin is massive, and Alex laughed at me. At any rate, the fact that his tomb can be seen from most every view in Paris must tell you something about what kind of person he was.
There was more spontaneity as we decided to give the Musee D'Orsay one more go...and thank goodness we did! The sun was shining beautifully so waiting in line was no problem at all, we even met a very sweet American couple on there honey moon. The museum itself is worth a long wait though, even in the rain;I got chills every time I saw a painting I recognized and it hit me that Degas, or Van Gogh, or Lautrec had actually applied those brush strokes. We saw Degas' little dancer, Monet's Lily Pads, and even Van Gogh's church (yay Doctor Who!). I love imrpessionist art so it was a dream come true really. I even discovered some new paintings and artists that I had never heard of but fully enjoyed.
As if that wasn't enough for one day we knew that we absolutely could not miss the Bastille Day fireworks so we met up with Marie's lovely daughter Anna and squeezed back into the metro. After much debate we decided on a spot just below the Eiffel Tower and next to the river. There were people everywhere but Alex and I decided to lay down in the middle of the street anyway and stare up at the Eiffel Tower for the best view. To our surprise the fireworks actually began over the river so we had to stand up and turn around to see them (and not get stepped on). It was definitely the best fireworks display I have ever seen because it was set to music from Boradway musicals! How perfect! I am ashamed (or proud, depending on how you look at it) to say that I knew every single word to every song except the ones in French. I think there were definitely some tears shed at that point...I mean how can you not when Memory is blasting over the speakers and you are watching beautiful fireworks with the Eiffel Tower at your back? We got lots on film that I can't wait to post. Getting back was of course not quite so enjoyable; we took one look at the line for the metro and decided a taxi would definitely be worth the money. And it was; the Seine sparkles at night.

Paris and Potter

What a whirlwind couple of days! Paris is just so beautiful and inspiring, we have been running around all the time to see as much of it as we can before the week is up. Thankfully our trip here was much more comfortable than the previous journey because the bus was practically empty so we each had two sets to ourselves which meant lots more sleeping. I spent most of the journey reading the last half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (which I stole from Alex) so I would have it fresh in my mind for the movie premiere on Tuesday. I was quite happy just to sit there for hours reading and looking out at the amazing scenery.
When we arrived in Paris the next morning we were a little groggy and grumpy but managed to meet up with Marie Helene who is kindly letting us stay in a family apartment here. We went straight for some coffee and croisants (which were deliciously messy) in a lovely cafe; the perfect introduction to Paris. Our next order of business was to venture into the metro and find the Grand Rex, a movie theatre that was having a two day Harry Potter movie marathon leading up to the release of the final film. We picked up our passes and decided that, since we were so tired and wanted to sit down, to stay and watch the first movie. At first I felt guilty being in Pairs and watching a movie, but I am so glad we did it! The theater was of course full of super fans who clapped and cheered along with the film. Each character's first entrance got a huge round of applause (the loudest for Neville and Snape which made me very happy). Next came a nap and some unpacking in our new home before we decided we wouldn't waste the day and headed for the Eiffel Tower. No matter how many times you see this thing in pictures or movies it will never prepare you for the reality it, which is not only massive, but oddly beautiful and so iconic that it is kind of surreal. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon so we flopped down on the grass and took millions of photos.
The next day we made a plan of attack that included the Eiffel Tower again, to see if the line would be any shorter (it wasnt), Musee D'Orsay, and Notre Dame. As we walked away from the Tour Eiffel towards D'Orsay the skies opened up and it began to pour. But we weren't at all upset as Paris is even more beautiful in the rain. We walked all the way past Les Invalides and along the Seine getting progressively wetter but still laughing it off. When we reached the museum and saw the mile long lines we decided we were wet enough and headed for the metro where we got lots of amused and disaproving looks for dripping all over the place. Notre Dame was much drier and just breathtaking. West Minster is definitely my favorite cathedral but Notre Dame comes in close second. There was a fantastic violin player on the street right outside that sort of made the moment.
That night Marie served us a lovely dinner of delicious French quiches, stinky cheese, and home made chocolate mousse; yum! Then we ran back to the Grand Rex to watch part 1 of Deathly Hallows. The atmosphere there was electric and we were bouncing around in our seats despite our long day. We heard from the very sweet girl next to us (who spoke flawless English) that there was a rumor that some of the actors were going to make an appearance! The whole place was buzzing as the first film finished and the theater lights kept changing as if in preparation for something. Then a man came out on stage and told us that a girl in the audience had written a letter to him asking to please have the actors come that night as a large group of them would be in Paris anyway...and he said they would! (The only reason I uderstood all this was that the nice girl next to me was translating). After some more fidgeting and more light changing they finally appeared; Clemence Posey (Fleur), Mr. Weasley (don't know his real name), Natalia Tenna (Tonks), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Evanna Lynch (Luna), Charlie Weasley (don't know his name either), and James and Oliver Phelps (The Weasley twins). The volume in the theater was rediculous but each actor got to say a few words (apparently we were the loudest audience so far) and there was lots of chanting "Weasley, Weasley, Weasley." It was fantastic! The film itself was very powerful and there were lots of tears, mine included. Everyone in the audience knew what was going to happen so there was lots of squealing, wailing, and cheering as well. I have lots to say about it though so I think I am going to post a seperate review here when I get a chance. What a night!!!!!!!!!!

Still Catching Up

Phew! Exhausted from long day of Paris adventures so figured its a good time to sit down and do this thing. Back to Prague; So after seven rather uncomfortable hours, only a few of which were spent sleeping, we arrived very early in Prague. My first impression of the city was that it was not just beautiful, it was surreal. Gorgeous buildings with old style shutters and intricate designs house supermarkets, dirty looking bars or KFC; It was like the modern world came crashing down on top of all this history and, instead of covering it up, just filled in the hole, it was very bizzare.  It was great to see Adela and all of her family again but we all decided that after such an early morning a power nap was in order. Feeling revived we strapped on our walking shoes and hit the city. Thank goodness Ani and Adela were there to show us around, Czech is much harder to decipher than German! Starting from the opera house, we crossed Charles Bridge and walked all the way through the oldest part of the city, stopping at noon to watch the famous clock in Pragues main square; on the hour the doors around the clock open up and you see little figures of the apostles poking their heads out while characters  below them act out different sins. It is amazing how old this thing is, and the fact that it is still fully functional is mind blowing. The legend goes that the clocks designer had his eyes gouged out after it was finished so he couldnt make any reproductions...yuck. We heard lots more stories on our way up the hill, which was quite a hike as it is all cobblestone and the sun was trying to melt us. At the very top, overlooking the whole city, was a cafe where we met the rest of Adelas family for lunch. The view from our outdoor table was spectacular, the food and wine was delicious, and everyone was in a good mood. We sat there for hours, just talking and eating and creeping on all the gorgeous servers. After a while it was decided that Alex and I should be taken to see a uniquely czech experience; a sort of circus performed at the national theatre that combines film, comedia, and ballet that has been running since the 1970s. It was one of the oddest things I have ever seen in my life but I have to say I enjoyed it. There was no speaking so everyone could understand what was going on, but the plot wasnt even that important, it was more the spectacle of the whole thing. The show focused on two clowns and the ups and downs of their life as they chase a beautiful girl who began as Venus but kept changing costumes and characters throughout; a gypsy, a fairy, a show girl, a peasant, etc. The performers would often disappear beneath the curtain at the back, onto which the film was projected, and then <appear> on the screen. It really is the kind of thing you have to see to understand.
We didnt get back to the apartment until after midnight but went straight to bed, despite the spectacular thunderstorm that rolled in. It was a little difficult to get ourselves up the next morning but we managed to see the castle and cathedral before Alex and I had to get back on the bus and leave. But before we said goodbye we were treated to a feast cooked by Adelas family; fried caauliflower, a sort of crispy corn bread, plum dumplings, and banana cake. It was delicious and after so much walking we had no problem polishing it all off.
It was hard to have to leave the city so soon after arriving but we managed to see so much that I dont feel anything was really missed out. The history in that place is just so amazing; parts of it feel very sad and you can tell it has been through a great deal of trial and turmoil in such a short period of time, and yet that is overshadowed by the sheer beauty of it all. The long bus trips were definitely worth it!
Thank you so much Wilsons and co.!

Playing Catch-up

I finally found some internet, yay! And how nice it is to type on an actual keyboard instead of my tiny iphone...or it would be if all the letters werent in the wrong order (and I cannot for the life of me find the apostrophe so you will have to forgive me there). I am sorry for the long silence, wifi seems to be harder to find in Eastern Europe. Needless to say our last few days in Germany were the best of the week. Heidelberg is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, it is like something out of a storybook. I would love to go there and study one day. The castle over looking the city is breathtaking, lots of good photo opportunities! Hoping to be able to upload some of those soon. The place is so old and yet in such good condition that it hurts my brain to even conceive what it would have been like in its glory days. The city itself is lovely, although touristy, it still manages to be adorable, especially in the rain which I think enhanced the atmosphere more than anything. When it got a little too wet we went in to a pub and tasted some real German beer which was very nice. We also peaked into the gummy bear store, yes a whole store full of gummies of every shape and size you can imagine. Alex even managed to find some...um...rather interesting ones (I will just let you guess until she uploads the pictures). That night we had another adventure at Chococino with Vanessa and Kristina to celebrate our last night in Germany, it flew by so quickly! The next day we had a last look around Frankfurt (which included a visit to the zoo to see lots of adorable monkeys and rodents of unusual size) we said our tearful good byes and clambered on the bus headed to Prague. Unfortunately we were so reluctant to leave that we were the last ones on the bus and were not able to sit next to eachother for most of the ride. Sitting next to a stranger makes it much more difficult to sleep, especially if they are smelly like my neighbor. I did appreciate his offer to share his nasty looking potato chips but was a little miffed that, as I had a scarf tied around my eyes and headphones in my ears, that he did not think that I would not appreciate a sharp prod in the side at one am.
Despite the lack of sleep I was happy to see the sun come up early that morning as the country side around Prague is gorgeous, especially at sunrise. As Vanessa would say; you can sleep when you are dead! And I knew I didnt want to miss a second!
to be continued...

7/7/11

On our way to Heidelberg! I honestly don't know much about the city other than it's supposed to be beautiful so I am looking forward to it, despite the fact that I am still recovering from the fantastic day we had yesterday; I went to my first real football (or soccer, depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on)game! And it was a world cup match to boot! It is so much better than on tv; even though I don't support Brazil or Guinea I still found myself becoming emotionally invested in the game. I of course wanted Brazil to win in support of my amazing Brazilian friends and, as you can probably guess, they did; 3-0. Unfortunately FIFA decided that my SCAPA water bottle was a threat and confiscated it along with about twenty vuvuzelas. I was able to get it back after the game but tried to express my distaste by looking frustrated as they handed it to me, "I'm sorry I don't want to spend three euros on a two milliliter glass of water, thank you very much." Too bad my german only extends to "bitte" and "danke" which I use as a reply to just about everything. After squeezing like sardines into a train full of happy Brazilians we headed home to get ready for a night out to celebrate Vanessa's friend's birthday. From my limited knowledge German clubs are much more fun than American ones as there is much more dancing and a lot less PDA...although there was still plenty of that. When the music is so loud it makes your ears ring for the rest of the evening language barriers don't matter. Suffice to say lots of wonderful memories were made.

7/5/11

So the weather here is even more bipolar than Kentucky! After a chilly, drizzly start to our visit the sun has decided to come out and it is now gorgeous and warm. We took full advantage of this by spending all afternoon at the lake. It was way better than any American swimming pool because a) the scenery was much more picturesque and b) all the people are beautiful! I guess this could be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it but the place was full of gorgeous, skinny, blonde girls and their attractive, athletic boyfriends. Even the grandmas and grandpas looked pretty glamorous by American standards. I have to say it made me feel quite self concious. Lots of fun people watching at though ; a group of 14 year old boys smoking hookah was particularly amusing.
This eveninG we visited the restaurant where Vanessa works. It's very traditionally German; a biergarten with lots of cute old people drinking and talking. My dinner of fish and vegetables dripping in yummy sauce was delicious, one of the best I've ever had. I decided that I also had to try Frankfurt's own beverage of choice, applewein. It is in fact exactly what it sounds like, very sweet and refreshing because they mix it with lemonade. Apparently it's one of those things you either love or hate...I think Alex is of the latter category. Sitting in that garden with the beautiful weather and delicious food was one of those moments that I wanted to hold on to, every detail in tact, and fully appreciate the present.

7/4/11 (Gave up on clever titles)

What a great day! So nice to not feel like I had been run over by a bus like I have felt for the previous 48 hours or so. Last night alex and I contemplated setting an alarm but, being the obnoxious morning person I am, I thought it was pointless...until Vanessa woke us up with "hey girls, it's noon." Although I was slightly embarrassed, have to admit I felt great! After a yummy breakfast of bread and honey we caught the train to Frankfurt. Many people leading up to this trip told me that Frankfurt was a mainly industrial city and not exactly the ideal tourist destination, but I have to say I thought it was very lively and has a lot of personality. It's not Paris but there are a few nice old buildings that were spared during the war that contrast beautifully with the sleek, modern sky scrapers. There were of course the obligatory Japanese tourists around every corner but to me Frankfurt seems very much alive. When we returned home I am ashamed to say that I fell asleep again, which is probably why I am feeling so bright eyed at 1:30 am. After a delicious dinner (alex and I made a fairly successful salad to go along with it) we headed out to a quiet little bar with one of Vanessa's good friends who is also very sweet and blond and speaks fantastic English. There were lots of giggles and gossiping and I even went to burger king for the first time, how strange that it should be in Germany! We are going to the lake tomorrow as the weather is supposed to be gorgeous and then on Wednesday it's the women's world cup!
Hope everyone had a great fourth of July, a little sad to have missed it once agin but I would have to say it has been worth it.
Xoxo

Frankfurt Fun

Wow what an awful title...sorry my jetlagged brain can't come up with anything better. I am so glad to be in Germany finally and now quite sad to have lost two days here. We are staying with friends in a little town outside of Frankfurt called Hanau. Went on a sort of walking tour this morning around all the shops in the village center (as it's Sunday everything was closed and basically deserted)and through the grounds of two castles...yes even the small towns here seem to have a couple. The weather is a little dark and chilly but that is fine as Alex and I are still a little jet lagged anyway...desperately trying to keep myself awake until later so I can be fully adjusted tomorrow! The family we are staying with are lovely and welcoming and they all speak fantastic English making me feel rather inferior. Did manage to mumble "danke" to the waitress at the Italian ice cream parlor we just visited. It was the best ice cream I have had in a long while! I had a sort of frozen hot chocolate and Alex had a magnificent chocolate and cherry concoction which had very strong but yummy Cherry liquor in the middle. Quite full and sleepy now, listening to the birds and the bell tower. Very excited for the week to come; looks like we are going to be seeing a women's world cup game on Wednesday which would be fantastic!

London at Last!

Well Chalfont St Peter at least. It's good to be back here where there is lots of nice tea, good food, and cuddles. After a nap and some lunch we had a nice run around in the back garden with the cousins and unpacked and repacked several times. I have enjoyed our very comfortable rest stop in England but am excited to begin our trip in earnest tomorrow morning when we board a very early flight to Frankfurt...costa coffee anyone?

Still Stuck

So we are still enjoying the wonderful place that is Chicago airport...unfortunately even the cool, artistic tunnel that you take to get from terminal B to terminal C gets old after the fifth or sixth time. After a second time boarding the airplane last night at ten we were informed that "the pilot had decided not to take this flight" because he had been up for too long and there seemed to be no other pilots hanging around at eleven thirty at night...so we de-boarded again; definitely the low point so far. The idea of a nice warm hotel bed kept us going for the two hour wait to get our hotel and meal vouchers. Really the whole thing is a blur now but I can happily say that we did get a full night's rest and are now back in the airport munching on some late breakfast...it's amazing what you cam get from Starbucks with a $15 meal voucher. We are very hopeful that the airplane will actually leave the ground this evening and maybe we can squeeze in some London exploring before getting on a flight to Frankfurt Sunday morning. Meanwhile we will just chill, eat our free food, and chat to our new sleepy and disgruntled friends.
Hanging in there!