Author: kaelarenae

I slept in after the long and tiring day yesterday. We had planned to have a chill and relaxing day so I could recover from my traumatic travels.

We got a late breakfast which was basically lunch since it was 1pm by the time we were all ready. I hadn’t had a real breakfast this entire trip. Most of Europe lives off of bread sandwiches and croissants for breakfast. Today I got a real breakfast, French toast and bacon. Mmmm so good.

We headed to the city after breakfast and walked around the shopping center in hunt for a new day pack for me since my other one broke. After success in finding a bag we then headed to a pub on Ashton Lane. A very cute section of a street which has a great setting and atmosphere for a romantic and beautiful evening. Although it was day time it was still very unique to see.

After a drink I was then escorted to the botanical gardens. A pretty park that contained really cool looking greenhouses that housed plants from around the world.

We might not have seen much of the city, and there isn’t much to see in Glasgow, but the company was great. I’m not here to see the city I am simply here to see Clare and Seoniad and spend time with them.

I had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting Clare and Seoniad’s cousin Jennifer. Her personality was great and she had a healthy addiction to her two Persian cats which was very entertaining. She is in love with her cats and treats them as if they are her children.

For dinner we went to this Thai restaurant called Sabo Bar. A restaurant and bar which had great drinks and great food. I tried the apple ginger mojito which was amazing. For food I got the prawn pad Thai that ended up being extremely spicy, delicious but so spicy.

Our night out on the town included a small pub crawl. We went from local, hole in the wall bars to the Ono Mor which was the hot spot of the night. Needless to say it was a successful night.

Well I have barely slept due to unfortunate circumstances on this long journey across the ocean to the UK.

I had booked the night bus thinking I wouldn’t waste a day on a bus and that I would be able to just sleep. I was very wrong in assuming this would be the case but I had never traveled by bus nor on a ferry here. All was going well, we got through the border and passport check just fine. But the smooth journey was soon to be over.

After the passport check I thought it was safe to fall asleep. A short while later I was being woken up and rushed off the bus by the driver. It was me and this other American girl who was also from California. I had no idea what was going on but there was no one on the bus except her and me. In such a drowsy state of mind literally, it configured in my head that you couldn’t be on the bus while it was on the ferry for some reason. At this point it was 4:30 in the morning and I was not having any of it. My plan to sleep through the bus ride was not a success.

To add on to this very unfortunate night, this had been the worst ferry or boat ride ever. I am not one to get sea sick but this boat was rocking so much. For the first time in my entire life I was feeling nauseous on a boat. As I was new to this feeling I wasn’t sure if I should sit, walk or try and sleep.

An hour and a half later we were on land again. Thank god. With a couple hours left till London where I would be changing buses.

Finally we made it to London at 7:30. It was freezing and all I wanted to do was change into my leggings. The worst part about Europe is you have to pay to use the restroom everywhere. I don’t get it, if you have to pee you have to pee it’s not always a controllable function. Frankly I think it just shouldn’t be a thing.

With no sleep and a three hour layover in London, I was finally on the next bus to Glasgow at 10:30. All was well we were on schedule and on time to be in Glasgow at around 8pm. A few stops later and somehow we managed to hit so much traffic in Liverpool that we ended up being two hours behind schedule. I wouldn’t be in Glasgow till 10:30pm.

A twelve hour bus ride later and I was home free. I was so tired even though I kinda slept, it was not good sleep ,that’s for sure. Seonaid and Clare picked me up and we headed to their flat. Some food and a couple of glasses of wine and I was off to bed after a crazy long day.

My last day in Amsterdam and I have saved the best for last. Yet another castle I can add to my list. We don’t have many castles in the United States, frankly I don’t even know if we have any.

The castle is located just outside of Amsterdam in the small town of Muiden. A short tram ride, a short bus ride and a short walk later I made it to Muiden. It seemed to be a pretty small town from the looks of it but it could have been deceiving.

The castle is one of the best preserved and well kept castles in the Netherlands. By how great it looks, you can tell that it is very well looked after.

With a moat and everything else, this was a castle I would imagine from books back in the day. Almost as if it was the inspiration for the movie Shrek.

The tour was very detailed but very short. It was only of the living quarters while the rest was a self tour. The living quarters were only a small portion of the castle. The rest of it was made up of an armory, a prison, and more.

The garden was a big portion of the land. They were well kept and added a more unique and extravagant feel and atmosphere to the castle. It was as if the entire castle and land around it had come straight out of a fairy tale or a dream.

I had the opportunity to try a local house made meatball which was delicious. It was served with this almost peanut-like sauce which added such great flavor. Of course I had a Heineken with my meal. When in the Netherlands you drink Heineken.

The food is so much better in Europe and of course the beer is too. I am so used to the cheap college beer at home which I hardly ever drink since it is so gross. I have really come to appreciate beer here in Europe, it is better quality and a better taste.

I made my way back to Amsterdam and had a lot of time before my bus left for Glasgow. I read and just relaxed before my almost twenty-four hour journey to Scotland.

 

Today the weather was nice. The sun was out and so were the people. I was going to get up early to go to the “I Amsterdam” sign. I hoped there would be less people since every time I had gone there was a ridiculous amount of people. After an exhausting cold day yesterday, I couldn’t help but stay in my warm cozy bed.

It was a calm and relaxing day as I took my time going back to some of the stores and shops I had seen yesterday. I had to get my souvenir! I also had to get a sweatshirt because I would not hold up in this cold weather with just a cardigan.

A day of reading and spoiling myself was much needed. I think I was getting caught up with seeing everything, that I forgot to stop and smell the roses or rather take the time to enjoy the city not as a tourist. Sometimes it’s okay to not do so much, it can also be a  fulfilling experience.

In the morning or rather early afternoon, I went to a little park which was attached to the Rijksmuseum. It was small but filled with a ton of sculptures and statues. There was also this really cool fountain you could play in.

Later on in the afternoon I went and sat and read in the Vondel Park. There were so many people out sitting on the grass and everywhere. The sun was out which brought the people out. After a not so great day weather wise yesterday everyone was in search of getting their vitamin D.

I continued to spoil myself with ice cream after dinner. No matter the time of day I get ice cream it is always one of the highlights of my day. The food is so much better here, everything seems to be better here.

With so much to see I had to get an early start. It was a rainy day and very cold. It was a rain jacket kind of day.

My first stop was the Vincent Van Gogh museum. There were so many pieces of his work. There were also pieces by other people who influenced him as well as pieces from people who he influenced. I got to see many of his self portraits as well as other famous works. My favorite was the sunflowers.

After I walked around the city and saw many of the other famous attractions in Amsterdam. I was able to see the new church, the old church, and more.

My last stop after walking around was the Ann Frank House. You could reserve tickets for the morning or go buy tickets at the door at 3:30. The morning tickets were all sold out so going to the door at 3:30 was the only option. The wait was so long about 2 and a half hours. It was freezing and even rained for a little.

I finally made it in and I was blown away. There was so much information about the story and history of Anne Frank. There were videos of people who were in her life who talked about her and what a great person she was in general. Although she was just a child, she was so influential.

The house was still well preserved. Although there was no furniture, they had a small scaled model of the house and where everything was placed based on what Otto Frank had mentioned. Hung on the wall was the original photo collage that Anne had made to make the room more lively since the walls were so plain. The walls also contained the height of the children as they were growing up, written as many families do.

At the end of the tour there was a video of common people as well as famous people who talked about how inspirational Anne Frank was and still is today. They spoke about how much of an impact she has had on people as well as our world’s history.

It was a great last stop for the day. The long cold wait was worth it. I will forever recommend this museum.

Today I was off to Amsterdam. I had to say goodbye to Natasha and her family. A bittersweet moment as I wasn’t ready to leave them, yet I was ready to see more of Europe. As it was a not so exciting day of travel. As I sat in the train station I had a moment of home sickness. I finally got wifi and was seeing everyone continuing life in Pullman and in Manhattan Beach. Were they missing out or was I missing out?

About two weeks into my trip I am having the time of my life seeing all of these amazing places. With all of the greatest moments there come. Moments not of doubt but questioning.

I was talking with John, Natasha’s dad about what goes through your head as you travel. He has traveled a lot and is familiar with it. Even before the trip, moments of doubt came in and out. The thought of going on this trip is amazing and sounds like a blast but there is way more that goes into it than just packing and going. There are so man logistics that you need to think about and things that can change in a short amount of time.

About a week or so before I was filled with stress about the trip. Could I do it? What made me think I could do this? I can do this. My parents wouldn’t let me do this if they didn’t think I could right? Who knows I’m committed so I guess we’ll find out soon.

These thoughts came back in the first few days of my trip even though I was spoiled with my own room and a nice shower in a comfortable place with family. I hadn’t had the experience of really being on my own yet. But once I had I was fine.

I finally arrived in Amsterdam and I stepped out of the train station and wow so many tourists around. I could hardly walk. There were so many people. After getting to the hostel I went out for dinner and walked around the area a little. There was such a great atmosphere around and the little of the city that I saw was beautiful. The canals make it feel so elegant and unique.

Today I wasn’t sure what our plans were. After another late night, we got yet another late start. More fresh bread for breakfast is the best way to start a morning.

We were headed somewhere in the car and I still didn’t know where we were going till we got there. Classic me.

We were headed to the Drachenburg Castle. There were two castles; a newer one from the early 1900s and an older one from about the 1100s. The older one only contained a few ruins. Although a similar thing to the palaces, the exterior was more castle like. The hike up was not too long but the incline made it seem terrible.

With a rented guide book, Natasha was giving us the full tour. We went to the top of the castle where there was once again another beautiful view. You could even see the Dom from where we were which was about 30 minutes from the city. The land was so green and filled with trees. We were surrounded by a forest.

The older castle was at the very top. Not much was left of it but it was very cool to see. It was such an old artifact that belonged to the country. A few pictures later we headed back down.

The walk down was so much better than the walk up. We were practically running because the incline was so steep.

For dinner we met up with the people from last night and went to a restaurant a little outside of the city. I tried goulash for the first time and it was so good! After, we were dropped off at the ice cream place since we had been craving it all day! It was a great end to yet another great day.