I'm dreaming of a Green Christmas?

Back home whenever someone says they're heading up north during the winter I have images of snow and a feeling of bitter coldness. In England, particularly this winter, things are quite different. Since I couldn't afford to head back home for the holidays I figured it would be best to head up to Lytham to spend Christmas with Jamie (my cousin), his girlfriend Nicky and her family. Some family is better than none! London had been experiencing some unseasonably high temperatures and I was constantly overdressed. When you're so used to wearing multiple layers, scarves, hats and mitts, you tend to put them on without thinking. I kept heading outside and melting the minute I started walking because there is no need for all of that stuff in London winters.

Back to my trip up north....I booked a Virgin train that would only take a couple hours to get up there. Fortunately for me I still fall under the discount category so after purchasing a railcard I got a super cheap train ticket. The card doesn't expire until the end of 2012 so even after I turn 26 I will still be able to save! Yay for cheating the system! Anyway, I took a late morning train so that I would have as much time with the fam as possible. The train ride itself was decent. I got there early enough that I got a seat, listened to music on my ipod, read the paper, and played countless games of Angry Birds. Oh how addicting it is. The most amusing part of my trip happened within 10mins of the train leaving the station. Keep in mind that I had previously read about issues with Virgin trains and people having to stand even when they had reserved seats so I made sure to get there early enough so that I would get a seat. I checked the electronic display beside mine and it read "available"! Yay for me! So back to the amusing bit...a man approaches another man behind me and a conversation started about who the seat belonged to. The standing man argued that it was his seat and that he had a reservation and a ticket showing this. The man in the seat refused to get up claiming that the display said it was available and sometimes this happens. The two men really started getting into it and one was spewing out many profanities. I had my headphones on and music going the whole time but could still hear their constant bickering. It would stop for a bit, I assume the man kept standing there and staring at the man in his seat, then someone would mutter a comment such as "you people" and it would kick off again. I couldn't see what was going on but I chuckled with amusement at how two grown men could act in public over a train seat.

The train was delayed, no surprise there, so I ended up taking another train to meet up with Jamie who picked me up in his work truck. He had to do some errands in Blackpool so we drove off down this tiny back road that basically has enough room for one car yet it's used as a two way and people do not slow down. It was slightly terrifying and I realized why he wouldn't use it when he first came to the country. Blackpool looked like a run down hole. I'm sure it's nice and lively during the summer months when people go to the beach but since England doesn't get much summer weather I can't imagine myself going there. Nevertheless, it's a massive party zone for hen and stag dos so at least they're making some business. Once we were back in Lytham we took it easy for the night, ordering Chinese and watching tv as we had a big weekend ahead.

Christmas Eve was filled up with prepping Christmas dinner and drinking. Nicky and I spent most of the day chopping veggies and potatoes, getting the turkey ready, and making a neat dessert called a croquembouche. It's basically a bunch of profiteroles stuffed with a yummy filling and piled into a cone like shape. It turned out pretty well for a first time and it tasted delicious. Jamie also participated in the cooking by preparing his own blueberry pie. That evening we went out for drinks at a local bar with Nicky's family and friends. It's such a small town that everyone knew everyone there. I was introduced to so many people that it was hard to keep up. Not to mention that a drink was constantly appearing in my hands so I had to keep up with that. Overall it was a great night but we ended it early as Christmas was going to be a long day.

On Christmas morning I woke up feeling slightly under the weather but soldiered on nonetheless. We opened presents and then got ready to start the day. Nicky's family came over for some champagne (the proper stuff, no Cava on Christmas) and we finished preparing the dinner and put the bird in the oven. Next we headed to see more family and have more champagne. At this point I felt so bloated and full from the night before that I couldn't even drink water. By mid day it settled down and I was back to being myself. We got back to the house and enjoyed the wonderfully cooked meal. It was absolutely delicious. After some dessert, which I'm not sure how we fit in, we played some Trivial Pursuit and relaxed for a bit. Nicky's parents went home as it had been a long day. However, the day was not quite over for us. Next stop was Nicky's aunt's house where there were more drinks and Christmas merriment to be had. It ended up being a great time there as well. My glass was magically filled with wine throughout the night even without me noticing it left the table in front of me. We played some charades and stumped the men with our amazing lady brains. After a few hours we headed home for a well deserved sleep.

Boxing day was a very lazy day. The three of us stayed in all day watching movies, playing video games, and eating pizza. After the busy days proceeding a restful day was certainly needed. The next day Jamie drove me to the train station and I made my way back to London. It was a short visit with the family but certainly nice to be able to see them for the holidays. When I got back to the flat I had to start some laundry and prepare for my holiday road trip which was starting the next morning! 

Fingers crossed

Since coming back to London to teach I have only been at 3 different schools, each more lovely than the last. I truly can't believe the luck I have had so far this time around. Last time I was constantly in schools with terrible children and rude staff. Mind you, there was the odd occasion that I would go to a good school and have moderately well behaved children, which in comparison to the devil's spawn I was used to, they seemed like angels.

The past couple weeks I have made a regular appearance at this one school working in the Years 5 and 6 classes. The headteacher liked me so much that she requested to have me in for the entire last week of school, which was brilliant considering that was going to be a very slow week. I definitely considered myself fortunate for that opportunity, especially after talking to my other supply friends and finding out that they worked 1 day the entire week. Yikes!

Throughout the week I had access to all of the resources that a regular teacher would. I had the plans in advance and was able to design smartboard lessons to go along with them. I taught, built up relationships with the students and staff and marked a whole lot. I was there early in the morning, took time out of my lunch to help rehearse a group for the Christmas Assembly and stayed late marking and planning for the next day. Although it was only a week it felt like I was actually back to proper teaching.

The experience really made me long for my own class when I get back home. It even made me consider taking on a position here for the next term. There are times when I feel out of practice and I worry that if I were to get my own LTO I wouldn't know what to do or where to start with the planning and marking. Having a week like the one I just did helps me to put things in perspective and remember that I'm capable of doing this and when my chance finally comes I will do it brilliantly. Now all that's left is to keep my fingers crossed that the elusive LTO will come sooner than later.

Travel woes

Back home the longest amount of time I would have to commute to work was around 25mins. I was often unimpressed when they called me for schools in Whitby or Oshawa, especially when there are many schools in Pickering and Ajax that I would have gladly gone to.

Being back in London makes me miss those "long" 25 min commutes. Now not only are my commutes a minimum of 45 mins but I am faced with so many more obstacles. Driving in the suburbs was a synch! I was always going in the opposite direction of traffic and rarely ever had to use the highway. When there was traffic I would navigate myself around the back streets as I found a new route to work. I really never had much of an issue unless I was running late. I long for the simplicity of those drives.

Commuting in London is a constant battle with temperature, timetables, and ridiculous people. Let's run through a typical morning commute to work. Fortunately I work in the same area everyday so I've become accustomed to this route and the exact times I need to be at places. For this reason I have been able to minimize some of the annoying factors along the way. I start my journey to Central London around 7:17 when I leave my place in Catford. I have a short brisk walk to Catford station, always leaving myself extra time in case the train decides to come early (not likely). I never know how to dress because some mornings it feels like 15 degrees and others it feels like 5. The days I forget to bring my scarf are always the cold ones. I get on the train at 7:32 and am immediately faced with tropical temperatures as the heat is cranked to the highest setting. Like many other commuters, I open up my jacket and loosen my scarf at this time. Arriving at London Bridge around 7:47 I step out onto the platform where I then face the cold once again. Oops, I forgot to do up my jacket. Better get that in check as I hustle through the crowd to get inside to the underground. At this point I begin the battle with ridiculous people (if I haven't already encountered them on the train).

One of my biggest pet peeves in slow walkers, especially in crowded areas. These places are crowded because you walk so slow! I do not include the old or handicapped in this anger because they cannot help it. However, I have absolutely no patience for the average person who decides to hustle to cut me off when walking and then decides to slow down right in front of me and ultimately boxing me into a slow walk. As we all herd our way down the platform and into the station I am then faced with the challenge of getting across the hall with people coming from all directions. I must dodge and weave my way through annoying slow walkers, people reading train schedules, teenagers on their cell phones (who are they talking to at 8am?), and tourists who have a blank and lost look on their face. Get out of my way people, I have no time for this!

Once I finally make my way onto the underground I am again faced with the tropical heat. This is compounded by the bajillion people who are trying to cram into the car rather than wait for the next train which will be along in a minute or two. Once I was actually so squished in between people that I couldn't even move my arms to hold on. Fortunately the pressure of the other bodies against me kept me from stumbling when the train came to a stop. When I finally do get to my stop I squish past people to exit the car and join the mess of people making their way to the other lines. On some days I can zip over to the other side as that train hasn't come in and I can go up those stairs. However, on most days the trains arrive at the same time so there is no hope as I climb the stairs behind a thousand people who all need to get to the Central Line. My luck does change a bit once I reach that train as most people are going Westbound, further into the city, and I head Eastbound to my lovely East London schools. After two stops I reach my destination and begin my 10 minute walk to whichever school I'm at that day. Again, I must remember to do up my jacket and prepare for whatever temperature awaits me outside.

The journey home is quite similar to my morning adventures. The only difference is that my departure time is constantly changing depending on the amount of marking I have to do. This makes it difficult when I reach London Bridge and I try to find a train back home. One of the biggest annoyances during this time is when people don't adhere to the escalator rules. There are signs that clearly say "stand right." As I struggle to either run up the escalator quickly to catch my train I am more often than not having near collisions with people who don't know how to stand on the right. Or there's the people who walk exceedingly slow up the escalator; if you're going to be that slow you may as well stand on the right. Once I finally reach the top I quickly check the board to see which platform the next train is on (it's never the same one) and frantically race through the crowds coming the opposite direction to make my train. If I'm lucky I actually make the train, am able to get a seat, and will be back in Catford in 15 mins. If not then it's back to going against the current, checking the boards, and racing to the next platform.

My journey finally comes to an end after another 10 min walk home and I get to rest. I leave the cursing of stupid people for another day and put begin my relaxing evening.

London Take Two

I decided that since I'm heading back to London that I should continue with my blog. First edition of a brilliant adventure take two is brought to you from my lovely British airways flight. 

Packed up many of my belongings into my new Heys suitcases and headed off to Pearson to catch my 9pm flight. There was a bit of traffic but nothing my mom couldn't handle. Got through security super quick as there was no line and easily found my gate. Of course, this was after I hit up the duty free shop and picked up some Canadian alcohol which I couldn't pass up as I would miss it in England. I also bought an over priced sandwich and juice as I was starving. To kill time I played on my phone, sent texts, and exchanged some money. They finally called us to board around 840 and that's when the nerves set in. 

Once on the plane I easily found my seat and to my delight the man sitting beside me was already half asleep with his shoes off (no, they didn't smell) and his eye mask on. Bonus! I had looked up the seat online so I already knew I had extra legroom but it was really cool to see how much. I can fully stretch out which is lovely. 

As I'm writing this we have only been in the air for about half an hour. I'm in world traveller plus class which is in between first class and economy. Seats are comfier, there's more legroom, and they have a leg rest that comes out. Pretty neat. As I'm sitting here reading my free paper an attendant comes over to hand me a fancy dinner menu. What service! There's a salad to start, choice of Alberta beef or pasta main, and cheesecake dessert. Despite the mushrooms I'm going with the pasta. Details to follow on how it tastes. A few minutes later another attendant comes by and offers me a hot towel. I had a complete "Wedding Singer" moment because I had no idea what the heck to do with it. Haha. Then I remembered the part in the movie and I patted my face a bit. I'm still silently giggling about it. Don't want to wake up my neighbour! Now I will read the paper and wait for what I hope will be a decent airplane meal. At least this time I'm not dying so I can actually eat my meal. 

The meal was actually quite delicious. It came with proper cutlery and a cloth napkin. I had some red wine too and watched a movie from my pull out tv. The rest of the flight was uneventful. I couldn't sleep so I watched "Horrible Bosses" and some random rom-com with JT and Mila Kunis. It was terrible. I did attempt to sleep a bit and probably managed to get 20 or 30mins. The time seemed to pass quickly though so it wasn't too bad. 

The best part of the journey was when we arrived at the airport. We got there about 15 mins earlier than expected which was a bonus. Since I was in the middle section I got off the plane right after Business class so it was fairly quick. I hurried my way to customs where there was a relatively short line in front of me. From previous experience I know not to get too excited about that because once there were only 5 people in front of me and it still took 45mins to get through customs. Not this time! I was out of there in 9 mins! That was the fastest time I've ever been through when entering the UK. I was quite impressed. I made my way to the baggage collection section. The bags weren't there yet (as expected) but I only had to wait 10 mins before they started showing up. It was just my lucky day because mine were part of the first batch. I quickly grabbed them and got out of there. In total I spent less than 30 mins from getting off the plane to exiting the airport. =) 

I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got into London and crashed out for a few hours. That night I went out for a friend's birthday and then tried to correct my sleeping to get over jetlag. I spent Sunday and Monday getting things organized and doing grocery shopping and whatnot. It was very low key as I wanted to get back onto London time in preparation for work on Tuesday. 

The work week went amazingly well! I worked 3 days, 3 schools and all Year 5. All of the classes were wonderful. The kids were so well behaved and helpful throughout the day. I didn't have to raise my voice or send anyone out. I couldn't believe how well it went considering I was a little apprehensive about teaching in London again because of the many bad kids I had encountered last time. I hope the rest of my time continues to be like this week. Fingers crossed for more work and good work. 

Spontaneous is my middle name

Growing tired of the boredness I decided to bite the bullet and made last minute plans for a short holiday. On Thursday afternoon I booked a weekend trip to Rome and was off on the plane early Friday morning. The only good part about leaving at 4am was listening to the taxi driver sing along to his 90s compilation album which included songs by Nelly, Brandy, and Usher. I felt like I was back in '98.

Since my trip was last minute I couldn't do the usual budget airline and hostel route because that was actually more expensive. Instead, I found a great deal through lastminute.com and ended up flying with British Airways and staying in a 4 star hotel. How's that for a change in holiday style? Not only did my flight have a preassigned seat, a luxury I have not experienced since moving to London (thank you Ryanair for herding us in like cattle), but they also offered breakfast and coffee! It was brilliant! The hotel was just as awesome. It was modern, clean, had a jacuzzi tub on the top terrace, and a wicked free breakfast.

The hotel was located only a couple blocks from the main train station which was a great location. I had only walked for a few minutes outside of the station when an Italian man in a nice car gave me a wave and nod of approval. Oh those Italians! The hotel provided a city map and Martin and I quickly chose which sights we wanted to see and planned out the weekend. Since we only had a couple days we weren't going to waste any time and got right out there.

Friday we managed to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and the Pantheon. We did sooo much walking but it was completely worth it. You really don't even notice how much you're walking because there is so much to see. Rome is absolutely beautiful with amazing architectural details on every single building. Everything was so grand and looked important. It's a shame I didn't know the purpose of half of the buildings but they were stunning to look at nonetheless. As I walked throughout the city I thought I was going to melt away because the heat was quite intense. I know Toronto summers are quite hot and humid but this was just a blistering constant heat. I'm just lucky that I covered myself with SPF 50 sunscreen before leaving the hotel. I would've been a lobster otherwise.

Woke up a little late on the Saturday and almost missed the free breakfast. I couldn't understand why the room was so dark. I went to investigate the window and realized there was a blackout blind right on the window. It must have an automatic timer because I did not put it on there (both nights). I went to take it off and it snapped open really quickly which completely caught me off guard and I ended up jumping away from the window in less than a second. I wasn't about to give the streets of Rome a free show.

After the amazing free breakfast we headed down to the Colosseum. Had to navigate the many tiny streets on the way there. After what seemed like forever and just as I felt we might be lost we turned a corner and there it was. One minute you're walking down these quaint streets in Rome and the next you're seeing this massive historical building. It was VERY impressive. I had a view from atop a hill and I could already see the massive queue to get in. I was forewarned about this but you never truly understand the magnitude until you see it for yourself. Once down there with the other masses of people we were approached by a lady selling guided tour tickets which cost more than the entrance fee but you got to skip the line. Time was clearly more important than money because we snapped up that offer within a minute of considering. The inside of the Colosseum was spectacular. It's just so surreal to stand in these ancient ruins and know that so much history has taken place there. I tried to imagine what it would have looked like when it was originally built and used and I can only wonder how people felt about it then. The fact that it still stands today in rather good condition, given the pollution that destroys the outside and the massive traffic it sees every day, is a testament to the great craftsmanship of the ancient Roman people. If only we could them to teach our builders a thing or two about quality.

***Side note about the Colosseum.  That is actually a nickname for it. It's proper name is the Amphitheatrum Flavium. Outside of the theatre is a the Colossol statue of Nero, Colossol for short. People would say to meet there and eventually the amphitheatre acquired the name and people forgot about the statue. Another interesting historical fact that we learned is where the word Arena comes from. In Latin arena means sand. This is what was put down on the floor of Colosseum and the gladiators were called out to fight on the arena. The word caught on and now our sports stadiums are referred to as arenas despite their lack of sand.

Following the tour of the Colosseum and a little bit of free time to explore it, the tour continued to Palentine Hill and many other ruins. It became slightly overwhelming as we explored these ruins and learned of their history. No matter where you go in Rome there are random ruins strewn about. There is still so much to be discovered. The city keeps trying to create a third Metro line but every time they start digging or get any progress they run into more ruins.

Between the intense amount of walking and the blistering sun I was pretty beat by the end of the tour. We headed back to the hotel to have a little relaxing time before dinner. On the rooftop terrace there was a jacuzzi tub which was so lovely to go in after a long day in the sun. After a nice rest we went back to the Colosseum to get some night shots and have dinner. Dinner was disgusting and overpriced (as everything is in Rome) but was in a prime location and I was starving so I can't complain much.

The last day in Rome meant heading to the Vatican. Quite possibly one of the most hilarious parts of the trip was when we got out of the Metro and were headed up the stairs to the street. We were in a pretty packed crowd (it's Sunday at the Vatican!) and as we went up there was an old Italian lady coming down who upon seeing the crowd exclaimed "Mamma Mia!" It was absolutely priceless and we almost doubled over in laughter. When we actually got to the Vatican the queue to get into St. Peter's wrapped around almost the entire perimeter of the square. However, it moved rather quickly which was impressive. That wasn't the case for the cupola which we opted not to see since there just wasn't enough time. The inside of St. Peter's Basilica was just as impressive as everyone said it would be. After looking at my pictures I noticed they really do not do it any justice. It is something you not only need to see but experience for yourself. I could have spent hours in there just looking at all of the many extravagant details.

With a little bit of prodding Martin agreed to sit through mass with me. I had gone to mass at Sacre Coeur last year in Paris and felt it was an extraordinary experience so could not pass up mass at the Vatican. That would just be sacrilegious. Although the entire thing was in Italian and my knowledge of the language extends to saying hello and good-bye, I really felt a part of the service. I was trying hard to understand the homily and I think I recognized a few of the words. As many know, I'm not terribly religious but being there and taking part in this mass felt like a special experience. It amazes me to be part of something that has the same customs and process across the globe and has spanned centuries. Regardless of people's opinions on religion, when you break it down to the simple basics of attending mass it seems quite incredible.

Time was ticking away quickly and we had to rush back to the hotel so that we could get our bags and head to the airport. We left the Vatican, had an expensive lunch nearby and then carried on down the road to see the Castel Sant'Angelo. I only took exterior shots as there was just not enough time. Some people might remember this fortress from the movie Angels and Demons. It is said to have a secret passageway to the Vatican. The next time I am back in Rome, which I really hope to do someday, I will explore this place.

Although it was a very quick trip I did get to see and do most of what I had wanted to in Rome and consider the trip a success. Next mini trip: Berlin.

Must be going out of my mind

The school year ended on July 22 and for the last week and a half I have been bored out of my mind. I could never do the stay at home thing. I'm a go-go-go person and having all this spare time is driving me mad.

With all of this time off I have managed to accomplish a few things and procrastinate others. I sent off a request to my board to stay here longer. Still waiting to hear back which is quite annoying because I can't change my flight until I know how long I can have off. That also means I have to wait to decide how long I'm going to stay here. I have no intention in losing my coveted Canadian teaching job but would still like to continue this adventure. In the meantime, I have applied to a bajillion temp jobs here so that I have something to do during August (and some cash flow). No luck as of yet which is quite frustrating. Why I can't get a simple temp admin job when I have two degrees is beyond me. Fingers crossed that something will turn up soon!

Since I have no job, no money, and no return date to Canada clearly the best thing for me to do is research my next travel adventure. **please note my sarcasm for those who don't know me well enough to spot it** I may have caused my head to spin a few times as my travel ideas/plans start to spiral out of control. It really does not help when Groupon and Travelzoo send me deals on various trips. I start thinking about going to Italy which spirals into Greece, then a sailing trip, then Eastern Europe, then all of Europe, then India (I blame Groupon for that jump of continents in my thought process). I've come back down to earth a tad and have made tentative plans for the following trips: Berlin (end of August), Oktoberfest (end of September) and Italy (half term break in October).

Unfortunately, until I get word back from the board, a temp job, or win the lottery I will spend my time sitting around at home. I swear I will lose another five pounds just from sweating it out here and my attempts at working out at home or long walks around the neighbourhood. It's great to have this lovely weather but I'd really like the humidity to take a hike. Stay tuned for my next exciting blog which will likely be about cleaning the kitchen if I don't find some free entertainment soon!

Eurotrip!

Disclaimer: Yes, this is QUITE delayed and I apologize. It really is hard to keep up with all of the fun things I'm doing and write about them all. Also, it is a bit of a long one as it was a special trip with my sister so deserved a proper recap. Enjoy!


After coming home from Spain and Portugal I had 1 day to recover before having a 3 day work week followed by a National holiday for the Royal Wedding and a Bank holiday on the Monday. I know, what a rough week that was going to be! Tina was to turn up on the Thursday and as luck would have it that happened to be the only day I got work that week. I had sent her directions to my house and left my key so that she could get in and nap while I worked. Fortunately she made it safely with only a few minor hiccups and encounters with rude Londoners. That night I took her out for dinner in Blackheath, a cute little posh area not too far from me, at a restaurant called Giraffe. It's a chain restaurant that I've been to a couple times before but absolutely love. We had an excellent dinner (which Tina paid for as a birthday present, thanks again sis!) and then headed back to Lewisham to get ready for the next day which was the Royal Wedding.

The whole house dressed up in fancy gear and left with champagne and orange juice to help celebrate with the happy couple. We took the rail into Central London and were immediately faced with the jam packed crowds. Eventually we made our way up to a park where we camped out, drank champagne, watched the horse guard go by, and saw the WWII plane flyover (which was really neat). After it was all over we headed for drinks and dinner. Later that night Tina and I went out to see my friend's band play in New Cross. It was at a dodgy venue but the bands were great so we had a wonderful night.

On the Saturday I took Tina on a tour of the city. We walked for hours and she was able to see all the major things: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, etc. We then headed up north to the Camden market which I hadn't been to yet so it was something new and exciting for the both of us. The market was massive and if I didn't have to keep a tight wallet for the trip I probably would've splurged on many items I didn't need. We did however have some super yummy Indian food for cheap which was very satisfying and kept us full for hours. After we tired of Camden we headed back into Central London and went to Tower Bridge to get a few pictures.

Sunday was another day of sight seeing but also included some shopping. Tina and I headed to Oxford Street and I took her to the massive Primark. This is one store that I will definitely miss when I go back home. It's got loads of really cheap clothes that look pretty decent. We shop there pretty often. The quality isn't the best but what can you expect when you pay pennies for clothes? We headed back to Lewisham around dinner time because we had to pack for our trip as we had an early flight to Paris the next day.

Our time in Paris was pretty exciting, a little less for me because it was my second time being there but fun nonetheless. We navigated our way to the hostel with relative ease. We were too early to check in so we left our bags in the luggage storage room that was so overflowed with bags that it's a wonder I made it out of there alive. This trip to Paris was going to be a little different than the last one because not only was I with Tina but I wanted to make sure I saw some of the things that I missed the year before. After dropping our bags we headed to the centre of the city to meet up with the free tour which lasted for around 3 hours and took us all around the main parts of the city. It was great for Tina to see all of these places that I've already seen and learn some of the history of the place. I even learned a few new things which was expected. After the tour we headed back to the hostel to officially check in and have a little rest. Once we started resembling our normal selves we took to the streets for more touring. We headed to Champs Elysees and all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe. We took some lovely photos, visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then headed back to our hostel. Not quite ready for bed and wanting to catch up with those at home we stayed downstairs at the bar that was attached to our hostel. We had a couple drinks and checked emails before Tina headed to bed. I wasn't quite ready to crash so went exploring with a fellow hosteller that we met. He showed me this really neat lion fountain. While we were there we got to watch a car commercial being shot and were then thrown out by an agitated security guard who yelled at us in French.

The second day in Paris was just as jam packed. We started the day at the Catacombs which I didn't get to see the last time I was in the city. For those who don't know, the catacombs are essentially an underground cemetery in the tunnels of what used to be a stone mine. It was quite creepy as we descended a staircase that seemed endless and walked through these kilometers of tunnels seeing bones beyond bones. There were skulls and bones everywhere. There were many placards around the place, most in French, and I had to test out my language skills which were a little rusty. I managed though, as I did throughout the rest of the trip when communicating with Parisians. After the Catacombs we headed to the Royal Opera House. This was not something I would've anticipated enjoying but seeing my sister light up when she got in there was priceless. She was like a kid in a candy shop. The interior was breathtaking though so it made sense. There was not one corner that wasn't full of the most beautiful details. If you're ever in Paris it's something I suggest seeing because it is stunning. After staying at the Opera House until it closed we made our way across the city to the Eiffel Tower. Originally I wasn't going to go up again because of the cost but I decided it was an experience with my sister that I couldn't put a price tag on. Just as the last time, the views were stunning. We went all the way up to the top and took loads of pictures. Afterwards we went to the base and took some silly shots of the two of us. With our remaining time we decided to forgo the pub crawl that we had planned on joining and went out for dinner and saw Moulin Rouge. Unfortunately there was not enough time or money in the budget to see an actual show but it was still neat to see.

Our third day was essentially a travel day. We checked out of the hostel, headed to the main bus station, and bought tickets to Brussels. Our plan was to spend a couple hours in Brussels and then catch another bus to Amsterdam. Unfortunately by the time we got the bus and into central Brussels we had just over an hour of exploration time. We took the metro into the heart of the city and stood there looking lost with a map that we got from a random hotel I popped into. A very lovely older man saw us and after telling him that we had 1 hour to explore Brussels he sent us in the direction of Grand Place where we would see everything worth seeing. He was certainly right! We headed down there and found a chocolate factory, Mannekin Pis statue, live bands, and the stunning architecture of the Town Hall. We grabbed a tasty waffle and scarfed then down as we hustled back to the bus depot to catch the last bus to Amsterdam. We met a really nice Finnish couple on the bus and had a laugh at a drunken French lady who kept rambling on to us.

After a little difficulty we were able to locate the hostel. The check-in process was slightly strange as the hostel is on top of a bar and the bartender doubled as the receptionist. Since we had turned up so late as soon as we got into the room we locked our stuff away in the lockers and crashed out. The next morning we met up with the free city tour and spent the next three hours exploring Amsterdam and learning things that we might not have discovered on our own. One of the most important tips we were given was to beware of bikes. The city is absolutely filled to the brim with cyclists and they will run you down if you're in the way. We were fortunate enough not to get destroyed by them.

Once the tour was over we made our way across the city to what would become a highlight of the trip for me: the Heineken Brewery. Yum! Heineken is one of my favourite beers so I was pretty excited to tour the brewery. The building and self-guided tour reminded me of the Guinness Brewery in Ireland which was decent but this one was cheaper and provided more beer samples. Since Tina isn't much of a beer drinker I not only got my samples but also some of hers. Thanks again for that sis! Being in Amsterdam we felt the need to experience some of the scandalous things the city had to offer. Naturally, we headed to the sex museum. It was only 3 or 4 euro to get in and was great for a laugh. We saw many things that I'm sure our parents would not approve of and took some inappropriate pictures as we acted like children. It was good fun.

<3

Before heading back to the hostel to prepare for our night out with the pub crawl we stopped at a frites shop and bought these large cones of fries. They were absolutely massive and we couldn't finish them at all. Super tasty nonetheless. The pub crawl itself was interesting and fun. It started off at the bar under our hostel and brought us to about 5 other clubs/bars throughout the night. There were endless free shots and silly behaviour from us and the other crawlers. Tina and I ended up being the only ladies on the crawl (and in most of the bars) which was amusing as the men continued to flock to us and were continually disappointed when we turned them down. The other crawlers were a riot and great to hang out with all night.

The last day of our trip arrived and we finally got to Anne Frank's house. This was another highlight of the trip for me because when I was in elementary school I not only read her diary but I saw a production of it put on by the Young People's Theater in Toronto and it really stuck with me. It was quite surreal to walk into her home that has been preserved and see where she hid with her family for those years. Although all of the furniture was removed you could see get a sense of what it might have been like to stay there day in and day out in complete silence and fear that you might be discover.

The rest of our day was spent touring the Red Light District and taking in the city as the weekend crowd turned up. The pub crawl people were back at our hostel bar and tried to convince us to come out again but we had an early flight the next day that we could not miss. We turned in early because we were exhausted after a week of go-go-go travelling and wanted to be well rested for our flight the next morning.

Although our trip was only a week it was such an amazing experience and I'm so glad that I got to do that with Tina. We had talked about backpacking Europe for years and finally making it a reality was something I will never forget. Thanks again sis for coming out to visit and making our mini Eurotrip such a blast. Love ya!