Je suis arrivé

This will be a very short post as I am still very tired and about to fall asleep. However, I wanted to let you all know that I arrived safely in Brussels, and (with a series of minor miracles) made it with all of my luggage. Yesterday was a very long day (stops in Dublin and London) but I was relieved to finally make it to the hotel, get a hot shower and reward myself with a pint of Belgian beer. So, I am alive, albeit tired and very cold. 

Off to Europe...Again!

In a week and a half, I'm headed back to Europe! This time I'll be in Brussels, participating in an enclave program and doing an internship. I don't know yet where I'll be working or living, but I'll be sure to update that once I arrive. My goal is to post to the blog once a week, to keep everyone updated on what I'm doing and where I've been. The Brussels program involves a lot of travel, so I'm hoping to keep the blog updated with pictures and reactions! Check back after the 16th for my thoughts on Brussels and being back in Europe.

Springtime in Europe

So, I've had a reqeust for a new post. This has to be a short one though because the Swiss Alps are waiting for me just outside my hotel window. I am now officially on Easter Holidays! So, I've decided to do what every good college student would - travel Europe. The first week of break I was in Prague, an incredibly beautiful city. The problem with Prague is that as soon as you leave Prague proper, you enter post-Soviet world. No joke. Imagine 1960s Bond movies - all those old school cars - they're still on the streets in Prague. The buildings in Old/New Town look like paintings, the buildings in the suburbs look like bomb shelters. It is most definitely not Western Europe however. The views on women are still quite opressive - some friends were coming back to our hostel one evening and were followed by a man who was clearly not well. Anyway, long story short, instead of finding any help they were esentially told to go back to the hostel, the impression they got was that the police officers who came to help thought they were just silly American girls making something of nothing. Since I wasn't there I can't say for sure, but they were quite shaken when they got back to the Hostel, and not a few of them had to reassess their desire to spend more time travelling Europe. My take on it is that it was a truly unfortunate situation, but that things like that can happen anywhere, you just have to be aware of your surroundings and play it safe. For all that though, I loved it. The churches were beautiful, the food was good and the Easter Market was incredible. I especially loved the crepes. And, on the plus side, I managed to bring a hollowed out, painted egg all the way back to Edinburgh without breaking it.

Now I'm in Switzerland getting in some spring skiing in Davos. The weather has been really nice - lots of sun and hovering around 10C. Not bad for April in the Alps. The snow leaves a little to be desired, its quite icy in spots. But, the view from the summit makes up for any problems with the snow. I thought the view from the peaks in Colorado was breathtaking, but nothing compares to the Alps. Simply incredible.

From here I'm off to Milan to meet up with my friend Lisa. We're spending a couple nights in Milan, and from there going to Vienna and Budapest. I'm looking forward to it, especially since the weather is supposed to be nice and Lisa can always be counted on for a laugh. Near the end of our trip I have to reigster for classes, so I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that our hostel in Budapest has internet and that I can access it at 6am. Oh the joys of being a 4th year student (yeah, its really scary for me too. Don't worry though, I'll give fair warning before I graduate so you can avoid Washington, DC for a while). After Lisa and I get back to Edinburgh, Alyson and I have talked about touring the highlands (insert super excited face) and then I'm popping over to Ireland to visit friends. Finally, after exams in May, Italy, Spain and Morocco are on the agenda. I'll do my best to keep the blog updated, but give me a break if I slip a bit, traveling Europe is a bit more exciting than sitting in front of a computer.

Well, I guess thats all for now. Hope everyone is well.

March Madness strikes...AU?

American University is not known for its sports prowess. That isn't to say that AU doesn't have good sports teams, it certainly does, but although basketball may be the biggest spectator sport on campus (lacking a football team will do that) wins aren't all that frequent. So imagine my surprise when I got a text saying that AU men's basketball was on the cover of USA Today.
AU is playing Colgate in the Patriot League finals tonight - and if they win they go to the NCAA tournament. Big day for AU sports - I'll be wearing my red, white and blue in Edinburgh tonight. I wonder if I can find a pub that is showing the game?

I love ruggers...

Just thought I'd put up a picture of Jim Hamilton and I - meeting him after the game made a fabulous day that much better. Basically he is massive - he is bending his knees so it doesn't seem like he is as tall as he is, but I definitely had to look up since he is about 6'8". Not bad looking either, I knew there was a reason I liked rugby players ; )! He wasn't playing because he got injured in the Ireland game, which is a shame because he is such a good player.
Longer post to follow, but I'm currently recovering from playing rugby today. I got kicked in the face and have several scratches and bruises - the kind of stuff that makes mom proud!