Day 54 = Feb 26

Today was hard getting out of bed for some reason, don’t really know why; I was just tired I guess.  I went to class this morning then I got to come back to my room again, I then worked on some homework and messed around on my computer.  This afternoon, Rachel and Alyse came over and we finished our materials homework that was due at 5.  We had just gotten done with the assignment that we had to turn in on the internet and we started having problems with the internet.  So I went to campus to talk to the tech support about the problems. I went and signed up to go the Chepstow Castel and Tintern Abby next weekend.  I then had my last class for the week and came back to the room.  I made fajitas for supper and then tried to get my computer to connect to the internet.  I come to find out that the whole campus is having internet problems and nothing is working.

Rick

Day 53 = Feb 25

Today is the 1/3 mark in my trip. I have a third of my semester done.  I don’t know how I feel about that.  Anyways, today I had fluids at 9 where we found out the scores on our test.  I got 7 out of 10 and the average was 5.6 if I remember right.  So I was happy with that.  After class I was able to go back to my room because my second class was canceled today since the professor, who is the head person of the Engineering School, broke his collarbone in a mountain biking accident during the weekend.  So we don’t have that class this week.  On my way back I stopped at the grocery store and got some food.  I got mostly stuff that did not have to be refrigerated.  I went to for my statistics class this afternoon.  Then after that I went down town and got some more food.  This time it was almost all frig or freezer foods.  After I got back to the room, I worked on homework for a while and then make steak for supper.  It was pretty good.  Not like our home grown steak but it was alright.  It needed some more seasonings and I needed 57’s sauce.  Then after supper Amanda and I worked on spring break plans, trying to figure out where to go and how to get there.  That is a pain.  Oh well, we are making it.  When I decided to finally quit I just went to bed.

Rick

Day 52 = Feb 24

Today I had my Economics class.  It was alright.  I don’t know how well I am going to like the class when I get done.  After class I came back to my room, ate lunch and then started laundry.  I worked on emails and school work during the afternoon. I also listened to podcast and learned about windows 7 and other programs to use on computers.  Tonight I made my mac and cheese with peas and tuna again.  I need to go get food tomorrow in a real bad order.  I also worked on spring break plans and some homework.

Rick

Day 51 = Feb 23

Today I started out the morning by getting up and studying for a test.  My test was in Fluid Dynamics.  It was over pressure, specific weight, specific gravity, viscosity and other fun stuff.  It went pretty well, I got 7 of 10, so that made my day go a little better.  After that I went to my Economics class where I learned about how firms operate and behavior theories of firms.  After class I came back to my room and worked on cleaning my room and getting ready to do laundry.  I got the package that Tam sent me, (thanks Tam), so I hung up the calendar and pictures that she sent me.  I went to go do laundry and there was such a line of people waiting to do laundry that I decided it was not worth the time to fight over a machine, so I will do it tomorrow morning.  After that I made supper, and been updating my money spread sheet, figuring out stuff for spring break, putting pictures on my computer and cleaning up emails. 

Take care at home

Rick

Day 50 = Feb 22

We got up this morning and went to church at the St. Giles Cathedral. It was a really fast service. I really don't think it was a full service but it was still nice. We go to see the church. It was not as impressive as the ones in London but still neat.  After church we went and checked out of our hostels.  Rachel and I then decided to not stay there so we went and walked around part of the town that we had not been in.  We ended up finding a grocery store so we got some food for lunch later on the train.  We then meet up with Wendy and Alyse to go to the royal palace. 

The royal palace is where the queen of Scotland lives for part of the year and is also used for some ceremonies throughout the year and sometimes used for government business. We got free audio tours that lead us through the palace.  You followed the procession that would be followed by people during one of the ceremonies. The palace had a lot of tapestries handing on walls and many beautiful paintings as well.  Some of the plaster work and wood work was amazing.  It was a beautiful place.  There were some rugs there that were the size of the room.  The one was like 25 feet by 60 feet. It was cool.  Then behind the palace was a huge garden. Nothing was in bloom and it was closed but it was still beautiful.  On the one back corner of the palace there once stood a cathedral but in the 1800's the roof collapsed in due to lack of maintenance and use of the church.  Now only parts of the walls remain standing and part of the floor where people are buried. The ended our tour of the palace. We left the palace and went and walked through a few more gift shop. We then tried to find a deep fat fried Mars bar.  I ate a sandwich at Quizno's which tasted really good. I have not had a good sub in a long time so it was a nice reminder of home.  After that I made my way to the train station where Rachel and Alyse meet back up with me to head back to Swansea. Wendy stayed for some more time there to see more and was going to take another night train back. We got on the train and had 5 hours to sit. I tried to work on homework but after five minutes I started to make myself sick so I gave up. It was some pretty country. We rode right along the coast for a while so that was cool. I got to see a lot of farms and did see some dairy farms. I never did get a picture of any of them.  The train ride back was nothing special. Got a few quick naps and ate the lunch that I brought with me.  We had two changes which were both about 15 minute so that was nice that we did not have to wait.

When we got back to Swansea, we took a taxi back to the student village.  When we got back, I made myself a pizza, talked to Amanda, checked emails, updated my blog and studied for my test.  Now I am going to bed.  

Rick

Day 49 = Feb 21

This morning we got up at about 8, got ready and went down stairs to eat breakfast which was free. Wendy and Alyse meet us here at out hostel and then we headed for the Edinburgh castle.  The coolest part of the castle was the fact that it was on top of the highest hill in town.  The castle itself was nothing more exciting than the other castles was have gone to but it was really cool that it was on the hill.  You see for a long ways from up there. It was really cool being able to see the whole city.  Inside one of the rooms in the castle they had a kilt, some belt and a Scottish head wear that you could try on and take pictures in.  So we all took turns trying it on and taking pictures.  We walked around the castle some more and got to see where the king live when the castle was used.

After we left the castle we walked through a whole bunch of stores and then Wendy and Alyse went to check into the hostel while Rachel and I ate lunch. We at lunch ate pub called Mitre, they had a special to get two meals for 10 pounds, so that what we did.  When we were done with that we went to the National Museum of Scotland. It was alright, it was mainly Scottish stuff so that made it a little more interesting but it was still a museum. After the museum, we went to The Royal Botanical Garden.  I would love to see a botanical garden in the summer when all the flowers are in bloom.  Even without very many things flowering, it was still pretty.  We were only able to stay for about 30 minutes because it was closing.  When we were walking around thus squirrel ran out into the path in front of us and looked like it was going to attack the group of people in front of us.  When we got up to it, it was not at all scared of us.  We were not able to pet it but it was running all around us.  It was fun. 

We then went to the Museum on the Mound.  It was about the how the Scottish money evolved over the years. They also had a million pounds there in bills in one pile, other than that it was not real exciting.  When were done there we went and found food for supper. We ate at this place called The Tass. It was alright, Wendy got Haggis, not sure what it is yet but it’s something that is a traditional Scottish dish I have been told, it was alight.  When we got done eating we went back to the hostels for a while to relax.  As we were walking back to the hostel, we saw a hummer limo that had three sets of axels. It was pretty sweet, not as good as the truck but still cool. We stayed at the hostel for a while and then at 9:30, we went to a ghost tour of the city.  It was something unique and different. The first thing we were shown was the North Bridge, this bridge was built in the 1800 and is believed to be haunted because the first north bridge that was built collapsed during construction killing five workers.  The when the second bridge was built, there was a huge opening ceremony where they oldest lady in the city was going to be the first person to cross it.  Then just a few days before the ceremony, she died but she was still the first person to cross the bridge. The next thing we were shown was the Calton cemetery. In the cemetery there is a monument to the Scottish men who died during the US civil war.  One thing about the cemetery was during the 1800 when they was a lot of discovery going on with the human and because of this the universities needed bodies to us for experiments and dissections.  The problem was there was a huge demand for bodies but very few bodies were legally given to research.  So to solve the problem there became a black market for bodies and people would go grave robbing and steal bodies then sell them to universities.  We left Calton cemetery and went to Calton hill which at one time was part of a forest on the edge of town that was considered very haunted.  This was also the place where many witch trials and execution took place.  On top of the hill there were several buildings, one was an observatory for stars, there was a monument of some sort and there was part of a replicated Greek Parthenon.  You could see for a long ways from the top of the hill.  On the top of another hill that we could see from there, back in the 1800's there was a cave found on the hill, and in the cave there were 17 little caskets with dolls in them. It is believed that they were put there by two men who just years before had murdered many people and sold their bodies to the university for research.  The men were caught and sentenced to death.  We were told that at one time there was thought to be underground tunnels under part of the old city that allows a queen to be able to get from place to place.  The last know attempt to find where the tunnels lead to ended with the disappearance of a bag pipe player. There have been no knowing attempts since too find the tunnels.  This pretty much ended our ghost tour.  When we got done, we got a free drink from a bar where I sat and talked to two guys we met on the tour.  They were Marcus and Ted.  Marcus was from California and Ted was from Texas.  Both were serving in the Air Force based in Germany.  When we were done with our drinks we went back to the hostel and crashed for the night.

Rick

Day 48 = Feb 20

Today I woke up really late to go to Edinburgh.  I had set my alarm for 6:30 so I could be on a bus heading for the train station at 8 and be on a train at 9.  Well I slept through my alarm and woke up at 9.  I felt so bad for Rachel who at that time was just getting to the train station.  I was not happy with myself.  So I got myself ready and headed to the train station. Rachel and I got on a train at 11 and head out. The first train we were on was a whole two cars long and it was packed. We had to stand and sit on the floor for the first hour of the trip. We then got a seat finally.  We had to make one change in Crewe. The second train we were on was a lot bigger and was really nice.  We had a full table n front of our seats that we could study for our test on.  The train was running behind but we made it with no problems. We got to our hostel which was only a block from the train station. We got checked in and then we headed for a comedy club for the night.  It was pretty good.  They were three stand-up comedians, the last one was the best but the other two were good too. On our way back from the comedy club, I saw an F-350 limo. Dad I thought your truck was long but it was sweet.  I have never seen a truck limo before.  I don't know if it did but it would be awesome it had a hot tub in the box of the truck.  After the comedy club, Rachel and I just came back here to the room and crashed for the night. 

Rick

Day 47 = Feb 19

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today I had 4 classes.  They are going alright.  I turned in some homework for the first time today.  I have a test on Monday for one of them.  So that will be interesting to see how it goes.  Other than class I did not do much.  I did stop by the food store on my way home tonight and found some sweet chilli sauce and some peppers.  When I got back I made rice, chicken, and fried peppers then I put the sweet chilli sauce on it and made sweet and sour chicken, or something like it.  It was looked like real food and it tasted really good.  I liked it a lot.  It was nice to have something that tasted good for once.  After that I worked on updating this thing and emailing pictures.  I am going to Edinburgh, Scotland this weekend.  So I got to get ready for that. 

Take care at home.

Rick

Day 46 = Feb 18

I had 3 classes today.  Ate lunch on campus, worked on homework and got money from the ATM.  That night I made supper and then went to Rachel’s to work on homework. After that I helped Amanda book stuff for spring break to go to Dublin.  I also worked on updating my money chart so I know how much money I have spent.  That’s scary.

Rick

Day 45 = Feb 17

Well Amanda and I have been dating for 3 years now.  So that’s cool.  Other than that I went to my one class today.  Sent her a card and worked on homework.  Then I talked to Amanda for a while before we went to bed. 

Rick

Day 44 = Feb 16

Today I had two classes.  I hope that I do alright in this economics class that I am taking.  We are talking about firms and the theories behind them.  I did get my package in the mail today.  Thanks mom for sending it.  Other than that I did not do much. 

Take care at home

Rick

Day 43 = Feb 15

Today I got up and had breakfast at the hostel for free.  That was nice to get it for free. Nothing real great but it was food.  I then went and packed my stuff up so I was ready to leave when the bus got there.  When we were waiting, I played a couple games of poll with some people I meet there.  We left Amsterdam at about noon.  I did not get as lucky this time.  I ended up having to sit with someone else on the bus ride home.  And I think I had the seat with the least amount of leg room.  So it was not near as a comfortable of a ride. Oh well.  The trip was alright. I got to see some more country side.  I slept through a part of it when we were going through the Netherlands so that was kinda disappointing but.  We stopped at a Belgium chocolate place on the way back, it looked really good but it was way to expensive, so I saved my money and did not get any.  The trip home was not real exciting other than that.  I did get to see a red tractor on a farm and got a picture of it.  So that was cool.  Other than that we did not get back until 1 in the morning and we had to get a taxi back to the housing complex because the busses had stopped running for the night.  Then went I got back I went to bed.

Rick

Day 42 = Feb 14

Saturday we got up a little bit late so Amanda just made up a quick sandwich to eat for breakfast and we headed for the bus station with the two guys that Amanda goes to school with, Kyler and Joel.  We were walking and I looked at the time and realized that the train we wanted to get on was leaving in 3 minutes and we were still a block away from the train station.  So we started running.  We got to the train station and found the platform that we need.  We got on the train and did not have time to get sat down and the train started to move.  The train ride took about 35 minutes and we got to see some of the country side.  Amanda had not taken that way yet so she got to see something different too.  It is flat country. When we got to Amsterdam, Kyler and Joel helped up find this place called the Lord in the Attic.  It was a church built in the attics of 3 houses in the 1600 (I think), during a time where some of the prosecution was taking place.  It was really neat.  It was interesting how they had services up there.  The church was even 3 stories tall and had two balconies, it even had an organ.  One thing about many on the old building there is that they have really steep stair.  So it is interesting walking up and down them.  You have to be really careful. 

After we were done there, we meet back up with Joel and Kyler and we went to my hostel to get rid of my bag and stuff that I did not need for the rest of the day.  On our way there we stopped at the place where I had found the Mountain Dew because I was going to buy some.  When we got there I found out that it was 18 euro for a 12 pack, which would have been $24.  I left it there.  After that we walked through the Vondel Park which was just outside of my hostel.  It was said to be one of the top things to see in Amsterdam but when we were there they were doing construction to it and with it being winter there was not much to see.  After that we went and grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to our boat tour.  This particular tour is owned and operated by the St. Nicolaas Boat Club.  This non-profit group restores Dutch tuindersvletten or garden flats.  These boats used to carry vegetables and between markets and farms. Volunteers operate the boats and navigate the canals.  It is an unguided tour but if you ask questions, the volunteers are happy to answer. It was nice being on a small boat for the tour.  Amanda said it was better than the big boat that they went on the first time they were in Amsterdam.  We were brought down some really small cannel and we went under one bridge that we had to duck down in the boat in order to get under it.  It was neat. 

After the boat tour the 4 of us walked around the flower market for a little bit, they had about everything you could think of there.  It was really pretty too.  After that we tried to find the food market but were unsuccessful and after walking around for a long time trying to find it and Kyler and Joel were no finding it, Amanda and I decided to part ways. 

While doing research about Amsterdam on the internet before the trip, I read about this place that was called Jay’s Juices, it was a really small place that made fresh juice out of fresh fruit right in front of us.  We had pineapple, mango, passion fruit and fresh squeezed orange in our juice.  It was amazing.  Amanda sat on a bench by this little cannel off the beaten path and drank our juice as the sun set.  It was really nice.  After that we went and had supper at an Italian restaurant. Amanda and I both had pizza.  I have ham and pineapple and Amanda had mushroom and onion.  I thought mine was better.  After supper, we dodged in and out of souvenir shops on our way back to my hostel.  Amanda found a really cool sweat shirt.  We decided to go back to my hostel because we were both tired of walking around for 2 days and just wanted to sit and talk for a while.  Then I walked Amanda to the train station so she could go home.  I walked back to my hostel.  On my way back some guy rode up beside me on a bike and told me it was for sale.  I said “that’s nice, where did you steal it from?”  He did not stay around for long.  I got back to my hostel, talked to my mates for a little bit and went to bed. 

I had a great trip over all.  Hope things are good at home.  Take care.

Rick