The Month of Awesome Begins

After a weekend of studying and finishing details for April, I made myself a delicious treat of strawberry cobbler. Now, I know you normally don't put strawberries in cobbler, but this was absolutely amazing. It turned out looking kind of pretty too. Here's a picture of my masterpiece:

Monday I went to class, as usual, and then headed to basketball practice. It was our last before our tournament on Wednesday. On Tuesday, in between classes, I went to get the last things I needed for April, including an eye mask, ear plugs, and a book to read...Wuthering Heights. Not quite sure why I picked Wuthering Heights, but it happened. Wednesday was the tournament. Our first game was at 12 against Manchester. Manchester only had 5 players, so they got tired pretty quickly and we won! I then got roped into doing the scoreboard for the boy's game against Manchester, where I got yelled at by both sides while the refs calmly told me to just listen to them. I was rather glad when the game ended, even though the Leeds boys' team lost. Our next game was at 4 against Liverpool. Again, we won! It was so awesome to play in a game again. It was even more awesome that we won our Christie Cup. Later there was an award ceremony where there some crazy large trophies and cups. We each got a medal there, which I'm so excited to bring home and show off. There were probably around 25 different sports (including the boys and girls teams of each sport), but overall Leeds wound up winning first! 

Afterwards I got some pizza with the team and went out to a special night of Fruity at the Union to celebrate the Christie Cup. Today was filled with last minute preparations, including stuffing my bag full of everything I will need for the next month. Its as full as it can get (though it does have a few sweaters to trade off for some shorts with my parents. Here's of picture of how legit I'm going to look. Of course, it should be warmer, so imagine more sunny clothes.

My next post will be from miles away in warm, lovely Italy!

Your Christie Cup Champion,

Jessica

EUROPA

I feel exactly how I did 2 months ago all over again. In 5 days and 12 hours I will be yet again boarding a plane off to another country all by myself. This time I'm headed off to meet my parents in Italy to begin my crazy month off. I land in Milan and have a few hours to kill by myself before my parents are done with a tour they are taking. My mom suggested looking at the Duomo there (which is a cathedral), so I'm going to explore a building (surprise, surprise). Once I meet up with them, we are off to take the train to Bologna, Italy, where we will be staying for a few days. I'm excited to get to know an Italian city. We're then off to Venice for a day, then back to Milan to catch a flight to Athens, Greece. I'm so excited to see Athens, even in spite of the current financial and political situation there. Its going to be amazing to visit the Acropolis, along with everything else Athens has to offer. We will then be flying back to Milan, where I leave my parents for them to return back to the states. I fly to Rome, then, to meet up with my friends Quinn and Santiago. From Rome, we will be taking a day trip to Siena on our way to Florence. We then travel to Nice, France, where I hope its nice enough to enjoy some quality beach time. From Nice we got to Barcelona, then Madrid, and finish Spain in Valencia. We take a bus back to Barcelona so we can travel to Munich, Germany. Because buying a bus pass called Europass was our cheapest option, we will be traveling by coach the entire month. This means I will be sitting on a bus for literally 24 hours from Barcelona to Munich. After Munich, its off to Prague in the Czech Republic. After Prague, we're off to our last stop in Berlin. We then take another fun twelve hour bus ride to London from Berlin, eventually catching a bus to Leeds from London. I'm pretty positive I'm not going to want to ride a bus for a VERY long time after April is over.
I've spent so long planning April with my friends, but it still doesn't seem like its real. It seems like a fairy tale that I will actually be backpacking across Europe for an entire month, really being able to explore so many different cultures and experience so many new things (especially food). I'm so excited, but so incredibly nervous for what is to come. I whipped the backpack out today to begin laying out what I need to bring, whether it be clothes to wear or swap with my parents, study materials (because I actually do have finals and tests when I get back), toiletries, or some entertainment. I think my mind is even more blown over this concept than it was when I first came over here. I will literally be living out of a single backpack for an entire month. Its going to be an adventure, and I am so excited to experience it.
Now, because I will be traveling so much (new place just about every 2 or 3 days), I have a nifty new element to my blog. On the right sidebar, you will notice a new addition. This beauty if Google Latitude, which, just be logging into the internet, will let you know what city I'm in. I will try and update my blog as much as I can while off on this epic adventure, but I'm not quite sure where and when I'll get internet. Hopefully it'll be more than less, but this way, even if I'm on a terrible connection or don't have too much time to update the good old blog, it possible to know where in the world I am. So get excited (and prepared to be extraordinarily jealous).

The Soon-to-be Backpacker Across Europe,
Jessica

Its all about the stones

Thursday was St. Patty's day, and we, here in England, did justice to the day. We traveled out to Pudsey, at 20 minute bus ride, to go to the Leeds Beer, Cider and Perry festival. There I got to try different types of cider, perry (like cider, but made of pears), and even beer. I actually learned quite a bit about cider and perry, as the volunteer running it knew quite a bit. I also discovered that I like beers with fruit on them. I got a blackcurrant and mixed berry beer from Belgium, and tried sips of my friend's coconut, mango, strawberry and raspberry beers, and they were good. So I guess I found a beer I actually do like. I still like cider the best, though. Friday was exciting because I was finally able to watch a KU game. The NCAA website is streaming every game of the tournament. I watched the first half of the game before I went to bed and remembered how much I miss KU basketball.
Saturday morning I woke up, bright and early, at 5:50 am (with no need for anyone else to wake me up at all!!) to get to the bus by 7 to head off to Bath. We finally arrived around 1, got some lunch, and walked around. We first went to the Bath Abbey, which has one of the most intricate and beautiful ceilings I have ever seen. I think half of my pictures from Abbey are of the ceiling. After that, we went to see how much of the Roman baths we could see without actually paying 12 pounds for it. We got to see the main bath, which is outdoor, and even try some of the water, which was just warm and tasted kind of dirty. After that, it was time for our free tour. We walked along the paths where Jane Austen strolled, and even set some scenes in a few of her novels, saw the Royal Crescent, a half circle of linked homes that go for millions of pounds, and learned all about why every building in Bath looks the same (a father/son team designed most of the city and made all the buildings out of Bath stone).

We walked around and looked at some shops for a bit, despite the fact that literally every store was way out of our price range. It was then time to go dinner. We went out to a Turkish restaurant, where my friend Marcy and I split a four course meal. We had some amazing appetizers of things like Salmon Patte, Hummus, Couscous, Cucumber Dip, and so much more deliciousness. Our appetizer consisted of four samples of different kebabs, including lamb, chicken, and an unknown mixture, lamb strips, rice, and some sort of slaw. For desert we got Chocolate Mousse, and our last course we had some fresh fruit. It was rather scrumptious. After dinner we took a hike up to the top of this hill where we could see the whole city. It was pretty beautiful.

After the hike up the hill, we hung out a pub for a little while, where I tried some local cider, and then headed back to the hostel (which was in a YMCA). Sunday we woke up, stocked up on some breakfast, and headed out to visit Stonehenge. At Stonehenge, we had an audio guide, which basically told they have no idea how they got the stones there, why they put them up or rebuilt it so many times, or really just about anything. It was still rather interesting, though, and I feel like its just something you have to see when you go to England.

After Stonehenge, we stopped at Avebury, where Britain's oldest Stone Circle is located. The circle is so large that a town is in the middle. There, you are allowed to touch the stones, so we hugged and even climbed the ancient history after lunch, when I had an amazing piece of Chedder, Apple and Leek tart.

We then made a stop in Broadway, an adorable little town. All of the buildings were made of the same stone, but each had their own adorable character. I loved it! We also stopped at a farm shop, where I got a jar of blackcurrant jam to take home, a scone for breakfast Monday morning, a piece of veggie quiche for dinner, and some chocolate and yogurt covered honeycomb for desert. It was scrumptious!

Today I went to basketball for the first time in a few weeks since it was canceled last week and the Monday before I was in Ireland. It felt good to play again. Our tournament is next Wednesday, so I'm pretty excited! That's all for now!

The Ancient Stone Climber,
Jessica

Bilingiual, Skiing, Onsie-Coat-Wearing 5 Year Old Norwegians

Thursday morning I left at 9:05 from my room to catch a cab to the train station. There, I boarded a train, with 2 transfers, finally arriving in Liverpool at 12:45. We got off the train, and walked out of the station, asking the people working there where to catch a cab. The lady told us to go to the street and we'd be able to flag one, locking the doors to the station after us. We assumed this meant that there would be a lot of taxis driving by. There were not. Finally, after 5 minutes of standing on the side of the street waiting for a car to come, a taxi came and took us to the airport. We hopped off and walked in, instantly realizing how closed everything looked, including the check-in desks. We then found out that the security desks didn't open until 4, with our flight leaving at 6:25, so we had 3 hours to kill in an empty airport. It was not the greatest experience of my life, to say the least. Some people slept on the cold, tile floor, while others of us just ate our weight in chocolate covered raisins as we all shivered, since apparently turning the heat on is too much to ask of the John Lennon Airport. Finally it was 4. Exhausted and sleep-deprived, we wondered to the desk, checked-in, and strolled into the waiting area to sit around in a comatose state for another hour. We boarded the plane, and everyone passed out for the 2 hour flight to Oslo, Norway. When I woke up, I looked out the window to see some of the most beautiful, snow-covered landscape below me. I instantly remembered that snow is just a part of Norway and wished I had brought my snow boots like a smart person. At least I wasn't like Paige, who didn't bring a coat and had to buy one (and Oslo is extraordinarily expensive).
So we finally got to Oslo from the airport, via bus. We wondered into a mall, got some food (I got this delicious Pesto and Tomato Calzone thing), and got Paige a coat. We then made our way to our hostel. We were a bit early, so we just sat around (or fell asleep) until it was time for check-in. After check-in, we wondered around Oslo. We made our way past the Mini Bottle Gallery (the only one in the world) and eventually to Akershus Castle. As we walked around, I realized how happy I was to be there. It was absolutely beautiful. We also saw a guard with the most intense weapon for guarding a castle with.

After the castle, we strolled up to the palace, where we could see a lot of the city. It was quite beautiful.

After that, we were all exhausted, so we went back to the hostel and crashed...at 8:30 pm. Sad, yes, but we hadn't really slept in 36 hours. The next morning we started off going to a bakery that Quinn's friend had suggested. I got this crazy twisted cinnamon and sugar deliciousness. It was so good!

After breakfast we went to this peninsula where they have a bunch of museums. We first stopped at the Viking Ship Museum. It was much smaller than expected, but it was still pretty awesome to see some old ships. I also learned that they used to "retire" old boats by using them burial boats, sinking them to the bottom of the sea with the deceased wealthy. There were burial carriages, wagons, and so much more, similar to how the Egyptians buried their dead with goods.

We then went to the Kon Tiki Museum, which explained that Kon Tiki was a reed boat in which 5 people, one from Norway, traveled from South America to Polynesia in 101 days to see if South Americans could have completed such a feat and been the first to settle in Polynesia. They proved it was possible. It was actually kind of crazy. We then walked around the peninsula and stood in awe of landscape surrounding us. It was truly remarkable.

We then headed back to the city. We tried to go to the National Gallery, but only got there 10 minutes before close, so we ran through it pretty quickly. Afterward we went ice skating in the middle of city centre. It was pretty cool, and made us feel rather Norwegian. Once our feet were exhausted and sore, we headed over to a restaurant to get some Norwegian food (and our only real meal of the weekend considering how expensive it all was). I got some Norwegian meatballs, salmon, potatoes, and veggies.

After dinner we were going to go to the Ice Bar, where there everything is made of ice, including the bar and glasses. However, they do not let people under 19 in after 9, so Paige couldn't get in and we just went back to the hostel and fell asleep yet again.
Sunday was a day of being barely late for everything and falling way too many times. We were going to get up around 8, and wound up waking up around 9. This meant we missed the first ferry, but decided to catch the second one. We first went to the Opera House, where you can actually walk on top of the roof, which was, of course, covered in ice. Here begins the falling. It was a rather pretty building, though. From the top you could see a lot of the city, too.

From the opera house, we went to go catch the next ferry to see the fjords. We had a little difficulty actually finding the ferry, though, and by the time we got there, the ferry was gone. The next one was an hour away, so we chose to go to the top of the mountain to check out Holmenkollen Ski Jump, where there was also a Ski Museum. The Ski Museum taught be how serious the Norwegians take their skiing. Not only have they been skiing for at least 4000 years, but some kids start skiing at 9 months old. It is legit. After exploring the museum, we headed to the elevator to go to the top of the jump. The elevator moved on a diagonal along the jump, and was rather frightening. From the top of the jump, we could see all of Oslo and look over the mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. The actual ski jump seemed incredibly scary, though. I have no idea how people go off something so steep and so high up.

We then headed back down the mountain and got off at the Vigelandsparken, a sculpture park. On the walk down to the metro, I literally fell four times down one hill. At one point I was on the ground, and a one year old and her mom just glide right on by me. It was rather embarrassing. The park was pretty, and the statues were...interesting. It was a lot of naked people in odd and awkward positions. More falling occurred, as all the steps were sheets of ice.

After the park, we were too late to catch the last ferry, so we decided to go to the Nobel Peace Center. We learned all about the new Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Liu Xiaobo, and about China, in general. It was really interesting. We then had to hurry back to the hostel to grab our stuff and catch our bus back to the airport. As we got to the bus station, we were there with no extra time. Quinn ran ahead to make sure the bus didn't leave without us. He saw the bus backing up, and tried to get out there to stop it, but the sliding doors wouldn't open. We went to ask when the next bus would leave, and it was another hour, which would mean we would get to the airport with hardly any time to get to the gate before the plane leaves. So we ran over to the train station. Luckily, there was a train that was leaving soon to the airport that would get us there on time. So we forked over $20 extra and jumped on the train. We got there with enough time and everything worked out just fine. From Liverpool, we still had to ride the train, with 2 changes again, to get back to Leeds. At 2 am we finally made it. I got back and completely passed out from exhaustion. But it was totally worth it. Oslo was beautiful, everyone there was incredibly nice (and spoke English...literally), and despite the expensive prices, I would definitely go back again some day. Completely wonderful weekend.

Your American Norway Expert,
Jessica