Introduce yourself...

Random stuff:

I had McDonalds and it didnt taste half bad, but I was starving.
Starbucks is just as good here.
Everyone drinks espresso.
Mona Lisa is overrated.
Going to the market is cool.
I cant wait to go somewhere warm, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna are all going to be freezing. Cant wait to be in Italy and Dubrovnik when its warmer.
I wasnt able to find another book to read, and english book stores are few and far between, so I am just reading through the New Testament and am glad.
Its amazing how much eye contact can make a difference to a stranger who doesnt speak your language.
Everyone is Paris is really nice, didnt find one rude or snobby person.
Talking Politics and Religion at a bar is just as entertaining as anywhere else.


Amsterdam so far seems like it would be a really cool city if it wasnt for the red light district and everyone smoking pot. But that part of it is kind of awkward and doesnt its best to ruin the cleanliness and beautiful part of the city.


Thank you all for keeping up with me through the blog, I love reading the comments, and just found out I can comment on my own blog so I can do that too from now on. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers as well, I have been blessed so far on my trip. I cant believe Ive only been gone 2 weeks, it seems like I have been gone forever; and at the same time I cant believe that I am already 1/6th of the way done.

-Kyle

Brugge

Thank Lauren for hasseling me to post ^_^

I finally made it to Brugge. Took a couple of trains but I finally got there. I quickly found out that most of the hostels were booked, so I walked around town for a while asking hotels what their rates were, and if they knew where a cheap place to stay was. Finally found a place in a good location, but it sure was dirty. I am definately not used to all the smoke in bars. Paris and London for the most part had people go outside if they wanted to smoke. Starting in Belgium I think this is going to change. Its hard enough battleing a little bit of a cold and stuffy nose, but now added to the equation was the fact that my hostel will be filled with smoke non stop. Needless to say I think I may have kept a couple people awake due to my coufing.

I had probably the best weather of the trip my first day in Brugge. Sunny skys, not too cold, barely a cloud. So that was nice, eventually it did start to rain a little bit, but Im used to that now. Brugge is like one giant castle. All the buildings look medieval. There are canals everywhere. All the roads are made of cobble stone, and there are horse drawn carriages everywhere.

I forgot that it was valentines day and thought for a second that Brugge might be the most romantic city on the planet. Everyone seemed to be a couple, lots of PDA going on, there were hearts everywhere. I was sitting on a bench for a while just watching people pass by as I ate some world famous frites. I eventually came to my senses. There is not a lot of things to do or see in Brugge. There are a couple big towers, and some mediocre museums. Other than that the best part was the food. I had a nice Belgium Waffle, some Moules and Frites, and a good amound of different Belgian beers, which of course were amazing. Since I was staying in such a shady place I decided to get up the next day and go to Amsterdam.

(Crap just realized I didnt add any Versaille pictures)

Some Earlier Stuff...

Oxford pics
This is on CS Lewis campus. Magdalen College.




There is so much open space on the campus despite it all being walled in. So cool.
Thats the building he had his office in.

Christ Church

London

British Museum.

Parthanon.

I could post like a ton of pictures but that would be boring.

Finishing Paris

Paris was a blur. There is so much to see and do in Paris, that we tended to get ahead of ourselves while sightseeing and ended up crashing when we realized we had probably walked about 20 miles in that day. I think my favorite part of the city is that when youre walking around you will turn a corner and see some amazing sight that I wasnt expecting to be right there. The best example is the Arc, Notre Dame, and Eiffel. The first time I saw the Eiffel tower I was walking around with the person I know studying abroad here. She didnt elude to the fact that as soon as we turned a corner it would be towering above us. It is way bigger than I imagined and is truely an awe to see. It seems like it doesnt serve any purpose really, other than just looking cool, but it sure is amazing.

When Chris got here we had a lot of fun just hanging out. It was more work than we were expecting though. At the end of the days we would be exhausted and just wanting to put our feet up. However, it wouldnt be Paris if we just went home and rested all night. So we pretty much went out every night looking for cute parisian girlfriend. There was one night in particular where we got seperated somehow at a club, neither of us had phones, and he had the key. I got home at around 7am I think, dead tired, half expecting him to not even be home/open the door when I came knocking but sure enough he was there. I remember thinking I would be really angry at him for ditching me, but soon realized that I could have just as easily ditched him on accident. We exchanged storys and slept in til noon. I think we each got a little bit of a cold due to the weather and staying out late every night; a small price to pay for enjoying Paris to its fullest.

Eventually it was time for Chris to leave and I was pushed back out into the world on my own. It was nice having him here, and I know only a true friend would get time off from work and travel half way around the world just to have a week long vaccation with me. I think having a friend here for a week also boosted my confidence a little, especially regarding approaching people that potentially dont speek english. Having a friend with me made talking to strangers and girlz pretty easy, and I think that will carry on for the rest of the trip. It has so far.

The art is Paris was amazing as well. I got to see some of the best museums in the world while I was here, which is pretty lucky. I realized that my favourite art are sculptures and that pretty much any picture or sculpture of an angel with wings and weilding a sword will get me to stop and look at it for a good while. Now its off the Bruge..

For some pictures. Does anyone care to see the pictures of random stuff, not just famous art, but the cities in general? IDK let me know, for now Ill try and keep it simple.

View from where I was sitting and reading LOL SO COOL + kewl tower shot

Pub crawl + hammi face This is me lost walking home sad/angry

The sky really did look amazing the whole time Wings = Win

And my 2 favorite sculptures so far.

You think the dress is painted RIGHT? Nope different rock. So cool

And of course my favourite angel wielding a sword that Ive seen thus far.

A few pix.

I havent even had the chance to upload pictures from my camera yet. These are all from Chris camera. So once I get a proper computer which I will probably be in Bruge (My next stop) there will be a HUUUUGE picture dump. This is just a taste of paris.

Le Tower Eiffel


Morning coffee



Going out into the Paris scene


Notre Dame


Musee. Seeing Monet was amazing


Baguette


We were laughing (still are) at all the nakedness

Paris

First of all sorry I havent posted in a while. It was really easy to find a computer while staying in hostels, but now that I have been at this hotel for a few days in Paris its tough to find somewhere to get on the internet.. other than checking email on my ipod when I find a wifi signal. As for the hotel we are staying in, its actually quite nice and in a great area. We are right on Rue St. Michele in the Latin Quarter so we are within walking distance to everything we can imagine. This is good except for the fact that my legs are still getting used to all this walking and my knees have been killing me lately.

When I first got into Paris I checked into a hostel in the Montramarte area. It was a pretty nice place with a nice atmosphere and tons of people living there. We were right on a little canal which made for some nice walking around. I got to Paris a few days before Chris since I had a friend studying in Paris I wanted to say hi to. She took us on a nice walking tour of everything, and I basically got to see all the major sights in Paris that day.

My favourite part of the city was when I was alone and walking around, I decided to take a stop in one of the many parks in the city. I was sitting on a bench doing some reading and writing, but mostly just watching the people walk by. I dont know if I was at the park when school was getting out, but it seemed like at least half the people walking by had young kids walking with them or were pushing strollers. The little french girls talking with their daddys in slured baby french is one of the cutest things Ive ever seen. So many people were teaching their kids how to walk and just having a nice stroll in the park. It was really nice. Cant wait to have a little daughter :)

I also decided to get my first nutella crepe at this point. Ok.. this is by far the number one thing everyone has told me to get while in Paris, so I automatically assumed it would be a real treat... but I was still not ready for how amazing it would actually be. My first bite fulfilled every expectation people have given me about the mystical nutella crepe, and then some. At this point Ive probably had about 10 of those little bits of heaven. I dont understand how everyone in Paris is not a fat ball rolling around with the delicious stench of nutella crepe oozing out their pores.

The fact is that French people, and the girls in particular are incredible. The majority of the people I see is so perfectly put together in every way. From the way they are dressed to the minimalistic makeup that brings out all of their best features, the girls here have a lot going for them. Its nice to grab an espresso and croisant and just watch everyone walk by. What helps them looking so cute is the weather. Its been brisk, and with rain off and on for the most part, but this is ok because girls just look cuter when they get to wear all their layers of clothes, and walk around with rosey cheeks.

Since Chris has been here we have done our fair share of pub crawls, have had a couple nice 3-4 course meals, and experienced a lot the city has to offer. The Louvre was amazing, and we are doing Musse D'orsay today which I have been looking forward to for a while. The most rewarding times are just walking around the city though, stopping every once in a while for a baguette or pannini, and doing our best to meet people. Oh there was a huge riot/strike thing that we could watch from our hotel room, I dont know if it was on the news at all. vive le revolution

After Paris Ill have a lot more time to blog and keep everyone updated, there is still a lot I can write about Paris.. so thanks for checking up with me. No spell check on this computer either >.<

Rain

Its raining (lightly) in London and Im off to Paris, since I fly out of London I decided that I will go back to Oxford and venture into the country to see CS Lewis home and grave, I think it will be special.
It cost 100 quid to get to Paris from London and takes about an hour to get there. I think Ill go have a pot of tea before the train ride. The hostel I just stayed at was pretty nice for a hostel in my opinion and I believe the one that Im going to in Paris is the same way. It will be nice when Chris gets here when we'll have a bit nicer hotel with a warm shower.. ive had 2 cold ones already.