Back in the USA!

Dear followers,

I apologize for the lack of blog update. I would like to briefly inform you that I arrived safely in Seattle without a hitch on Saturday, May 15th. I have since taken a two week break from everything, where I spent my time at home with my family watching TV and visiting with friends and doing very little else (I did catch Iron Man 2, though).

I promise to update with a more indepth return blog entry soon, so stay tuned! My semester is over, but the blog has more to come!

Number One: The 10 Things I Learned in Europe

Well, I have finally sat through an entire episode of Dr. Who. This episode was a new one, featuring the new doctor who has caused a lot of debate and controversy in the Dr. Who fanbase. It was a really good episode though, full of aliens and vampires in medieval Venice. I'm pretty close to changing my number one slot of the 10 things I learned in Europe to be something about how awesome Dr. Who is, but I won't. I'm very tempted though, let me tell you!

I spent my last day today shopping with Hilary and her friend Stephanie. When I say shopping, I mean to say that I forgot my wallet because I conveniently have it packed away in my carry on bag, and so I followed Hilary and Stephanie around souvenir shops in Picadilly Circus and around clothing shops in Oxford Circus. I did happen to see Ruby and Amber outside H&M in Oxford Circus, proving once again what a small world we really live in. So I got a final goodbye in with Ruby before I leave tomorrow. That girl is incredibly sweet.

I came home for dinner, and had just barely missed Maggie. She left me a pizza and a note. I had been invited to go to a pub with Hilary, but I thought I would wait around for Maggie to return before going out, just in case I missed her tomorrow morning. However, it is nearly 10:30 and there is still no sign of Maggie. So instead, I have spent the evening watching TV. Hopefully Maggie will return before I go to bed...

At any rate, this is the final blog post from London, and so here is the moment we have all been waiting on bated breath for:

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:

1. When traveling by yourself around Europe, stay in a hostel. Hostels are like living in co-ed dorms at college, or like going off to summer camp. You get placed in a room with anywhere from three to eight strangers, and most of the people staying at the hostel are other students studying in other parts of Europe. What you all have in common is a desire to discover new places and try new things, and so staying in a hostel gives you the perfect opportunity to make new friends. In Rome alone, I befriended a teacher from Sweden, got free drinks with a group of girls from Georgia and Tennessee, discussed politics with a guy from New York, met a guy from California who had family in Tacoma and Seattle, and befriended the bar tenders who were from Romania, among other people. In Spain, I went to see a flamenco show with a girl from Calgary, and then went out for drinks and tapas afterword.

Traveling by yourself can be scary and stressful, especially when you do not speak the language. So the best thing you can do is find a good quality hostel and go hang out in the lounge or bar!

Finally, in closing, I have this little nugget of wisdom:

Visiting new places and seeing beautiful and historic cities is absolutely incredible. The people are frequently incredibly friendly, welcoming, and helpful to visitors, and there are so many new things to experience. It is so easy to fall in love with a place, and to enjoy every second of your time. However, at the end of the day, everyone still has one place they call home, and eventually home is where you want to return to. As warm and friendly as the people of Dublin are, as exciting as the city of London is, and as beautiful the country of Norway is, no place will ever compare to the beautiful blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, the majestic sight of Mt. Rainier, or the natural beauty of the Evergreen State. I am sad to be leaving London; I have spent the last two days thinking to myself "this is the last time I will do this." I will miss enjoying the scent of Liz's fresh fruit at lunch, I will miss Whitney's sarcasm, I will miss everything about Ruby, I will miss Hannah's brain farts in class, I will miss Susie's posh English accents, I will miss Maggie's chats. I will even miss the blasted Tube, and the crazy 80s patterns on the seats. I will miss hearing British accents everywhere, although you can't imagine how much I miss hearing American accents. But ultimately, I am happy to be returning home, because the fact is, no place on earth can compare to the Pacific Northwest. And let's face it, Washington kicks Oregon's butt!

One More Day!

Well, thanks to my blog subject, I now have music from Les Miserables in my head. I suppose that's fitting; the show first opened in London, and this year is the 25th anniversary of it.

Anyway; I have just finished packing my two suitcases, and I am sweating from the effort which went in to zipping up my smaller suitcase. I hope that I was entertaining the people across the street, as I had the curtains open and I was right by the window. I was sitting on my suitcase, lying on it, doing every silly thing I could think of. Eventually, I got it zipped up. Phew! I don't have the means to weigh my suitcases, so I hope that I managed to evenly distribute the weight between my bags.

Well, as I have mentioned in past blog entries, yesterday was the final day at AHA. The beginning of the day felt like any other school day; everyone was so focused on finishing homework and getting our finals out of the way. However, by the time the last final wound down and we were preparing for the tea party, it began to feel like the end. As Ruby put it, it was like the end of high school, only cooler (and therefore sadder). And it's true, it does feel like the end of high school did. Hugging Maggie, Leah, and Martin goodbye yesterday was very sad, because who knows if and when I will see them again? I'm far less concerned about seeing the other students, as everyone lives in Washington or Oregon and it's a lot easier to stay in touch among us. The picture you see here, by the way, is of Maggie and Leah. Maggie was our housing coordinator, and Leah is the administrative assistant. Leah is also an American. They both were always full of helpful suggestions of things to do and places to go, as well as advice when needed.

The tea party was a blast apart from the fact that it was our last day ever at AHA. Leah outdid herself putting together the party, with lots of goodies (which disappeared very quickly), tea, and two kinds of punch: virgin and spiked. It was ridiculously exciting having alcohol at a school function. But then, that's England for you. We had classes held in pubs.

Now that I'm packed, I can go out and enjoy my last day here in London. I have plans to hang out with Hilary, who still has two weeks here in London before she returns to Seattle. After going out, I promise to post the final installment of the 10 things list, and then Rufus has to get packed up in my carry on in preparation for leaving tomorrow.

I will be leaving for the airport at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning, in order to arrive around 9:30 to check in for my 12:30 flight. From the point I leave London to the point I arrive in Seattle, I will spend 18 and a half hours tomorrow traveling. It only takes 13 hours, but I have a five hour layover in Chicago where I will have nothing to do but sit and waste my life away. Oh, how exciting. But the happy news is that eventually, I will be home, where I can hug my kitties! Oh yeah, and see people too, I guess. (I'm kidding, I'm excited to see people too)

A Lovely Day for a Tea Party!

My finals are officially finished, and just in time, as my poor finger probably cannot take any more writing today! If I didn't stop soon, I was afraid my hand might have locked up and I would have looked like a gargoyle or Igor or something.

The tea party commences in half an hour, and that will conclude my final day at AHA. I am officially finished with my semester in London and my second-to-last year of college. Yikes!

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is the menu for today's tea party.

End of Term Tea Party Menu
Drinks
Twinning's Afternoon Tea
Pimm’s Summer Punch (alcoholic)
Sparkling Cranberry Punch

Sandwiches
Cucumber Tea
Tuna Salad
Free Range Egg Salad
Avocado, Tomato, and Mixed Leaf Lettuce

Strawberry Cream Scones
Mini scones layered with fresh strawberry jam and cream topped with a slice of strawberry

Vol au Vents andMini Quiches (vegetarian and meat)

Premiere Petits Fours and Patisserie Selection
Handmade French petits fours, chocolate and coffee éclairs, peach and raspberry tartlets, vanilla and hazelnut choux
Strawberries

Crudités
Freshly cut carrots, cucumbers, mixed peppers and celery served with hummus, guacamole, and sour cream and chive dip

Cheese & Biscuits Platter
A classic selection of European cheeses:
English Cheddar, Red Leister, French Brie, Turkish Feta

Number Two: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Well, as of right now, I have only one final and a tea party between me and home. The tea party, by the way, is sounding extremely amazing. A menu has been posted in the hallway downstairs in the AHA building, and I keep reading it because so many delightful goodies will be at our tea party this afternoon! I think I'll have to ask Leah for a copy of it to post in my blog, just to make you readers jealous. Er, I mean, as a memento to myself for the future.

I have taken two finals today; Shakespeare and my novel final. Between the two finals, I have written a total of 10 and a half pages. Hand-written. I now have a little blister on the knuckle of my ring finger on my right hand, and the entire hand feels cramped up and sore. Oh, life. My last final to write is for my art history class, and that should go over easier. Hopefully my hand will survive it, and then guess what dear reader? My junior year of college will be 100% complete!

Alright, without further ado, here is the SECOND TO LAST INSTALLMENT of the countdown, meaning that I go home in two days! Whoo hoo!

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:
2. The American stereotype that everyone in the world speaks English is not too far from accurate. Most countries in Europe teach English in their schools, and so finding somebody who speaks fluent English is never much of a feat.
Naturally, of course, there are exceptions.
In Latvia, for example, younger generations will speak fluent English, but older people frequently do not. So the second you start speaking English, everybody looks at you as if you have come from a different planet. It is a bit disconcerting.
Spain is the opposite of America. In America, everyone speaks English, and in the off chance somebody speaks another language, it's likely to be Spanish. So in Spain, everyone speaks Spanish, and why should they bother to learn any other language?
And in France (because I enjoy bashing on France), most people speak English but they can't be bothered to speak in English to you.
Then, of course, there are countries where the citizens don't all speak the same language, and so the common language among them is sometimes English. A prime example of this is Belgium, where part of the country speaks French, and part of the country speaks Flemish, and many people do NOT speak both.

So, travelers, go ahead. Assume the entire world will speak English for you. Because odds are, most people do.

Alright; one more final to go!

Number Three: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Apparently, I am incapable of walking in cities. It doesn't matter what city I am in or where, I simply am unable to walk in a city without rolling my ankle and hurting myself. This tends to be exacerbated by cobblestones in Europe, but I have a tendency to hurt myself in Seattle, as well. Today, I rolled my ankle twice while walking on perfectly flat sidewalk. My ankles just do not like walking in cities.

Now that that important comment is out of the way, we can make our way with this blog entry. I took my first final today; it was nice and simple, and fairly pain-free, I have to say. So now the countdown to home is 3 days, 3 finals, and a tea party. We're getting there, folks! I would also like to correct a mistake from Monday's entry (installment number 5): I said that the number one slot of the countdown would be on Saturday; I mis-counted. The number one slot will, in fact, fall on Friday, and so we will have a complete countdown by the time I physically depart this city, country, and continent on Saturday.

And now that the business end of this blog entry has been sorted out, I bring you the next installment of the countdown; we're almost there!

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:

3. When visiting cathedrals, there is a 50/50 chance that the cathedral you want to visit will be free. Some charge, some don't. If you do not want to pay to visit a cathedral (and why should you?), a simple way around this is to attend a church service at the cathedral. This way you can go in for free and peek around the cathedral while the devout are praying. It's okay, you won't be the only heathen in there, so you'll have company with you in hell! And if you're a Lutheran like me, you're naturally a heathen in any Catholic church. This is also a fascinating way to observe the locals and their crazy traditions!

Of course, some cathedrals operate on donations, as opposed to a set admission fee. So if you're feeling generous, you could always make a donation. Depending on the size of said donation, you might be able to secure your spot in Heaven, thus making your previous blasphemous visit to church null.

Now that we've established how you can see a church for free, here is a brief guide to famous cathedrals and whether or not they charge:

Notre Dame in Paris and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome are free to go in, but they have extra sights which do cost a small admission fee inside.

Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral in London both charge admission fees.

Bath Cathedral in Bath and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Stratford operate on donations.

Well, now that this necessary update has been completed, it's time for me to prepare for tomorrow's finals!

Uff-da! We're Not in Kansas, But We Might Be in the Pacific Northwest

Well, my last full weekend in Europe, I took a super cheap flight to Oslo Rygge airport and spent the weekend in Oslo, Norway with Corrine. The weekend flew by extremely quickly, as we spent copious amounts of time in airports trying to catch up on sleep. However, it was fun, even if Oslo is extremely expensive!

Before Oslo, however, we went to see a traveling production of A Midsummer Night's Dream on Thursday at The Globe. This show was absolutely incredible! I had a standing ticket, and I managed to snag a spot front and center, where I could lean against the stage and stare up in awe at the actors. I love the dream, it is probably my favorite Shakespeare play ever. It is certainly much deeper and more entertaining than that droll Romeo and Juliet, and this production was so much more fabulous than the production of Macbeth we had the misfortune of standing through last Tuesday at the Globe. That show was reminiscent of an extremely cheesy haunted house; not something Shakespeare had in mind, I dare say.

The cast of this fabulous production consisted of 8 actors total; 4 men and 4 women. 8 actors meant there was double-casting, which was a riot to watch, as Shakespeare frequently double-cast parts in his day. Whenever there was a scene change and the actors had to switch characters, they incorporated an impressively choreographed dance number, where they would change each others' costumes. Puck was a sexy little vixen (a woman dressed like a cabaret dancer, basically), Helena and Hermia were bratty little teenagers, Bottom was a complete and utter ass, and the entire show was just fabulous! I cannot stop raving about it, and I am so glad that my final theatre production in London got to be such a fantastic experience!

After the show, Corinne and I made our way to Stansted Airport, where we spent the night on the floor. Friday morning, we flew to Oslo and spent the day exploring the city. We saw the Royal Palace, Parliament, and went to see the fjord. We found a statue of FDR, which was strange, and we walked over by a castle and fortress. We also went to have a beer at the Hard Rock Cafe, where I payed $12 for a Guinness, making that the most expensive beer I have had in my life. Admittedly, that's not saying much, as I haven't been drinking beer very long. After exploring Oslo, we went back to our hostel where we got some sleep in real beds for one night.

On Saturday, we got up around 10:00, checked out of the hostel, and then made our way to the open-air Norwegian Folk Museum. To get there, we caught a ferry. By sheer accident, we somehow managed to take the ferry for free. We walked around the museum, and I introduced Corrine to fresh, traditional lefse, which a couple ladies were making in one of the huts in the park. After exploring the museum, we took the ferry back to the city, and we managed through more dumb luck to meet up with Even.

So Even took us around the city a little bit; he couldn't quite show us around as a local, as he doesn't know Oslo very well himself. But Even took us to the opera house, which is a new building and it's built in such a way that you can walk right up the roof of the opera house and look over Oslo. We went to a souvenir shop so that I could buy a souvenir spoon for Grandma Simpson (something Even says he keeps meaning to do, but always forgets. So he helped me pick out the perfect Norway spoon for her), and I commented to Even that everything in the souvenir shop is something I could easily find in Parkland. I had never quite realized before visiting Norway just how similar Norway and the Pacific Northwest are.

Next on the agenda, we caught a tram across the city to the sculpture park, where we wandered around for a little while looking at all the sculptures. Many of the sculptures were tangles of bodies, which I found amusing. We sat up by a column constructed entirely of human figures, and we just chatted. Then we made our way back to Oslo, and eventually Corinne and I caught a bus back to the airport, where we spent the night once again. Due to limited time and money, we didn't see a lot of Oslo, but we enjoyed the time spent there, and it was nice visiting with Even again.

Sunday morning, we arrived back in London at 7:30 AM, and I eventually walked back in to my homestay at 10:30, where I promptly climbed in to bed and slept for five hours. Now that I am back on a regular sleep pattern and my final homework assignments are completed, the only things standing between me and home are 4 finals and a teaparty. I got a taste of home last weekend in Oslo; and in four days I'll be back in my real home!

Number Four: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Well, I am in the process of writing my final paper for the term! I was on a roll with it, but I seem to have come to some road construction, and now I have to sit and wait until the construction workers flip their sign from "stop" back to "slow" to let me drive around. I thought now would be a good time to give today's addition to the 10 things countdown! Also, I would like to add that I am fairly stoked that in four days I will be home!! To be even more precise, I will be home in four days, 14 and a half hours.

Once this last paper is written, I have my finals to take, a tea party to attend, and then my Friday is wide open. I have to pack, but that shouldn't take too long, so I can spend my last full day in London doing whatever last minute stuff I feel like doing. And Saturday I will try my hardest not to die of boredom as I waste my life away sitting in airports by myself. At least once I arrive in Chicago, I'll have my phone service back!! Oh, AT&T, I have missed you. Orange Mobile is not good by any means.

And now, after that extremely dull update (I apologize for making you sit through that), here is the latest installment to the countdown.

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:

4. In Helene Hanff's novel 84 Charing Cross Road, she writes that in London, you can find any sort of London that you go looking for. This is truer than you can possibly imagine. You can read a Dickens novel or an Austen novel and you will find the exact same London they describe. If you go to Oxford, you will be surrounded by dodo birds, the life story of the real-life Alice, and looking glasses. Or, if you want to find a more modern side of London, you never have to look hard to find the magical world of Harry Potter. It's all there, and you don't have to pay a cent to discover any of it. It's just one way of making an expensive country a bit more enjoyable.

Likewise, if you want to have a good time in most European cities on the cheap, so many art museums are free to visit, and other famous sites frequently have a free day once a month. Quality research on the attractions you want to visit can help you save some money - and trust me, this part of the world is so much more expensive than anywhere in America (and that includes The Big Apple, folks).

Number Five: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Well, I have half an hour to kill until my next class today (and after today, I will only have three more days of classes!), and so I thought that I would update my blog using the school computers. Surprisingly, for once, there's an open computer. Most of the students brought their laptops with them so they could finish up their paper (which is due in half an hour) at the last minute.

And so here is today's installment in the 10 things countdown list. It has just occurred to me that the number one slot will be on Saturday, and that is the day I leave. I probably will not update on Saturday, so look for the number one slot late Friday night!

Tonight, I have another paper to work on, which is not due until Thursday. However, the goal to get it finished early has been set so that I may go to Harrod's with Annie tomorrow (followed by one last Wine Tuesday) without having to stress out about my paper. And my final exams begin on Wednesday. Friday is a free day to pack and enjoy my final day in London, and then Saturday I GET TO GO HOME! Hurray!

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:
5. If you are relying on the Tube as your mode of transportation, expect delays, line closures, and just a general headache. If you give yourself plenty of extra time, you will, naturally, arrive early. However, if you expect things to run smoothly, your journey will somehow take two hours. And you will need to take 5 lines, as opposed to taking the one line which is a straight shot. For more tips on surviving the Tube system, see my past rants on the bloody system.

Number Six: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Good news; I now have two paragraphs written in my paper! Well, at least it will be finished on time, and I am retaining my sanity. After this paper, I have one more paper to write (by Thursday), and four final exams to take (one on Wednesday, three on Thursday). The good news about having so much homework is that it means that time will fly by until I get to go home! At this point, 6 days feels like an eternity, and I just cannot wait to be surrounded by American accents, eating fatty foods, hugging people, and snuggling up with my cats. But, until then, it's finals week...

The 10 things I Have Learned in Europe:

6. Most of Europe does not appreciate the awesomeness that is mayonnaise. Instead, the common condiment on sandwiches is butter. Now don't get me wrong, I love butter, but it is really not supposed to be layered on centimeter-thick on a sandwich! That's what mayonnaise is for. The Belgians, however, are my kind of people, as they appreciate the delicacy that is fries dipped in mayonnaise. Mmmm. Most of my American friends think that's gross, but Aurelie and I thought it was quite delicious!

Peanut butter is also under-appreciated in this country, but they make up for that by having a plethora of Nutella and generic brands of Nutella-like products. The US could learn from that one.

Number Seven: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

I am not making much progress on my paper, which is not a good sign. I have written out the opening paragraph, which is good.

Well, while my brain is trying vainly to turn itself on and wake up, let's check off another point on our count down!

The 10 things I have Learned in Europe:

7. Bring some form of student ID with you everywhere you go. Then, remember to ask everywhere if they offer a student discount, because most places will give 10% off, but they do not advertise it. Similarly, being under 25 constitutes you as a youth, which gets you discounts on travel. The one place where you don't need some form of ID is in a pub, where they rarely card anyone, despite all the signs saying "if you appear under 21, we will ask for your ID". (That's right; it's easier to drink in Europe than it is to ride on a train or make a purchase)

Number Eight: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Well, I am back from Oslo and I have survived on the limited sleep that I was able to snag from Norway. A blog entry about Norway will come soon, but that will take some time and I have a paper due tomorrow which needs writing!

So far now, you will need to be happy with a few updates to the 10 things countdown list. Also, for a quick update, for anyone wondering, the production of Midsummer Night's Dream which I saw Thursday night was absolutely fantastic! I will elaborate on that later as well, so stay tuned!

The 10 things I Have Learned in Europe:

8. Food or drink purchased elsewhere is not allowed inside restaurants in Norway. Apparently, this is a law, not just an arbitrary rule by individual establishments. Side note: I was also informed at the border control in Norway that Sweden and Norway are "virtually the same". Huh.

Number Nine: The 10 Things I Have Learned in Europe

Tonight, I am off to The Globe to see a touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and then I'm heading to the airport to spend the night before catching a morning flight to Oslo for the weekend.

But before I leave, here is the second installment in the ten things list, as we are now 9 days away from my homecoming! You'll have to wait a few days for the next installments to the list.

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:
9. It is important to understand how people in different countries greet each other. While most people are content to stick with a simple handshake, other countries, such as Belgium, will want to kiss on the cheek (but only one cheek). In England, people don't like each other much and so minimal touching is preferred, such as a brief handshake. And in France, everyone just walks around with their nose in the air while blatantly ignoring everyone around them and refusing to speak English.

Secondarily, it is okay to pick on the French; nobody really likes them, and they don't like anyone else. So it all evens out in the end.

The Countdown Begins

Well, today is Cinco de Mayo, meaning that in ten days' time I will be returning home!

I thought that it would be cute to do a blog post every day, with ten things I have learned while in Europe. Unfortunately, I will be in Norway this weekend and will not be at a computer for a couple days. It also happens to be finals week next week at school.

However, I will come up with ten things off the top of my head, and I will post blog entries for those ten things. You'll just have to wait until Sunday to get the weekend's items.

For now, here is number 10, from a list that is in no particular order!

The 10 things I have learned in Europe:

10. Ash clouds in volcanos from Iceland can screw up an entire continent. In such an event, panicking will lead to all other modes of transportation filling up and becoming ridiculously expensive. Unless you are a rich Monty Python comedian, you probably will not be able to afford the journey back. So you had better be prepared to sit back and enjoy your extended vacation and wait for the Royal Navy to come rescue you.

Forget Chocolate Factories; The Chocolate Museum is Where It's At!

Last weekend, I booked it out of class on Thursday straight to St. Pancras International Train Station, where I caught the Eurostar to Brussels, to spend a weekend visiting with Aurelie!

I arrived at the train station in Brussels (or Bruxelles, to the Belgians) at 9:30 PM and ran and attacked Aurelie, who was looking for me. We hopped on the metro and went over to Aurelie's adorable apartment where we dropped off my stuff. Then we walked down a few flights and went to a birthday party with Aurelie's friends. I don't speak a word of French, so I sat there smiling and nodding and occasional talking to people when they remembered to speak in English to me. Aurelie's friends were very friendly and it was fun to hang out with them drinking Belgian beer (yum), even if I didn't understand anything they said!
One of Aurelie's friends kept asking me about America, which was very funny. She was shocked to hear that it is not uncommon for American teenagers to have alcohol before turning 21. But then she also asked me if we celebrate spring break with big large beach parties (like Laguna Beach, on MTV). Before I could really answer, Aurelie told her that she watches too much MTV. It was very amusing. This same girl also wanted to hear about my cats, which I was more than happy to talk about! She was very sweet and friendly, and I really liked her.

An interesting little thing about Belgium, is that they are one of those European countries where the standard greeting is to kiss on the cheek. One cheek, not both. Now, this had not occurred to me, and so I had an awkward moment when meeting Aurelie's roommate; she got up to kiss me, and I went for a hand-shake. For a second, I thought we might compromise with a hug, and Aurelie saved the moment by reminding me that they kiss in Belgium. I said that I am down for anything, I just need to know what to do! Regardless, it still took me a while to get used to the kissing-as-greeting thing. Everyone does that in greeting; if your friend introduces you to a complete stranger, you greet the stranger with a kiss. It's not reserved strictly for good friends.

So, at the party, I was kissed left and right! I didn't quite have the hang of it, so I usually offered my cheek for the girls to kiss and didn't try too hard to kiss back. But whenever a new guy would come in to the party, he would walk around and stick his face out for the girls to kiss him. So every now and then I would discover a face next to me, and it always took me a second to remember to kiss it! I hope nobody felt insulted by the dumb American girl who wasn't kissing people immediately. By the time I left the party, however, I was much more familiar with the routine and I was prepared to kiss new-comers as necessary.

On Friday, Aurelie and I dragged ourselves out of bed (it was a difficult process, as we were both very sleepy) and went in to Brussels. We were going to take a bus tour of the city, but we decided it was too expensive, and so we walked instead. So Aurelie showed me around Brussels, pointing out various buildings and explaining the history to me. Then Aurelie had an interview she needed to conduct for a radio show, and so I returned to her apartment and finished up some homework. We were going to go see the Atomium, which was built in 1958 for the World Expo, but Aurelie's metro train had a problem and it took her over an hour to get back. By the time we went out to see the Atomium, it was closed. So we saw it, but were unable to go up inside. Oh well, I've never been to the top of the Space Needle, either.

That evening, Aurelie's brother Michael picked us up and drove us to Enghein, the city where Aurelie grew up and where her parents live. We had dinner with Aurelie's entire family, and everyone was speaking in English for my benefit. They were all very sweet and a lot of fun, and we spoke a bit about the Lake family, who had visited Belgium a few years ago. Aurelie and I stayed in Aurelie's old room, where I found various mementos from Aurelie's year at my high school. We spent the night reminiscing a bit about those days, and then we went to bed.

In the morning, Aurelie's mom provided me with a bag FULL of Belgian goodies. I have been placed under strict orders to share them with my family at home (in Seattle, not London, she clearly specified). After breakfast, Aurelie's dad drove the two of us into Enghein and dropped us off, so Aurelie could show me around the park. She made me drink from "the witch's fountain", claiming that everyone who visited had to drink from it. It looked disgusting, but I figured after haggis in Scotland and the bath water in Bath, why not? And so I drank; and it tasted like iron. I felt as if I had just drank blood! No wonder it's the witch's fountain...

After exploring the park and taking a few pictures, Aurelie's dad picked us up again and we returned to Aurelie's house for lunch with the family. After lunch, Aurelie and I said goodbye to her family and we took the train to Bruges. Bruges is known as the Venice of the North, because the city is full of canals. First things first, Aurelie and I went to the chocolate museum in Bruges. We learned the basic history of chocolate, and then learned the history of chocolate in Belgium (and pralines, which were invented in Belgium). We received a few samples of chocolate, saw a demonstration of how chocolate is made, and saw various chocolate statues, including a life-size milk-chocolate sculpture of Obama.

Next on our list of things to do, we took a boat tour around the canals. Aurelie and I wound up sitting at the front of the boat, on either side of the tour guide. The tour guide was a young guy who kept making various jokes and picking on people. He especially liked picking on Aurelie and me; me, because I am American, and Aurelie because she speaks French, and in Bruges, most Belgians speak Flemish. It made for a very entertaining and fun boat tour. I was sad when it ended! Also, as Aurelie and I later discussed, our tour guide was not sore on the eyes. After our tour, we went to a cafe where we had some hot chocolate and treats. Aurelie got a crepe, and I had my first official Belgian waffle! (It was delicious)

We left Bruges then, and took the train back to Brussels. We were planning to go out to a pub that evening for a drink, but we were both pretty tired. So instead, we curled up with blankets and watched Serenity before going to bed. It was a very nice evening just hanging out and having fun.

Sunday morning, we once more dragged ourselves out of bed and caught a train, this time to Liege, where Aurelie's older sister Christel lives. Christel took Aurelie and me to her apartment, where we met Christel's girlfriend Laurence and the four of us had breakfast; I had tea, the others drank hot chocolate, and we all enjoyed toast with Nutella. Then Christel and Laurence took us out for a tour of Liege. We climbed up billions and billions of steps to get to the highest point of the city, where we could look out at the city. After this, we were wandering around the city when we came across a street market. So we wandered around the market, admiring cute animals and waiting for Christel and Laurence to do some vegetable shopping.

We got lunch at a restaurant nearby, and then spent a little bit more time hanging out in Christel's apartment before Aurelie and I caught a train back to Brussels. Once we arrived in Brussels, Aurelie took me over to the platform where I needed to catch my train back to London, and we said goodbye. It was a very busy but very fun weekend in Belgium.

And here, in closing, is a brief video of Christel explaining to me about an explosion: