Cobblestones Are EVIL

Hey guys! It's been a really long time, and I figured you deserved a real update of my travels so far! I wrote this in my hostel dorm in Prague as I tried to sleep, but was kept awake by the really loud people in the courtyard. Hope you enjoy:

Since my last real blog post, I've visited Amsterdam, Brussels, and I'm currently in Prague. It's only been 10 days since I left Copenhagen, but it may as well have been 10 months, judging by how much I've seen and experienced! I'll try not to bore you with lame details, so I'll just give a quick summary which will probably not be a summary at all, but a collection of thoughts slightly pertaining to where I visited cause that's apparently how I write. 

Anyways. Amsterdam. Alliteration. Unfortunately, my day was rather uneventful. I had an excellent tour - a Sandemans tour, for those wondering - and I had a great meal. It was honestly very regular, and even the entry of my journal is only two pages long (trust me, that's short).
I did enjoy my two-ish days in the Netherlands, despite not having much to report. I stayed with my good friend Rebekah, with whom I attended high school. She is currently studying International Food Business in Dronten, a little Dutch town about an hour's train ride from Amsterdam. We decided to travel together around Europe for her week-long autumn break, which pretty well everyone in Europe gets (lucky bums...)

Another friend I went to high school with gave me a list of places to visit whilst in Belgium. I can't really qualify this as a list of recommendations, really, 'cause it's more of a beer scavenger hunt.
I like to think of myself as a beer enthusiast, but Riley is a real connoisseur; he lived in Belgium on a Rotary Exchange (the same program that brought me to Finland) and while he was there he was immersed in the extensive beer culture of Belgium. He actually has a blog, wherein he gives tasting notes on different beers. It's a very entertaining blog, check it out if you're interested.

I think I speak for Bekah, as well as myself, when I say Brussels was awesome. I loved the city - which is not common for me - and had an excellent experience. I ate Belgian waffles, saw the most amazing town square I've ever seen, drank lots of beer, and simply explored the city. I plan on coming back later before I run away to Ireland, and I can't wait!

Prague was also mega cool. The old town was beautiful and the food was delicious. I can't really go into detail about what the buildings looked like, so you can check out photos from our trip here. Bekah and I had lots of fun tourist dodging, eating plain pasta and salt (because budget), and making dumb faces in photos. I loved spending time with my favorite weirdo, and without her I would have had to rely on my sense of direction, which was nonexistent in Prague. Thanks for sharing an amazing week with me Bek, you're the bomb!

 

On a sort-of random note, did you want to know what Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Prague all have in common? Sure, they're all in Europe, and I'm certain they have many other similarities, but the common ground I'm talking about is just that: ground. More, lack thereof. Alright, I'll just say it: I MISS DIRT.
At first, I thought the cobblestones were really rad - totally tubular, even - but after spending the last week-and-a-bit walking on them, I've concluded that they will be the death of me. They're all uneven, the technology is so outdated, and they have absolutely no give if you happen to trip over a stone that decided it wanted more sun than the rest of it's neighbors. No, I haven't face-planted quite yet, but I can see it looming over me like a dark cloud of death. 

I'm directing my hatred at the cobblestones specifically, but really I just miss small towns: it's quiet, there's parks, they have dirt... This country girl just doesn't belong in a big city. 

Thankfully, I arrived in Ghent on yesterday, a smaller town in Belgium that hopefully has dirt. After that I'm off to Dublin! I can't wait to see the city, but I've got way more mountain trekking planned (okay, when I say "planned" I mean "I have a vague idea of what I might want to do, but I haven't budgeted it or looked at a map or thought about where I want to go")

In any case, I'll try and update you again, which will most likely be on my flight to Dublin, since I seem to write all my posts then. *casually blogs at 10 000 feet* *flips hair that hasn't been washed as often as it should be* I'm fabulous. 

Well, it appears I've run out of things to say! I guess I'll leave you all to the rest of your day now. 

sbohem ted`

~Claire