We arrived in at Hook of Holland port with some new friends but were harshly greeted by pouring rain and a 30 min wait for the train to Rotterdam. However, upon arrival to Rotterdam we got a more fitting greeting of bright sunshine. We arrived by train at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam and took a bus to near our hostel, Hotel Van Gogh. This hotel is by far the best we have stayed in thus far on the trip considering it feels like a nicer hotel (3-4 stars) with just more beds in the room. After checking our backpacks in at the hostel, Doug (who had been here prior in his trip) directed us to his favorite "coffee shop", Dampkring. This place was just awesome because of the mood set inside: great playlist, cool tables/lighting, and an intimate layout. Ruth, Doug, and I shared a few LEGAL joints while watching the trippy videos being shown on the TV monitor. This included zooming in/out on an African child covered in white powder, drops of rain on a pond, and an Alligtor repeatedly "laughing". After becoming officially tripped out by this footage, we all got the munchies and headed to a great bagel place that Doug knew about. I had a stellar sandwich with smoked chicken, pesto, and avocado. Next, Ruth and I bid goodbye to Doug, who was heading home to NY, and made our way back towards our hostel via one of the big shopping streets. This was the perfect place for Belgian waffles with chocolate and for Ruth to buy some clothes cheaply that she had wanted for awhile.
Upon our return to the hostel, we met two of our roommates and quickly made friends with the recent grad couple from Calgary. I took this opportunity to go run in huge Vondel park on what turned out to be a really amazing weather day. I got in 8 solid miles of loops at a brisk pace because I was always trying to catch one of the many runners ahead of me. Of all the parks I have run in and visited, this one definitely has the most people and "life to it".
After showering, Ruth and I went to dinner with the Calgary couple at a great Italian place we had passed on our way back to e hostel earlier. The waiter recommended the seafood spaghetti and he was spot on! We also watched favored Spain score a last minute goal again Croatia, which was exciting. After dinner we headed the Rembrandt square and Smokey's coffee shop for some pints and to enjoy the new atmosphere. Although the club was "bumping" next door, we were getting tired and headed back to te hostel...we will save our raging for tomorrow nights' pub crawl with all our roommates ;)
Monday, June 18, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
The Last London Lunch, Portabello Market, & cruising to Netherlands
After 5 relaxing nights in London with our friend Crystal and her two whippets, Jamba and Heidi, it was our final day with our gratious hosts. We all slept in, I went on a short run around Hyde park (still sore from yesterday's tough long run with workout incorporated), and the three of us went to lunch at a little Italian place on one of the Little Venice canals. It was a great way to celebrate our new friendship and past few day of time together; we even has a visit from the Pims Party Boat! Ruth and Crystal got some ridiculously funny pictures with the promotions outrageous characters, including Ab guy and big stash/chest hair guy. I shred a Superfood salad and Picante Pizza with Crystal and it turned out to be one of my best Italian meals since visiting Italy. Crystal was so kind to treat us to this lunch but we vowed to tret her and her husband Roger in either Barcelona or Seattle.
As one final "taste of London", Ruth and I took a recommendation from Crystal to visit the Portabello Market down the canals from the flat. This was also fun as Ruth scouted out vintage clothes but ended up buying a book and a bracelet with custom charms. The atmosphere in this market was so funky that I wished we could replicate it more often in th States.
After getting a little lost on our way back, we hurriedly packed up and had a snack before bidding goodbye and heading on our 12 hour journey to Amsterdam. The journey went own without a hitch as we made our trains, met a new friend Doug from Purdue, and celebrated late into the night on the ship as we drew closer to Amsterdam.
As one final "taste of London", Ruth and I took a recommendation from Crystal to visit the Portabello Market down the canals from the flat. This was also fun as Ruth scouted out vintage clothes but ended up buying a book and a bracelet with custom charms. The atmosphere in this market was so funky that I wished we could replicate it more often in th States.
After getting a little lost on our way back, we hurriedly packed up and had a snack before bidding goodbye and heading on our 12 hour journey to Amsterdam. The journey went own without a hitch as we made our trains, met a new friend Doug from Purdue, and celebrated late into the night on the ship as we drew closer to Amsterdam.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Ruth's first cricket game & my new haircut...hilarity ensues
When we had walked by the Lord's Cricket Grounds yesterday on our way to the zoo and saw that there would be a game tomorrow (Saturday), we half jokingly said we should go. Naturally, at 9:30am Saturday (today) we were on our way to our first cricket game, Oxford vs Cambridge (we finally realised that college sports in Europe is no where near as hype as it is in the States)! Our excitement was put on hold as we approached the stadium and found that everyone entering was dressed in their finest clothes (dresses, shirt & ties, etc.). Luckily, the British ticket salesman was understanding of us as American tourists and sold us the tickets, reminding us that we were allowed only 2 cases of beer or 3 bottles of wine upon entry into the stadium (I could get used to this sport!). Anyways, we entered the stadium and, feeling somewhat lost, asked one of the smartly dressed attendants where we were entitled to sit with our tickets. As has been the case throughout the trip, Paul was incredibly warm and offered us recommendations on where to sit along with a full blown explanation of how cricket is played. Unfortunately, none of his explanation sunk in too much for Ruth or I. Most of the game was spent laughing at the actions of the players and the peculiar way in which the game was played. By far the best instance of this from our 3 hours at the stadium was when Ruth thought that one of the players, a large indian guy with Oakley shades and popped collar, was actually the security guard for the field since he was standing by the bleachers. Justifiably, she was quite dumbfounded when her "security guard" trotted onto the middle of the field to bowl to the next batsman. We were also quite entertained by the actions of the fans, who all seemed to be dressed in their "fratty-est" attire for the occasion...thus, we decided that cricket was the "fratty-est" sport we had ever seen. As the wind picked up and the jokes stopped coming as frequently, Ruth and I made our way to the exit in search of some lunch.
We found a nice little place for sandwiches and pancakes right by the tube station before departing to Westminster. Upon arrival there, we walked around and took some pictures of the abbey and the House of Parliament. After walking around in the crowds of tourists, we escaped to some side streets where I got a haircut from a cute Australian girl and Ruth bought/wrote a thank you card for our hostess in London, Crystal. For those of you who get your haircut in foreign countries (usually a bad idea as I have found numerous times), they will charge you more for using scissors than just the clippers but not for putting disgusting product in your hair! I learned this the hard way. Needless to say, I walked away after having a nice but unintelligent conversation with the Australian barber (who had a boyfriend of course), 15 pounds (or $30) lighter, and with a ridiculous greasy European faut-hawk. We took the tube back to the flat and hung out for awhile on Skype with friends and family before I decided to get in my long run.
This may have been my best run in Europe thus far as I did 13-14 solid miles with some great strength work mixed in. I started my run by conquering Primrose Hill twice despite the strong wind in my face. I then moved on to do two full outer loops of Regents Park. I concluded at 10 miles with 400m, 800m, 400m on a dirt track in the park at 73, 2:40, 76. This was a really good workout for me since I had not done much distance, speed, or hill work the past two weeks although I had be running consistently.
I was warmly greeted back at the flat with a homemade pasta dinner courtesy of Ruth and Crystal. Over dinner, Ruth enjoyed sharing with us tweets about weird (probably false) facts, which of course Crystal and I criticised relentlessly. In return I shared Jim Gaffigan stand-up with both of them courtesy of Netflix instant play. We spent the rest of the night laughing at his McDonalds, Disney, Subway, Domino's, and parenthood jokes..."I'm lovin' it!"
We found a nice little place for sandwiches and pancakes right by the tube station before departing to Westminster. Upon arrival there, we walked around and took some pictures of the abbey and the House of Parliament. After walking around in the crowds of tourists, we escaped to some side streets where I got a haircut from a cute Australian girl and Ruth bought/wrote a thank you card for our hostess in London, Crystal. For those of you who get your haircut in foreign countries (usually a bad idea as I have found numerous times), they will charge you more for using scissors than just the clippers but not for putting disgusting product in your hair! I learned this the hard way. Needless to say, I walked away after having a nice but unintelligent conversation with the Australian barber (who had a boyfriend of course), 15 pounds (or $30) lighter, and with a ridiculous greasy European faut-hawk. We took the tube back to the flat and hung out for awhile on Skype with friends and family before I decided to get in my long run.
This may have been my best run in Europe thus far as I did 13-14 solid miles with some great strength work mixed in. I started my run by conquering Primrose Hill twice despite the strong wind in my face. I then moved on to do two full outer loops of Regents Park. I concluded at 10 miles with 400m, 800m, 400m on a dirt track in the park at 73, 2:40, 76. This was a really good workout for me since I had not done much distance, speed, or hill work the past two weeks although I had be running consistently.
I was warmly greeted back at the flat with a homemade pasta dinner courtesy of Ruth and Crystal. Over dinner, Ruth enjoyed sharing with us tweets about weird (probably false) facts, which of course Crystal and I criticised relentlessly. In return I shared Jim Gaffigan stand-up with both of them courtesy of Netflix instant play. We spent the rest of the night laughing at his McDonalds, Disney, Subway, Domino's, and parenthood jokes..."I'm lovin' it!"
Friday, June 15, 2012
"Zoo Late" Groupon Fun & Some Irish/Jewish Luck
Another restless night of coughing with my cold still not gone meant that I ended up sleeping in until 1pm (I had been up at 6am eating breakfast because I just couldn't sleep). Regardless, once I got up, Ruth "shoo-shooed" me out the door to go run. She has finally caught on that I cannot get mobilised to do anything productive until I have gotten my run in...it's truly an addiction as many of you know ;) I had made it my mission to explore one of the other big parks in London: Regents Park. Although I had been there when visiting the college inside the park two days prior and had run it in 2008 when I visited with my family, I was excited to get back to explore all the park had to offer. It was a pleasant 1.5 miles to the park boundary and when I arrived, I tried my best to get lost in the multitude of trails. I passed the London Zoo (which we would visit later), ponds, statues, and gardens. When compared with Hyde Park, it was very difficult to say which one I liked more. They were both just great places to run and people watch! After a solid 4 miles in the park, I headed back towards the flat. Upon returning, it still took Ruth and I awhile to get going. We made lunch at the flat, which consisted of eggs for Ruth and a Jelly/Nutella/Banana sandwich for me (there was no PB unfortunately), and sat outside to enjoy the unexpectedly nice weather.
Around 5pm we headed to the main attraction for the day, a Groupon we had bought for "Zoo Lates" the day prior at the recommendation of Ruth's friend Cassie. "Zoo Lates" was a rare occasion at the London Zoo during the summer where the park would be open to 18+ patrons to eat, drink, and party 6-10pm with the animals. It ended up being as advertised and quite a spectacle: Young Brits dressed in animal costumes, faces painted, walking around with expensive drinks and poking fun at the animals. Ruth and I went for the more controlled approach (battling the American stereotype of doing everything to excess) and didn't really drink at the park with the ridiculous prices (5 pounds or almost $10 for a beer!). However, we enjoyed great food from street vendors in the park as Ruth got a sweet crepe and I stayed with my Spanish cravings from the night before by ordering paella. The weather also held up nicely and we were able to see all the shows we wanted to see from the Asiatic lions to the Komodo Dragons to the Improv Comedy Show in the oldest aquarium in the world (built in 1853!). Ruth and I got some great pictures and enjoyed watching the people almost as much as the animals. We both agreed that we wished there were more opportunities like this in the States to go out and have a social drinking night in an interesting location.
As parts of the zoo started to close around 9pm, we grabbed some dessert from the street vendors (Red Velvet cupcake for Ruth and Sour Amaretto Brownie for me) and headed triumphantly to the exit. We were in such a good mood and it was light/nice enough outside that we decided to forgo the tube ride to walk all 1.5 miles home. We were so glad we did because we got to see more of the amazing park as the sun set on the horizon, caught the game-winning England goal versus Sweden at a pub, and even found 20 pounds on the ground! Ruth and I agreed that we had really lucked out tonight...maybe some of the Irish luck had rubbed off on us :)
Around 5pm we headed to the main attraction for the day, a Groupon we had bought for "Zoo Lates" the day prior at the recommendation of Ruth's friend Cassie. "Zoo Lates" was a rare occasion at the London Zoo during the summer where the park would be open to 18+ patrons to eat, drink, and party 6-10pm with the animals. It ended up being as advertised and quite a spectacle: Young Brits dressed in animal costumes, faces painted, walking around with expensive drinks and poking fun at the animals. Ruth and I went for the more controlled approach (battling the American stereotype of doing everything to excess) and didn't really drink at the park with the ridiculous prices (5 pounds or almost $10 for a beer!). However, we enjoyed great food from street vendors in the park as Ruth got a sweet crepe and I stayed with my Spanish cravings from the night before by ordering paella. The weather also held up nicely and we were able to see all the shows we wanted to see from the Asiatic lions to the Komodo Dragons to the Improv Comedy Show in the oldest aquarium in the world (built in 1853!). Ruth and I got some great pictures and enjoyed watching the people almost as much as the animals. We both agreed that we wished there were more opportunities like this in the States to go out and have a social drinking night in an interesting location.
As parts of the zoo started to close around 9pm, we grabbed some dessert from the street vendors (Red Velvet cupcake for Ruth and Sour Amaretto Brownie for me) and headed triumphantly to the exit. We were in such a good mood and it was light/nice enough outside that we decided to forgo the tube ride to walk all 1.5 miles home. We were so glad we did because we got to see more of the amazing park as the sun set on the horizon, caught the game-winning England goal versus Sweden at a pub, and even found 20 pounds on the ground! Ruth and I agreed that we had really lucked out tonight...maybe some of the Irish luck had rubbed off on us :)
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Lazy Day, Hyde Park, and Tapas at the right time
Not too much to report from today since neither Ruth or I felt too good and we stayed in most of the day because of it. At around 5pm, I figured I would check out the famous Hyde Park just about 3/4 mile from our flat. It turned out being a great roughly 8 mile run with three loops of the park complete with gold statues, Italian fountains, and Kensington Palace gardens. This enormous park was bustling with runners, dog walkers, bikers, roller bladers, and many more types of people. I wish we had these types of parks in more of the big cities in the States, besides just Central Park or Lakeshore Drive. Upon my return, Ruth and I headed out to get some food and some groceries. We stopped at a little Tapas place we ran into first. It was a great meal (Spanish rice and Bean casserole with sausage and chorizo) and the owners were the cutest Spanish couple Ruth had I had ever seen. The little bald husband would yell at the small TV set up in the restaurant whenever Spain (who was playing Ireland in Eurocup group play), would have a good shot on goal. When Torres scored he went crazy! After dinner, we grabbed groceries at the nearest Tesco Metro although we had some trouble with the self-scanning machine and the Indian employee was none too pleased. We got back to the flat just in time to beat the rain and catch the end of the Spain game, a blowout of underdog Ireland...maybe the Irish should stick to their pub-crawling ;)
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Looping London's Bridges with the Beatles and Finding the Secret College in the Park
After the long travel day yesterday, it was no surprise that Ruth and I slept in a little bit in the nice comfy bed we now had available to us for the first time in the trip. However, when Ruth's friend from UNC-Charlotte, Cassie, messaged Ruth that she would be able to meet us at 2pm at the Tower of London, we mobilised quickly. I was able to get in a quick 6 mile run along the canals of Little Venice and then finished with roughly 400m, 800m, 800m, 400m intervals around Westborne Green, immediately next to the flat we are staying at. This run really helped clear my chest of a my cold and get me going for the day ahead.
A few quick tube rides on the Bakerloo and Circle lines and we arrived right next to the Tower of London. The British are really quite spoiled by this amazing public transportation; who would need a car in this city?? Unfortunately, as we walked across the street to the Tower ticket offices, we realised that we were really unsure where Cassie would be meeting us (ticket office, entrance, or somewhere in between). We also had no way to immediately contact her...enter our saviour Starbucks. We jetted over to the Starbucks nearby, jumped online, and Ruth was able to catch a Facebook message from Cassie saying that she was running late and would be there around 2:30pm (the time at that moment exactly). We ran back to where we were waiting originally and finally got a glimpse of Cassie as her and her classmates as Regents College (they are doing a one month program there in PR this summer) crossed the street from the tube station. At this point, looking at the steep price of admission to the Tower (almost $40!) and remembering that I had actually been to it before 4 years prior, I elected to let Ruth and Cassie's group go in together while I made a replica key for the flat we are staying at. This ended up working out extremely well as I got to do a ton of stuff in my 2+ hours flying solo. I made the key, picked up stamps to mail Ruth's postcards (what a great brother I am...right?), and did a self-guided loop across both London and Tower Bridges. This was a great time for me to get some personal space and just explore on my own after being with Ruth or other new friends to this point in the trip. I took some funny "selfy" pictures on my Windows Phone, observed what looked like the taping of a Japanese bachelor show, and explored the back alleys around the River Thames. All the while, I was listening to Beatles playlist, which really got me in the right state of mind. After completing my loop of the two bridges, I headed back to Starbucks to post a few of the pictures I had taken on Facebook and hang out until I needed to meet Ruth. While there, I had the pleasure of meeting a nice young woman from Israel who was visiting a friend in London. We had a long conversation about technology (she is a computer programmer), Israel, and traveling the world. I told her I would be in touch if I am ever in Israel on vacation or working, and told her to do the same if she was in the States.
The timing worked out perfectly as Ruth and Cassie walked out of the Tower just as I was walking over to meet them. Unfortunately, the two southern sorority girls had lost their friends while inside the Tower and we waited for them about 20 minutes by the exit with no success. We headed back to Cassie's school, Regents College, by tube during the busiest time of day as work let out (5:30pm). This was quite an experience and not something I would recommend for anyone claustrophobic. However, the trip was well worth it as Ruth and I were shown to one of the most beautiful little campuses we had ever seen right in the middle of humongous Regent's Park. As if the location and old, ivy covered buildings weren't enough, the food at the cafeteria was awesome and cheap. I had some risotto and a mix of different salads...delicious! After dinner, I let Ruth and Cassie talk sorority stuff for awhile while I browsed the internet on my phone. Around 8pm, Ruth and I started walking back to the flat so that Cassie could do homework and pack for her trip to Dublin the next day. It was a long walk back but with the weather nice and it still light out, Ruth and I thoroughly enjoyed being out there and saving the tube ride. When we returned, we were quite exhausted and just watched the Eurocup game on.
Overall, a great first full day in London complete with sights and seeing friends.
A few quick tube rides on the Bakerloo and Circle lines and we arrived right next to the Tower of London. The British are really quite spoiled by this amazing public transportation; who would need a car in this city?? Unfortunately, as we walked across the street to the Tower ticket offices, we realised that we were really unsure where Cassie would be meeting us (ticket office, entrance, or somewhere in between). We also had no way to immediately contact her...enter our saviour Starbucks. We jetted over to the Starbucks nearby, jumped online, and Ruth was able to catch a Facebook message from Cassie saying that she was running late and would be there around 2:30pm (the time at that moment exactly). We ran back to where we were waiting originally and finally got a glimpse of Cassie as her and her classmates as Regents College (they are doing a one month program there in PR this summer) crossed the street from the tube station. At this point, looking at the steep price of admission to the Tower (almost $40!) and remembering that I had actually been to it before 4 years prior, I elected to let Ruth and Cassie's group go in together while I made a replica key for the flat we are staying at. This ended up working out extremely well as I got to do a ton of stuff in my 2+ hours flying solo. I made the key, picked up stamps to mail Ruth's postcards (what a great brother I am...right?), and did a self-guided loop across both London and Tower Bridges. This was a great time for me to get some personal space and just explore on my own after being with Ruth or other new friends to this point in the trip. I took some funny "selfy" pictures on my Windows Phone, observed what looked like the taping of a Japanese bachelor show, and explored the back alleys around the River Thames. All the while, I was listening to Beatles playlist, which really got me in the right state of mind. After completing my loop of the two bridges, I headed back to Starbucks to post a few of the pictures I had taken on Facebook and hang out until I needed to meet Ruth. While there, I had the pleasure of meeting a nice young woman from Israel who was visiting a friend in London. We had a long conversation about technology (she is a computer programmer), Israel, and traveling the world. I told her I would be in touch if I am ever in Israel on vacation or working, and told her to do the same if she was in the States.
The timing worked out perfectly as Ruth and Cassie walked out of the Tower just as I was walking over to meet them. Unfortunately, the two southern sorority girls had lost their friends while inside the Tower and we waited for them about 20 minutes by the exit with no success. We headed back to Cassie's school, Regents College, by tube during the busiest time of day as work let out (5:30pm). This was quite an experience and not something I would recommend for anyone claustrophobic. However, the trip was well worth it as Ruth and I were shown to one of the most beautiful little campuses we had ever seen right in the middle of humongous Regent's Park. As if the location and old, ivy covered buildings weren't enough, the food at the cafeteria was awesome and cheap. I had some risotto and a mix of different salads...delicious! After dinner, I let Ruth and Cassie talk sorority stuff for awhile while I browsed the internet on my phone. Around 8pm, Ruth and I started walking back to the flat so that Cassie could do homework and pack for her trip to Dublin the next day. It was a long walk back but with the weather nice and it still light out, Ruth and I thoroughly enjoyed being out there and saving the tube ride. When we returned, we were quite exhausted and just watched the Eurocup game on.
Overall, a great first full day in London complete with sights and seeing friends.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Megabust but a warm bed...finally!
This LONG travel day began with a strenuous run, mainly because my cold and asthma were acting up. I got up around 8am tonrun up part of Arthur's Seat that we had not hiked the day before. It was definitely one of my slower and shorter runs on the trip but had a great view in the middle and I felt a lot better at the end. After. Quick breakfast and hostel checkout, Ruth and I headed to the bus station from which we had arrived a few days prior. Unfortunately, the cheap Megabus was a Megabust, having none of the amenities we had seen online (wifi, plugs, clean/working restroom). Being that we are good travelers, we just made due with what little battery life we had on our phones, iPad, and Kindle while sleeping a lot of the 9 hour bus ride. Upon arrival, we were well rested and quickly navigated the tube in London to get to Warwick Avenue, where we met Crystal, a family friend we would be staying with in London. What a great woman and host she is with her two cute whippet dogs! She gave us access to laundry (my bag had started to stink hardcore), clean/warm bed, and even bubble water made with an awesome contraption...what more could we ask for after all we had been through in a week of backpacking?!
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