SO SO SO MUCH TO SHARE!!! :)

Okay...so I know that it has been way too long since my last post. My apologies, I have just been a little more busy! Good news though, I have TONS to catch you all up on :)...the Bad news.. this is going to be a REALLY LONG post, so bare with me !!

Amsterdam!!

I went to Amsterdam November 3-6 with about 50 other students from Swansea University. All of my American friends were part of this big group! We left at 6:30 p.m. on thursday night and drove all night and took the ferry to France, and then drove some more! Man oh Man I was so tired, I think we were ALL so tired! We arrived in Amsterdam Friday morning, got all checked in at the hostel and then HIT THE TOWN!! We went and had breakfast and then shopped around and looked at all the pretty-ness of the city...I might add that this city WAS GORGEOUS!! we went to the Amsterdam Flower Market...tons and tons of Tulips, TuLips GALORE!! We were all so tired that we went back to the Hostel and took a nap haha! Then we went out and ate that night... Most of the group wanted to explore the Red-Light District and their "Coffee shops" so they went after dinner to do that and Caleb and I decided to just go explore this place he heard had a bunch of pretty lights!!

I guess here is where I can say that in coming to Amsterdam I was not informed by any means about what exactly goes on in Amsterdam...HA! I must be sheltered or something because I think I was the only one who didn't know that their Coffee Shops were where you go to buy and smoke Marijuana, they even have "SPACE CAKES" which are brownies and cakes that are made with it so that you don't have to smoke it, you can eat it!!!!!!!! The Red-light District is prostitution lane! It is just a bunch of sex shops, strip clubs, and buildings with girls in the windows that you can buy for the hour!!!!!!

When I heard about all this I just got really sad...I didn't even know that places like that really existed! So I was exremely happy that my friend Caleb wanted to stay back and explore the city in another way than the "Amsterdam experience way!"

We walked around looking for this place with a lot of lights... I think we found it but there wasn't really many lights ha So we don't really know :) We got icecream bars from a little grocery store and then went back to the hostel.

The next day we woke up early and went tot he Anne Frank House!!!! I was really impressed with this Museum!! It was also one of my Favorite things I did! I was expecting just this little room or something but Anne's family hiding place was actually like a mini house. It was so crazy being able to walk through the rooms and I must admit that I usually walk through museums reading a few things here and there but I ACTUALLY READ EVERY SINGLE BOARD in that museum!

U.S. history dates back only so far. While studying over here and getting to travel to all these different countries the history of them goes so much farther back. I keep learning about all this history that happened hundreds of years ago and then going through Anne's house I was reminded of when they were discovered and arrested. In 1944... that was only 67 years ago!! I always thought that the Holocaust was SO long ago..but it really wasn't!!! I wish that I could find the words to talk about the Holocaust but I honestly just don't even know what to say!

So after the museum we went to a little flee market, and then we went to find some food! A few of us went and tried this place that Caleb and I had passed the night before and it was SOOO YUMMY!! For the rest of the afternoon we went on a Canal Tour and got to see Amsterdam from the view of the canals! IT was really cool...although we all were pretty much dozing off! We went and ate that night and then just hung out for the rest of the night. We ate these sugar coated "PUFF BALLS" is what Cristen and I called them.. they were so so good! I am pretty sure they were just a ball of funnal cake in powdered sugar and boy oh boy they were quite DELICIOUS!!

Sunday morning we got up and left to go home! The journey home was better because it was during the day. We stopped at this Chocolate factory for a little bit and then on the Ferry we actually got to see the Ocean because it was Day light! We were all ready to get off the ferry though because it was really rough! We got back that night!



Look at all the different fruits that we don't have in the U.S.



There were so many Bicyles EVERYWHERE!!

Some lights!



Anne Frank House...the one in the middle with the Black Doors!!



Canal Tour!

Allison, Cristen, and I on the boat

Caleb, Me, Courtney, Cristen, Katie, Nick...Allison took the picture!

Allison, Me, Adam

I had a good time on this trip, and really enjoyed the city of Amsterdam! Although some might say that "I didn't experience Amsterdam" because I didn't participate in the whole "coffee shop" and red light district part of the city...I think that I got to experience it to the FULL and learned a lot!!! :)

RANDOM:)

Wednesday after I got back I had a basketball game and WE WON!!!!!! In case I forgot to mention that I am playing basketball for the team here...I am! lol. And it has been interesting! I love my coach and really really enjoy the girls on the team, and have made several new friends! However I wouldn't say we are the most talented bunch of girls when it comes to basketball haha! So that is why I capitolized that we won! We only won by 1 point too so it was an intense and fight till the finish kind of game! :)

Not only was Wednesday fun because we won our basketball game but it was also the arrival of TWO VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE!!!! MY MOM!!! and MY BF, Elijah!!! :)

I went and met them at the train station later that night after my game! Boy was I so glad to see them!! We just went back to my house and hung for the night, they were pretty tired from traveling! 

Along with bringing themselves they both brought me some goodies and my Friend Aaron sent me a box of stuff :) So I just want to give a special shout out to him for his gifts! A couple shirts, and a TEXAS RANGERS hat with my nickname and number embroidered into the side, a few books to read a picture and a letter :)!!! 

Thursday I took them to the Gower because it was Beautiful day!! :) I had gone there the first weekend that I arrived and thought it was stunning so I wanted to share it with them!! We went into town and shopped for a little while after that. Poor Elijah having to tag along while my mom and I shopped... I am sure that would just be any guys dream, but he was a trooper :)



Lije and I :)



Mom and I :)

Whose shadow is whose? HAHa

that little spot at the top is my MOMMY lol

That night Allison, Caleb, Cristen, Nick, my mom, Elijah and I all went to eat at this resteraunt called Vietnam. It was SO YUMMY!!

Friday...the weather was not near as good ha It was raining!! But we went to the little village of Mummbles anyways and got to look at the castle there in town. Unfortunately the castle was closed so we couldn't go inside of it :/ but we got to take a picture outside of it :). We went to the little LOVE SPOON Gallery in town and got to learn about the famous Welsh Love Spoon! It was really interesting! I knew that they were symbols of Love but I didn't know that each design actually stood for something different so it was really cool learning about them!! :)

Eating Joe's Icecream :)



The Love spoon Lije got me :)

DUBLIN, Ireland

Saturday morning, Elijah, Mom, and I departed for Dublin! We arrived later that afternoon and checked into the Marriott Hotel... one of the nicer hotels I have ever stayed in! Special thanks to my AMAZING friend AARON who got us a discount!! That night we just planed out the next two days and ate at the resteraunt in the hotel!

Sunday Morning we woke up and went into town to catch a Day tour to the Wicklow National Park, and Glendalough....better known as the GARDEN OF IRELAND!! :) It was such a Beautiful day!!! We drove through the Wicklow National Park which is where parts of Braveheart, P.S. I Love You, Leap Year, and Excalibur movies were filmed! IT was just so stunning!

Lough Tay....also known as Guinness Lake because of the color of the water by the beach :)

Neither words nor pictures seem to be able to describe the beauty of Ireland! I love going out to the countryside of all these countries and see the Miraculous Land that God created! One of my favorites things to do is Close my eyes standing out because even though my eyes are closed its like I can still see the Beauty of Creation! I know that might sound a little wacky but its just one of those experiences that you have to be there to feel!!!

After the Wicklow "Mountains" (that are more hills lol) we went to Glendalough and got to explore the remains of a monastic settlement from the 6th century, and enjoyed a nice walk to two lakes and a waterfall :)

The Cemetery in the Monastic village

look closely and you can see the engraving of a cross in the rock :)
This was at the entrance of the village

Remains of the Monostary



So pretty :)



We then traveled to a little village called Avoca! We had a really really yummy lunch and got to look at a Hand Weavers shop they had in town!!

We made our way back into town and went to a little pub for dinner! I thought it was so funny that they were playing the movie ICE AGE in the pub so I just had to take a picture :)

The next day we checked out of the hotel and went to explore the city of Dublin!! We went to the Dublin Castle, which didn't really seem like much of a castle! There was one tower that still stood from the actual tower and the rest were buildings they had built onto it! We went and saw Christ's Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral! We got to go inside of St. Patrick's!! It was really pretty inside! I learned that Jonothan Swift, was Irish and has a memorial inside the church! We then shopped around and just enjoyed the city until we had to catch our bus to the airport and then made our way back to Swansea!!

Dublin Castle...that doens't look much like a castle haha

:)

The tower in the middle is the only part of the original castle still standing!!



Christ's Church Cathedral!!



 

Before House numbers were invented they used Different Colored Doors :)

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Molly Malone Statue!

Dublin at NIght :)



We arrived safely back in Swansea late monday night! We only had one more day together :(!

My mom went into town and shop around and Elijah and I went to eat lunch at Pub on The Pond and then went to the beach and collected some seashells and just spent a really good time talking and walking :) I think this was one of my favorite days except for the fact it was the last!!

 

Getting to spend time with my mom and Elijah was wonderful! It was definitely different than I expected... not seeing them for 2 months has its effects but it was still one of the best weeks here. I am so blessed that I was able to share with them part of my experience over here! People travel all the time, but traveling with LOVED ones is a once in a lifetime experience that I am so glad I got to share!!! :) Saying goodbye is always the hard part about stuff like this but atleast this time its only for a month... seems like a very short time compared to 3 months! Time is really starting to fly by so I think I am going to be home before I know it :)

 Conclusion! :)

Today is Wednesday November 16, 2011! I have been gone for 70 days!! How crazy is that!!! I usually have a basketball game on Wednesday but today's game got moved to next week so I didn't have much to do :) So a few of us decided to go check out this Tesco ULTRA!! It was Ultra alight :) haha This store might be bigger than Walmart... just maybe!!! Cristen, one of my flat mates, bought a little miniature Christmas tree, and so today we got some lights and some ornaments to decorate it!! I finally found some Christmas smelling candles for my room and the weather today was cloudy and cold... Perfect Winter weather!! I am officially really ready for Christmas :) and its not even Thanksgiving yet AHHHH!! haha I think that both holiday's are going to be very different this year! But one thing that I have learned is that Different does not mean its bad! So I am really looking forward to the Holiday's coming up!!! :) 

OMG my favorite Chocolate that is as large as my HEAD!!! YUMMY!!!!

Our TRee :)

Thanks for sticking around and reading this whole thing... and if you didn't read the whole thing I don't blame you haha It was LONG!! 

I leave for Germany tomorrow night so look forward to another post soon...Ah its been CRAZY over here!! 

-Lissa