Mussels in Brussles

Currently I am sitting in smug and using their free internet, as I have none of my own at the moment. Nothing too much to report about here, though my curtain is still down so I woke up to the very hot sun rays on my bright and early, I don't know how I"m going to handle being back in CA. I realised that I didn't finish going over my Eurotrip, and now that I have proper internet I can add better pictures. So after Paris we headed to Brussels. At first we weren't sure about the area, it was a bit deserted and sketchy looking. The whole time we walking around I just kept thinking, I've made a huge mistake, I'm sorry I brought us here! But we took the subway into the good part of Brussels and everything was much nicer! I ended up really enjoying Brussels! We mostly just wandered around since we didn't really know what to do while we were there, so just explored the area we were in for a bit. We went to the beer museum, which was great. There we met some older ladies, one from Ireland, one from England and one from Scotland, so we chatted with them a bit until the bar tender (you get a free beer tasting at the end of the museum) kicked us out because the football match was going to start soon. After that we watered around, had some coffee and chocolate (the chocolate there is ridiculously good) and meandered through the alleys there. We saw the boy peeing fountain, though we found it by accident, and walked along the area where there are just rows and rows of restaurants, with guys outside telling you to come in. There also seems to be a lot of seafood there, and even more mussels, clams and shrimp. I was sorely tempted to have some paella, but seafood didn't sound particularly appetising at the moment, so we went to a veg place that was also in Paris, and it was quite good (especially after all the chocolate). After we went to Delerium cafe, which is a crazy big beer bar that has over 200 types of beer. Fortunately the staff is very knowledgeable (and patient) since choosing a beer from that many is quite a daunting task. They helped me pick beers for myself and my friend and we enjoyed sitting in the bar, it's really cool I wish there was one here! While we were sitting there we got sucked into a stag do, which was hilarious, though mildly terrifying when 2 stag do collided and the grooms were chugging beers standing over me, but still funny. After they found out I was from CA I was serenaded with various songs about CA, pretty silly. We didn't stay too long, since we were still in the slightly murderous part of town we didn't want to get home too late (though that still means we were out till 10:30, gotta love those long summer days!) so we headed back. We we returned to out hostel there were still 2 empty beds, so we hoped that it would stay that way. We were wrong. Around midnight we were woken up to 2 girls coming in a unpacking there stuff. It was mildly annoying, but still it wasn't too late, so whatever. Then we were woken up AGAIN to them leaving, at 4:00 am! I have no clue what they were doing, but that was rather annoying, and just a little strange. The next day we woke up, had some breakfast, and headed to Bruges!

My room's almost done!

I awoke to my phone ringing at 7:30 am this morning. Too early for my alarm I thought, then realised that my ikea furniture was coming today! So bright and early the delivery fellows rang my bell (at 8:15) and they lugged my new furniture up the stairs for me, how thoughtful of them :) I proceeded to spend a good part of the day, somewhere in the ballpark of 4 hours, building my new furniture. There weren't too many snags, though I did have to remove a few screws but thanks to my snazzy new drill it was a cinch! Though putting that desk up was a challenge it is quite heavy (apologises to my downstairs neighbour for the banging). But aside from a few items my room is all done! Hopefully I'll get the rest of the stuff this week and it'll be done just in time for me to leave, but it'll be there when I get back :)

New Flat!

So we got the keys to our new flat today! Can't wait to put all my stuff away and get settled in!

 bathroom

 living rooms

 kitchen

 my bedroom!

entry hall

Paris

So I did a quick overview of the Eurotrip that my flatmate and I took, now I can do a day by day , or at least city by city view. So first we went to Paris! A quick flight (it's still amazing to me that we live so close to all these amazing places, we have to make good use of where we are while we're here!) and we had pretty much the whole day there! Though ( in true UK fashion) our flight was delayed and the people in the queue didn't seem to understand that it was the next flight that was boarding and not ours, but eventually we arrived! We took the bus into the city and walked to the hotel (getting a bit lost on the way) but found it eventually. The beds were like clouds and we got a great deal since the hotel was under construction, it was in a great area and the staff were amazing. Hotel Gotty was where we stayed, nicely located near the metro, it was fantastic! The first day we just got our bearings, had some lunch, took a red bus tour, and walked around. That night we went to a great restaurant near Notre Dame and took the metro home.
The next day started bright and early, had breakfast at a cafe on the corner of the street where we stayed and headed out. We hooped on the Red Bus since we had a 24 hr ticket, which was nice because we could actually look at the sights instead of just seeing them through our camera lens. We walked around the lock bridge, then did the Louvre, Notre Dame and bit more and the cemetery where Oscar Wilde is buried. Its huge and really beautiful and we almost got lost in there/locked in. But we eventually found out way out. After dinner at another great French veg restaurant we took a night boat cruise to see Paris from the water at night. It was beautiful! Though we nearly got mowed over by a large group of Japanese tourists, though after the Mona Lisa we were not in the mood to negotiate with tourorists, and elbowed our way to front seats, no prisoners! We got the 2nd to last boat, so the sun had actually set, and saw the Eiffel Tour light up and sparkle! It was amazing! On the boat we had some champagne, met some nice people from Tennessee, and had a delightful time. Also some random Frenchmen mooned us from the banks of the Seine, which was hilarious.
The next day we wandered up to Sacre Cour and explored the area of Monmartre and the not tourists areas of Paris. It was really lovely to wander around deserted streets and see some gorgeous homes and little shops and restaurants. It was great to get away from the crowds, especially after Sacre Cour which was insane! After we finally found our way back to the Metro (getting lost along the streets on Paris sometimes actually does involve getting a bit lost) we went to the catacombs which were really interesting. At first it was just a bunch of tunnels, then it turned in to tunnels lined almost floor to ceiling with bones and skulls. Ever the vet students, we were naming the tuberositites, but that's neither here nor there. It was a really cool place, very inexpensive, and I recommend it, it was certainly interesting. Afterwards we went to Jardin de Luxembourg which were lovely (though I mostly wanted to go because they were in passport to paris) and then found our way to yet another fantastic veg restaurant. That was our last day in Paris, then we woke up, walked to the train station, and headed to Brussels!
Now for the news in Glasgow: we woke up early and saw the Olympic torch today! I've never seen one, so that was really cool! Then us few remaining vets went to Smug and had breakfast, and then a few of us went to see Prometheus and the Olympic rings in Georges Square, but then it started raining (which was a big surprise) and headed home; though not before a bird pooped on my shoe and my water bottle filled my purse, good times!

Eurotrip!

First things first OFFICIALLY A 2ND YEAR VET STUDENT!!! WHAT WHAAAAAAT!! Now that that's over, just got back from my quick trip over to Europe with my flatmate. We went to Paris, Brussels, Bruges, and Amsterdam. It was so much fun! I've never been to any of those places, so it was really exciting to get to see all those places! We started in Paris and were there for 3 nights. It really is an amazing city, and we pretty much traversed it all! WE did some of the standard stuff, Red Bus tour, saw the Eiffle Tour, Louvre, Notre Dame, etc. We went to Shakespeare and Co, ate amazing food, it was really great! After Paris we trained to Brussels which, at first, was kind of sketchy since our hostel was right between the 2 areas that are a little unsavoury, but once we went into town it was actually really nice. We explored a bit, had some amazing coffee and chocolate, and went to Delerium, which is a bar that has 200+ beers and is really cool! There we were pulled into a stag do for a minute, then just watched as 2 stag dos challenged each other. Apparently Brussels is the place to go for stag dos, hen parties, and baby showers since they were everywhere!. Also we went to the beer museum which was amazing, mostly because you get a free beer at the end, so that was cool! The next day we went to Bruges, it was a little rainy but nothing we aren't used to in Scotland, so it wasn't too bad. Took a boat tour down the canals and went to a great chip shop (Chez Vincent) had some really good chocolate, explored the city, and met some Scots in out hostel, which was great and the bar attached to it was really cool. Even though it was a Sunday and most things we closed Bruges was lovely. Then the next day we went to Amsterdam and stayed on a boat! It was so cool! New goal in life is to get a houseboat in Amsterdam when I'm a rich vet (haha). Amsterdam was really fun, though the first day we got there we were particularly cold so called it an early night. We took a canal tour, saw the Anne Frank house which was amazing, saw the Van Gough museum where I got to see my favourite painting by him (the sunflowers) and did the Heineken museum, which was fun (primarily because you get 2.5 beers). The last day (since our flight wasn't till late) we took the metro to way outside the city and saw the Bodies exhibit since my friend had ever seen it. It was still cool, there were a few I hadn't seen plus a few animal parts too and a horse! All in all it was a great trip and a nice way to cap off a great year! Now I'm in between houses (as the dorms kicked us out today but my flat isn't ready till Tues) so I'm at a hotel having a lovely staycation before M&K arrive! Also the Olympic torch is coming through so we're going to wake up early tomorrow and see it! So cool!

Lock Bridge: people come and lock a lock on it, there are a few of them and are really cool!

women in the Louvre recreating a painting

Beer Museum!

super cute basset 

View from our boatel in Amsterdam!