I believe Ali posted some weeks/months ago about our flight times and such, but here it is again, Pacific Standard Time:
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
2:25 a.m. - Leave Zurich (11:25 a.m. our time - Swiss time)
4:15 a.m. - Arrive Heathrow (12:15 p.m. London time)
6:20 a.m. - Leave Heathrow (2:20 p.m. London time)
4:10 p.m. - Arrive Seatac
So it`s going to be a very long day for us, especially when we leave London at what will feel like 3:20 p.m. and get to Seattle at 4:10 p.m. (when it`ll be midnight to us) the same day.
We might all post yet again for our real, actual, final last time. Ciao for now!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tiny Beasts
So I talked to ATNs mom who is a nurse and she said the allergy meds should have worked by now, meaning its not allergies...
The next option, as they like to say here, is tiny beasts. Yes. The current diagnosis is tiny beasts crawling around me and making me look like I have leprosy or the plague or AIDS or something...
The next option, as they like to say here, is tiny beasts. Yes. The current diagnosis is tiny beasts crawling around me and making me look like I have leprosy or the plague or AIDS or something...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
UHHHHH
So I just want everyone to know that it seems I am allergic to Swisslands. I have some sort of rash on my face, arms, and hands that isn't going away. I went to the pharmacist and she gave me antihistimines and anti-itch stuff, but it doesn't seem to be working. Etienne's mom said she didn't think it was allergies because the medication would've worked by now.
Basically my point is that I look VERY diseased...and I apologize to those of you who will have to see me like this. It's nasty...
Basically my point is that I look VERY diseased...and I apologize to those of you who will have to see me like this. It's nasty...
Swisslands
So bad news, we didn`t get to go to the chocolate factory :( because it was closed for construction. And the ice skating rink was closed, and the basketball game we wanted to go to was cancelled.
But, we are loving Fribourg!! Aside from the delicious fondue, we have been eating like queens here - Linus is quite the host and an excellent cook. We ate a pork roast with mashed potatoes for lunch on Friday, yesterday we had Mexican food (fajitas!), and today we had an assortment of cold cuts, cheese, and bread plus an apple pie. Lunch is the big meal here, which we have found to be pretty cool. And today, we went to Bern (the capital) and had another delicious meal with Etienne`s mother. It`s pretty cool here even without the food, too! Bern has this outdoor area right in the city where they have brown bears - we were very confused at first, because we didn`t quite get how exactly that worked (bears in the city?), but there are enclosed outdoor areas and dens where the bears live. There might just be the one bear now, Bjork, and we saw her!
Okay - so that`s all for now... if we don`t get around to posting again, then well, it`s because we`ll see you soon and can just tell you all about what else we`re up to! We`re off to Zurich tomorrow to stay in a hotel for the night, and then Tuesday night, we are voluntarily staying in the Zurich airport/train station again, you know, to come full circle since we stayed there our first night! We`re pretty jazzed for that :) So, okay, loveyoubye!!!
But, we are loving Fribourg!! Aside from the delicious fondue, we have been eating like queens here - Linus is quite the host and an excellent cook. We ate a pork roast with mashed potatoes for lunch on Friday, yesterday we had Mexican food (fajitas!), and today we had an assortment of cold cuts, cheese, and bread plus an apple pie. Lunch is the big meal here, which we have found to be pretty cool. And today, we went to Bern (the capital) and had another delicious meal with Etienne`s mother. It`s pretty cool here even without the food, too! Bern has this outdoor area right in the city where they have brown bears - we were very confused at first, because we didn`t quite get how exactly that worked (bears in the city?), but there are enclosed outdoor areas and dens where the bears live. There might just be the one bear now, Bjork, and we saw her!
Okay - so that`s all for now... if we don`t get around to posting again, then well, it`s because we`ll see you soon and can just tell you all about what else we`re up to! We`re off to Zurich tomorrow to stay in a hotel for the night, and then Tuesday night, we are voluntarily staying in the Zurich airport/train station again, you know, to come full circle since we stayed there our first night! We`re pretty jazzed for that :) So, okay, loveyoubye!!!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Money, Mountains, Cheese & Chocolate
Switzerland in a nutshell, or at least that`s roughly how Etienne described it last night. So, we made it to Fribourg! The rest of Zermatt was pretty low key - Ali took the train up to see the Matterhorn, and we walked around later and got some hot chocolate and browsed through a few stores - you know, the usual 1500 frank (about 1500 dollars) jackets and stuff, no big deal... yeah, Switzerland is expensive. Europe in general is expensive, but especially so here. The CHF (Swiss frank) and dollar are almost even - and it`s just shocking to see how much everything costs. Okay, even McDonalds is expensive. Burger meals are what, around 5 or 6 bucks back home, and about 12 dollars here.
Anyway, we`re staying with Etienne, a friend of ours who did an exchange in Port Angeles when we were in high school. He teaches English to middle school aged kids, so we went with him this morning (and woke up before 7 a.m. to go) and he had the kids ask us questions for the period. One of our favorites was, "Have you contacted stars?" - as in celebrities, although Ali thought he had asked if we were conducting research :) - and then they went through their names and asked us to pronounce them, and we definitely butchered those with our harsh r`s and such.
Last night, Etienne`s dad, Linus, cooked us the most amazing fondue that any of us has ever eaten, hands down. I asked for the recipe, but he used some special local cheese so we probably wouldn`t be able to recreate it quite like that. But it was just delicious! It was just bread and cheese, but it was incredible. We didn`t think we`d be able to finish the giant pot on the table, but oh yes, we did. Quite easily, in fact. And later, we went out for a drink and had ourselves a nice political discussion, talking about healthcare, social security, government, etc. But please don`t ask us about any of that stuff when we get home, because we still are quite ignorant! We can tell you the main world headlines right now, since CNN and BBC are usually the only English-speaking channels on TV (in addition to EuroSports).
So, today we are going to go to a chocolate factory, where we can get lots of free chocolate! Ciao for now.
Anyway, we`re staying with Etienne, a friend of ours who did an exchange in Port Angeles when we were in high school. He teaches English to middle school aged kids, so we went with him this morning (and woke up before 7 a.m. to go) and he had the kids ask us questions for the period. One of our favorites was, "Have you contacted stars?" - as in celebrities, although Ali thought he had asked if we were conducting research :) - and then they went through their names and asked us to pronounce them, and we definitely butchered those with our harsh r`s and such.
Last night, Etienne`s dad, Linus, cooked us the most amazing fondue that any of us has ever eaten, hands down. I asked for the recipe, but he used some special local cheese so we probably wouldn`t be able to recreate it quite like that. But it was just delicious! It was just bread and cheese, but it was incredible. We didn`t think we`d be able to finish the giant pot on the table, but oh yes, we did. Quite easily, in fact. And later, we went out for a drink and had ourselves a nice political discussion, talking about healthcare, social security, government, etc. But please don`t ask us about any of that stuff when we get home, because we still are quite ignorant! We can tell you the main world headlines right now, since CNN and BBC are usually the only English-speaking channels on TV (in addition to EuroSports).
So, today we are going to go to a chocolate factory, where we can get lots of free chocolate! Ciao for now.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
There´s unlimited juice? This party is going to be off the hook!
Okay, that´s not relevant to anything I´m going to say, but it´s a good quote nonethelesss :) 10 vacation points to whoever gets it! Anyway, I have a little tale to tell from Florence.
Our last night in Florence, Sarah and I went out to go use the phones and maybe find something to eat or something. The night before, a Saturday, we had all been walking around and it was just dead out, and that Sunday night, people were bustling about all over! We found a cafe/bar place and decided it might be fun to check it out, so we went in, had some delicious fruity drinks and just danced the night away to the live music of the Acoustic Soul Duo (at least I think that´s what they were called). It was so much fun, and we were just brimming with excitement and weren´t quite ready to end the night, so we decided to go sit for a bit and chat or whatever. And the place we chose was in the Piazza Signora, right next to the Neptune fountain.
Except... we had to step over a low fence, and I mean step, because most of you know I have short legs and I remember it was easy for me even to just step over, and we sat next to the fountain and were about to have a nice little time of relaxation, when... suddenly a police car came zooming into the piazza, and two police officers came out shouting at us to leave! We were apologetic, and figured okay, we´ll just go somewhere else... but then they asked for our documentation - our passports - and we didn´t have them on us, so we gave them our licenses, and they whisked those away and led us around the corner into this obscure door. Inside, they had a room with video screens targeted solely on the statues and fountains in that piazza, and they kept telling us they had seen us on the video.
Well, we were very apologetic. At that point, we still figured it would just be a little slap on the wrist, tell us we had done something wrong, and let us be on our way... But they kept saying, "It´s not possible for you to be there!" (and later, when I wasn´t trying to be so polite, but luckily sarcasm doesn´t translate so well, I said, "Oh, you mean... it´s not allowed to be there...") - and they told us it would be a 160 euro fine (that´s about 240 dollars) - for stepping over a small little fence and sitting down next to a statue. Really? We continued to be polite at first, and we apologized, said we were just visiting the country and didn´t mean any harm to the fountain. One of the policewomen at some point said, oh, it´s okay (after we had freaked out about the fine), so we breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it would be no big deal... but then they handed a piece of paper to Sarah, asking her to sign it - and we both stopped and asked, well, what does it say? And still without making it seem like a big deal, the woman told us it said we´d gone into the fountain (again, not quite right...) and owed a 160 euro fine.
Well, neither of us ended up signing our "tickets," because they never fully explained what exactly those tickets were for, but they told us they´d just send the bill to us. (They got our addresses off of our licenses - although they did not get our license numbers, so...? We´re still not sure what to expect.) Then they told us to follow them - and we still felt like we hadn´t had a chance to explain ourselves properly, because honestly, all we had done was sit by the fountain! - and they showed us to the door and wanted us to leave. At that point, we had stopped the whole polite facade. One woman kept saying, well, it would be the same in your country, and I´m afraid I may have responded with - no, in my country it would not be the same! I´m sure they already thought we were just some dumb American girls, but especially after that... :)
Throughout it all, it was so frustrating because only a couple of the officers knew English, and we felt really bad for not knowing Italian... so we were pretty angry and a bit embarassed for a bit, and then we just thought it was hilarious and figured it´d make a good story. So, we owe the Italian government 240 dollars, each!
Our last night in Florence, Sarah and I went out to go use the phones and maybe find something to eat or something. The night before, a Saturday, we had all been walking around and it was just dead out, and that Sunday night, people were bustling about all over! We found a cafe/bar place and decided it might be fun to check it out, so we went in, had some delicious fruity drinks and just danced the night away to the live music of the Acoustic Soul Duo (at least I think that´s what they were called). It was so much fun, and we were just brimming with excitement and weren´t quite ready to end the night, so we decided to go sit for a bit and chat or whatever. And the place we chose was in the Piazza Signora, right next to the Neptune fountain.
Except... we had to step over a low fence, and I mean step, because most of you know I have short legs and I remember it was easy for me even to just step over, and we sat next to the fountain and were about to have a nice little time of relaxation, when... suddenly a police car came zooming into the piazza, and two police officers came out shouting at us to leave! We were apologetic, and figured okay, we´ll just go somewhere else... but then they asked for our documentation - our passports - and we didn´t have them on us, so we gave them our licenses, and they whisked those away and led us around the corner into this obscure door. Inside, they had a room with video screens targeted solely on the statues and fountains in that piazza, and they kept telling us they had seen us on the video.
Well, we were very apologetic. At that point, we still figured it would just be a little slap on the wrist, tell us we had done something wrong, and let us be on our way... But they kept saying, "It´s not possible for you to be there!" (and later, when I wasn´t trying to be so polite, but luckily sarcasm doesn´t translate so well, I said, "Oh, you mean... it´s not allowed to be there...") - and they told us it would be a 160 euro fine (that´s about 240 dollars) - for stepping over a small little fence and sitting down next to a statue. Really? We continued to be polite at first, and we apologized, said we were just visiting the country and didn´t mean any harm to the fountain. One of the policewomen at some point said, oh, it´s okay (after we had freaked out about the fine), so we breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it would be no big deal... but then they handed a piece of paper to Sarah, asking her to sign it - and we both stopped and asked, well, what does it say? And still without making it seem like a big deal, the woman told us it said we´d gone into the fountain (again, not quite right...) and owed a 160 euro fine.
Well, neither of us ended up signing our "tickets," because they never fully explained what exactly those tickets were for, but they told us they´d just send the bill to us. (They got our addresses off of our licenses - although they did not get our license numbers, so...? We´re still not sure what to expect.) Then they told us to follow them - and we still felt like we hadn´t had a chance to explain ourselves properly, because honestly, all we had done was sit by the fountain! - and they showed us to the door and wanted us to leave. At that point, we had stopped the whole polite facade. One woman kept saying, well, it would be the same in your country, and I´m afraid I may have responded with - no, in my country it would not be the same! I´m sure they already thought we were just some dumb American girls, but especially after that... :)
Throughout it all, it was so frustrating because only a couple of the officers knew English, and we felt really bad for not knowing Italian... so we were pretty angry and a bit embarassed for a bit, and then we just thought it was hilarious and figured it´d make a good story. So, we owe the Italian government 240 dollars, each!
More pictures!
These pictures are all out of order, but here are more from the first few weeks of our trip - Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Edinburgh, and a couple in Paris. Ah, one more week left!
Mona Lisa in the Louvre. She´s behind bulletproof glass, and she´s tiny! It doesn´t help that right across from her is the largest painting in the Louvre.
This is how close we could get to the Mona Lisa. It was just a mess of people crowding around for a picture.
Ali carrying Sarah´s backpack in Edinburgh´s airport when Sarah was sick.
Reading and eating in a cute little cafe in Edinburgh.
Abbey Road in London! I saw this on one of the days we went off separately to explore, but if the girls were with me, we probably would´ve been like the rest of the tourists getting shots of us walking across, swinging our arms...
Lounging in St. James Park, briefly. Some guy soon came by asking for money, because these lawn chairs are not free. So we got up and left.
Our English breakfast - eggs, sausage, bacon (really just ham), beans and toast.
The 3 of us in front of Westminster Abbey.
The climate change protest at Parliament. "Change the politics, save the climate." We watched them just climb up there with ladders and harnesses, and no one bothered to stop them. They did get arrested once they came down, apparently.
Quite possibly the most amazing fries we ever had, the Vlaamse Frites in Amsterdam. Good find, Sarah.
Bike lanes and bike lights all over in Amsterdam, definitely the most bike-friendly city.
In Amsterdam - I think we were sitting near the canal by our apartment.
In the Red Light District. It was pouring that day and we were freezing, when all we wanted to do was gawk at all the women in the windows!
Ali and me at the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam (the old brewery), enjoying one of our samples. I think we had just learned about the importance of foam.
Amsterdam still - Sarah, staring at the pigeons, probably contemplating getting closer. Ali, backing far, far away from the pigeons.
I think this was our first Doner Kebab experience in Berlin! Thank you, David, for reccomending them!
Mona Lisa in the Louvre. She´s behind bulletproof glass, and she´s tiny! It doesn´t help that right across from her is the largest painting in the Louvre.
This is how close we could get to the Mona Lisa. It was just a mess of people crowding around for a picture.
Ali carrying Sarah´s backpack in Edinburgh´s airport when Sarah was sick.
Reading and eating in a cute little cafe in Edinburgh.
Abbey Road in London! I saw this on one of the days we went off separately to explore, but if the girls were with me, we probably would´ve been like the rest of the tourists getting shots of us walking across, swinging our arms...
Lounging in St. James Park, briefly. Some guy soon came by asking for money, because these lawn chairs are not free. So we got up and left.
Our English breakfast - eggs, sausage, bacon (really just ham), beans and toast.
The 3 of us in front of Westminster Abbey.
The climate change protest at Parliament. "Change the politics, save the climate." We watched them just climb up there with ladders and harnesses, and no one bothered to stop them. They did get arrested once they came down, apparently.
Quite possibly the most amazing fries we ever had, the Vlaamse Frites in Amsterdam. Good find, Sarah.
Bike lanes and bike lights all over in Amsterdam, definitely the most bike-friendly city.
In Amsterdam - I think we were sitting near the canal by our apartment.
In the Red Light District. It was pouring that day and we were freezing, when all we wanted to do was gawk at all the women in the windows!
Ali and me at the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam (the old brewery), enjoying one of our samples. I think we had just learned about the importance of foam.
Amsterdam still - Sarah, staring at the pigeons, probably contemplating getting closer. Ali, backing far, far away from the pigeons.
I think this was our first Doner Kebab experience in Berlin! Thank you, David, for reccomending them!
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