Europe '06, Second Installment: Stonehenge and Eire

Trying to connect up with people in a foreign country is always a bit challenging, especially when you underestimate travel times. I had planned to meet my brother at Gatwick airport just outside the customs area, but apparently that point wasn't well communicated (plus I wasn't there when he arrived anyway). We had a couple of things working against us that morning: I hadn't allotted enough time for the train ride from London and Corey somehow had the first bag on the carousel and breezed through the customs line. Turns out my bother's smarter than he looks (just kidding) and was able to have me paged over the intercom. I found him at the information desk and was greeted with a BIG HUG! Without wasting another minute, we started our adventure together.

Our first destination was Salisbury, England to visit Stonehenge. (Not yet one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but maybe soon.) Although he had really been looking forward to seeing the circle of rocks, Corey wasn't that impressed with the actual things. I had fortunately been warned that it's not as big as it looks in pictures and thought it was interesting, but was quickly bored with the audio commentary.


That evening we continued on to Bath, arriving just in time to see the final minutes of the US loss to the Czech Republic. As it was a little late when we finally got into town, the tourist office was already closed for the night (a problem we ran into in the future, as well). Walking down the main street we did find a Backpacker's Hostel and were able to get a couple of beds for the night. We had a wonderful dinner at a Thai restaraunt across the street. The best part of dinner was the conversation! The tables to either side of us were so close that only one couple could talk at any given time. And while they talked, everyone else listened.

The next morning we grabbed some pastries and bread at a bakery and took the train back to Gatwick to catch a flight to Cork, Ireland. Hiking up and down the hills of this city in search of a hostel we soon became tired and a little hostel ourselves. About to give up, we were approached by another American (a.k.a. Quentin Tarantino, as Corey affectionally refers to him). "Are you guys looking for a youth hostel?" Walking around with a huge bag strapped to your back does have some perks, I guess. After purchasing some refreshing beverages, Quentin walked us back to the hostel. Turns out we had passed by it a couple of times, missing the small sign on the wall. The hostel was great, so I suppose it was worth the effort. For dinner that night we ate at a little place called Kelly's and were reminded of our lovely sister:)

The highlight of the Irish portion of our trip was the visit to Blarney Castle. Okay, sure, we kissed the stone...but the town, the castle, and the surrounding countryside were really beautiful. We took a cab ride back to Cork (great conversation with the driver) and hopped on a bus to the Kilkenny (hard to not think of Southpark here).







After a couple of nights of searching for a hostel we were excited about the fact that we already had reservations for this night--in a 15th century castle!!! Unfortunately, the map provided by the hostel wasn't very detailed and the tourist office was (of course) closed. After walking for about a mile towards the hostel we met a very nice older couple on the street and asked for directions. While we were on the right path, we were still about 6 miles from the castle! So back we walked to the city center to catch a cab (yet another great conversation). The castle was really interesting, but in the middle of NOWHERE. As Corey and I didn't want to go back into town for dinner, we had a picnic of peanut butter sandwiches in the courtyard with another American traveler we met, TJ. The next morning we were able to get a ride back into town with TJ (as he had rented a car for his travels around Ireland). The three of us wandered around the town of Kilkenny for a couple of hours that morning before Corey and I took the train to Dublin.


Our visit to Dublin was limited to the bus ride from the train station to the airport, from which we would be flying to Milan, Italy.

Will it grow?

I was walking by the field hockey stadium this morning when I noticed that the sprinkler system was going. The weird thing is...it's ASTROTURF!!! Why would you need to water that?

Europe '06, First Installment: England

Four years ago I was sitting in Tessa and Mo's basement watching a 2002 World Cup game from Japan/Korea (at 6am, thanks to the time difference) when I discovered that the next host country would be Germany. I decided that morning that I was going to be there. I timed my graduation perfectly, because after walking across the stage in May I hopped on a plane two weeks later for a month-long romp around Europe. While the "football" game was the catalyst for the trip, the main goal was to see some new countries, especially England and Italy.

The excitement actually began at the Louisville International Airport. After checking in at the ticket counter, I accidentally fogot to button by back pocket. So when I used the restroom my wallet fell out onto the floor without my taking notice. While waiting for my flight I thought I heard my name over the intercom. Figuring that my parents must have realized that I forgot something in the car, I called the operator. It soon became aparent to me that I didn't have my wallet. Running back to the security checkpoint and flashing them my passport, I was reunited with my cash and credit cards, nothing was missing--what a blessing! I realized at this point that I wasn't really flying to Europe alone, God was definately going to be my travel companion.

I began the English portion of my excursion in London, taking the train to Oxford for a guided day tour (a good idea as I was quite jet-lagged). The highlight of the day was having a bite to eat at the Eagle and Child pub, where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to hang out.










That evening I continued north and met my friend Mike (from Rose), who now lives in Lancaster. Mike was kind enough to let me crash at his place for a week. (This is a picture of his narrow and long back yard--pretty landscaping, and still a work in progress.)


Over the next week I took a number of daytrips by train to nearby cities, notably Liverpool and York. Liverpool was a bust, as I spent most of the day in sensory overload--the Beatles museum and modern art at Tate-Liverpool. The coast was beautiful, but too windy for me to enjoy...not a good day to wear a skirt:(


York, on the other hand, was one of my favorite places in England. I wish I could have stayed longer, but as it turned out, I stayed too long. By waiting until the last train (which was delayed by an hour), I missed my connection in Manchester and had to stay there (unexpectedly) for the night. Luckily, Mike was able to direct me to a hostel so that I could have a good night's sleep in a bed.


The next morning I took an early train back to Lancaster. Mike had taken the afternoon off that
day so that we could bike in the English countryside. I got to "hire" a bike for the day.














Our destination was the Jubulie Tower (built to commemorate one of Queen Victoria's birthdays or something). It took us two hours to ride uphill to get there, but only 15 minutes for the return trip.


Rolling hills make for great pictures and sore legs!!!


The next morning (a Saturday) I returned to London, but had to make a pit-stop in Manchester to find a pub and watch the first English World Cup game on TV. I stayed at an amazing youth hostel near St. Paul's Cathedral. On Sunday I got up early for a walk along the Thames River, followed by a trip to the Tate Modern and a service at St. Paul's. After church, I grabbed a bite to eat and took off on foot to see London: the House of Parliment, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye of London, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and eveything in between. All in all, I think I walked at least 10 miles that day!

Monday morning I went to Gatwick Airport to pick up my bother, Corey, for the next leg of my travels...

New House

As many of you know, I bought a house when I moved to State College. What a whirlwind experience that was!!! My parents and I came up the first weekend in July to try to find me a place to live. We visited a couple of apartment complexes and drove all over Centre County looking at houses. We must have seen a dozen or so in the course of two days. Of all that we saw only one really fit my budget and other preferences. After thinking it over for a few days (about 3 or 4), I decided to make an offer. A week (and a few counter offers) later the sellers and I came to an agreement. Money was wired and faxes were sent back and forth. On August 7th (my realtor's birthday) we had the closing and I moved in.


My dad had come up with me a few days earlier (for home inspections, etc.) and the two of us spent the next week unloading the U-haul and getting the house ready. My mom joined us a few days later (with the cats). I can't say how much I appreciated their help with all kinds of projects that week: painting, yard work, electrical, plumbing, and carpentry (notice the new steps my dad built for the door in my carport). Even though they're back in Indiana now the work continues here. In fact they've signed on for another go over Thanksgiving. This time we'll be installing a Pergo-like floor and a microwave...and a few other things if we have time (unlikely, but a girl can hope).

This place has a spare bedroom, so if you ever find yourself in the geographic center of Pennsylvania, feel free to crash here...especially if you're willing to "pay" for your room and board with a little elbow grease and/or good conversation:)

Rainbows and cell phones

The other Friday I was walking across campus to my car after work. The weather was partially overcast, with light rain beginning to fall. Passing between a couple of tall buildings, something caught my eye...a rainbow!!! This was actually the second rainbow I had seen that week, but I was just as excited to see it...even more so as I came upon a clearing and noticed that the colors stretched across the sky in TWO complete bands. Now I've seen my fair share of double rainbows in my life (thanks to the weather in Minnesota), but this one has to be one of the best I've seen. Not only were the colors brilliant, but I noticed a few extra greens and purples under the primary bow. I later found out on spaceweather.com--see the archives for Oct. 17, 2006--that these are known as supernumeraries.

I'm usually not at home when these things show up, so I never get to take pictures to share with others. However, I had just gotten my new cell phone that week and it has a camera!!! (If I can ever figure out how to send the picture from my phone to my computer, I'll post it here.) Being on a college campus, I was soon joined by many other phone-photographers. One in particular I talked to was extremely happy to notice that the rainbow ended right over Beaver Stadium. (No pot of gold was ever found, but the Nittany Lions did win at home that Saturday.)

Fall Favorites

Oh how I love this time of year! Fall has to be my favorite season, hands down. It is truely a season for all of the senses. Think about it: the trees change colors (sight), the leaves crunch under your feet (sound), the temperatures fall (touch), the appples are harvested (taste), and my favorite...the smell of fall.

What smell, you may wonder. Although not as well characterized as the lilacs of spring, or honeysuckles in the summer, there is a much more subtle smell that comes in the fall. In fact, it's hard for me to even describe it or attribute it to any one thing. Perhaps it's some combination of scents released by fall foliage, the harvests in the fields, or the trees preparing for the ensuing winter (shedding their leaves and nuts). I would even propose that the cooler weather changes the way our noses receive and interpret these smells. Whatever the source, I know it when I smell it, and it brings an instant smile to me face. I've heard is said that a scent can trigger a memory better than any sight or sound. If that's the case, I am grateful for the positive experiences I've had in autumns past that I get to remember each year at this time.

No one can deny the beauty of the trees this time of year. I can recall some of my favorites in the places I have lived in the past: the brilliant reds and oranges at Mt. Tabor ballpark in New Albany (where I had my senior pictures taken), the amazing color palate along Hwy 46 from Terre Haute to Columbus, and the bright yellows near the sledding hill in Country Club Manor of Rochester. Having recently moved to a new city, I have the opportunity in some ways to experience fall for the first time again. "I wonder what colors the trees will turn here?" Luckily for me Pennsylvania is a land of trees, as noted by its name (sylvan=trees). I know that if/when I leave this city I will take with me (among other things) the memories of this season, just as I have done time and time again.