Rediscovery

Thanks to Joey, I rediscovered this just now. In retrospect I am so glad I went through with this. Hopefully posting now forestalls any attempt by Blogger to deactivate this due to inactivity.

Funny to read the last post talking about applying to Michigan Law, as I currently sit toiling in the basement of the law library, a less than thrilled 1L.

Day 154 - 158 - The End

So, here's where it ends. Early tomorrow morning I'll make my way to Schiphol, and eight hours later I'll be touching down at DTW. I'm going to hold off on any kind of meta discussion of the whole experience until after I get home and maybe take a few days, or even a couple weeks, to sort out all of my feelings. Whatever that post turns out to be, the time I've spent here in Europe have been quite literally a dream come true, and I'm so incredibly fortunate to have had this opportunity to live and study in Holland and travel the continent. Europe is an awesome place, but I'm not going to get too upset about going home to my family and friends.

These last few days are going to be so boring and short.

Day 154 - Sunday

I'm really great at making lists. It's far less often that I'm able to cross everything off of them. I compiled a list of things to do. That's literally what I did. I don't remember doing anything else. I warned you these would be terrible updates. I started watching Sports Night, which somehow I never heard of before, but it's great.

Day 155 - Monday

I got my exam contract signed and turned in, because somehow a world-class institution still uses completely paper records for its large international student program. Oh, Leiden. I also de-registered from the Oegstgeest town hall, which is another thing that shouldn't matter but they make you do anyway. I grabbed a tremendous tuna BLT from that bakery on the corner of that one street and ate it along the canal, which was nice. I killed some time in Lipsius waiting for 1 pm when things open on a Monday, and then went about searching for a few gifts for the family. After my search I set about using some of the Eurocents I still have laying around, and then made my way back to the Swamp. I'm sure the rest of the day consisted of fruitlessly trying to write Law School essays and watching Sports Night.

Day 156 - Tuesday

It was hot. The problem is, though, that if you open your window, even the slightest of cracks, you're going to be devoured by bugs while you sleep. I had my window closed, and I still woke up looking completely ridiculous with bug bites all over my neck, face, arms, hands, and feet. My mom always says mosquitos love me because I'M SO SWEET, so we'll go with that.

Turns out I was lying before, and Tuesday is when I discovered Sports Night. I have no idea what I was doing any of those other nights, I guess. Watching movies, probably. Life is kind of mundane when you've run out of money to spend!

I also finally watched Pulp Fiction, after thousands of years of meaning to. I enjoyed it. Needed more Uma Thurman if you ask me. It's weird to think that John Travolta used to be in good movies.

Day 157 - Wednesday

An interesting mixture of a day. I paid my final exorbitant rent, and got my last serving of delicious kibbeling at the market. I just rode my bike around Leiden for a few hours soaking in the atmosphere of the place. If you don't end up living in the Swamp, and have a nice apartment down in the city center, I have a hard time believing there are many places more pleasant to live and study than Leiden. Wonderful Dutch town.

Wednesday was also catch up on BBC/ABC (Australian) day. I watched Episode 3 of Luther, which is just a spine-tingling, thrilling police drama starring Idris Elba, who is mesmerizing. I also finished The Shadow Line, which I thought dragged in some of the middle episodes, but had as strong and shocking a finale as there is. I also stayed up to date with Angry Boys, Chris Lilley's new show, which is pretty hilarious. Watching all this TV really isn't as bad as it sounds, you guys.

I also finished and submitted my application to Michigan Law, and I'll hear back in the next three weeks, which is exciting. I think I wrote a really strong personal statement, my other essay was solid, and the rest of the application should be equally solid, so keep your fingers crossed. I've never really expected to get in, but I really do think I put together a strong application, so we shall see. Apparently around 50 people apply each year through the Wolverine Scholar program that I'm applying through, and between 10 and 15 students are admitted each year, so the odds aren't great, but they aren't horrible either. I'll find out soon enough! Grad school applications... things are getting real!

Day 158 - Thursday

Naturally, I left basically all of my packing and cleaning for today. I did a bit of packing after I woke up, and then I met up with Chase for lunch and a final goodbye. The doner never tasted so bittersweet! It was nice to see a buddy again, and we had some good stories to share. As we were departing we saw a Fanta giveaway setting up, and naturally, when we see free stuff in Europe we cannot possibly turn it down. They weren't quite ready to begin passing out free cans, but everyone in front of the train station was circling the promoters like vultures until we all eventually converged on them and slurped down the tastiest free Fanta you'll ever have. I got back and sold my bike to Andy, and I consider the selling of one's bike to be the official point at which you have broken your ties with Holland. The end.

I've spent the rest of the day packing and cleaning. My room is immaculate and most of the common areas are pretty clean too. I'm all packed and both my bags are under the weight allowance. It's annoying that I can't pay for an extra checked bag online and have to pay the ridiculous fees at the airport, but that's life.

I took one last nostalgic walk around the Swamp just now. It would be kind of beautiful if it wasn't so ugly. In any case, I'm sure I'll miss this place deep down.

Building 14.

Sunset at the Swamp.

Pretty irredeemably ugly.

I was taking a picture of the table, didn't notice the shadows.

Goodbye, 14B.

There will be some content after I get back, but I really don't know when. I'll let you know.

Thanks to everyone who read my blog. It was a really rewarding experience, and I'm pretty proud that I can say I have a blog entry for all 158 days I spent abroad. I wouldn't have done it without constant encouragement from people who'd read it, so a heartfelt thank you to everyone who sat through all the boring, mundane updates I foisted upon you. I appreciate your indulgence.

Day 151 - 153 - Return to Holland

These are going to be way shorter, as I'm exhausted.

Day 151 - Amsterdam

We ventured to Amsterdam, grabbed some delicious fries with fritesaus, walked through Dam Square, and snaked our way through the Red Light district (don't worry Mom, Adrian's ALLERGIC to smoke!) which was unusually dead in terms of window prostitute action (I'm not complaining). We sat along the canals watching birds do silly things, and I of course took Adrian to the awesome library, where we spent some time.

We took the train back to Leiden, and stumbled upon a ridiculous festival kicking off in the way the Dutch know best - wearing costumes, cruising in boats, and getting really drunk. It was fun to watch the floats go by in the canals, and I'd never seen so many people in Leiden before, which was nice to show Adrian. We got pannekoeken, which was delicious as always, and Adrian spent most of the rest of the day engaged in conversation with my roommates.

Day 152 - Leiden

I took Adrian around Leiden for a bit, seeing some of the sights. We got coffee at the place I always take people to and had a nice time taking it easy in town. Leiden is undeniably cute and relaxing, and it was nice to spend most of a day in town soaking it all in before I leave. We ended up getting really cheap doner at the station, and after Adrian destroyed his loaner bike, he took the bus home to the Swamp as I biked home on my own. We hung out and listened to music all evening, and he once again spent hours talking with Kamil, which was cool to see.

Day 153 - Beginning of the End

Adrian departed for Berlin and Cory this morning. In basically 5.5 days I will be back in America. Pretty weird. I've been looking forward to this day for a little while, and now that it's here it's quite bittersweet. I spent a good portion of the day gearing up to get my room cleaned and packed, and the rest of the day has been devoted to getting my photos on Facebook and getting these blogs up. Unless anything interesting happens, I'll probably just blog on Thursday before I go home Friday morning, and then see if I'm compelled to write things when I get home.

Thanks to everyone who has continued to read the blog! Hope you enjoy the travel posts.

Day 147 - 150 - Italy

We sadly wished Nice a fine farewell and headed off to Florence and Rome.

Day 147 - Nice to Florence via Genova and Pisa

When we finally made it to the front of the line at the Nice train station, we were told that the last tickets they could sell to Florence had been sold to the kids in front of us, and that the best they could do was tell us to take a train to a station just inside the Italian border and try to take regional trains that the French couldn't book for us. This turned out to be a remarkably good plan of action, because not only were we able to book tickets to Florence once we got to Ventimiglia, but they were also 50% cheaper than in France, which was awesome news. The train ride along to Italian coast was breathtaking - every beach was gorgeous, and I haven't seen water so blue in person, ever.

I finished Emergency Sex as we rolled into Genova, and boy was it disillusioning re: the UN. When presented with how shockingly ineffective the organization proved in times when it was most needed, along with the disillusioned memoirs of people who were on the ground, it's so hard to have faith in the international community. But I suppose being optimistic about your ability to improve the lives of people around you is a much better way to live your life than retreating to cynicism, so we'll keep working at it.

Everything in Genova was closed, so we walked around for a little bit before grabbing some food and getting back on a really nice train to Pisa. The ride was uneventful and gorgeous, and we rolled into Pisa in a couple of hours for our next train change. We decided we might as well walk to the Leaning Tower since we were there - little did we know it was basically an hour away on foot, with few taxis in sight. We eventually made it, and the tower is really cool to see in person, if not a shade underwhelming. After a photo-op we started the long, sweaty walk back to the station, cursing how dilapidated much of Pisa was, which was disappointing. Back on the train to Florence we witnessed a guy pass out and hold up the train for a bit, and we had to stand the entire hour-long ride, which was unpleasant. After disembarking in Florence we checked into our mondo-hostel and then headed out for some pizza. I got proscuitto and it was great, but not earth-shattering. When we got back to the room we talked a bit with the precocious young couple from Baltimore before they become insufferable, and eventually fell asleep with the AC cranking.

Day 148 - Florence

Adrian and I woke up rather early for us and wandered the busy, market filled streets of Florence. The Central Market was far less impressive than Barcelona's, but I guess that's an unfair comparison to make. We made it to the Duomo, which is a truly remarkable building, and further along to Palazza Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio, and the Piazza de la Republique (or something). We wandered back to the Santa Maria Novella to meet up with my cousin Julia, who spent six weeks in Florence, and was headed back home the day after we met up. She had a crew of friends with her, and we grabbed really delicious gelato (I made the inspired decision of banana, melon, and lemon). We wandered around as a crew for a while as they looked for a mythical olive oil store (they eventually found a satisfactory replacement), and then rubbed some statue of a boar's nose - ensuring that we'll one day come back to Florence (Adrian neglected to do this custom, I think).

After Julia and her friends went back to the train station to head to their villa for checkout, Adrian and I climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo and enjoyed some really amazing views of the city. I love aerial views of cities - you read the layout and get such a cool understanding of how it works. Afterwards I got a really tremendous smoked ham and onions pizza that was one of the better things I've eaten in Europe. We were walking through the square with the Duomo when we saw a parade going by, which turned out to be the opening ceremonies for the World Water Polo Championships. When the Canadian team passed by, tourists started singing 'Oh Canada' and when the US team walked past there was a huge cheer from the crowd. The Italian team immediately following the US? The crowd began to disperse. There were SO many Americans in Florence, it was really astounding. Afterwards we browsed bookstores for a while looking at English books - I didn't get anything, but browsing for fun at bookstores is one of my favorite things to do. The only other eventful happening of the day was the decision to venture out at 1 am in search of snacks - a quest that resulted in two cheeseburgers, Oreos, and a chocolate bar. All part of a balanced diet.

Day 149 - Florence to Rome

After Adrian made a much needed purchase of a new pair of shoes, we grabbed really great sandwiches on the street and headed to the train station. We were able to get tickets on the slow-boat to Rome for pretty cheap, and while waiting around I made a new friend in a kid from Atlanta, Quentin (sp?), who was in Europe doing some summer study and work. I gave him a euro for a bus when he didn't have any change and I'm awaiting his Facebook friend request!

It was a long ride to Rome - I started Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother - and halfway through we discovered that we were sitting in the only sweltering non-air conditioned car in the whole train. After a gypsy encounter we made it to Rome, checked into our pretty decent hostel (a room all to ourselves!), and hopped on the Metro. Walking out of the dingy Metro and being greeted with the most famous building in the world, the Colosseum, was pretty awesome, and it was cool to walk around all of the ruins of ancient Rome that are still intact. We saw a bunch of really cool buildings, made it to the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon, and I felt like we got a solid evening of some of the world's most famous attractions in. We went back to our hostel, grabbed a pizza dinner, and I finished off Tiger Mother (my third book in less than 3 weeks!).

Day 150 - Around the World in 150 Days (Rome to Holland - plus the Vatican)

We checked out of our hostel, dropped Adrian's laundry off at a bizarre laundry + internet cafe + travel agent place, and headed to the Vatican. Little did we know that the Pope was delivering a public mass, and we were greeted by tens of thousands of people. We timed it impossibly well - we arrived basically as the Pope was cruising by us, and it was neat to see him so close. We stuck around for a bit of the service, but it was mostly in 1000 languages other than English, and after some photos we scrambled off to pick up Adrian's laundry. After one last delicious pizza we got on a train out to the airport and onto our flight back to Amsterdam.

It was cold and rainy when we arrived, but the weather steadily improved, and we picked up a bike for Adrian after another meal at Eazie(!). Adrian had a treacherous ride home with a giant 30 lb. backpack that was nearly as tall as he was strapped to his back and he rode one of the shittiest bikes you'll ever find, but he made it home like a champ. We both kind of collapsed in exhaustion, and I was happy to be reunited with my laptop after three long, but surprisingly not-so-painful weeks.

Selections from Italy.

Atop the Duomo.

NBD, just the Pope.

This is one of the more impressive buildings I've ever seen.

Such a tourist.

I chose the worst angle possible.

What a doof.

I love this picture. On the Ponte Vecchio.

Cousins in Firenze.

Day 143 - 146 - French Riviera

From Barcelona Adrian and I jet-set to some of the world's glitziest vacation property, the French Riviera!

Day 143 - Barcelona to Nice

After a truly terrible hostel breakfast and wasting a few hours in the air conditioned hostel lounge, Adrian and I set off to El Prat airport for our flight to Nice. The airport was really, really nice and appears to be brand-new, complete with a really nice airport open-air park in the middle. The legroom on our Spanair flight was laughably bad - the worst I've ever experienced, but thankfully it was a really short flight into Nice. We took a bus to the train station, and from there a short walk to our wonderful hostel, Hotel Pastoral. It's housed on the second floor of an apartment building, run by a really sweet young family, and I couldn't recommend it enough to anybody traveling to Nice on a budget.

Adrian and I strolled down the main drag and into the Old Town, which was really picturesque. Even more beautiful was the coast, which was hard to believe was real. We walked along the coast for a bit, down to the harbor full of multi-million dollar yachts registered in the Cayman Islands, and eventually got dinner at a fast food Indian place that was pretty decent for the price. Figuring it was the appropriate thing to do, we found some bottles of wine and headed back to the hostel, where we sat on the terrace with a group of Americans, Canadians, and Aussies and had a great time chatting into the night. This was just scratching the surface of how great the terrace would be, though.

Day 144 - Nice

We woke up kind of late and hung out on the terrace into the early afternoon with two really cool but star-crossed Australian brothers endeavoring to take scooters along the coast of France to Italy but succumbing to engine troubles almost immediately into their journey. We eventually went to the stony beach in Nice, worked on our horrific tans, and tried not to get sunburned (I still managed to miss a few spots). The water was gloriously warm and a blast to swim in, and we both made headway on the new book we were sharing, Emergency Sex (misleading title!), about UN workers' lives in the 90s.

We stopped at a supermarket on the way back and picked up fresh baguettes, croissants, meats, cheeses, and wine, and had a thoroughly French (and cheap!) meal on the terrace. We spent hours out there with a whole big group of Australians, a couple Chicagoans, and two Canadian girls who found everything I said to be uproariously funny, much to Adrian's displeasure. After some truly great conversation we rolled out as a giant group to a couple of the popular Nice bars. We first went to some Irish place with a terrible cover band and absurdly priced drinks, and eventually next door to the most popular place in town, a horrible place called Wayne's. Adrian and I were initially denied entry because of course we were, but we were alas too pathetic to not let in, standing outside while all of our other friends got inside. Once inside the first song played was "Reptilia," which was a good sign, and after some Katy Perry nonsense, "Seven Nation Army" got a rousing sing/dancealong. The night ended with "Song 2" to the delight of everyone inside. The whole crew eventually made it back to the hostel, and we exchanged some goodbyes with some of the Aussies who would be leaving early the next morning for Paris. It was another memorable night, and a lot of fun, despite the absurd dent in our wallets.

Day 145 - Monte Carlo

As always, the day started on the terrace. It seriously might be my favorite place I've been in all of Europe, that little cramped terrace, with so many interesting and funny people from all over the world. Adrian has a picture of it I'll have to find, but it won't do it justice. We took a train to Monaco to visit the fabled Monte Carlo, and the views of Villefranche and Cap D'Ail along the way were breathtaking.

It turns out, unsurprisingly, that there isn't a lot to do in Monte Carlo if you aren't fabulously wealthy. There's something very uncomfortable about knowing that you're probably the poorest person in the entire country, and overall I didn't like the feel of the place at all. Nevertheless, the displays of wealth were impressive and astounding, as a near constant parade of Rolls Royces and Bentleys in front of Le Casino attested to. We wandered around, found a full service Haagen-Dazs where I got an terrific iced coffee (with coffee ice cream!), and we ended up sitting in a park Googling billionaires and trying to determine if Cory's dad was on the Forbes list or not (he's not, haha). Adrian had a particularly "Adrian" monologue in which he proclaimed that everyone in the world is essentially working for one guy, and it was depressing and basically true and fit the character of Adrian that would appear in a movie about our lives really well. There were a couple instances this trip of Adrian saying things that were so perfectly "Adrian" that they didn't sound like they were coming from him at all, but rather from the character of Adrian in some indie movie, and it was hilarious every time.

Back in Nice we made a very fruitful H&M run, where I got the pair of pants I have been searching for for years, and a very nice button down shirt with the buttoned down corners of the collar that I'm so fond of. We grabbed more baguettes, olive oil, goat cheese, and wine (when in France!) for yet another delicious, simple, and cheap meal. There were new arrivals on the terrace, where we were institutions now, including a guy from Montreal who had a friend in Sammy at Michigan and had visited before, which was cool. There were also some wonderful girls in from Vermont that were nice to talk to, and once again the conversation drifted late into the night until we were ushered off the terrace. The south of France is tremendous. Most people in stores speak English, but I was able to use a fair bit of French with people to buy food and whatnot, which was cool.

Day 146 - Nice II

After another late start and regrettably terrible Chinese fast food, we attempted to catch a train to Cannes. Unfortunately, the ticket machines in Nice do not take American credit cards or cash, and with only one ticket window open, I couldn't justify waiting a half hour to spend my money to go to a beach when Nice was beckoning for free, so we bailed on Cannes. After changing in our hostel we bumped into two Michigan grads also staying there, which was funny, and we got the great story of how they previously stayed with an OSU grad who hadn't heard the news about the crumbling of Columbus - and had to hear about everything from two gloating Michigan kids!

We spent another 4-5 hours at the beach in Nice, with the added wrinkle of having the approach runway at the Nice airport switched such that planes were landing in front of us all day, which was fun. There was free gazpacho that we lost our minds for (free anything in Europe!), and there might not be a nicer activity than reading on the beach. We once again ate a dinner of baguettes and cheese, and spent what must have amounted to five hours talking with the girls from Vermont, a couple from New Zealand, our Aussie bros, and two newcomers from New Orleans, a pair of nice guys. I just cannot stress what a pleasant time we'd have on this terrace with a breeze rolling in as night fell, wine in our glasses and good conversation in every direction.

At some point we decided that going for a swim would be a great idea. Adrian and I accompanied our trio of Catamounts, Hank from New Orleans, and the couple from New Zealand down to the beach and we all rushed into the rolling waves. It was really, really special. The moon was almost full, and there were incredible views of villas all along the coast lit up at night. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments, and I'm so grateful for that night. After walking back we talked in the kitchen as long as it was tolerated, and begrudgingly went to bed, but not before giving all the contact information to Heidi - who still hasn't gotten in contact with us! Haha, I'll give it some more time, I suppose.

Go to Nice.

Here are some pictures.

The famed terrace.

Pictures don't do it justice.

My life in a bag.

There might be some unintentional pornography in here.

What a doof!

View on the street below our room.

Adrian in Monte Carlo.

I like it. Now to get rid of Adrian's dumb timestamp.

I'm gonna do this! Italy and Holland left to do!

Day 139 - 142 - Barcelona

From Dublin, it was on to sunny Barcelona!

Day 139 - Dublin to Barcelona

Ryanair has always been talked about as the worst flying experience in Europe, and Adrian and I were expecting the worst, but the three hour flight from Dublin to Barcelona on the continent's cheapest airline was actually not so bad. We got into steamy Barcelona in the late evening, and made it to our wonderful hostel around 10:30, where we were promptly greeted by Ankit, Alan, and Liz. I'd seen Ankit and Alan in Amsterdam and it was great to see them again, and it was especially great to see Spain's newest transplant, Liz, who's living in Madrid for the summer (read her blagh here). After moving our stuff into our tiny 6-bed dorm, we all went down to the hostel's very nice terrace bar and spent some time catching up, which was great.

With Liz taking on the role of navigator we all set off on the Metro to an area that the incredibly gabby hostel guy said would be a good spot for food and nightlife. We got pretty good doner and cervezas in a buzzing area, and set off in search of some bars to go to. The first one we ended up in had a really nice vibe, and we realized five minutes in that it was a gay bar, which was amusing - when you looked around and thought about it for a second, the only ladies in the place were Liz and the bartender! We eventually moved on to an Irish bar that was rocking pretty steadily, and had a great time in our state of questionable sobriety. The music selection was most interesting to me, as they played a Kings of Leon song from at least three different albums, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and multiple Kaiser Chiefs songs. There was a great moment when Adrian and I thought a song was "Oh My God" by Kaiser Chiefs, determined that it wasn't, and then the NEXT song was "Oh My God." Needless to say, we lost it.

Afterwards we wandered into the protest zone, which was pretty sleepy at night, but seemed like a chill place to sit down and soak in the atmosphere. We ended up meeting a goofy Swiss guy who helped us navigate the layout of the protest encampment, and Adrian had a ridiculous exchange with a guy selling beers that I'll never forget for the absurdity of the moment. We finally decided it was time to go home (it was probably 4:45 at this point), and we all piled into a taxi to take us back to the hostel. The taxi driver, however, said he would only take four of us, so Liz and I climbed back out to get another taxi. As Alan, Adrian, and Ankit sped off without a care in the world, Liz and I made the strange decision to completely bypass the waiting taxis behind us and began a ridiculous quest to walk back to the hostel. We eventually grabbed a cab - who proceeded to get us lost - and ended up wandering around the streets of Barcelona at 6 in the morning with only a semblance of where we were going (I was more convinced of our route than Liz, for the record :)). Eventually we found a cab driver to get us back to hostel, and I ended up climbing into bed well after 6 in the morning. It was a most glorious night in Barcelona, and one I probably will never forget.

Day 140 - Barcelona II

In the morning we headed out as a big crew to Mont Juic, a mountain in the city with a palace and the Olympic Park amongst other attractions. There was a weird NBA event going on in the streets surrounding the place, which was kind of funny to watch - far too hot to actually be playing sports, though. There were escalators up the mountain, which were both ridiculous and amazing, and we rode them basically all the way to the top to see the really beautiful Olympic grounds. We walked through some gardens, lounged in some shade, and eventually descended back down on our outdoor escalators to head over to La Rambla to meet up for a Gaudi tour. Liz had some trouble with the doors to the Metro - if only we had the video - but we all made it intact otherwise.

The Gaudi tour was really cool, and while there was a high walking to sights ratio, there were some really amazing buildings on the tour, including the famous Sagrada Familia. Gaudi's works are simply astounding in their ambition, and it's really remarkable to me that not only did he dream them up more than a hundred years ago, but that such outrageous buildings were welcomed at the turn of the 20th century. Taking in the Sagrada Familia is quite the experience.

We ended up getting some sketchy food near our hostel - I had a calamari sandwich after I was assured it was a local thing - and sending Liz back off to Madrid for the rest of the summer. After she left we went back to the room and chatted for a couple hours with our Canadian roommates, which was fun. Ankit and I then set out to teach Alan and Adrian euchre, which was a pretty hilarious happening. They eventually picked it up well enough to play games without much hand-holding, and ended up really enjoying it. Alan and I closed out the night just sitting in the park in the median across from our hostel soaking in the atmosphere of the cool night.

Day 141 - Barcelona III

After answering some panicked emails from my mom - I hadn't been on the internet in a few days - we took the Metro to the general area of the beach. After delicious durum, we strolled out on the beach, which was gorgeous. The sand was nice, the water was warm, and there were people everywhere. Adrian and I ended up swimming out to a rock jetty and promptly stepping on all the sea urchins in the sea, apparently, and then proceeded to spend a few minutes pulling spines from our feet (everyone had the misfortune of a similar fate). It was cool to explore the warm waters in between the rocks, as they were full of sea life.

As we were leaving we found ourselves caught up in a massive holiday that resulted in tons of marching bands and dancers parading through the streets, which was fun to watch. We went back to the hostel and were playing euchre on the deck when I guy walked past us, only to do a double take, walk back to our table, and ask "What are you guys playing?" incredulously. "You must be from Michigan," I said to him after we told him it was indeed euchre, and he was in fact from Michigan, and Ankit and I ended up vanquishing him and his buddy while they regaled us with stories of cliff diving in Switzerland. After showers we headed out in search of paella. We ended up overpaying, but Alan and I split a seafood and chicken paella that was really quite good and I couldn't complain too much. We made it back to the Irish bar we went to earlier, but it was much less crowded and the music was bizarrely missing the bass track on every song, to disastrous consequences. The highlight, however, was our impromptu "All-Star" singalong. Everybody loved Smashmouth when they were 10.

Day 142 - Barcelona IV

We ventured out to St. Joseph's Market, which was full of amazing fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, cheeses, and candy. It was really vibrant and fun to walk around, and we ended up getting delicious organic, vegetarian tacos with salad, and I washed mine down with fresh kiwi juice and more fresh fruit. Afterwards we walked around the Gothic Quarter, which was nice, and we did get to see an awesome harp player who was probably my favorite street performer in Europe.

Next up was Park Guell, which was Gaudi-designed, and was amazing. There were great views from the top (escalators up the side again, duh), and the park itself is beautiful and relaxing. We spent a few hours there just soaking in the tropical vibe, complete with parrots! On our way back to the city center we got delicious baguettes with oil and meat, and ventured back to Mont Juic to see the Magic Fountain Alan had been hyping since our arrival. Unfortunately it wasn't in operation, but we still had a nice time soaking in the atmosphere and watching all sorts of goofy dogs play with each other. The night was complete with more durum near the hostel, and plenty more euchre. Now I want to play with my family again!

This was the last full day in Barcelona. I had a truly memorable time, and enjoyed every second of my time in Spain. It was especially great getting to do stuff with so many friends, and I can't wait to see all of you guys again soon.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Barcelona.

Not quite.

Pictures just don't do it justice.

One of Gaudi's houses.

Group dynamic!

The boys at Park Guell.

Gumbies!

The whole crew!

Adrian took this, and I think it's amazing.

So much Gumby House love.

Still plugging right along. I should finish up this evening.

Day 131 - 138 - Ireland

It's been more than three weeks since I last blogged, but I'm back home in Holland and I'll try my best to have the entire trip up on the blog by the end of the weekend.

Day 131 - Dublin

I arrived in Dublin after a short flight and took a bus to meet Adrian - the first time I'd seen him since January. We dropped my stuff off at his lovely cousin Sheila's apartment and then hopped on the tram to St. Stephen's Green. From there we cruised around Grafton Street and ended up wandering all over - Temple Bar and O'Connell Street included. We were being remarkably indecisive about where to eat (this will be a theme) and ended up being drawn in to a chain fast food place, Supermac's, because they were advertising an "Obama Burger" that ended up being a fine burger, but we came away with little clue as to why it was named after our fair Head of State. Afterward we went to Madigan's pub on O'Connell street to pay homage to my middle name and mother's side of the family (we later heard Madigan's is a chain?) and had a couple pints.

Afterwards we walked back to St. Stephen's Green, passing a kid in an MSU hat who Adrian booed, and sat in the park people watching until the 9 pm bell was rung to vacate. We wandered around for a while more before heading back to Sheila's and watching A Time To Kill on TV with one of her roommates, which turned out to be quite good. The night was capped off with some curry fries from a place nearby.

Day 132 - Dublin II

We started the day off inauspiciously at 2 with lunch at an Indian place that was recommended to us. I enjoyed my lamb korma but Adrian can't stop talking about how terrible the food was there (in fairness, it was strangely sweet), and each re-telling of the story makes the pretty decent food more and more inedible. Afterward we met up with Cory, in town for a day before heading off to his Summer in Berlin. We made our way to the Guinness Storehouse, and did the tour, complete with pints in the gravity bar.

Afterwards we didn't have much idea of what to do, so we wandered back towards the centre of town and ended up deciding a movie was a better killer of a few hours than a pub, so we saw Pirates 4, which was entertaining enough but kind of dumb at this point. Cory had been to Dublin before and wanted to go to this hipster bar called the George Bernard Shaw, so we walked more or less 100 KM to find it. When we finally did locate the place the bouncer accused my Michigan driver's license of being fake but let me in anyway, which was amusing. I wanted to ask him why I would get a fake ID that didn't say I was 21, but decided against it and followed the guys in. It was certainly THE hangout for Dublin's hippest alt-kids, and after spending all of the money in the world (Ireland on a whole was preposterously expensive) stopped off for a late night meal before taking a cab back to Sheila's.

Day 133 - Dublin III

We ventured out into the rainy morning for some breakfast, and ended up getting absolutely delicious corned beef and potato hash from a place called Dillinger's - the only negative was ordering a ginger beer only to have it come in a 113 ml bottle. Completely absurd. We had a window seat and saw a guy walk past in a University of Michigan hoodie that I'd never seen before, which was strange, and perhaps the first time in Europe I'd seen someone wearing a legitimate UofM article of clothing. After breakfast Cory scrambled off to Berlin, and Adrian and I lounged around for a while watching the Nadal-Federer French Open final. BBC2 did an amazing job with their coverage, FWIW. Very artful.

Later in the evening we took a regional train along a very scenic coastal route to Bray, where we met up with a bunch of Adrian's family, including his parents, and then drove out to the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt where they were staying. This was my first taste of how beautiful the Irish countryside is, complete with the majestic Sugar Loaf mountain. We skipped Gordon Ramsay's restaurant and went to the pub downstairs instead, where I got terrific fried chicken and chips. We had a mini-moment when we thought the people sitting behind us were Aston Villa's Steven Ireland and his girlfriend, but it turned out we were a little overexcited and misidentified them.

Day 134 - Galway

After delicious chicken sandwiches from a nice gourmet deli called Donnybrook Fair (more from DF later) and missing our train due to unforeseen delays caused by a marathon in Dublin, Adrian and I boarded a bus to Galway, a popular town on the western coast. The bus ride was pleasant enough, but really long, and we pulled into Galway in the late evening. Adrian's cousin in Galway was unable to meet up with us after sustaining a concussion, so we had to check into a hostel when we arrived, and ours was on the main strip of town. The guy at reception, funnily enough, played with his band in Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids while on tour with Tyvek. They played somewhere in Corktown that's unfamiliar, but he remembered the Michigan Central Depot well, unsurprisingly.

After wandering around indecisively looking for food (in our defense, everything was so expensive!) we settled on a nice little pub where I got a really good (and filling) shepherd's pie. Our frustration with European drink sizes continued, but it was assuaged by the ridiculous 80s pop the bar was playing. After eating we walked down by the canals that led out to sea, and walked around the very scenic docks for a while before calling it a night. Surprisingly, most of our hostel room was already asleep when we came in early in the night - a sign that surely drink prices are too high for travelers in Ireland!

Day 135 - Galway II

After toast and jam for breakfast we hopped on a crowded tour bus for a trip to the Cliffs of Moher. The tour guide was pretty awkward at first and told some rather terrible stories, but once he got his groove he was funny and knowledgeable. We first stopped at the Ailwee Caves, which was cool, and got some great views of the very striking landscape of the Burren region. The Burren is home to all kinds of wildlife, and is easily recognized by its limestone mountains. We cruised through assorted sites of mild importance, until we finally arrived at the Cliffs of Moher, which were pretty spectacular. I'd seen a lot of pictures but they just cannot prepare you for the sheer size of reality. The countryside in general was very gorgeous - incredibly green, and yet barren and romantic.

We got lunch at a pub nearby - a great seafood chowder for me - and then headed back to Galway. At the hostel we hung around for a while, talking to a kid from Connecticut that had a mutual friend with Adrian, and a PTSD-ing Brit apparently on the run from the law and seeking refuge in the bars of Galway. Adrian and I were pretty poor at this point, and decided for a meal on the cheap at McDonald's, which was predictably disappointing. After grabbing some ice cream we went back to the hostel, before getting bored and venturing back out to the river. We saw a seal, which was awesome, before retiring to our new, hilariously loud room. Sleep was interesting.

Day 136 - Galway III

We checked out of our hostel and booked a tour to Connemara. Since we were the only people for the later tour the company ended up driving us out an hour into the countryside to meet up with the earlier tour group, which struck me as an un-European way of handling a customer service issue. Connemara was absolutely breathtaking. Mountains, lakes, sheep - it didn't matter that the weather was once again cold and rainy. We went to Kylemore Abbey - a 19th century mansion in a valley, surrounded by mountains and complete with giant walled gardens. After a disappointing lunch of spinach & salmon quiche and broccoli soup we headed back towards Galway, stopping at Ireland's only fjord on the way.

We took a bus back to Dublin upon our return - a ride that turned out to be pretty terrible with a screaming baby and tweens watching anime at full volume on a laptop. We grabbed some food when we returned and then took the trains back to Bray. We reunited with Adrian's parents and spent the night at the Ritz - on a rollaway bed, that is. It was all very nice and gracious of Adrian's family, so if this makes it to any of the Flynns, thanks for your hospitality!

Day 137 - Dublin IV

Breakfast was the most delicious scone I've ever had from a small bakery in Eniskerry. Since it was the day of the wedding I split off from Adrian and headed back into Dublin as he headed out into the countryside. Back at Sheila's I watched some classically British TV (a replay of England-Switzerland and Top Gear) before heading back to Donnybrook Fair for another tremendous sandwich (I would go back there for 5 consecutive meals). I took a train from Ranelagh to St. Stephen's Green and read Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down in the park. I did more stolling around Grafton Street, walked around the beautiful Trinity College, and headed back to Ranelagh when the rain got too heavy to make sightseeing viable.

I spent the rest of the day reading, eating sandwiches from DF, and watching American TV comedies with Sheila's British roommate. After a bunch of days of sightseeing and spending all of my money, it was nice to just have a day to take it easy. Much like the next day.

Day 138 - Dublin V

I woke up with more Top Gear and DF, this time enjoying my ham, brie, and cranberry sauce baguette in a park near Sheila's apartment. Afterwards I took the Metro into town and visited Dublin Castle and Christchurch Cathedral, which were both impressive. I was desperately in need of a new pair of jeans (my trusty pair has a massive hole in the crotch from bike riding!) and checked out a few stores, but even H&M was overpriced. I was also looking for Madigan stuff in the Dublin gift shops but couldn't find anything. After yet another (I wasn't kidding - it was a tremendous value) DF meal I settled back in at the apartment, finishing A Long Way Down a little more than a day after I started it. It felt really good to be reading again.

Adrian and Sheila got back late, and it was good to have Adrian back and hear some good stories from the wedding. This was my last full day in Ireland, and I have to say that I was ready to move on with the trip at this point. The countryside is gorgeous and the people are really nice, but the weather and expense of everything were a big drag, and it was time to move on to Barcelona.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Ireland.

Kylemore Abbey

Connemara

Cory, Adrian, Me

Madigans

So stately

I liked this one

Cliffs of Moher

Galway

Obama Burger!

Barcelona post is next, followed by the French Riviera, Italy, and the last couple of days back in Holland. Long day/night ahead of me.