Day 130: Dallas, Texas

I woke up today, in Heathrow airport, around 8, and I was exhausted, if you can believe it.  I went to the ticket agent, and she was extremely helpful and got me on a flight leaving at 9 45 instead of 13 25.  She even got me a pretty decent seat.

The Boeing 777 that will take me home. 

The flight back was pretty good.  It was quite longer than the flight over, lasting almost 10 hours.  Still not too bad.  I had plenty of legroom, and there were no kids around.  It was certainly no KLM, though.  I did get some mushy cheese pasta that was good, and this mushy cheese pizza thing later.  And some delicious treats to fill the gaps.

Not delicious.

I managed to get a good amount of rest on the flight, and watched a couple of movies.  I saw The Debt, which was pretty good, if anybody is interested. 

When I landed in Dallas, I was met by Natalie and Dad.  It was really great to see them. 

Natalie had this at the airport, in a cooler, with ice.  Best sister ever.

I spent the rest of my evening just relaxing at home.  I talked a lot with my dad about the trip, took a shower, practiced, and had a great dinner courtesy of my mom.  I am really sad to be gone from France, and there are a lot of things I miss, but it is good to see my family again. 

She's special.

My awesome first dinner home.

So this is it.  I am home, after an amazing 4 months in Europe, and my trip is over.  Which makes this blog done as well.  Thanks everybody who made this trip so great, and especially my parents and family for making it possible.  And of course, thanks to everybody who stopped in to read this thing every once in a while.  It has been a pleasure.  Au revoir!

Day 129: London, England

This is really a half day, but I am leaving Europe, so I figured I'd do a post really quickly before I get on the plane.  I arrive in London last night at about 10:20, and started my commute to Heathrow via the Straw.  That is my nickname for the subway in London.  Because it looks like a little straw, underground. It took me a while, and it was nearly midnight when I got to the airport.

I found this highly efficient signage along the way.

When I got to the airport, it was pretty much a ghost town.  There were about 0 people anywhere.

Not a lot of people to talk to.

Cool lighting outside the terminal.

My bed.

I paid money for internets to watch this game.  I thought it was great!

 After the game, I slept for a few hours in the terminal.  I woke up and went to the ticket counter at around 8:15.  The nice lady over-booked the 9:45 flight, so now I get to fly home almost 4 hours earlier.  It is nice to not have to wait as long in the airport. 


It is pretty unbelievable that I am leaving Europe.  I really don't know what to think about it.  It is really, really bittersweet.  See you soon!

Day 128: Manchester, England

So today was my last full day in England.  It was pretty fun.  I woke up pretty late, around 12, and had some toast and got dressed.  Near 1:00, we left for Manchester.  Once we got there, we walked to Salford University, where Danny goes to school, so he could turn in his essay and project.  Manchester is a very interesting city.  It's roots in industry are evident.  There architecture is very, very interesting.  There is lots of brick construction, as well as older stone buildings.  Intermixed are many modern glass constructions.  It is pretty cool.

I like all of the brick.

This is the magistrates court.

The inside of Salford Cathedral.

The Church of Sts. Philip and Stephen in Salford

After we dropped his papers off, we walked backed to Manchester center.  We stopped along the way, at a mall, to eat.  I got fish and chips, because it was only one of two non-American restaurant in the food court.  After we ate, we walked around Manchester a bit more.  It is pretty nice city.

This is the John Rylands liberry at Manchester University.  It is in an old church.

This very, very cool modern structure has been integrated into the existing church structure.

Because of staircases in weird places, I got to see some new angles.

Old book collection.  This ceiling would have been incredibly high if this floor weren't added.

Bridgewater Hall, home of the Manchester Symphony.

This is the train station in Warrington.  This was the first railway line in the world. Ever.

Now, I am just hanging out with Danny for a bit before I leave.  I am about to get on a train to London so I can go to the airport and fly home.  I had a really wonderful stay with Danny and his family, and I hate to leave.

Day 127: Warrington, England

Today, I was in Warrington, England.  I took one picture, and it is really stupid.  I'll show it to you later.  Danny and I woke up pretty late today.  He was up late writing a paper for uni, and I was up late doing nothing productive at all.  We were going to run, but it was rainy, so we watched football.  Manchester City was playing Manchester United in 3rd round FA Cup action.  There was a lot of excitement leading up, after Man City won in October, at United, 6-1.  It was pretty great match, and United ended up winning 3-2.  After the game was over, we just kinda hung out and watched some of Sunderland v. Peterborough. 

The living room, and where I spent my day. I don;t know what Danny is doing over there.

At around 5:30, a lot of people came over for dinner.  Along with Danny's family here was his girlfriend, his sister and her boyfriend, his aunt and uncle and three cousins.  There were a total of 13 people here, which was fun.  Everybody was really nice, and the meal was fantastic.  After dinner, we played this game called gender wars.  It was pretty fun.  It was a really fun evening.

I spent the rest of my night reorganizing all of my things, and getting ready for my travel tomorrow.  Now, I'm listening to sweet Mahler recordings on YouTube with Danny and writing this blog.

Day 126: Warrington, England

I had a pretty good day today in Warrington.  It was pretty relaxed again, but I am having a great, relaxing visit.  We woke up pretty late again, around 11:30, and showered.  Except I didn't shower.  I had some toast and then Danny and I went to get my haircut.  I am not sure if my haircut is good or not, but it is ok.

Danny's home is on the right.  England is looking predictably grey.

After my haircut, we walked back and I showered, and then we went into Warrington. We just sat at a pub for a bit and had some drinks.  And then later some food.  I had fish and chips.

Danny and our Crabbie's Ginger Ale.  It was good.  It was alcoholic.

This was basically the most exciting part of the day.  Some bloke asked us to watch his beer while he went off to the loo.  We watched it for like 20 minutes and it didn't do a thing.  He never came back. 

After we go back home, we just hung out for a little bit. I watched the SHSU football game.  They lost. :(

Not enought Eat 'em'n happened. :/

After I gave up on the football game, Danny's gf Lauren came and we went to eat.  I didn't actually eat anything.  I was still full.  After, Danny and I spent the evening playing FIFA Football '12 and now we're watching Qi, which is funny. 

I am having a great stay here in England.  I can't believe I basically have only 2 days left here in Europe.  Weird.

Day 125: Warrington, England

Yup. I didn't really do anything today, but it was alright.  Danny and I both woke up at around noon, and just kinda hung out.  I had some toast for Breakfast, and we sat and watched TV with his family.  Danny's mom is on holiday, and his works for four days and has four off, and right now he is off, so things are pretty relaxed here.  Danny left for work at around 3, and I just hung out in Danny's room for a bit.  I went down around 2 for tea.  Seriously.  And I had a sandwich.  And some tea.  I watched some Pirates of the Caribbean film with Danny's dad, and a bit later, we had dinner. Dinner was lasagna and salad and garlic bread.  It was good.  At around 8, Danny got home and we sat down to watch Liverpool play in round 3 of the FA Cup.  It was not the prettiest match, but they ended up winning 5-1.  We spent the rest of the evening watching Royale Family, a very funny British sitcom from around 2000.  It is pretty funny.  Danny's family has been wonderful and really welcoming.  His mum bought me jam for my toast. 

I spent most of my time here with my feet on that radiator.

Day 124: Aberdeen, Scotland - Warrington, England

So, today was another adventurous day in Scotland.  Megan and I woke up at around 8:30, a little later than planned, but not bad.  We left at around 10 to go on a trail of historic buildings in Old Aberdeen.  It took us about 90 minutes, and it was pretty interesting.  We saw some old buildings, churches, houses, and uni buildings.  It was alright weather, too, although there were a few minutes of rain, followed by about 60 seconds of intense snowfall.   

A rich person had these gates built by his rich people house.

This is King's College.

Bishop Elphinstone's tomb in front of the chapel at King's College.

This is a garden in Old Aberdeen, whilst it was snowing.

The old town hall.  The pillar in the front is the remain of the market cross, a stone cross that marked the market area, and was the focal point of the city.

St. Machar's Cathedral, and its cemetery. 

Some stained glass.

Seaton Park on the north end of Old Aberdeen.

After our walk, we headed to her house, and had left-over Chinese food for lunch.  It was good and already paid for.  At around 12:30, we left for the station,.  I got my ticket and said bye to Megan.  Things didn't always go incredibly smoothly, but I had a great stay in Scotland.  I’d love to try it in the summer.  Travel today was a bit of a mess.  I got to Edinburgh fine, but my train from there to Carlisle was cancelled, and I ended up on a bus.  It took like 3 hours. :/ I finally made it though, and now I am on my train to Warrington.  The weather was great while I was on the train(of course), but I did get to see some beautiful countryside. 

This is the coast.

This is the other side. Of the train.

Lots o' farmland here.

Stuff is green here.  Despite the frigid arctic air.

 I have had a nice evening since I arrived.  Danny and I got some fish and chips and now we're just hanging out watching British tele.

Fish, chips, Danny.

It is so weird that I am here again, where I started my trip.  And where I’m ending it.  I can’t believe that after  124 days in Europe, I only have 4 left.  I am not at all excited about getting back to the States.  Here’s to 4 great days in England!

Day 123: Aberdeen, Scotland

Today I didn't to anything.  This may seem stupid, because I am in Scotland, and you are correct.  But what had happened was... I woke up at like 10--not so bad, right? But I felt a little puny, so I went back to sleep, and woke up at like noon.  I felt like this was a good decision, because I felt much better, and I still had time to go explore Aberdeen for a few hours before Megan got home. I took a shower, and this is when disaster struck.  Maybe not disaster, but my plans were totally scuppered.  Look it up. 

Whilst showering, I slipped, and busted my shin, and spent the next hour pressing star and Texas shaped ice cubes to my leg.  WARNING: The following image is graphic, and potentially disturbing.  Not really.  But I guess it's kinda gross. 

My shin, Round Midnight.

My plan had been to walk around the city center a bit, but I just had some toast.  I practiced for a bit, and it was going really badly, and Megan's friend Will came over.  She was taking him to the airport, so he was here to meet her.  Megan came a bit later, and the three of us chatted for a while.  Will is a nice guy, and we had a good conversation.  At around 5, they left for the airport, and I practiced for a while.  It was still really bad.  At around 5: 30, Jayna met me at Megan's and we went to Pizza Express for dinner.  I got a decent mozzarella and tomato salad and an alright pizza.  (Tu me manque, France.) I did however, have a fantastic tiramisu for dessert.  Megan met up with us during dessert, and we had coffee and stuff.

This was ok.  The corner looks mashed up because I took a bite out of it, but then I put it back to take this pic.

After dinner, we went to some bars for some drinks.  No fewer than three strangers offered to buy us drinks.  People here are really nice.  We played darts with this guy we met named Paul, and some other guy we met named Gavin.  And Jayna's bf, John.  It was fun. 

This is Megan and Jayna at the old man bar they go to.  We were the only people under 40, and they were the only girls.  It was a nice place though. 

Megan trying to reach her dart. 

Another weird day today, but it was alright.  Hopefully I can see a bit of Aberdeen tomorrow before I leave. 

Day 122: I Don't Even Know, Scotland

Today, Megan and I woke up at around 8 or 9 and started getting ready to go.  We wanted to get an early start to make it to St. Andrews and still have some day light. St. Andrews is a town in between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and is famous for being the site of the film Chariots of Fire, and a golf course, and some cool old stuff.  However, the wind forecast for most of the day was between 50 and 60 km/h.  This made traveling pretty difficult, and due to bridge closures and road closures we ended up in Stirling, which was in the wrong direction, and it took us almost 2 hours to cover the 40 minutes to Stirling.  We tried to visit the castle there, but it was closed.  Probably too windy...  We got some soup at a bistro/pub and then headed towards Aberdeen. 

This truck got sleepy, so it was taking a nap on the side of the highway.

The drive was actually pretty nice, for me.  The wind made it pretty tough, but Megan did a great job driving. 

Some of the countryside from drive.

We stopped south of Stonehaven, near Aberdeen, to see Dunnottar Castle.  Unfortunately, it was already getting dark, and the castle was closed, but we did go walk around it.  It was very cool, and it was nice to get something done today. 

Looking down a canyon to the castle, which is right on the coast.

The castle.

It was so incredibly cold at this castle.  The wind at the coast was pretty incredible.  We didn't stay for long, because it was so cold.  Once we finished, we headed to Aberdeen.  It was great to finally make it to not a car.  Megan's apartment is really nice, and I have a great bedroom.  I practiced for a little bit, and then we ordered Chinese delivery.  Jayna came over and we all ate, and now we're just sitting and talking at Megan's place.

My bedroom.

Today was pretty annoying, but it turned out alright.  We made it safely(Thanks Megan!), and it is going to be a nice visit in Aberdeen. 

Day 121: Edinburgh, Scotland

No wonder the Romans decided they'd rather just build a big wall than bother enter this forsaken land.  For real.  How is it possible that this place is so cold, and bleak, and dreary, and windy.  That said, it was a pretty nice day here in Edinburgh.  It was actually clear and sunny for most of the day, but VERY windy.  It was not much warmer than freezing and humid, plus it was really windy.  Like I said before.  We got up pretty early, mostly because we had to move Megan's car by 8:30.  We drove into town, parked, and then found some breakfast.  

This is a typical Scottish Breakfast. 

That stuff on the right is Black Pudding AKA:  BLOOD.  Basically, they take blood and cook it with a filler, until it congeals at room temperature.  Also, I ate Haggis AKA: GROSS.  This is the lungs, liver, heart, and some other crap(not that it really matters at this point) of a sheep, cooked in its stomach.  There is a reason this stuff is not Kosher.  IT IS DISGUSTING.  Really, who looks at blood and goes, "You know... I'd sure like to cook that up"?  If you need me, I'll be in France.  With the food.

After our "meal", we walked towards the Edinburgh Castle along High Street also known as the Royal Mile, because it covers the (Scots) mile (1.12 actual miles) between the top of the Castle Rock to Holyrood Abbey.  There are lots of shops and government buildings and all sorts of old stuff here. 

This is some of the Royal Mile.  It was empty because all the real Scotsmen were still drunk/drinking/hungover from last night's festivities.  Jan. 1 is a big night to drink in Scotland because it is a night.

St. Giles Cathedral, the seat of the Church of Scotland.  We couldn't visit because it was not open, an hour after it should have opened.  Presumably, the clergy were all still hung over from the festivities.

This is a REAL name.  WALTER FRANCIS MONTAGU DOUGLAS SCOTT, 5TH DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH AND 7TH DUKE OF QUEENSBERRY, KNIGHT OF THE GARTER. Really...

The Castle.  It is on top of the Castle Rock.  CAKE sings about the Castle Rock in one of their songs.  I never knew what that meant.  Now I do.

The Castle Rock is very steep, and was a volcano.  344 million years before the world was created.

This thing seemed old.

Once we got our tickets for castle entry, we headed to Usher Hall, to see a performance of Handel's Messiah.  Megan didn't tell me that she had seen it only a few weeks ago.  It was very cool of her to let us go.  THANKS MEGAN!! This was the 125th annual Edinburgh performance of the Messiah.  They seem to take a lot of pride in it.  They have some neat traditions, including eating a picnic lunch at the long interval, utilizing young soloists, and long history of bizarre happenings.  This year, an old person fainted in the front row, and the countertenor(singing the alto part) jumped off the stage to give them his water.  

Very cool staircase, in the newer addition to the hall.  The shaft was lit, and leads to a skylight in the roof. 

A look into the hall.  We sat on the far right, kinda near the back.  Our view was a little cut off, but the acoustics in the hall were fantastic, and everything sounded great. 

Looking down the same staircase.

Our French-ish picnic lunch.  I liked it.

Overall, I thought it was a really great performance, and it was highly enjoyable.  It was very cool and I'm glad we went. Here's a little sample of the performance.  The video quality was reduced to 0.05% of the original to upload it to interwebs.

 

After the concert we went quickly(it was getting dark) to the castle.  We got there right in time for the final tour of the evening.  Our tour guide was funny, and it was a good tour.  

Me in front of the main gate of the castle.  This was once the first of seven gates guarding the castle. 

Part of the inner castle and Edinburgh in the distance.  I like how the castle is built into the hill.

St. Margaret's Chapel inside the castle.  And the oldest building in Edinburgh. 

This building had a purpose a long time ago, when it was built, and now it holds the crown jewels of Scotland. 

The greatest event in the history of time itself. Ever.

Princess Street and Waverly Station in the dusky dusk.

The castle, c. 5 pm.

After the castle, we went back to our room for a bit, and then headed out for dinner.  Megan wanted pizza, and my stomach was still not feeling great, so we got Italian again.  I am quickly discovering that Italian food is the best Scottish cuisine.  My dinner was some good pasta, and I had a really good panna cotta for dessert.  

Yup.

After dinner, we came back to our room, and now we are watching The Help.  It is good.  It was good.