London Calling

With Brad in London



Hanging out with the flatmates


Reunited with Caren

Seeing the Sights


Weak attempt at Abbey Road crosswalk picture


The Changing of the Guards


The three of us got into London around 9 in the evening and took the tube to our Marriott. When we got out, we discovered that we had gone to the wrong stop but opted to walk instead of get back on the tube, thinking it would be very close. We thought wrong. We walked in circles for a short while until some locals offered their assistance and called the Marriott on their phones for us and gave us directions. Friendly place. By the time we checked in and cleaned up, it was nearing 10 o'clock and Brad only had a short time to see the city, so we hit the town. We got dinner at a kebab place (what are we going to do without these?) on Great Portland Street! and followed local's advice to go to Picadilly Circus for a beer. After beer and some dancing, we went to see the sights in the wee hours of the morning. Some local people who had missed their bus offered to show us around. In a matter of hours, we saw Trafalger Square, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and some other tourist destinations. When we got back to our hotel, we were exhausted and slept in nearly until checkout the next day. When we checked out, Brad hopped in a cab to Heathrow to catch his flight home. Rachel and I went to Abbey Road and tried to recreate the Beatles album cover, however, it is much harder than you would imagine, because not only were there only two of us, but you have to have a random take the picture across the street and mind the cars that are speeding by. Needless to say, we didn't get the best shot off. That night, we took our huge bags and went to Clapham Common to meet up with a friend from New Zealand whom we had met in Greece, but was now living in London named Sam. He was very hospitable and let us stay with his flatmates (all from NZ) and him for most of our week in London. It was great to have a group of people to hang out with. We played rugby in the park, attended birthday parties and watched big rugby games at the local pub, rooting for the All Blacks (NZ team). We managed to see sights during the days, taking a river cruise and riding one of the double deckers through the city. Whilst on the double decker, riding by Big Ben, we saw Caren (a friend from middle school) out the window. We hadn't planned to get out at this stop, but our plans quickly changed as we hopped from our seats and ran for the door screaming her name. It was crazy to run into her in such a big city. That night, we all met up at Hyde Park to catch up, and ended the night in Camden town. The rest of our trip was spent viewing museums, parks and popular neighborhoods and markets and catching up with friends. Steph gets into town today, so we will continue discovering this great city. Molly leaves tomorrow for the good old USA and Rachel heads on to Lagos for round two with Steph. It's hard to believe that it is all coming to an end, but neither of us predict this being our last big global exploration in the coming years.

Amsterdam

When we got to Amsterdam, we stayed at a Marriott again. This time, we were in the center of the city. We were astounded by the number of bikes that were everywhere, and when there wasn't room for another in the alloted bike parking space, people just stacked their bikes on top of the other ones. Amsterdam was very pleasant, a bit like Venice with how many waterways ran through the city. Our second day there, we went to the train station to meet up with Brad. We got there early so that we wouldn't miss him. When we were reunited we all hugged hello and then headed off for the LONG trek to our "centrally located" hostel. With sore backs and tired legs, we checked into our room and headed out to grab some dinner and explore the town. It was funny exchanging travel stories with Brad because we had been to a lot of the same places and had to deal with similar complications. Amsterdam had a lot to offer, from night life to parks to museums. On our final day, we went to the Van Gogh museum and then boarded our train to London...Molly's final stop.

Home sweet...Belgium?

Mannequin Pis

The Atomium


We stayed in Brussels for four nights, apparently much longer than most backpackers ever stay. By the time we left, we had seen the city, mastered the bus system and even had the people that worked at one of the Kebab shops waving at us when we passed...practically locals. We started out on the outskirts of town at a Marriott. We happened to arrive just in time for Belgium's Independence Day. We spent the day in the main square with the rest of the town sampling the beers, chocolates and cheeses (healthy combination...) and preparing for the firework and light show that were to take place that evening. The show ended just in time for us to catch the last bus back to the Marriott. The next day we decided to stay at a hostel closer in town. We went to a bar called Delirium, which is in the Guiness book of World Records because it has over 2000 different types of beer. On our final full day in Belgium, we ventured to see the Atomium, a large scale atom model that was built for an exhibition in 1958-apparently it is Brussel's equivalent to the Eiffel Tower. When we returned to our hostel, the owner told us that he had double booked our room, but that they had a back up room in the basement. So we got a room to ourselves in the end and paid much less than we had expected-their oversight definitely worked in our favor. We left the next afternoon after seeing the Mannequin Pis and scouring the city for the best chocolate. By three in the afternoon, we were on a train to Amsterdam...

paris j'taime

A top the Eiffel Tower



The Tower at night



In front of Notre Dame with Steph



The bus ride was surprisingly tolerable as far as 14 hours of sitting goes. There were movies, mostly Czech, with the exception of Mr. and Mrs Smith, music and refreshments. We got in to Paris where we were greeted by Steph! Although five months has passed since we last saw her, it only felt like days. The three of us got on the crammed metro, Rachel and I attempting not to hit anyone with the many items hanging from our bags. When we emerged from underground, we had a clear view of the Eiffel Tower. Welcome to Paris! We proceded to the apartment where Steph is an Au Pair and met the family she has been living with for the last month. We sat down to dinner the first night with the family and exchanged travel stories. They have lived all over the world so we enjoyed hearing their experiences and perspectives. After dinner Steph, Rachel and I decided to check out the Eiffel tower at night because it sparkles every hour. While we were there, we found ourselves stuck in the middle of a sudden wind and rain storm that sent us running for cover under a nearby bridge. The next day we decided to go to Mont Martre to enjoy the view and some live entertainment. We got crepes and hiked up a hill to a monument. On the stairs overlooking the city, a band was playing. We quickly made friends with them-Rachel was even called up to dance in front of the audience. By the end of their set, they were inserting "we love Oregon" into the musical interludes of their songs. We spent the rest of our time in Paris doing some sight seeing, riding the ferris wheel, viewing museums and enjoying Steph's company. It was nice to get out of hostels for a few days and stay with a family. Next stop, Brussels.