lundi, février 28

Pub crawl and Dont wanna go home.
Our travel group decided to spend the last night in Dublin seeing a part we have not seen before, and because we dont know our way around except for the turist spots we took on a tour that went to many different bars and pubs that the locals like. In our tour group were 2 young couples from the states. and a 25yr old from the states whom has been traveling for 5 years now (says hes avoiding going home). We went to a local pub (murphys), a trendy bar (marketplace), an large open multilevel upscale bar (cefe en seine), a rock/trendy/mid 40s bar (forgot name, but it had 3 different rooms and 3 different people types in each), the smallest pub in dublin (it was fricken small, I think only 20 people can fit, and thats crammed) and 2 club/bars. I have never really been on a bar crawl, but going in and out of different scenes keeps the night alive, sure I wanted to stay longer in some, but so glad that I did not...The tour offered us some drink specials and free shots (baby guinness?). We did not even touch the temple bar area...
The Rugby team was having a match with brittian the night we were leaving. The whole city was dressed in green and wearing silly hats. I wished to stay and hang out at a pub and watch the game with the locals. I also wished to stay to see Dropkick Murphys (boston irish punk band) play that night...I cried and whined as we walked to the bus stop, I begged Nathan to agree for me to stay, like he had the authority to say so...but I just needed one okay, and I would have...it was hard to leave, none of us wanted to do it.

samedi, février 26

Wicklow Mtns.
We took part on a tour that traveled up into the mountains today. It was snowy, therefore some of the destinations were closed off to public, however it wasnt a dissapointing day. Our tour guide spoke funny (well she was irish) and she made funny jokes, she played irish music while we cruised in the mountains. It was almost like a soundtrack to what my eyes saw. We drove through small hill towns, such as Laragh where we stoped and ate lunch. Everything on the menu was expensive, there was no way of going around it, therefore I splurged and spent 12 euros on a guinness beef stew, and damn was it good. Probably the second best meal I have ever had (Bath is still number one). See how food almost becomes the focus of these travels? we left laragh and went to a monastery site, it held tombstones and ruins of buildings. From there you could walk up to a park of mtns., lakes and waterfalls. We went off trail for a bit, and climbed our way to a fresh springed waterfall...I cupped my hand and slurped up the water...it was probably the best tasting water ever!! and we walked and found a huge running rapid of water. I used my stellar hiking skills to hike along the waterfall and across it to get to the created pathway. Fun times. I really have some nice pictures from today...nature poses so well. but i guess its always posing, whenever you are looking at it-its breathtaking.

vendredi, février 25

Ireland: Dublin.
I somehow envisioned a latin quarter paris or Bruge thing going on in Dublin...but it wasnt. Its really hard to explain what Dublin was like, almost alike no other. From the skydeck bar at the guiness factory one can see all of dublin. a 360 panorama of the entire city and its mountains that lay beyond. The city isnt really a pretty one. There is a lot of construction currently, I noticed that there were about 20 cranes popping above the city's top level in just one view. I noticed this while sipping down the best pint of guinness obviously...the people at Guinness know how to do things right...good beer, beautiful views...how can you beat? A recieved a dose of Irish history as I wondered into Trinity College's Book of Kells. The exhibit held a lot of information about the book and other books that were created at the time...the book itself was a slight dissapointment...they had the books open to text pages...like I can really read what it says, all I wanted to see was the chi rho page, or at least an imaged page. We drank a guinness at The Brazen Head, the oldest tavern of Dublin! it was established in 1193! Wondered around Temple Bar a bit, Temple Bar is the touristy pub area, the prices are jacked up so high, it took us awhile to settle down for lunch. We stayed in a hostel that has a kitchen, we just made our own dinners from there on. Speaking of, the hostel we are in is an old recording studio for artists such as U2, sinea o connor, and possibly peter gabriel...I dont really see how it was a recording studio, but they claim it...so it must be right??

jeudi, février 24

glasgow.
It was only a 50 minute train ride from edinburgh to glasgow and somehow it seemed like a world away. Glasgow instantley gave off a big city vibe, and think: edinburgh is the capital of scotland? while edinburgh does not contain much height and contains a lot of medieval, renaissance and baroque buildings, glasgow has gone completley contemporary. A lot of its older urban peices seem to date to early 1900s. Alike Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, and London, Glasgow has its own modern architect who added a lot to the city, Mackintosh. The city takes pride of being the home to his work as well. His work was late 1800s early 1900 in the art nouveau style that was up and coming all over europe (read: brussels and paris prodominatly, the development of the metropolitian stations in paris by H. Guimard). One of his buildings, the lighthouse was renovated for an architecture design and product design center. It held exhibits due to current architectual related topics. It also had this huge winding staircase that consisted of 137 steps that takes one up to the top of the lighthouse that overlooks the city of glasgow. Overall, I thought Glasgow has a lot of potential. For some reason the area by the river was abondoned and is just now being built up. There really is no pedestrian edge along the river either...I can see a huge oppurtunity for urban development. Im looking forward to seeing what will come of this city.

mardi, février 22

Edinburgh.
even when we were lost driving in this f'd up city, I fell in love with it. sure its not convienent to the stranger if driving (read: the one way roads) but when I got on my own two feet and moving through the city as it wants, I thought good things of this place. Once I saw this caged up glowing spiraled scribbles peice of artwork sitting in a void created by taking out a previous building, I knew edinburgh had something going on...that was cool. I climbed up to william wallaces castle and saw edinburgh from the view he would have...my view was different, but maybe not as much...the mountains were still there and the bay too. I could not peel my eyes off of the snow capped mountains. I climbed up them a bit. I took pretty pictures...I got this feeling that I was in the artic somewhere. and then I found the enric miralles scottish parliament building. It was amazing...it was his last built project before he passed in 2000. His client passed 3 monthes later, the building attained so much politics after this, but it is a miricle that it finished as miralles wanted it. why is it so amazing you ask? miralles thought of the building as being built within the land, i quote, "scotland is a land and not a series of cities" therefore his building is inspired and is built of the topography. all materials are rich and most are from scotland such as the wood. and the roof structure of the dabating chamber was incredible. And from there you could see the mountains that were behind it. 'edinburgh, I will come back to you one day'

dimanche, février 20

road trip!!!
so we picked up a car at heathrow airport...took us awhile to find the location of pickup, took us awhile to get out onto the expressway (ben was the renter and he did not know how to drive too well). Tim took over then and then we headed off to stonehenge. which was the most amazing pile of rocks i have ever seen! ha! j/k! and then we drove through Bath and had probably the most amazing meal of our lifes. We luckily walked into a pub where the cook cooks from scratch. I had sausage and mash with a camelized onion sauce...mmm...yes and then we drove further through manchester and to edinburgh. I drove for a bit and driving on the otherside of the road is kinda crazy...i was a bit rusty on the manual as well...and the circle intersections are just baffeling. heh, we went around one circle more than once trying to figure the direction we needed to go to. the scenery from london to edinburgh was awesome. we saw some hills with towns in the distance. Im so glad we rented this car...and i mean this particular one, i dont think it would have been any better with a different one...

vendredi, février 18

london bridges falling down...
i started belting out opera style singing with my hand out as i was walking across london bridge singing london bridges....later when we walked back we actually played the game...oh its so fun here, the best parts are the parts that are not planned. sure we want to go and see like everything, but you cant and when exploring a city on your own you can find some amazing things. I tried the traditional fish and chips plate, and im a fan of. Im trying some new beers, (saving the guiness till dublin) I saw some amazing art at a modern art museum (warhol, pollock, rothko) and just hanging out with friends (julies here, ben and tim mostly) ahh, good times. i like traveling, forget architecture, can i become a professional traveler??

mercredi, février 9

ah, amsterdam...how i love you! 

dimanche, février 6

I Amsterdam.
I can not form coherent sentences right now. so a list will do.
summary of thoughts from my weekend:
1. I love amsterdam.
2. If I lived anywhere in Europe it would be amsterdam.
3. No its not because of the weed.
4. I like the food.
5. the people are nice, relaxed.
6. everyone rides bikes.
7. and theres canals too.
8. its a quaint city.
9. English is the second language and predominant
10. and with words like "dese" and "dat" I concluded dutch must be easier to speak than french

jeudi, février 3

im a fan of markets

mercredi, février 2

French markets
Today I went to a large market in Paris. It was by accident that I ran into it, I was on the location of my new site for the design project this semsester. The market was enormously long. It was below the elevated metro tracks and streatched for 3 city blocks. I have never seen so many fish vendors. I also saw some sad animal mutalated with its organs still inside clearly and cleanly cut as if it was done for a biology disection. oh and its eyeballs remained. the tag said "Lapin" I still have to look up what that is, but it looked like a small dog, like a prairie dog or something. I was browsing through when I saw the brightest plump strawberries I have yet seen in France, so I bought a basket and that was my lunch for the day. I was observing the interaction the vendors have with the ones who come to buy-the butchers yell out commands to eachother and to attract people to thier tables. They talk to thier customer while gutting thier bird or fish. It does not seem like they are in much of a hurry, or otherwise they would not talk while cutting away. The market appears as a huge social event. Its more than going and buying the fresh food. Its an interaction with other people in the neighboorhood. Something they all look forward too. Now Ive been to the maxwell street market, and sure its huge and all, but cmon half that stuff is stolen!! LIke I reallly would want to talk to a thief-basically what Im getting at is that markets are something special to europe. I really wish we had them back at home.

mardi, février 1

BRUGE....the venice of the north.