#7 - Welcome to my office!

Interlaken, Switzerland.

Daaaaaaang.

Yeah, so. Kelly and I decided to do our own thing in Switzerland this weekend, but since I had to see a show for a class, we couldn't leave until Friday morning. This meant traveling from 8AM to 6PM, consequentially cutting out a lot of time in Interlaken. Thankfully, unless you're partaking in one of the many high-adrenaline, blood-pumping, why-in-God's-name-am-I-doing-this extreme sports, there's not a lot to do. So, Friday night, we found our hostel (the Funny Farm...classy naming, I know) where we were greeted by an ENORMOUS SAINT BERNARD. Yes, the hostels in Switzerland have dogs. Particularly large dogs. Yes, I spent a lot of time in the public lobby of a highly populated hostel baby-talking and practically rolling around with a big, hairy, smelly dog. I talked about that Saint Bernard a whole lot while we were there. After putting down our stuff and silently deciding that our Iowan roommates were, frankly, boring, we headed to the Thai restaurant right down the street (Saint Bernard? A Thai restaurant? Interlaken is practically Lynchburg, VA) for dinner. Mmmmmmm. After that, we attempted to play card games with the 36-carded deck the generous bartender at the hostel had given us, and then we went upstairs and studied for mid-terms until approximately 10:45.

Then, Saturday, we got up fairly early and walked around the shops. I looked for an antique bookstore everywhere, feeling that since I was in the Swiss Alps, maybe I could find a copy of Heidi for my mother; alas, there are not many bookstores in Interlaken, and the ones that do are mostly too small to carry any copies of the novel. We got a quick lunch at the Thai restaurant (YES it was that good) and then met up with our skydiving group.

Yeah, skydiving.

It was pretty phenomenal. We flew to 13,000 feet, I sat on the stairs of an open plane and my instructor barrel-rolled us into the sky over the Swiss Alps. Free-fall for approximately 53 seconds, where I made no sounds--just grinned like an idiot--and the parachute was pulled at 4,000 feet. After that was about 5-7 minutes of airtime, where my ruggedly handsome Australian instructor Mick did as many tricks (aka spinning around a LOT) as he could to try and frighten me. He couldn't. But he did tell me, in the midst of our 4,000 feet-high conversation, that before he skydove for a living, he used to work in an underground coal mine. How's that for poignancy?

To see the rest of my Interlaken pictures--and there aren't that many--go here!

#6 - How many visits does it take to become a Belgian Citizen?

Because by the end of April, I will have been to Belgium three times. 

Two friends and I decided to make it an easy weekend and go to Belgium, relatively close to us here in the Netherlands. We were going to hit up Brussels on Friday and spend the night, then on Saturday, head to Antwerp. We didn't really do anything in either city besides just walking around and eating at various times. I sent Stefan Van Bragt, a Belgian family friend, an email before our trip, and he put us in touch with his daughter, Isabelle (the last time I saw her was maaaaaybe when I was under the age of ten). She and her boyfriend, Thom, were nice enough to meet us in Antwerp, where they both go to university, and show us around! 

The one thing I took pictures of in either city was this open-air, totally legal, graffiti park. Instead of boring you with more text (SHUT UP KIRIN SHUT UP), I'll just post a few of those pictures.

Above: Kelly SMIRKING.

I'm pretty sure this is one of the best pictures I've ever taken.

If you want to see the rest of my graffiti pictures, go here!

#5 - Paris, Je T'aime

So. Paris.

Now, I took two years of French in high school, having always thought it a beautiful language. Since then, I've made seriously half-hearted attempts to learn more of it on my own, because I love languages and I'm usually really ashamed I'm not proficient in another one besides English. Besides that, though, I've never really had any overwhelming inclinations towards the French. I think they're a lovely set of people who've got good food and one of the most beautiful languages.

I didn't have any preemptive notions about how I'd find Paris. Didn't think I'd love it. Was excited to go. Thought it would be easier for me to get around, with my basic understanding of the language. Other sentences without a clarified subject.

I'll need to see if I can get testaments from the people I went with clarifying the extremely bizarre comfortability and unnatural naturalness that occurred within me on that trip.

I fit. With the Parisian lifestyle, I mean. It was rather indescribable, what happened. So rather than describe it, I'll wait and see if I can get any of those people to lend me a hand.

We did a LOT in Paris, and unfortunately, I only took pictures at Versailles--that means a lot of text for you! We rented an apartment for three days, which was PHENOMENAL. There were six of us and two double beds, but besides that, it was really an amazing apartment for the amount of money we spent (which was LESS than we would've spent in most hostels!). It was about a 20-30 minute walk away from a major part of the city, which was excellent as well. At the end of our 3 days in Paris, we'd seen: the Notre Dame, a David LaChappelle (contemporary artist) exhibit, the Champs Elysée, l'Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Versailles (not technically Paris--get over it), and la Tour Eiffel. That list, of course, excludes the numerous cafés and brasseries we went to, and all of the supermarchés and/or fromageries we ransacked, as well.

The only picture that's not of the ridiculous grandiose-ness of Versailles.

To see only some of my Versailles pictures, go here!

#4 - When I say "Amster," you say "dam!"

Having already been to Amsterdam once, I was excited--but not nearly as excited as everyone else--to return. I knew that I'd be revisiting the Anne Frank Huis (I'd seen it the first time) but I was okay with that. I'm a museum kind of person, and since this was a group trip, and a carefully orchestrated one at that, we were going to a lot, with which I was more than okay. And though I enjoyed my second trip to Amsterdam, I have to say that it wasn't overwhelmingly awesome.

We got there Friday morning and took a quick walking tour of the city, which only made me miss the bicycle that I rented for the semester at the Castle SO BADLY. (Sidenote: A few friends and I took a 12-mile round-trip bike ride to Venray, a nearby town, on Thursday, and it was awesomely easy, albeit a bit cold.) Amsterdam must be the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. Pedestrians are more in danger of getting hit by a bike then they are by a car! The city is entirely navigable by bike, so to be walking around it for hours was just a cruel joke. After that, we headed to the Rijksmuseum, which I hadn't gone to my last visit. I'm a slight art buff as well, so I ate up all the Rembrandts and Vermeers. Our tour guide, Jenneke, was incredibly knowledgeable and pointed out so many things I'd never known about classic painters.

After a group dinner, we were allowed to go off on our own and explore the city. Now, approximately 70% of our group (of 80 students) was headed to a Sex Show in the Red Light District. Granted, the Red Light District is an unique Amsterdam experience--and I did walk through it; MAN is it awkward when the prostitutes make eye contact with you!--but I thought a 25 euro sex show was perhaps a little pricey. Instead, I decided to participate in another uniquely Amsterdam experience--a coffee shop. Just to clarify for anyone reading this--marijuana is totally and completely legal for any persons over the age of 18 in the Netherlands, as long as it is smoked within the coffee shop and not taken out; possession and use of marijuana outside of coffee shops is illegal. 

So I participated in the entirely legal activity of getting high within a coffee shop and not taking any marijuana with me upon leaving. Having been my first time ever smoking marijuana, I was not expecting to get high, since that seems to be a common acceptance among people who have used it before. I did get high, and though the experience itself wasn't unenjoyable while it was happening, it's definitely not my thing. I felt useless and apathetically content. I didn't want to do anything, or be anywhere, but I wasn't even upset about my apparent lack of enthusiasm for LIFE, I was just okay with it. And I had, quite possible, the most stereotypical high ever: I had cottonmouth, I got the munchies, I laughed at almost everything and simply smiled when I wasn't laughing, and even had a "high" thought (Re: When trying to describe my subtle loss of balance: "It's like gravity HALF lets go of me!"). So good for me for trying it in a setting when it was entirely legal (I can't stress that enough!) and safe, but I will not be smoking again regardless of legalities. 

Saturday was the Anne Frank Huis first, which, due to a fever that crippled me for most of Saturday, I rewalked very quickly and spent most of our time there trying to recuperate in the cafe. After that, we headed to the Allard Pierson collection. Though it contained stuff I'm usually all about (ancient artifacts from Egypt and Greece along with an exhibition about printmaking!), I couldn't muster up the strength to focus on most of it, and hobbled around the building in a feverish daze. After leaving the Allard Pierson, I returned to the hostel at 4:30PM, got in my bed, and slept clear until 8:45AM the next morning.

Sunday was the Jewish Historical Museum and a Portuguese Synagogue, which were both FANTASTIC. Our guide was spectacular, really knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter. The Synagogue was gorgeous and the museum was incredibly well done. I took tons of pictures, because Sunday was the day I decided to pull out my camera. After the Jewish Museum, we headed for the train station, and successfully accomplished our first independent travel! 

The Castle tonight is very quiet; most people are attempting to regain some semblance of health after what I can only assume was a whirlwind weekend. I am tired, but not a big partier--I think this will only benefit me in my stay here. No annoying hangovers and/or other ailments to impede my travels. I head to Paris in four days on technically my first independent, which will be both scary and exhilarating at the same time.

For Venray and Amsterdam pictures, follow this link!

#3 - Richten en Schieten!

First day of classes here in the marvelous Netherlands...

...and my only class of the day was cancelled. HIEPERDEPIEP HOERA!

So, instead of furthering my incredibly expensive education, I walked around the Castle grounds with Rosie. We set out with the intention of taking pictures, and after taking approximately three inside pictures, decided the 40-degree weather was too nice to waste. Hopefully, inside pictures will be taken at some point, but here are a few!

YEAH THIS IS WHERE I LIVE WHAT?!

And then Rosie decided to take me to NARNIA. No joke. Narnia is in the backyard of the Castle. Unfortunately, it's a "VERBODEN" area. So Rosie and I oh-so-secretly ninja'd our way across this lovely bridge/dam area:

TO NARNIA. For the sake of keeping it mildly secret, I'll only tease you with one picture, and then you can jealously imagine how awesome the rest of it must've been. I'm glad I got there once and photo-documented it before we all received a reminder via email that the outer grounds of the Castle were off-limits. SUCCESS.


Anyone that wants to see more pictures of Narnia, or the Castle in general, follow this link! The pictures came out pretty well, thanks to my incredibly generous father letting me whisk his much nicer Canon off to Europe with me!

#2 - Schipple Schapple and Other Delirious Things

Arrival in the Netherlands! After a half hour bus ride, a six hour flight, a half hour wait, and a two hour bus ride, we have all finally arrived here at the Castle. I literally have not slept in 28 hours, and am about to face-plant in my keyboard, but I'm trying to plow through until the end aka avoid most if not all of the jet-lag I can but MAN, is it difficult to keep my eyes open right now. I can hardly type this entry. LIFE WITHOUT SLEEP IS AWFUL. My brain goes limp (yes, limp), and my jaw hangs open and I just do not have the strength to keep my lower mandible where it belongs.

The Castle, though, glorifies all descriptions of itself. The grounds are fantastic, the Castle is marvelous, my room is awesome, and though it still doesn't feel real, I'm starting to get really excited about living here. I'll take some pictures when it's not as stormy/windy/rainy outside, and post them with a hopefully more detailed and coherent entry.

Yeah or something like that.

#1.5 - Pre-Travel, or "See you in April!" "What?...Oh right."

So this is not quite a post in a travel blog yet, but if you want to get technical (I know, you don't, but humor me please), I did already "travel" via plane from Virginia to Boston with the same 40 pound suitcase and backpack that I'll be taking to Europe. So, if you wanted to get technical, technically, this would be an official travel blog.

However, the reason I wanted to make a post will completely negate all that technical mumbo-jumbo. I don't want to write about traveling. I want to write about the non-traveling feelings I'm experiencing.

With less than two days before I board a plane to Amsterdam, I am in sublime denial. I'm not sad, I'm not happy (though I'll miss people and teachers and classes here). But people keep asking me if I'm OHMYGOD SO EXCITED TO BE GOING TO EUROPE AREN'T YOU AREN'T YOU AREN'T YOU, and at this point, I get excited sometimes, but not usually when people ask me the question. I think once we board the plane, my excitement will start building, and by the time we get to the Castle, I'll be excited enough to answer the same question enthusiastically over and over and over again.

I just wanted to record these semi-apathetic feelings before I left, so that way, when I'm reading this ancient internet blog 50 years from now, as a withered, wobbling old woman, I can reach this, the first-and-a-half entry of my epic travel blog, stretch a smile across my wrinkled face, and think to myself, "GOD you were a privileged, apathetic, veritable party-pooper."