(3/19) The nice weather finally arrived. I spent my whole day hanging out with friends in the grassy courtyard near my flat, it was fantastic. It reminded me so much of home when everyone sits around the engineering fountain on warm sunny days. You could see that everyone's mood had lifted significantly from earlier in the week.
Sunshine Pics
After the sun had faded it was time to take the party inside for my last pool match as a member of the Furness pool team. This time we were playing against Grizedale. The match started about 15 minutes late cause we were waiting for their team to show up. We started by losing our first 3 games, some of them close and some not so close. I played fourth and ended up winning by default. The game was pretty close all the way through even though I was playing pretty shitty. I had one ball left and he ended up pocketing both the 8-ball and the white ball in one shot. This ¨win¨ brought my final total for the term to 5-2. We lost the next game bringing the team totals to 1-4. We went on to rally the next 4 games to win the match. It was pretty intense and defintely a great way to finish off a season as a team.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Another Trip to the Carleton
(3/18) I went and watched the Furness women's pool team play their last match of the year against Grizedale which they won 6-3. After that I went back to Trev for a drink and then back to my flat. I sat and debated for almost half an hour about whether or not I wanted to go to the Carleton. I knew it was gonna be a big crowd cause everyone has been locked away in their rooms finishing up essays and reviewing for exams that they were ready to break loose. With about 10 minutes before the last bus of the night left I got suited up and jogged down to the underpass. To my surprise Urmie and her group were on this bus as well so I hung out with them. When we got to the Carleton it was packed, almost as much as my first trip. We went right to work drinking with shots all around. After the shots I grabbed a WKD (vodka cooler drink) and headed off to see if there were any familiar faces in the crowd. I found Amanda's flatmates, Maja, and my friend Rachel in my travels before I rejoined Urmie and her group. The evening continued a cycle of about 20 minutes dancing then drinking, rinse, and repeat. Urmie was hilarious cause she was REALLY wasted and kept falling down. Around 3 we headed off and crashed.
Carleton Pics
Carleton Pics
Thursday, March 19, 2009
St. Paddy's Day
(3/17) St. Patrick's Day made me think of home and my favorite Irish pub Nine Irish Brothers :( I decided to keep things pretty relaxed so I went down to Trev and hung out with the usuals and listened to some folk music. We played a few games of pool and concocted green drinks of our own since there wasn't any green beer on tap. I ended up getting pretty wasted, so I think I did St. Paddy's Day justice.
St. Paddy's Day Pics
St. Paddy's Day Pics
Monday, March 16, 2009
Week 9
(3/9) A night out with Urmie and her flat. Furness had a promotion going on for Revolutions, so we bought cheap tickets to that and off we went. There was a pretty good showing at Revs, and I saw a lot of familiar faces that I didn't know were going to be there. I drank pretty heavily at Revs, but the price was right so I couldn't say no. After Revs we decided to go to Elements. I ran into some more familiars at Elements, which made it even better. The turnout wasn't huge, but we had a good time. After Elements we taxied back to campus and grabbed some Sultan's before turning it in.
(3/10) A friend of mine named Ole (pronounced Ooh-la, its Norwegian) plays in a local group named Wagtale and they were having a show at a pub in town called Yorkshire House, so Liam, Kirky, Cheese, Joss, and I all went to see them. The show was really good. At Yorkshire House I ran into Alexa, who is another international student whom I haven't seen since probably Week 2. It was going to be her birthday at midnight, so I invited her to come along with me to Cuba after the show.
Cuba was having the foam party which they had canceled the week before. I was really excited since I had never been to a foam party before. The club was packed to the brim with people ready to get crazy. The foam hadn't come on yet, so we grabbed some drinks and wandered around a bit to see if we knew anyone else in the crowd. As we walked around I ran into Anett from the frisbee team. We ended up hanging out with her and her friends the rest of the night. About 15 minutes after finding Anett it was time for the foam. They turned on the cannon and the party officially started. People were packed like sardines, dancing and trying to get closer to the cannon so they could get properly foamed. I was a bit poorly dressed as most of the people were in beachwear and I was in jeans and a t-shirt, but it didn't really matter. I was a bit concerned from time to time for Alexa's safety cause the crowd was a bit rowdy and she is really short, but she survived just fine. Midnight passed and we celebrated Alexa's birthday amidst a sea of foam and music. The foam party was so much fun, I can't wait to go to another one. Around 2pm we headed out, completely soaked from head to toe. We grabbed some takeaway and waited for the free bus back to campus. I wish I would have taken some pictures, but I was too worried that my camera would get wet so I left it at my flat.
(3/11) A bunch of the international students were having a party with the theme of "Anything But Clothes", which meant people dressing in trash bags, sheets, cardboard boxes, etc. I decided not to go cause I wasn't sure if I wanted to party for a 3rd consecutive night. Instead I went down to Trev to relax for a bit. While I was there I ran into Amanda and her flat who said that they were going out to the Carleton. After debating for a while I decided I would go along. When I went back to my flat to change I saw the flat on the first floor of my building pre-partying for the Carleton as well. After I got changed I went down and hung out with them to pregame. Around 10:45 we headed out to catch the bus to Morecambe.
When we got to the Carleton things were pretty dead. We had caught one of the early buses, so we just grabbed some drinks and awaited the rest of the crowd. About 30 minutes later another busload of people arrived, including all the international students who were in their homemade attire. I mingled with them for a bit and then rejoined my party on the dance floor. I bounced around between groups most of the night, namely Amanda's group, the international students, and my group. The end to the evening was less than satisfactory, but overall it was alright. My first trip to the Carleton was much better.
Carleton Pics
(3/12) The Furness pool team played our 2nd to last match of the year. This time we played against Graduate College on their home turf. The last time Furness played Grad we lost 0-9, but this time we turned the tables. We ended up winning the match 7-2 and I won my match bringing my record to 4-2 for the term. After the match I went and hung out with Amanda for a bit. We decided to go back down to Grad cause they were having a dark ale festival. It is a bit of a hike from Furness, but it was worth it. The beers were all local dark brews, which is right up my alley. We only had time to get 2 pints since we got there kinda late and they were closing up, but it was fun. Afterwards we walked back to Furness with Karl and had a fun chat. Then it was time to crash.
(3/13) The return of Friday Fury. For those of you who don't remember Friday Fury from my old blog post, the idea is that the bars on campus give out some sort of trinket when you buy a drink and if you get a certain number you get free entry into Sugarhouse for the night. This time the trinket was playing cards. The theme for the night was Geeks, so I headed into town in the afternoon to try and pick up some geek clothes. To my disappointment I had forgotten that everything closes down at 5:30pm, so I came back empty handed. When I got back to campus I grabbed a bite to eat, took a shower, and put on some normal clothes. I headed down to Trev to await the start of Friday Fury, which kicked off at 8:30pm. As soon as 8:30 rolled around we all ordered a shot so we could get our Furness card and then we headed straight up the spine to County bar. At County we decided to hang out for a bit so we got pints and played some pool. After County we went to Bowland and got another shot. Next up was Fylde. Fylde is one of the 2 central bars along with Trev, so it was jam packed and it took almost 15 minutes to get a shot. With 4 cards in hand we were guaranteed free entry to Sugarhouse for the evening, but we decided we wanted to go ahead and get the full deck cause it was still really early. Our next stop was Pendle as we worked our way south along the spine. Since Grizedale College doesn't have a bar atm, Pendle was hosting them as well so I got 2 shots here so I could get both cards. Next up was Lonsdale for yet another shot. The last stop on our bar tour was Cartmel. I got another shot and we relaxed for a bit cause Zoe and Joe are friends with the manager. With our 8-card deck complete we headed back to Trev to regroup before leaving for Sugarhouse. We played a few games of pool and then Liam and I got antsy so we went on ahead to catch a bus into town. When we got to Sugarhouse the line was huge and they were doing one-out-one-in, which meant from where we were it would have been about 45 minutes to get in. Liam and me and the group we met up with in line decided to go to Hustle instead. I was pretty shitty about leaving Sugarhouse cause I really wanted to go, but the line was ridiculous. At Hustle I got a few drinks on special and downed them then danced for a bit. After about an hour Liam and I decided to give Sugarhouse another try. When we got back the line was tiny and the rest of our group that we had left back at Trev was just in front of us. Within 5 minutes we were in the club and reunited with our group, so it worked out well. The rest of the night went in typical Sugarhouse fashion: drinks, dancing, and mingling with the various groups who were out. Around 2am I grabbed a taxi with Bryn, Martha, and Rachel. Back at campus we hit up Sultan's for some fries and then we went our seperate ways to close out the evening.
(3/14) I did some grocery shopping during the day and visited the farmer's market. In the evening Kyle, Jessica, and I went to see the movie Milk at a local cinema called The Dukes. I snuck in a pint of Ben and Jerry's which made the movie even that much more enjoyable. The movie was fantastic. It wasn't quite as good as Slumdog Millionaire in my opinion, but it was very close. Sean Penn definitely deserved to win the Oscar for best actor. After the movie we went back to campus and grabbed some food at Pizzetta. After that we just hung out for the rest of the evening.
(3/15) Bryn, Martha, Rachel, Neil, Andy, and I teamed up for the last Trev pub quiz of the term. We put up a good showing, but ended up in a tie for 5th place. During the quiz they decided it would be a good idea to write on my face, but sadly I have no pictures to show the result. It is sad that there won't be anymore Sunday night pub quizzes for over a month, but when they return we shall be ready.
(3/10) A friend of mine named Ole (pronounced Ooh-la, its Norwegian) plays in a local group named Wagtale and they were having a show at a pub in town called Yorkshire House, so Liam, Kirky, Cheese, Joss, and I all went to see them. The show was really good. At Yorkshire House I ran into Alexa, who is another international student whom I haven't seen since probably Week 2. It was going to be her birthday at midnight, so I invited her to come along with me to Cuba after the show.
Cuba was having the foam party which they had canceled the week before. I was really excited since I had never been to a foam party before. The club was packed to the brim with people ready to get crazy. The foam hadn't come on yet, so we grabbed some drinks and wandered around a bit to see if we knew anyone else in the crowd. As we walked around I ran into Anett from the frisbee team. We ended up hanging out with her and her friends the rest of the night. About 15 minutes after finding Anett it was time for the foam. They turned on the cannon and the party officially started. People were packed like sardines, dancing and trying to get closer to the cannon so they could get properly foamed. I was a bit poorly dressed as most of the people were in beachwear and I was in jeans and a t-shirt, but it didn't really matter. I was a bit concerned from time to time for Alexa's safety cause the crowd was a bit rowdy and she is really short, but she survived just fine. Midnight passed and we celebrated Alexa's birthday amidst a sea of foam and music. The foam party was so much fun, I can't wait to go to another one. Around 2pm we headed out, completely soaked from head to toe. We grabbed some takeaway and waited for the free bus back to campus. I wish I would have taken some pictures, but I was too worried that my camera would get wet so I left it at my flat.
(3/11) A bunch of the international students were having a party with the theme of "Anything But Clothes", which meant people dressing in trash bags, sheets, cardboard boxes, etc. I decided not to go cause I wasn't sure if I wanted to party for a 3rd consecutive night. Instead I went down to Trev to relax for a bit. While I was there I ran into Amanda and her flat who said that they were going out to the Carleton. After debating for a while I decided I would go along. When I went back to my flat to change I saw the flat on the first floor of my building pre-partying for the Carleton as well. After I got changed I went down and hung out with them to pregame. Around 10:45 we headed out to catch the bus to Morecambe.
When we got to the Carleton things were pretty dead. We had caught one of the early buses, so we just grabbed some drinks and awaited the rest of the crowd. About 30 minutes later another busload of people arrived, including all the international students who were in their homemade attire. I mingled with them for a bit and then rejoined my party on the dance floor. I bounced around between groups most of the night, namely Amanda's group, the international students, and my group. The end to the evening was less than satisfactory, but overall it was alright. My first trip to the Carleton was much better.
Carleton Pics
(3/12) The Furness pool team played our 2nd to last match of the year. This time we played against Graduate College on their home turf. The last time Furness played Grad we lost 0-9, but this time we turned the tables. We ended up winning the match 7-2 and I won my match bringing my record to 4-2 for the term. After the match I went and hung out with Amanda for a bit. We decided to go back down to Grad cause they were having a dark ale festival. It is a bit of a hike from Furness, but it was worth it. The beers were all local dark brews, which is right up my alley. We only had time to get 2 pints since we got there kinda late and they were closing up, but it was fun. Afterwards we walked back to Furness with Karl and had a fun chat. Then it was time to crash.
(3/13) The return of Friday Fury. For those of you who don't remember Friday Fury from my old blog post, the idea is that the bars on campus give out some sort of trinket when you buy a drink and if you get a certain number you get free entry into Sugarhouse for the night. This time the trinket was playing cards. The theme for the night was Geeks, so I headed into town in the afternoon to try and pick up some geek clothes. To my disappointment I had forgotten that everything closes down at 5:30pm, so I came back empty handed. When I got back to campus I grabbed a bite to eat, took a shower, and put on some normal clothes. I headed down to Trev to await the start of Friday Fury, which kicked off at 8:30pm. As soon as 8:30 rolled around we all ordered a shot so we could get our Furness card and then we headed straight up the spine to County bar. At County we decided to hang out for a bit so we got pints and played some pool. After County we went to Bowland and got another shot. Next up was Fylde. Fylde is one of the 2 central bars along with Trev, so it was jam packed and it took almost 15 minutes to get a shot. With 4 cards in hand we were guaranteed free entry to Sugarhouse for the evening, but we decided we wanted to go ahead and get the full deck cause it was still really early. Our next stop was Pendle as we worked our way south along the spine. Since Grizedale College doesn't have a bar atm, Pendle was hosting them as well so I got 2 shots here so I could get both cards. Next up was Lonsdale for yet another shot. The last stop on our bar tour was Cartmel. I got another shot and we relaxed for a bit cause Zoe and Joe are friends with the manager. With our 8-card deck complete we headed back to Trev to regroup before leaving for Sugarhouse. We played a few games of pool and then Liam and I got antsy so we went on ahead to catch a bus into town. When we got to Sugarhouse the line was huge and they were doing one-out-one-in, which meant from where we were it would have been about 45 minutes to get in. Liam and me and the group we met up with in line decided to go to Hustle instead. I was pretty shitty about leaving Sugarhouse cause I really wanted to go, but the line was ridiculous. At Hustle I got a few drinks on special and downed them then danced for a bit. After about an hour Liam and I decided to give Sugarhouse another try. When we got back the line was tiny and the rest of our group that we had left back at Trev was just in front of us. Within 5 minutes we were in the club and reunited with our group, so it worked out well. The rest of the night went in typical Sugarhouse fashion: drinks, dancing, and mingling with the various groups who were out. Around 2am I grabbed a taxi with Bryn, Martha, and Rachel. Back at campus we hit up Sultan's for some fries and then we went our seperate ways to close out the evening.
(3/14) I did some grocery shopping during the day and visited the farmer's market. In the evening Kyle, Jessica, and I went to see the movie Milk at a local cinema called The Dukes. I snuck in a pint of Ben and Jerry's which made the movie even that much more enjoyable. The movie was fantastic. It wasn't quite as good as Slumdog Millionaire in my opinion, but it was very close. Sean Penn definitely deserved to win the Oscar for best actor. After the movie we went back to campus and grabbed some food at Pizzetta. After that we just hung out for the rest of the evening.
(3/15) Bryn, Martha, Rachel, Neil, Andy, and I teamed up for the last Trev pub quiz of the term. We put up a good showing, but ended up in a tie for 5th place. During the quiz they decided it would be a good idea to write on my face, but sadly I have no pictures to show the result. It is sad that there won't be anymore Sunday night pub quizzes for over a month, but when they return we shall be ready.
Patriot's Cup
(3/7) Today was the first annual Patriot's Cup sporting competition between Furness and Cartmel. The day began with football (soccer) matches between both A teams and B teams. Both of our teams got rocked. Then it was on to a game known as Rounders, which is similar to baseball. For an explanation of Rounders see this or this. I played Rounders for the first time and our team ended up winning. It was a lot of fun and apparently I have a knack for it because I'm tall and can catch well bare-handed. I have been recruited to join the club in the summer term when I come back from Easter break travelling. Anyways, after Rounders it was on to fun football, which is for people who don't play for the teams. I played in this as well, which made my leg injury flare up and hurt quite a bit. We ended up losing this in penalty kicks, but it was fun. Next up was table tennis, which I also played. I won my first game and lost my next 2 which I think left me in 3rd place overall. After table tennis it was on to basketball. Myself and Pete, who is the captain of the university team, led our team to victory, which tasted oh so sweet. After basketball my leg was officially spent so I sat down and watched the rest of the sports. They played volleyball and dodgeball to finish out the first half of the day. After those were done there was a break for 2 hours so people could get something to eat and get cleaned up. I limped back to my room and took a shower and made a sandwich.
Around 5pm we reconveined in Trev to start the bar sports portion of the competition. First up was team pool. For the team pool we had to nominate 5 guys and 4 girls to play. Sadly I did not get a chance to play in the team pool because those spots were taken by the A team members. We ended up losing the team pool 5-4. While team pool was going on there was a Guitar Hero competition taking place as well. I'm not sure how we ended up in that. After that was people's darts, which was meant for anyone not on the team. I think we won that. There was also a pub quiz going on. Halfway through the pub quiz, and with all the other events completed, we moved down to Cartmel bar to finish out the competition.
At Cartmel it was time for people's pool. I thought I was going to get to play in that, but we had too many people wanting to play so I volunteered to sit out. While people's pool was going on there was also team darts and the rest of the pub quiz taking place. We won people's pool and I'm not sure how we did in the other 2 events. When all was said and done we ended up losing, which was pretty heartbreaking. I was just glad to have participated in the first one ever and it was fun hanging out with a bunch of friends all day. The day was not over though. With the competition completed it was time to catch some free buses to Sugarhouse.
Sugarhouse was good as usual. We all got pretty hammered and danced the night away. Around 2:30am it was off to the taxis and then Pizzetta for a snack before bed. Even though my leg hurt like a biatch it was definitely a fun day to remember, spent with a lot of friends.
Around 5pm we reconveined in Trev to start the bar sports portion of the competition. First up was team pool. For the team pool we had to nominate 5 guys and 4 girls to play. Sadly I did not get a chance to play in the team pool because those spots were taken by the A team members. We ended up losing the team pool 5-4. While team pool was going on there was a Guitar Hero competition taking place as well. I'm not sure how we ended up in that. After that was people's darts, which was meant for anyone not on the team. I think we won that. There was also a pub quiz going on. Halfway through the pub quiz, and with all the other events completed, we moved down to Cartmel bar to finish out the competition.
At Cartmel it was time for people's pool. I thought I was going to get to play in that, but we had too many people wanting to play so I volunteered to sit out. While people's pool was going on there was also team darts and the rest of the pub quiz taking place. We won people's pool and I'm not sure how we did in the other 2 events. When all was said and done we ended up losing, which was pretty heartbreaking. I was just glad to have participated in the first one ever and it was fun hanging out with a bunch of friends all day. The day was not over though. With the competition completed it was time to catch some free buses to Sugarhouse.
Sugarhouse was good as usual. We all got pretty hammered and danced the night away. Around 2:30am it was off to the taxis and then Pizzetta for a snack before bed. Even though my leg hurt like a biatch it was definitely a fun day to remember, spent with a lot of friends.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Who Watches The Watchmen?
(3/6) Opening day for Watchmen!!! I'd been waiting for this day ever since I saw the first preview for the movie at least 4 months ago. I went to frisbee practice from 10am-noon and then got showered up and waited around till time to see the movie. I went with a bunch of people from the frisbee team, which worked out well cause they saved me a seat as I was running a bit late. The fact that it was opening combined with the nature of the movie made for an interesting crowd. There were a number of people in full costume dressed as characters from the movie. The previews before the movie last 30 solid minutes, which was a bit ridiculous, but I must say that this is going to be a fantastic year for movies methinks.
Anyways, the movie was great in my opinion. The common criticisms that I heard from my fellow moviegoers was that it was too long and that the soundtrack didn't really fit. I didn't really mind either of these. For those of you who don't know anything about the movie, you can find a synopsis here.
After the movie our group went to Charles and Mike's flat. I hung out there and had a few drinks as we all discussed the movie and other random things. It was nice to hang out with the frisbee team outside of practice, cause I hadn't had many chances. It was getting on towards midnight, so I headed out to meet up with some friends at Cuba for Diego's birthday. Cuba was pretty packed, but I managed to weave my way through and find my friends. We partied until closing then caught a taxi back to campus.
Anyways, the movie was great in my opinion. The common criticisms that I heard from my fellow moviegoers was that it was too long and that the soundtrack didn't really fit. I didn't really mind either of these. For those of you who don't know anything about the movie, you can find a synopsis here.
After the movie our group went to Charles and Mike's flat. I hung out there and had a few drinks as we all discussed the movie and other random things. It was nice to hang out with the frisbee team outside of practice, cause I hadn't had many chances. It was getting on towards midnight, so I headed out to meet up with some friends at Cuba for Diego's birthday. Cuba was pretty packed, but I managed to weave my way through and find my friends. We partied until closing then caught a taxi back to campus.
Shootin Some Stick
(3/5) This was a typical Thursday where I went to class and counted down the minutes until time to play pool. At 6pm the time had finally arrived and I headed down to Trev for practice. We rotated around playing a few practice games until 7 when our match with Fylde began. I played the 3rd game against their team captain. It started out rough with him running out most of his balls and me missing a few shots. I finally made a rally and got down to 2 balls left, but he was able to snooker me, which means that he put the cue ball in such a position as I didn't have a straight line to hit any of my balls so I had to play a bank shot, which I missed. He pocketed the 8-ball on the next shot, knocking my record down to 3-2. I was pretty salty about the loss cause I know I could have beaten him if I would have taken a little more time when playing my bank shots. Anyways, after I stepped outside to simmer for a few I came back in and watched the rest of the match. We ended up losing the match 7-2, but most of the games were pretty close.
After the match we rallied the troops and hit the bars. As usual we went to WalkAbout first for some boat races, then we went to Friary. At Friary we ran into Zoe and Joe and Jack, and also Jessica, Diego, Dennis, and some other internationals. I bounced around between the 3 groups throughout our time there. After that the pool team, Zoe, and Joe all headed to Elements, and the internationals headed to Toast. I went to Elements first for a while and then met up with Jessica and her group at Toast. We finished out the night at Toast then caught a taxi back to campus. When we got back to their townhouse there was a huge spread of food in the kitchen from the birthday party they had earlier. They had been celebrating the birthday of one of her flatmates. This girls mom had filled up 2 tables with all sorts of snack foods and sweets. I was so excited to see the food I can't even explain. We gorged ourselves on snacks and then passed out.
After the match we rallied the troops and hit the bars. As usual we went to WalkAbout first for some boat races, then we went to Friary. At Friary we ran into Zoe and Joe and Jack, and also Jessica, Diego, Dennis, and some other internationals. I bounced around between the 3 groups throughout our time there. After that the pool team, Zoe, and Joe all headed to Elements, and the internationals headed to Toast. I went to Elements first for a while and then met up with Jessica and her group at Toast. We finished out the night at Toast then caught a taxi back to campus. When we got back to their townhouse there was a huge spread of food in the kitchen from the birthday party they had earlier. They had been celebrating the birthday of one of her flatmates. This girls mom had filled up 2 tables with all sorts of snack foods and sweets. I was so excited to see the food I can't even explain. We gorged ourselves on snacks and then passed out.
Fusion
(3/3) I was gonna have a chill night in, but when I was sitting in my flat chatting online I got invited to party with some friends in the flat on the bottom floor. It was the first time I'd ever really hung out with them since I met them on the 15 hour bar crawl. I went down to the flat and we all had a few drinks to pregame before going out. When we were a bit tipsy it was time to catch the bus to Cuba.
Cuba was supposed to be having a foam party that night, but it got canceled much to our disappointment. Regardless of that we still had a great time drinking and dancing. We stayed till about 2:30am and then grabbed a free bus back to campus. When we got back to campus we hung out in their flat for a little while longer and then called it a night. It was a great impromptu night out.
Cuba was supposed to be having a foam party that night, but it got canceled much to our disappointment. Regardless of that we still had a great time drinking and dancing. We stayed till about 2:30am and then grabbed a free bus back to campus. When we got back to campus we hung out in their flat for a little while longer and then called it a night. It was a great impromptu night out.
Decorating
(3/2) I finally got around to decorating my flat. I hung up that awesome fabric map that everyone wrote on during my Going Away Party. It is a fond reminder of all the amazing friends I have and how great it will be to see them again when I return in the summer. I also printed out another Rasterbation, which helped to fill up the large empty wall next to my bed. Finally my flat doesn't feel so bland and uninviting :)
Tragedy
Saturday, February 28th 2009, a date which will live in infamy. I lost my beloved hat, and with it a piece of my soul. I am now a mere shadow of my former self :(
Monday, March 9, 2009
WiFi Disco
(2/27) The evening started with dinner at a tapas bar called 1725, which is also the oldest bar in Lancaster (founded in 1725, who would have guessed). The group consisted of Urmie, Jessica, Dennis, Me, and a bunch of other international students. I was a little unsure of the choice of restaurant cause I'd only been to a tapas place once and I wasn't a huge fan, but I figured it was worth another try. The food turned out to be really good and the company was good as well. Some of the other people in the group were going crazy taking pictures of all sorts of random things, which was good for a laugh.
After dinner it was off to Toast where they were doing something called a WiFi Disco. The idea of a WiFi Disco is that there are 2 DJs in the club, each playing different music on a different channel. Everyone is given a pair of headphones and can switch between the 2 channels at will. It was the most unique clubbing experience I've ever had. Our group was about 12 people so throughout the night it was like playing a game, cause I would watch the other people and try to guess if they were on the same channel as me. We would constantly make hand gestures to each other saying to go to a particular channel. Also, occasionally I would take my headphones off and the club would be so quiet it was bizarre. We were all a bit unsure at first, but it turned out to be a great evening.
Here are some pictures.
After dinner it was off to Toast where they were doing something called a WiFi Disco. The idea of a WiFi Disco is that there are 2 DJs in the club, each playing different music on a different channel. Everyone is given a pair of headphones and can switch between the 2 channels at will. It was the most unique clubbing experience I've ever had. Our group was about 12 people so throughout the night it was like playing a game, cause I would watch the other people and try to guess if they were on the same channel as me. We would constantly make hand gestures to each other saying to go to a particular channel. Also, occasionally I would take my headphones off and the club would be so quiet it was bizarre. We were all a bit unsure at first, but it turned out to be a great evening.
Here are some pictures.
Movie Night
(2/26) Sadly there was no pool match this night. It was our team's week off :( Instead I decided to go with Jessica and Kyle to the cinema on campus and see Body of Lies. The cinema on campus is a lecture theatre that has been outfitted with better sound and video equipment. It only cost 2 pounds to get in, which is about $3. The chairs weren't very comfortable, but the picture and sound quality were good so it was worth it. We got there a bit early and between the time we sat down and when the movie started about 10 other international students showed up. They were carrying backpacks full of beer, which made me kick myself for not thinking of that. Anyways, the movie was pretty good and I'd recommend it to those who like the sort of CIA, espionage, conspiracy type movies.
Sports Social
(2/25) The day was pretty basic, but the evening was a blast. Furness was having a sports social with the theme of animals. I didn't have enough time to come up with a costume, but I still went. The turnout was a lot smaller than I expected, but they did have to move it up a day and there wasn't a huge amount of notice. Anyways, it was a lot of fun.
We all met up in Trev around 8pm to have a few rounds and shoot some pool before heading to town. Around 10pm it was off to the buses and into town. Our first stop was WalkAbout. We started the boat races without hesitation. By the time we moved on we had done 3 boat races and had probably 3 rounds in between. Next stop was Hustle. At Hustle it was all about the shots cause they were on sale. We also played some pool while we were there. After Hustle we made a quick stop in Weatherspoons, which was pretty lame so we only stayed for one drink. After Weatherspoons it was off Sugarhouse. We were hoping to get in free cause Rachel works there, but that didn't work out. We went ahead and paid anyways and went in to party. At Sugarhouse we ran into some familiar faces, namely Urmie, Amanda, and Amanda's flatmates. We closed out the night at Sugarhouse with dancing and numerous rounds. It was a really fun night, full of goofy moments.
Sports Social Pics
We all met up in Trev around 8pm to have a few rounds and shoot some pool before heading to town. Around 10pm it was off to the buses and into town. Our first stop was WalkAbout. We started the boat races without hesitation. By the time we moved on we had done 3 boat races and had probably 3 rounds in between. Next stop was Hustle. At Hustle it was all about the shots cause they were on sale. We also played some pool while we were there. After Hustle we made a quick stop in Weatherspoons, which was pretty lame so we only stayed for one drink. After Weatherspoons it was off Sugarhouse. We were hoping to get in free cause Rachel works there, but that didn't work out. We went ahead and paid anyways and went in to party. At Sugarhouse we ran into some familiar faces, namely Urmie, Amanda, and Amanda's flatmates. We closed out the night at Sugarhouse with dancing and numerous rounds. It was a really fun night, full of goofy moments.
Sports Social Pics
Bologna
(2/21) Around 9:30 in the evening Rachel and I arrived at the train station in Bologna. From there it was about a 15 minute walk to her place. Along the way we ran into some people from her program who were headed the same way so we talked with them as we walked. When we got to Rachel's place we dropped off our stuff and I grabbed a shower. Now that I was all fresh and clean it was time to think about dinner. We went to a delicious pizza place just down the road from her flat. We had a big pizza and some tortellini as well as a liter of wine for the 2 of us. The meal was great and the wine was a nice pregame for the evening ahead. After dinner we went back to her place before going out. When we got to her door she realized she had forgotten her keys in the flat, which automatically locks behind you when you leave. Luckily one of her flatmates Leo was working at a bar nearby so we went and got his keys so we could get inside. After we stopped off at her place we went back to the bar where Leo was working and gave him back his keys. We decided to stay there for a bit and have a drink cause the music was good. About an hour later we left for another bar. When we got there it was pretty packed but we worked our way up to the bar. Rachel knew the entire staff so we ended up drinking for free the whole night. I think in total we had 6 free drinks each. Near the end of the night I was just standing there and some guy started talking to me in Italian. I told him I didn't speak Italian and his eyes kinda lit up cause he could instantly tell I was American by my accent. He started talking about Obama and I said that I was a supporter. Within 10 minutes he ended up buying me 2 shots. This brought my free drink total up to 8 for the evening. Shortly after this the bar closed and Rachel and I walked back to her flat to crash for the night. I tried to sleep in the hammock in her living room, but the swaying made me nauseous so I flopped down on a couch.
(2/22) At about 9am one of Rachel's flatmates woke me up saying something in Italian. I don't think she spoke much English, but I got the idea that she wanted me to go into Rachel's room to sleep some more. I was a bit woozy from a mixture of tired and slightly hungover so I didn't try to question it. Rachel was already awake when I got to her room so she let me have her bed to sleep some more. I woke up around 12:30 and was surprised to find that I no longer felt hungover. I got up, got dressed, and we were off. We stopped at a cafe on our way for a quick bite and then it was time to see some sights. First up was Piazza Maggiore, which is the main square in the city. There was a cool fountain and some neat architecture around the square, including a giant church at one end which I'm told has some interesting history. We weren't able to go inside and see the church cause it closes for a few hours in the middle of the day which was exactly when we were there. We continued on walking up and down streets and after about 1:30 we stopped for tea at a place which is owned by one of Rachel's friends. It felt so surreal sitting outside in the sun enjoying some tea on a little Italian street. After tea we went and caught a bus to the edge of the city where we began our ascent to San Luca. The walk to San Luca is covered by 666 porticos, which makes it the longest unbroken chain of porticos in the world. The walk took about 30 minutes up a fairly steep incline, but it was well worth it. As we went we could see the city getting smaller in the distance. Also, there were some of the coolest villas I can imagine positioned along the hills.
When we reached the top the sight was breathtaking. In one direction were rolling hills of the Italian countryside, on the other was the outskirts of the city which looked small from our perch atop the hill. San Luca is a beautiful church made out of what looked like a red stucco. Inside are ornate carvings and beautiful paintings, which seem in sharp contrast to the outside. In front of the church is a courtyard where people come to relax and take in the fresh air. We sat in the courtyard for about 45 minutes just enjoying the scenery. It was then time to make our descent back to the city. Back in the city we caught a bus back to Piazza Maggiore where our day had began.
We walked around and saw some other neat little churches and squares hidden throughout the city. We also stopped to get some pizza for a snack, which was quite tasty. After a few hours of touring around we headed back to Rachel's place to get ready for the evening. Our plans were to meet up with her friend Lauren, who had arrived back from Venice earlier in the day. Lauren wasn't gonna be ready for a while and Rachel needed to do some homework so I took a nice 1:30 nap. After the nap I got changed and we headed out for appertivi, which is where bars have an all you can eat spread of appetizers. We snacked a had a glass of wine while we waited for Lauren to meet up with us. When Lauren got there we headed off in search of dinner. Dinner was really good, I had a traditional Bolognese dish which was Tortellini in broth. After dinner we hit up a really good gelato place and went back to Rachel's flat for a few minutes to get some Ibuprofen. While we were there we chatted with some of her flatmates. They seemed like cool people, but they only really spoke in Italian so I didn't get to know them all that well. After leaving the flat we went to a bar called Irish Pub. We were all kinda wiped out so we only stayed for a drink and then Rachel and I went back to her flat to crash.
(2/23) We got up around 8:30 and I threw all of my stuff back into my suitcase. I ate a croissant for breakfast then it was out the door. We went back to Piazza Maggiore, said our goodbyes, and I hopped in cab to the airport. It was sad to see my Italy adventure come to an end, but there will be another once Easter holiday rolls around. I had a great time hanging out with Rachel and her friends and hopefully I'll see them again before we all end our semester abroad.
Here are some pics from Bologna.
(2/22) At about 9am one of Rachel's flatmates woke me up saying something in Italian. I don't think she spoke much English, but I got the idea that she wanted me to go into Rachel's room to sleep some more. I was a bit woozy from a mixture of tired and slightly hungover so I didn't try to question it. Rachel was already awake when I got to her room so she let me have her bed to sleep some more. I woke up around 12:30 and was surprised to find that I no longer felt hungover. I got up, got dressed, and we were off. We stopped at a cafe on our way for a quick bite and then it was time to see some sights. First up was Piazza Maggiore, which is the main square in the city. There was a cool fountain and some neat architecture around the square, including a giant church at one end which I'm told has some interesting history. We weren't able to go inside and see the church cause it closes for a few hours in the middle of the day which was exactly when we were there. We continued on walking up and down streets and after about 1:30 we stopped for tea at a place which is owned by one of Rachel's friends. It felt so surreal sitting outside in the sun enjoying some tea on a little Italian street. After tea we went and caught a bus to the edge of the city where we began our ascent to San Luca. The walk to San Luca is covered by 666 porticos, which makes it the longest unbroken chain of porticos in the world. The walk took about 30 minutes up a fairly steep incline, but it was well worth it. As we went we could see the city getting smaller in the distance. Also, there were some of the coolest villas I can imagine positioned along the hills.
When we reached the top the sight was breathtaking. In one direction were rolling hills of the Italian countryside, on the other was the outskirts of the city which looked small from our perch atop the hill. San Luca is a beautiful church made out of what looked like a red stucco. Inside are ornate carvings and beautiful paintings, which seem in sharp contrast to the outside. In front of the church is a courtyard where people come to relax and take in the fresh air. We sat in the courtyard for about 45 minutes just enjoying the scenery. It was then time to make our descent back to the city. Back in the city we caught a bus back to Piazza Maggiore where our day had began.
We walked around and saw some other neat little churches and squares hidden throughout the city. We also stopped to get some pizza for a snack, which was quite tasty. After a few hours of touring around we headed back to Rachel's place to get ready for the evening. Our plans were to meet up with her friend Lauren, who had arrived back from Venice earlier in the day. Lauren wasn't gonna be ready for a while and Rachel needed to do some homework so I took a nice 1:30 nap. After the nap I got changed and we headed out for appertivi, which is where bars have an all you can eat spread of appetizers. We snacked a had a glass of wine while we waited for Lauren to meet up with us. When Lauren got there we headed off in search of dinner. Dinner was really good, I had a traditional Bolognese dish which was Tortellini in broth. After dinner we hit up a really good gelato place and went back to Rachel's flat for a few minutes to get some Ibuprofen. While we were there we chatted with some of her flatmates. They seemed like cool people, but they only really spoke in Italian so I didn't get to know them all that well. After leaving the flat we went to a bar called Irish Pub. We were all kinda wiped out so we only stayed for a drink and then Rachel and I went back to her flat to crash.
(2/23) We got up around 8:30 and I threw all of my stuff back into my suitcase. I ate a croissant for breakfast then it was out the door. We went back to Piazza Maggiore, said our goodbyes, and I hopped in cab to the airport. It was sad to see my Italy adventure come to an end, but there will be another once Easter holiday rolls around. I had a great time hanging out with Rachel and her friends and hopefully I'll see them again before we all end our semester abroad.
Here are some pics from Bologna.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Carnevale
Wednesday (2/18) was the beginning of one of the most amazing trips of my life. I got up at about 10am and quickly packed my stuff. At noon I met up with Amanda, Rosie, Melissa, and some other girls who's names escape me at the moment. We caught a bus from the underpass to the train station, a bus that I nearly missed. At the train station we printed off our tickets from the terminal and headed over to our platform. When we got to our platform we had about 15 minutes to spare so we just chatted and took some pictures. During one of these little conversations I made some comment about a passport and suddenly Amanda's face lit up. She had forgotten her passport, which meant she wouldn't be able to go on the trip unless she went back and got it. There was no way she could go back and get it and still make our train, so we frantically tried to come up with some sort of plan. I had remembered from looking online that there was another train to Liverpool leaving about 1 hour later, so we told her to go back and get it and try to catch the next train. She hurried off to catch the bus back to the university while the rest of us stayed and waited for our train.
Our train ride was in 2 parts, first from Lancaster to Wigan which was about 30 minutes, then from Wigan to Liverpool which was about 1 hour. We arrived in Liverpool right on schedule with about 2 hours till our plane was to leave. At the train station we met up with another girl who was a friend of Melissa's and the 6 of us grabbed two taxis to the airport. When we got to the airport we went straight to check in and then got a bite to eat and some snacks to take on the plane. We went on ahead to our gate and waited there for Amanda to arrive. Ryan Air, which is the airline we were flying with, has a strict policy of checking in 40 minutes prior to departure. As we sat at the gate and the 40 minute window passed, we still hadn't heard from Amanda. With about 30 minutes left until our flight left, I got a call from Amanda who was standing at the check in counter on the other side of the airport. The Ryan Air people told her she would not be able to get on our flight because she was too late to check in. We couldn't believe it. After all the crap she had gone through to try and make this flight she was only 10 minutes too late and couldn't board. It was ridiculous because we hadn't even boarded yet and we were sitting at the gate. Those of us who were at the gate went on ahead and boarded our flight. Just before the plane started taxing out to the runway I got a message from her that said she was going to catch a flight to Milan and then a train to Venice and meet us there later in the evening. The rest of us were relieved to hear that she hadn't given up and just gone home.
The flight from Liverpool to Venice (Treviso), which is an airport that is about 45 minutes away from Venice, was about 2:20. When we got to Treviso we grabbed our stuff and headed for a coach that would take us to Venice. The bus dropped us off on the island at a place called Piazzale Roma around 9pm. We stepped off the coach and took in the sight of the Grand Canal at night, it was amazing. While we were taking in the sights I got a call from Amanda and she said that she had made it to Milan but there weren't any more trains running to Venice for the evening, so she was going to get a room for the night and catch the first train out in the morning. After talking to Amanda we huddled up to formulate a plan for the rest of our evening. I was staying at a place called Camping Fusina and all of the girls were staying at one called Venice Rooms, which were not close to each other at all, so I said goodnight to the girls and headed off on the journey to my hostel.
I was told by a lady, who was working the ticket counter for the buses, that I had to catch 2 buses to get to my hostel; one from the island to the mainland railway station and one from there to my place. When I was riding the first bus I didn't notice the railway station as we went by. I kept on riding and then the bus stopped and said that it was the end of the line. I had to get off the bus in some area of the mainland with no idea where I was. It was freezing and nothing was open because it was now about 10pm. I stood around waiting to see if another bus would come and then finally decided to start walking in the direction of where I thought the railway station was. I walked for about 6 or 7 blocks until I saw a Blockbuster which was actually open and an ATM near it which was good cause I had no euros on me. I got some cash and as I was heading towards Blockbuster I saw someone waiting at another bus stop so I went over to see if the bus I needed stopped there. Luckily it did and a few minutes later the bus arrived. I rode it a few stops back to the railway station and hopped off to wait for my next bus. I ended up waiting 40 minutes for the next bus cause it only comes once an hour. About 30 minutes later I arrived at my destination. I checked in at the reception desk and trekked down the road to my bungalow. Thankfully when I got there I found that the space heater was on high and the room was fairly warm. My hands were shaking so bad from the cold it was hard to take my jacket off and unpack my backpack. It was handy that, since I had a double room all to myself, there were 4 big wool blankets all for me. I curled under all 4 of them in all of my clothes and passed out.
(2/19) I got up around 9am and headed to the Internet bus at my hostel. It was a double decker bus with computers on the top level. After checking a few things online I caught my 2 buses into town, which took about 1 hour in total. I arrived back in Piazzale Roma and met up with Rosie and Amanda, who had just arrived. We walked around the northside of the city and met up with Melissa and the other girls. After getting a bite to eat Amanda decided she wanted to drop her luggage off back at their hostel so Rosie and I went with her to do that. It was about 1:30 roundtrip to drop the luggage off and get back to the city. Back in the city it was time to do some real sightseeing in the daylight. We just picked a direction and started walking. We passed through alleys and over bridges and through beautiful little squares nestled between the buildings. All along the way you could see that Carnevale was in full swing. People in full costume and mask, shops selling masks, and street performers gallore, it was truly a sight to behold. We worked our way from the north part of the city along the eastern part and down to the southern part to Piazza San Marco.
The piazza was buzzing with all manner of people; tourists taking pictures (aka me), locals, and those in costume. At the eastern end of the piazza is Basilica di San Marco, which is a very impressive church. Next to it is the Doge's Palace, which is where the mayor of Venice used to live. Near there is a bell tower, which you can go up in for a about 8 euros. Amanda and I went up to the top of the bell tower to take some great photos. We hung around this area for a few hours and then worked our way through the center of the city back towards where our day had begun. Along the way I bought my first mask. When we were near our starting point we found a nice little restaurant where we stopped for dinner. The meal was delicious, I had Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, which is spaghetti with garlic and olive oil. We had some wine with the meal as well, which was also pretty good. The combination of food and exhaustion from walking all day pretty much knocked us out. It was about 7pm and we decided to catch the bus back to their hostel. I hung out with Rosie and Amanda back at there hostel for about 1:30 and then decided to make the trek back to my own place. In total it took me 1:45 to get back to my place from the time I left theirs. When I got back to my bungalow I threw on my headphones and looked through my travel guidebook. After about an hour I decided to call it a night so I could do it all again the next day.
(2/20) I woke up a bit earlier than the day before so I could stop by the restaurant at my hostel and get a real breakfast before I headed back into town. After breakfast I hit up the Internet bus again for a few minutes and then caught the buses once more into town. I got to town I hadn't heard from the girls yet about when we were meeting up so I decided to just start walking in the opposite direction as the day before. I worked my way around the western side of the city and then up through the center to a bridge called Ponte Rialto. The area surrounding the bridge was teeming with shops and stalls selling all variety of things. As I was walking I spotted a stall selling masks that caught my eye and I ended up buying my 2nd mask. I wondered around for about 1 hour or so when I got a message from the girls to meet up. I took the reverse direction of our path from the first day and caught up with them near the train station on the island called San Lucia. They only had about 2 hours to spare until their train left so we didn't wander too far. Most of the time we spent window shopping and getting lunch. Around 2pm we headed back to the train station and the girls got on a train to Bologna where they would catch a plane to Birmingham and then another train to Lancaster.
Here are pictures from the first half of my time in Venice:
Carnevale 1
Carnevale 2
After they left I called Rachel Kubacki, a friend from home who is studying abroad in Bologna at the moment. Rachel and her friends were coming into Venice that day and I was going to meet up with them later in the afternoon. Her and her friends were staying at the same hostel as me and when I called her they were on the bus to the hostel to drop their stuff off. This meant I had about 1:30 until they would be back in the city. I walked to the opposite end of the city which was the waterfront on the very south. Our hostel offered a water taxi service every hour to the city which took about 30 minutes. I hung out on some steps near the water soaking up the sun for about 45 minutes while I awaited their arrival. Around 3:30 they arrived via water taxi. I gave Rachel a big hug and introduced myself to her 3 friends. This was the first time I'd seen someone from home since I left, except for through Skype.
After talking for a few we headed straight for Piazza San Marco. When we arrived in the piazza they were just about to start a "Best Costume" contest. Rachel and I walked over near the stage where the show was going to take place and her friends headed off to see the basilica. We watched the show from beginning to end, which took probably an hour. There were so many great costumes, it was a lot of fun. After that we walked down to the waterfront where Rachel and her friends each bought masks. The day was starting to get late and the sun was fading fast on the horizon, so we began to work our way towards the restaurant where we would have dinner. We stopped to shop a bit near Ponte Rialto along the way. It took us a while to find the restaurant, which was hidden down an alley. The place had a reputation for seafood so we each got some sort of seafood in one of our 2 courses. The food and the wine were good and it felt great to be off our feet for a while. After dinner we worked our way through the alleys and squares along our way to the bus station. We stumbled upon several dance partys taking place in various squares throughout the city. It was sad that we didn't have much time to stop in party, cause we had to make sure we got back in time to catch our bus. We caught the first bus to the railway station and then looked at the time for the next bus to Camping Fusina, which wasn't coming for about 35 minutes. Since we were a group of 5 we decided to hop in a taxi instead of waiting for the bus. When we had loaded up the taxi we looked out the window and saw a Chinese guy walking around by himself, so we invited him to share our taxi. With 6 people the fare only cost 4 euros a piece, which was well worth saving 30 minutes of being freezing cold outside. Back at our hostel we went and hung out in the girls' bungalow for a bit and drank some wine. After about an hour I headed back to my room and crashed.
(2/21) Saturday began with another breakfast at the restaurant at the hostel. With a full stomach it was off to the water taxi to go into town. The dock was packed with people and when we tried to get on only Rachel and two of her friends made it. It was alright though cause they called another one up, so me and Rachel's friend Lauren caught the next one. We reunited at the dock in town and headed back towards Piazza San Marco. Along the way there was a woman doing face painting so Rachel got her face done. After that we continued on to the piazza. When we got there they were preparing for another costume contest, but we decided not to stay and watch this one. We walked back to the waterfront by the Doge's Palace like we had the day before and joined up with Rachel's friends who had split off when she was getting her face painted. When we met up with them we decided to break into 2 groups, Rachel and her friend Lauren wanted to go up in the bell tower and the rest of us wanted to tour the Doge's Palace. The Doge's Palace was pretty neat, it had a nice courtyard and all the rooms inside were filled with beautiful artwork. Near the end of the tour you get to cross the famous Bridge of Sighs, which leads into the prison on the other side. After the tour we regrouped and walked along the waterfront away from the piazza in search of lunch. We ended up stopping for pizza at a cool little restaurant in some alley. After lunch we were craving gelato so we scoured the nearby alleys till we found a place that sold it. With all of that out of the way we decided to take a vaporetto, water bus, from the southern end of the Grand Canal all the way to the north end which was where the train and bus stations were.
The water bus was exactly like a city bus only in boat form. People were packed like sardines on that thing and it was hard to get a spot near the edge so you could see the sights. Luckily for me I'm fairly tall so I could see alright, but the girls were struggling. Every time that thing would stop, which was about every 2-5 minutes, about 5 people would get off and 10 more would get on. It was definitely an experience. We got off at the stop for the train station on the north end of the island. Rachel and I went inside to check train times back to Bologna cause we were leaving later that night. We found a train that was leaving around 8:30, which gave us about 2 hours to go back and get our stuff and come back to catch the train. We headed straight for the bus station to get back to our hostel. When we got to the railway station on the mainland we decided to catch a taxi instead of waiting for the next bus. We were beginning to wonder if we were gonna make our train so when the taxi got to our hostel we told him to wait a second while we grabbed our stuff and he gave us a lift back to the railway station. The taxi was a huge time saver and we actually ended up making a train that left earlier than the one we were trying to make. So, after 3 days it was time to say goodbye to Venice. It was the most beautiful city I've ever seen and I can't wait to go back with my sisters during my Easter holiday break.
More Carnevale Pics:
Carnevale 3
Carnevale 4
Carnevale 5
Our train ride was in 2 parts, first from Lancaster to Wigan which was about 30 minutes, then from Wigan to Liverpool which was about 1 hour. We arrived in Liverpool right on schedule with about 2 hours till our plane was to leave. At the train station we met up with another girl who was a friend of Melissa's and the 6 of us grabbed two taxis to the airport. When we got to the airport we went straight to check in and then got a bite to eat and some snacks to take on the plane. We went on ahead to our gate and waited there for Amanda to arrive. Ryan Air, which is the airline we were flying with, has a strict policy of checking in 40 minutes prior to departure. As we sat at the gate and the 40 minute window passed, we still hadn't heard from Amanda. With about 30 minutes left until our flight left, I got a call from Amanda who was standing at the check in counter on the other side of the airport. The Ryan Air people told her she would not be able to get on our flight because she was too late to check in. We couldn't believe it. After all the crap she had gone through to try and make this flight she was only 10 minutes too late and couldn't board. It was ridiculous because we hadn't even boarded yet and we were sitting at the gate. Those of us who were at the gate went on ahead and boarded our flight. Just before the plane started taxing out to the runway I got a message from her that said she was going to catch a flight to Milan and then a train to Venice and meet us there later in the evening. The rest of us were relieved to hear that she hadn't given up and just gone home.
The flight from Liverpool to Venice (Treviso), which is an airport that is about 45 minutes away from Venice, was about 2:20. When we got to Treviso we grabbed our stuff and headed for a coach that would take us to Venice. The bus dropped us off on the island at a place called Piazzale Roma around 9pm. We stepped off the coach and took in the sight of the Grand Canal at night, it was amazing. While we were taking in the sights I got a call from Amanda and she said that she had made it to Milan but there weren't any more trains running to Venice for the evening, so she was going to get a room for the night and catch the first train out in the morning. After talking to Amanda we huddled up to formulate a plan for the rest of our evening. I was staying at a place called Camping Fusina and all of the girls were staying at one called Venice Rooms, which were not close to each other at all, so I said goodnight to the girls and headed off on the journey to my hostel.
I was told by a lady, who was working the ticket counter for the buses, that I had to catch 2 buses to get to my hostel; one from the island to the mainland railway station and one from there to my place. When I was riding the first bus I didn't notice the railway station as we went by. I kept on riding and then the bus stopped and said that it was the end of the line. I had to get off the bus in some area of the mainland with no idea where I was. It was freezing and nothing was open because it was now about 10pm. I stood around waiting to see if another bus would come and then finally decided to start walking in the direction of where I thought the railway station was. I walked for about 6 or 7 blocks until I saw a Blockbuster which was actually open and an ATM near it which was good cause I had no euros on me. I got some cash and as I was heading towards Blockbuster I saw someone waiting at another bus stop so I went over to see if the bus I needed stopped there. Luckily it did and a few minutes later the bus arrived. I rode it a few stops back to the railway station and hopped off to wait for my next bus. I ended up waiting 40 minutes for the next bus cause it only comes once an hour. About 30 minutes later I arrived at my destination. I checked in at the reception desk and trekked down the road to my bungalow. Thankfully when I got there I found that the space heater was on high and the room was fairly warm. My hands were shaking so bad from the cold it was hard to take my jacket off and unpack my backpack. It was handy that, since I had a double room all to myself, there were 4 big wool blankets all for me. I curled under all 4 of them in all of my clothes and passed out.
(2/19) I got up around 9am and headed to the Internet bus at my hostel. It was a double decker bus with computers on the top level. After checking a few things online I caught my 2 buses into town, which took about 1 hour in total. I arrived back in Piazzale Roma and met up with Rosie and Amanda, who had just arrived. We walked around the northside of the city and met up with Melissa and the other girls. After getting a bite to eat Amanda decided she wanted to drop her luggage off back at their hostel so Rosie and I went with her to do that. It was about 1:30 roundtrip to drop the luggage off and get back to the city. Back in the city it was time to do some real sightseeing in the daylight. We just picked a direction and started walking. We passed through alleys and over bridges and through beautiful little squares nestled between the buildings. All along the way you could see that Carnevale was in full swing. People in full costume and mask, shops selling masks, and street performers gallore, it was truly a sight to behold. We worked our way from the north part of the city along the eastern part and down to the southern part to Piazza San Marco.
The piazza was buzzing with all manner of people; tourists taking pictures (aka me), locals, and those in costume. At the eastern end of the piazza is Basilica di San Marco, which is a very impressive church. Next to it is the Doge's Palace, which is where the mayor of Venice used to live. Near there is a bell tower, which you can go up in for a about 8 euros. Amanda and I went up to the top of the bell tower to take some great photos. We hung around this area for a few hours and then worked our way through the center of the city back towards where our day had begun. Along the way I bought my first mask. When we were near our starting point we found a nice little restaurant where we stopped for dinner. The meal was delicious, I had Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, which is spaghetti with garlic and olive oil. We had some wine with the meal as well, which was also pretty good. The combination of food and exhaustion from walking all day pretty much knocked us out. It was about 7pm and we decided to catch the bus back to their hostel. I hung out with Rosie and Amanda back at there hostel for about 1:30 and then decided to make the trek back to my own place. In total it took me 1:45 to get back to my place from the time I left theirs. When I got back to my bungalow I threw on my headphones and looked through my travel guidebook. After about an hour I decided to call it a night so I could do it all again the next day.
(2/20) I woke up a bit earlier than the day before so I could stop by the restaurant at my hostel and get a real breakfast before I headed back into town. After breakfast I hit up the Internet bus again for a few minutes and then caught the buses once more into town. I got to town I hadn't heard from the girls yet about when we were meeting up so I decided to just start walking in the opposite direction as the day before. I worked my way around the western side of the city and then up through the center to a bridge called Ponte Rialto. The area surrounding the bridge was teeming with shops and stalls selling all variety of things. As I was walking I spotted a stall selling masks that caught my eye and I ended up buying my 2nd mask. I wondered around for about 1 hour or so when I got a message from the girls to meet up. I took the reverse direction of our path from the first day and caught up with them near the train station on the island called San Lucia. They only had about 2 hours to spare until their train left so we didn't wander too far. Most of the time we spent window shopping and getting lunch. Around 2pm we headed back to the train station and the girls got on a train to Bologna where they would catch a plane to Birmingham and then another train to Lancaster.
Here are pictures from the first half of my time in Venice:
Carnevale 1
Carnevale 2
After they left I called Rachel Kubacki, a friend from home who is studying abroad in Bologna at the moment. Rachel and her friends were coming into Venice that day and I was going to meet up with them later in the afternoon. Her and her friends were staying at the same hostel as me and when I called her they were on the bus to the hostel to drop their stuff off. This meant I had about 1:30 until they would be back in the city. I walked to the opposite end of the city which was the waterfront on the very south. Our hostel offered a water taxi service every hour to the city which took about 30 minutes. I hung out on some steps near the water soaking up the sun for about 45 minutes while I awaited their arrival. Around 3:30 they arrived via water taxi. I gave Rachel a big hug and introduced myself to her 3 friends. This was the first time I'd seen someone from home since I left, except for through Skype.
After talking for a few we headed straight for Piazza San Marco. When we arrived in the piazza they were just about to start a "Best Costume" contest. Rachel and I walked over near the stage where the show was going to take place and her friends headed off to see the basilica. We watched the show from beginning to end, which took probably an hour. There were so many great costumes, it was a lot of fun. After that we walked down to the waterfront where Rachel and her friends each bought masks. The day was starting to get late and the sun was fading fast on the horizon, so we began to work our way towards the restaurant where we would have dinner. We stopped to shop a bit near Ponte Rialto along the way. It took us a while to find the restaurant, which was hidden down an alley. The place had a reputation for seafood so we each got some sort of seafood in one of our 2 courses. The food and the wine were good and it felt great to be off our feet for a while. After dinner we worked our way through the alleys and squares along our way to the bus station. We stumbled upon several dance partys taking place in various squares throughout the city. It was sad that we didn't have much time to stop in party, cause we had to make sure we got back in time to catch our bus. We caught the first bus to the railway station and then looked at the time for the next bus to Camping Fusina, which wasn't coming for about 35 minutes. Since we were a group of 5 we decided to hop in a taxi instead of waiting for the bus. When we had loaded up the taxi we looked out the window and saw a Chinese guy walking around by himself, so we invited him to share our taxi. With 6 people the fare only cost 4 euros a piece, which was well worth saving 30 minutes of being freezing cold outside. Back at our hostel we went and hung out in the girls' bungalow for a bit and drank some wine. After about an hour I headed back to my room and crashed.
(2/21) Saturday began with another breakfast at the restaurant at the hostel. With a full stomach it was off to the water taxi to go into town. The dock was packed with people and when we tried to get on only Rachel and two of her friends made it. It was alright though cause they called another one up, so me and Rachel's friend Lauren caught the next one. We reunited at the dock in town and headed back towards Piazza San Marco. Along the way there was a woman doing face painting so Rachel got her face done. After that we continued on to the piazza. When we got there they were preparing for another costume contest, but we decided not to stay and watch this one. We walked back to the waterfront by the Doge's Palace like we had the day before and joined up with Rachel's friends who had split off when she was getting her face painted. When we met up with them we decided to break into 2 groups, Rachel and her friend Lauren wanted to go up in the bell tower and the rest of us wanted to tour the Doge's Palace. The Doge's Palace was pretty neat, it had a nice courtyard and all the rooms inside were filled with beautiful artwork. Near the end of the tour you get to cross the famous Bridge of Sighs, which leads into the prison on the other side. After the tour we regrouped and walked along the waterfront away from the piazza in search of lunch. We ended up stopping for pizza at a cool little restaurant in some alley. After lunch we were craving gelato so we scoured the nearby alleys till we found a place that sold it. With all of that out of the way we decided to take a vaporetto, water bus, from the southern end of the Grand Canal all the way to the north end which was where the train and bus stations were.
The water bus was exactly like a city bus only in boat form. People were packed like sardines on that thing and it was hard to get a spot near the edge so you could see the sights. Luckily for me I'm fairly tall so I could see alright, but the girls were struggling. Every time that thing would stop, which was about every 2-5 minutes, about 5 people would get off and 10 more would get on. It was definitely an experience. We got off at the stop for the train station on the north end of the island. Rachel and I went inside to check train times back to Bologna cause we were leaving later that night. We found a train that was leaving around 8:30, which gave us about 2 hours to go back and get our stuff and come back to catch the train. We headed straight for the bus station to get back to our hostel. When we got to the railway station on the mainland we decided to catch a taxi instead of waiting for the next bus. We were beginning to wonder if we were gonna make our train so when the taxi got to our hostel we told him to wait a second while we grabbed our stuff and he gave us a lift back to the railway station. The taxi was a huge time saver and we actually ended up making a train that left earlier than the one we were trying to make. So, after 3 days it was time to say goodbye to Venice. It was the most beautiful city I've ever seen and I can't wait to go back with my sisters during my Easter holiday break.
More Carnevale Pics:
Carnevale 3
Carnevale 4
Carnevale 5
Recovery
I was really hungover when I regained consciousness on Sunday (2/15). I was able to stagger across my room to my computer and get online for a little bit before I decided I needed to go back to bed. Finally, around 6pm I got up, showered, and ate something. I went down to Trev at 8 for the pub quiz, but it was only Coke for me for the evening. After the pub quiz I spent the rest of the evening making amends for being a drunken ass the night before.
Monday (2/16) and Tuesday (2/17) were also really chill days, cause I had had my fill of bars for a little while.
Monday (2/16) and Tuesday (2/17) were also really chill days, cause I had had my fill of bars for a little while.
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