Saturday, February 17 - SPAIN

 Spain is so awesome!! I am in Seville right now; we got in here today around 4. The city is really quaint yet big too.

 Madrid was great. We walked around the city as soon as we got there and had lunch. We went to clubs each night and met up with some of the other people from the group. Yesterday we went to the Museum Del Prado. It was really nice but a little big we didn't get to see everything. I think Seville will be nicer. It is definitely a much slower paced place. We have had a little trouble communicating but not so bad that we can't handle it, thank goodness. My only problem has been money, of course!

 Since my ATM card is not working I have to go into banks. Also most of the places here will not enter the digits of the card, so if they can't swipe it I can't use it! I've been borrowing money from Cari and paying her back when I can get to a bank. It sucks but not too terrible I guess. But my credit card has thirty dollars left so I really can't use that. Oh well it will work out. Did you order me a new card yet?

 We really lucked out with the hostels. The one in Madrid was so cute that I would even recommend it for you to stay in. Nothing like I expected. I thought we would be in bunks with random people but we have our own room with three beds and there are nice bathrooms and towels too. We forgot to get directions or a street name to the one we reserved for here in Seville but we found another with out a problem. I think we only paid $35 for two nights in Madrid and $35-40 for three nights here in Seville.

 The train was pretty cool too. It took us 2 1/2 hours to get here and $45-50 the seats were nice and we were able to see a lot of the countryside. You would love it here. I miss you. Talk to you soon.

 Sunday, February 11

 Sorry I haven't written I have been pretty busy. I don't know what I've been doing but I never seem to have time to write. So today I am at the easy everything this way I can have time to catch up with everyone I haven't written.

So I leave for Spain on Thursday. We fly out of London at 7:45 am on Thursday and should be in Madrid by 10:30. We booked our hostels the other day it should only be about $10-15 a night not bad huh? We will be there for two nights. The cool part is that most of the people from our group that we hang out with will be there at the same time so we can meet up with them for the nighttime at least.

Then Cari, Christin and I go to Seville. We are taking the AVE. I guess it is some high-speed train that goes directly between the two cities. Cari has a friend from high school who is studying in Seville for the year so we are going to meet up with her and have her show us around. She lives with a family so we can't stay with her but hostels are so cheap that we don't care. We will be there for three nights. I guess it is really pretty there it is in the southern part of the country and a little more traditional I think.

Then we are going to Lisbon Portugal. We don't know how we are getting there yet but I think we can take a bus to the southern part of Portugal then a train to Lisbon it should only take a few hours and we get to see a lot of the country that way too. Two nights later we are flying back to London.

So 7 night, 8 days, some tapas, sangria, flamenco dancing and cheap food and hopefully some snakeskin boots!!! I'm going to take tons of pictures!

I can't believe how fast this trip is going by. I've been gone for over a month now! A week after I get back you and mom will be here, exactly one week after that we go to Dublin for four nights then two weeks later I come back home.

I'm already exhausted I can't even imagine how I will be feeling then at least the weather will be nice so I can be a lazy bum by the pool everyday!!! Can't wait and I especially can't wait to eat. I'm dying for some Mexican food and some beef I want a juicy hamburger but I'm afraid to even eat at McDonalds. Mad cow makes me lose my appetite. I eat the same thing everyday: (I will talk to you soon.)

love ya

Tuesday, January 16

So you are going to be so proud of the cultured young woman that I am becoming.

Yesterday I went to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and saw the Impressionist exhibit, then took the tube to my beautiful flat in Egerton Gardens, ate some dinner, then went to see a production of Romeo and Juliet.

Today I am getting my education and being a student, eating lunch in the "duck and dive", the school pub, great nachos for a really cheap price and they play the best music, also I get to meet people from all over the world.

Tomorrow I go to my British life and culture class and then to Liescter square to see a satire called the Complete works of Shakespeare.

Thursday the schedule is much like today and Friday we are off to Stratford upon Avon.

This weekend we will probably check out a few clubs or pubs then my roommates and I are thinking of seeing either Mama Mia, Cats or another play early next week.

Next Friday we go to Stonehenge and Bath.

What a life huh?!! Can you be any more jealous?!!!!! The only that is not good is that I can't get a huge cheeseburger, chicken burrito, or Cheetos. I think I can survive though.

Jan 3

The Rijks Museum was great, really big, Versilles was beautiful and enormous, Mussy d'Orsey was interesting and just as nice as the rest. I've taken many rolls of film and keeping everything so that I can build an
extensive scrapbook when I return. We are off to the school pub to meet the rest of the people in the group, tomorrow we have a sightseeing tour of London
should be great. I'll write soon. love ya

Can I check my credit card online? I was wondering how much I have left? I am going to Harrods today, unfortunately it is only two blocks away!!! Wanted to
go shopping! love ya

Jan 1

Annie called to wish Mom happy birthday and rub in how much fun she's having.

She says the Parisians are as crude & rude as they're touted to be. Everyone jostling and pushing, cutting in line. While waiting for a cab and getting elbowed and pushed she just began pushing and elbowing back (yeah, big surprise. She fits right in.). Still, she lost the cab to the guy who was pushing.

Sounds like they spent the night out in the rain watching the fireworks and the lighted "Tour Eiffel", and drinking on the Champs Elessay.

She said Amsterdam was great, beautiful and the people very nice. Also liked Brugge a lot, very quaint and less of a big city. Enjoyed the Rijks Museum and their collection of Dutch masters. They have had the same bus driver for the tour and have been taking lots of pictures and having a great time.

They were about to head off for their "official" sightseeing tour of Paris today, and Versailles tomorrow.

Such fun.

Dec 29

Hi,
I'm in Amsterdam we are leaving in the morning for Brussels. This city is beautiful the architecture is great and the people are pretty friendly. It has been snowing since we got here so needless to say I am freezing. Most of the people in the group are really nice we had a lot of fun last night. We went to a couple bars and a club didn't get home until after 4 when the club closed. Great time.

We went to the infamous red light district tonight after dinner, it was pretty funny but just like people said it would be. We were there very quickly, mostly just to see what everyone has talked about.

It's nearly two in the morning and a couple of the guys in the group with me came down here to the main part of town to an internet cafe. My hotmail is not working so I'm using this today, hopefully when I check next, I can use hotmail.

I'm ok and having a blast so do not worry about me. Tell mom I said hello, I'll write next time I come to a café.

love ya, Andrea....the world traveler

Dec 26

Well, Annie got off to LAX, and only an hour late (Southwest!). That left only about 4 hours to make their London connection in LA. Between finding the international terminal across the airport, checking in, checking bags, and getting to the gate they had 10 minutes to spare! But no time to call parents. After a 10 and 1/2 hour flight to Heathrow, and the travel to the hotel she called. "All's well, met the rest of the group. They all seem nice. Having a blast!"