21 - 24 July

Stockholm is a very beautiful city.  It holds a lot of history and culture since it was one of the cities that wasn't effected so much by the war.

My first day there, I felt a little lost.  I didn't have an Emilie to hang around with and my couchsurfing host was at her summer house.  I didn't have a map of the city and I didn't know where I should start, so I decided it would probably be best to go back to the central station and see if I could find a hop on hop off tour bus or something.  On the way to finding a bus stop, I found a book store that sold maps and books of places around the world.  Luckily, they had a book there in English about Stockholm.  Bought it and felt much better.  Guidance!

The hop on hop off bus tour really didn't take you around to many areas, but it was helpful to see the tourist areas and to pick and choose where I wanted to explore.  The most interesting area, to me, was around the water.  The archipelago is so beautiful with some of the buildings built on what looks like a cliff.  And, well, I was just so fascinated with the archipelago and all the tiny islands... and all the boats in the water.  It was so relaxing.  I got me an ice cream (of course) and waited for the ferry to arrive so I could see what was on a couple of the islands at least (it was included in my bus pass, so I thought "why not?").

After I had gotten bored with that, I went over to Gamla Stan, which is considered their Old Town with buildings dating way back.  The architecture in Sweden is somewhat different than anywhere else I have seen.  I suppose after a while, it all looks the same, but here it seemed to be unique.  I walked along the cobble stone streets and went to the palace and watched the changing of the guards... got lost in the tourist crowds walking along a popular shopping street... and then it was time to head home.  I was exhausted!

The next day, I decided it was going to be a kayaking day.  I thought, "How cool would it be to go kayaking in the archipelago?  I don't know anybody who can say they have done that."  Me trying to be different again.  It was a good idea in theory, but I think my goal was a little too ambitious.  When renting a kayak in Chicago, they show you how to hold the paddle and give you pointers of what to do and not to do.  This guy handed me the paddle and said, "The boats are over there".  I thought it was weird he didn't give me a life jacket, but I just assumed that's how they rolled in Sweden.

I got myself situated in the kayak and started rowing along thinking "this is so lovely and peaceful".  Since I had the kayak for 3 hours, I heard him mention something about going around the entire island and I thought "oh, I can do that in 3 hours!".  So, I tried.  I went around part of the island, which took 1.5 hours to do... was starting to get really tired in my arms, but I was determined to go all the way around.  I get to the part where the waters meet the Baltic Sea and it started to get very choppy and there was a lot of wake from the boats and cruise ships coming through the harbor.  I got REALLY scared!!  I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it for another hour and a half in those waters and I was really afraid I was going to tump over with my camera and everything I had in my bookbag... so I decided it was probably a good idea to turn around and go back to the calmer waters.  At this point, I was rowing solely on adrenaline.  Once I got back to the calm waters, it was ok, but I did notice a few people kayaking towards that direction and I felt like I should warn them as they didn't seem like they were very experienced.

I finally make it back to the deck and I take everything out the kayak.  I couldn't really remember how to get out of the kayak at that time.  I have done it time and time again, but I was so exhausted of 3 hours of rowing that I just wasn't thinking clearly and I tumped over.  The water was only 2 feet deep, so it wasn't a horrible spill, but I was completely soaked, aside from my hair.  Later, I was grateful for being wet as it was really hot out!  heh.  How embarrassing walking around with a soaking wet dress!

As I'm making my way back to Sarah's house, I'm walking along the boardwalk, I guess you can call it, and I see a man painting with oil paints and he has several pieces of art on display.  I saw one that I really liked and bartered my way down 100 Kroner.  It's really pretty!  But it's a little big and it's definitely a pain to take with me everywhere I go.  I hope to ship it to my parents. :\

Later on that evening, I met up with another CSer.  Her name is Anna and she's from Stockholm.  It was really nice to meet up with her.  She showed me around another part of town that I hadn't explored yet and gave me some suggestions of places to go the following day.  It was great!  We also went out to dinner at this really cool Thai restaurant and I had Green Curry.  It was so much fun to hang around with a local and have interesting conversations.

My last day in Stockholm, I was feeling quite lazy.  I still wasn't feeling good from my cold and all I wanted to do was to relax, but I forced myself to go walk the path Anna had suggested.  This path gave a panoramic view of the city center and Gamla Stan.  It was so beautiful!  Then I walked back over to Gamla Stan to find the oldest functioning well (it was very ornate and beautiful) and then over to the palace to people watch, where I met a lovely German couple... and then to another major shopping street and plopped myself down from some Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes.  Yummm.  Couldn't leave Sweden without having Swedish meatballs.  After that, I was so full, that I had to make my way back to Sarah's for some R&R before leaving for Hamburg.

Swedish TV is so great!  They have shows like Shear Genius and Project Runway and Sex and the City... all in English with Swedish subtitles.  It's great!  I have been missing out on so many American shows that I felt like I was able to catch up a little. :)  ha.  The Swedish government doesn't allow for voiceovers, which I guess is good because most Swedes speak with a perfect American accent... and they all speak perfect English.  It's great!

After a couple of hours of R&R, it was time to head off to the central station to go to Hamburg...

19 July 2008

After leaving Copenhagen, I made a quick stop in Malmo, Sweden.  It is there where I had to catch the train to Oslo.  I had an hour before the train left, so I decided that me and my luggage would go on a mini-tour to take a few evening snaps.  The last time I was there, it was SO cold that Morten and I only staying for about 30 - 45 minutes before heading back to Denmark.  The weather was much better this time around and I was able to re-take some of the pictures I had taken in the past.  It's a cute little town and was so alive with people out to dinner and enjoying the patios, etc.

On the train to Oslo, I was so lucky to have a bunk bed.  There were 6 of us in this little room and it felt a bit crowded, but I managed (sometimes I can feel a little claustrophobic).  There was a German couple that I had ran in to while I was waiting for the train in Copenhagen that were in my room.  I thought that was quite a coincidence!  But another thing I thought instantly is that they looked like the snoring type, so I knew instantly that I wasn't going to get much sleep.  It was 2am and I noticed the snoring was louder than it was before... it was unbearable.  And I noticed that I noticed the snoring because the train wasn't moving.  Usually, the train will stop for a few minutes, but this time it stopped for longer than 30 minutes or so.  So, I got up and opened the door of the car to see what was going on.  I couldn't tell what was going on, but I did noticed that we were in Gothenburg, Sweden.  I made a mental note so I could put it on my map. :)

I went back to the room and the snoring persisted and the girl on the bunk across from me was awake by this time as well.  We giggled about it for a minute and then decided to put on our iPods to reduce some of the noise.  It worked!  And I was able to sleep for the rest of the journey!

We arrived in Oslo and I started talking to the girl in the bunk across from me.  Come to find out she, Emily, is from France and is currently living in Paris... much to her dismay.  She's 25 years old and she too is doing a journey similar to mine, except that she's making her way WAYYY north in Norway.  She wants to go where the sun doesn't set.  Burrrr.  Anyway, we decided that since we were both traveling alone, that we would travel alone together... and that we would meet back at the train station at around noon.

In the meantime, I had to make my way to my accommodation.  This may sound strange, but I have decided to couch surf!  Not sure if you've heard of it, but you can check it out at www.couchsurfing.com.  It may seem a bit risky, but once you get familiar with the sight, it's really just a bunch of people who love to travel and want to do their part in the world by helping other travelers out.  I'm doing this in Oslo, Stockholm, Hamburg, and Lausanne. 

Since this is my first couch surfing experience, I didn't really know what to expect.  Kiva is my host in Oslo.  She is a professor at a University here and had to work today, so she left the keys at the Shell station down the street from her house.  I picked up the keys and let myself in... opened the door and my jaw dropped in awe.  Her place is so amazingly beautiful!  It looks like a model home!  Everything is in place.  There isn't anything lying around anywhere.  The furniture, art, books... everything is amazing!  I let myself in to her room and put my bags up neatly.  Got ready to take a shower and was so afraid I was going to make a mess.  I'd hate to say it, but it's even more tidy that my mom and dad's house! :0  I took pictures so I'll never forget this place.

I make myself back down to the city centre and I meet up with Emily.  We get a little lost, so we decided to take the tram to one of the spots I had noticed on the way up to Kiva's house.  It's the harbor.  And it's beautiful.  And it is very difficult to capture the beauty of this place with the camera lens.  Emily was a great travel buddy!  We just walked around and soaked in the sights around the water... took a little train tour and then a cruise through the Oslo fjord... which is when the sky opened up and poured down rain.  I didn't take much pictures of the cruise and what we saw in the fjord, but it was beautiful, even with the pouring down rain.

In the fjord, there are 40 islands.  Not all of the islands are lived on, but the ones that are have most peoples Summer houses on them.  The Summer houses are either red or yellow, so I can remember.  They all pretty much looked alike... and according to the guide, there is a waiting list to get a Summer house on some of the islands.  I think tomorrow, we will take a ferry over there to walk around the little town they have built up there and to go to the Holocaust Museum.

Later in the day, I received a text from Kiva telling me that she left the keys to her bicycle if I wanted to borrow it... and that she has a family reunion to go to over the weekend.  So it looks like I won't be able to meet this little angel of mine during this trip.  But hopefully we can keep in touch and unite some time in the future...

17 - 18 July 2008

What a longggg train ride from Amsterdam to Holbæk!  It took us over 15 hours!  They nearly stopped at every station between the two cities, it was amazing!

In the train cabin, it is broken up in to about 6 little rooms where you can fit 6 people.  We had 5 people in our room.  Three girls in their late teens were together and they were from Lausanne (one of my stops on my journey).  Very lovely ladies and they spoke excellent English.  It was fun talking to them!  They were so full of life and so excited about the journey they had ahead of them.  There was also one guy, probably in his early 20's, who is from Okinawa, Japan.  Interestingly enough, he studied Danish (of all languages) in Japan and then came to Denmark to study for a year.  He was on his way to Sweden for a trip very similar to what I'm doing.

It was hard trying to fall asleep on the train.  One of the girls was having a really tough time falling asleep, and every time she got up to get something from her bag or to change positions, I would wake up and start coughing again.  But, I think I managed to get a few hours of sleep in there... somewhere.

Once we had arrived to Denmark, I noticed on the map that the train was more than likely going to stop in Roskilde, which is closer to Holbæk than Copenhagen was.  I packed up my bags and was getting prepared to get out there.... and the train doesn't stop.  I was so surprised!!!  It stopped everywhere else!!!  It did stop in another town that wasn't too far from Roskilde, so I got out there instead and headed directly over to Holbæk.  It was easy peasy!

I had sent Lenette, Morten's sister, a text message to let her know how close I was.  When I arrived, there was Hanne, Lenette's mother, waiving a paper Danish flag and greeting me with her arms wide open.  I have to say, it was such a joy to spend time with Lenette, Hanne, Finn, and Lenette's boyfriend, Sebastian.  At first, I was a little apprehensive about staying there, but at the end of the journey, I had an amazing feeling of gratitude and happiness.  They are such an amazing family!

The night I had arrived, I told Hanne that I wanted to help her cook dinner.  I really wanted to learn a Danish dish that I could take home with me and make for other people.  It was so funny cooking, because it seems like Hanne likes to be in control in the kitchen.  I helped her prepare by cutting up some mushrooms and trying to open the cans of tomatoes and cocktail hot dogs, but I wasn't used to their can opener and I knew I would stab myself somewhere as that has been happening a lot lately.

We hung around the kitchen and had a great time chit chatting and catching up.  They were reminding me of some Danish I had learned years ago, and teaching me new phrases and pronunciations.  When you see a Danish word, you don't pronounce it the way you would think.  They like to stick their tongue out quite a bit. ;)  Kidding.

After dinner, we went for a little drive around the area.  Sebastian was the chauffeur taking me to tops of hills and scenic spots in the area as well as to the ocean.  It was so beautiful and so difficult to capture in a camera lens.  After that, I was feeling really ill and a little eager to get back to the house to go to sleep.  I think it was the cold air and the climbing that made me worse.

Lenette was sick too... and the next day she and I were both worse.  We spent the first half of the day lying on the sofa watching shows like Just Shoot Me and Scrubs.  And then I noticed the time.  It was already 3pm!  I needed to get my things together and head off to Copenhagen... and go to Tivoli!  I can't let a little cold get in my way of my goals... and Tivoli was my Denmark goal.  Lenette and family were going to come with me and then we were going to go out to dinner somewhere, but since Lenette was sick, the family stayed home to take care of her.  Fair enough.  She was so disappointed that she was sick... she had told me she was looking forward to that day for so long.  Boo.  The idea of the family coming with me excited me so much!  But when I got to Copenhagen, I felt a little discouraged.  Didn't really have the energy to find Tivoli, but I thought I would give it a go anyway.  On my way to trying to find Tourist Information center, I walk outside and what do I see?!?!?  TIVOLI!!!  WoW!  That was easy!  Put my bags in a locker and walked across the street to start my Tivoli adventure.

Tivoli is suppose to be a gardens and a theme park.  It, too, is in my book of 1,000 things to do and see before you die, so I couldn't go to Denmark AGAIN and not go!  I paid my 87 kroner to get in (I bought the general pass as I wasn't feeling like riding on rides alone and with a cold), and walked around for a couple of hours.  It was lovely, but I had expected for it to be more garden like and much larger.  Lenette warned me that it was small, but I didn't realize it was THAT small.  But anyway, I was very excited to be there anyway.  Snapped some picture and went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, where I was seated next to a lovely older couple from Vancouver.  They were a pleasure to talk to and I really enjoyed their company.

Oh!  When I first entered the park, the guy at the gate told me that there was going to be live entertainment that night... he said it was going to be "Danish rap"!  I can't imagine what that would sound like!  But when I was leaving, all the kids were lining up to see the performance, so they must not be that bad...  heh.  Danish rap.

Next stop is Oslo, Norway...

16 July 2008

First stop on the whirlwind tour... Amsterdam.  I took the Eurostar from London to Brussels and LOVED it!  It was so quick!  And it was very comfortable... and I didn't have to get there an hour and a half early and deal with all of the airport lines and stress.  It was so easy.  Get to the train station 30 minutes beforehand, board the train and you're off.  This is my new preferred traveling method... when it makes sense.

So, I get to Brussels and rush to catch my next train to Amsterdam... except that it's 2 hours late.  I observe a couple of Americans acting like idiots and I was feeling extremely embarrassed.

Finally, the train arrives and my seat is situated, oddly enough, with three other Americans (it was a table for four).  Two of them were boyfriend/girlfriend and they were taking a trip similar to mine, but at different locations.  They were 18 and 19 years old, but acted much more mature than that.  They were both from Los Angeles.  The other guy sitting next to me is a teacher in Amsterdam.  He, too, is from California, except I think he said he's from San Diego.  He was very very nice and is really enjoying his live in Europe.  He loves teaching over here and says the children are really dedicated to their work.  We discussed the similarities of the children in the US and the UK and came to the conclusion that there really isn't much difference.  But on the mainland, his experience is different.  Thank goodness!  I won't get much in to that discussion, because that could make for a veryyy long post.

When we finally arrived in Amsterdam, I grabbed a taxi and headed off to Inge's apartment.  She lives in a really cute part of town, in a really cute little apartment... alone.  That's unheard of in London!  You'd have to be really wealthy to live alone in London!  She told me that she pays about 350 Euro's a month in rent and I about fell over.  People in London will pay £350 a week in rent!  So, we got on to my favorite discussion about the salary differences and the cost of food, etc.  My normal economical questions.  I find it interesting how it can be so expensive in one city and so cheap in another... and they're not that far from one another!

The next day,  I decided I was going to walk everywhere I needed to go.  Amsterdam is a really small city, believe it or not.  They have a tram system, but it's really not necessary if you have a lot of time on your hands.  So, I walked to Cafe Americain for some coffee (it was in my book of 1,000 things to do and see before you die and it's not a typo).  The Cafe was part of a Hotel and it was absolutely beautiful with art deco interior.  After that, I walked over to the Blomenmarkt, a little flower market along a canal.  I was surprised to see that there really wasn't as many flowers, but more flower bulbs.  So, I bought a package of tulip bulbs to send mom and dad.  I thought since they have been working so hard in their garden, they might want to spruce it up with some tulips from Amsterdam. :)

After the flower market, I walked up to Dam Square, which is supposedly where the city began.  A short walk later, I was at Oude Kurk (Old Church), which is the oldest church in the city and is conveniently located next to the red light district.  Oude Kurk plays beautiful music from its' tower... sometimes during the Summer, they will have concerts with their bells and it sounds extraordinary!  I heard a little sample while I was walking around the area.  My goal was to climb up the tower to get a birds eye view of the city, but they said it was closed from renovation.

I'm not sure that I really have to explain what the red light district is, but for those of you who probably don't know (mom!), it's where all of the men can go hire a hooker.  Even though I already knew what to expect, I was so shocked that across the street from this beautiful church were women in their undies standing in windows trying to lure the men in for a quick buck!  What do you think that says to the church?  As I'm sure the church was there before the hookers...  There were some beautiful hookers... and some really... ummm... not so beautiful hookers.  I really felt bad for them for about a second... that they have chosen this path of employment.  The Dutch are funny.  Not only is prostitution legal, so is smoking marijuana.  There are "coffeehouses" all over the place where you can buy a joint.  And there are two directly across the street from the church!  At least the government gets taxes off of the sale... something the American government misses out on quite a lot.

I read an article not too long ago about the prostitutes in Amsterdam.  I didn't know this, but since it is a legal "trade", they also are required to pay taxes on their "services".  And since it is a legal professions, the government also ensures that all prostitutes are able to access medical care.  Now that's something, isn't it?

After my mini exploration of this area (I think there was more, but I had seen enough), I made my way over to the central station, which is close to the main canal.  There's a lot of construction going on there at the moment, but I finally found my way over to Lovers (the boat cruise shop) to purchase a ticket for the cruise, except the guy wasn't selling any and he pointed over to another area and told me to go get tickets on the other side.  Got the ticket and went on a lovely cruise throughout the canals of Amsterdam.  It was so beautiful!

Next, and last, on the list was to go visit Anne Frank's Huis.  I arrived there and the queue was so long that I didn't think I was going to have enough time to wait in the line and complete the tour as I only had a couple of hours left before I had to head off to the train station and I still needed to pick up my luggage at Inge's house.  Instead, I sat on a bench in front of the "huis" and imagined what it must have been like during those days.  I read my Amsterdam guide about the huis and reflected.  Took a picture, but you can't see that it actually says "Anne Frank Huis" on it.  It's quite the popular destination.

On my way back to Inge's house, I walked through Jordaan, which is the oldest part of town.  Didn't do much walking around there as I wasn't feeling too well (was coming down with a cold) and I think my walking shoes were pretty worn out by that time.

A couple of hours later I was off, by tram, to the Centraal Station to head off to visit Morten's family in Holbæk, Denmark...

14 July 2008

You will be happy to know that the birthday was fabulous!  Dan baked me the lemon cake and it was delicious!  He also made me breakfast and let me groom him and dress him up for the night, although he never heard the end of it from his roommates. :)  He looked good, though.  I was so proud of him!

To celebrate the birthday, we went to this place called Lounge Lover.  It was so beautiful!  I LOVED the decor.  It was like walking in an art gallery of some sort... well, not really, but it was really ornate and very well done.  There were about 9 of us at the table.  After a drink or two there (they were quite expensive), we went to a smaller, more relaxed pub.  There, about 4 more people came to join us.  It was so much fun!  We did a little dancing and a lot of laughing.  It was great!  And not to mention, they had some Chicago beer there... Honkers Ale, which is made by Goose Island.  I was so impressed!!!

Sunday was spent mostly doing research and trying to get all of my planning done for the big trip.  I'm leaving tomorrow, but before Sunday, I had no idea what I wanted to do at each of these cities!  It was really bothering me that I didn't know what to expect, but now I have a list of things I want to do and see... hopefully the weather will comply.

So, the next time you hear from me, I will be somewhere fabulous! ;)  Hurrah!

11 July 2008

Last weekend went by so quickly... it was almost as fast as a blink of an eye!

Saturday, Dan drove me over to Brighton for his friend, Lily's, birthday party. I wanted to get there early so I could run around and take pictures, but it just wasn't in the cards. I did get to run around really quick to take a few pictures, so I do have some to share with you. The day was so beautiful! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was a clear day (as opposed to hazy). I haven't experienced a day like that in ages!! The beach was packed with people, as well as the streets with people getting out for some retail therapy.

Rowan and Weijer met us at Pete's house, where they were having a little BBQ in the garden with some of Lily's friends. It was really nice! Haven't been to a BBQ in a really long time, so it was nice to experience that again. I guess that's something I always took for granted living in Jax Beach. Living in big cities kind of takes away that freedom.

Later on that evening, we went out to a couple of bars around Brighton. The nightlife there is really good! It's such a great town!

The next morning, we woke up early to leave to go back to London. Once we got back, we were able to relax for an hour and then we were off to the O2 Festival where we saw the Goo Goo Dolls, Powderfinger, Galactica, and the Counting Crows perform. It was a great time! The weather was being silly. It would rain with nasty, mean looking clouds... and then the sun would come out... repeat. Even with the rain, it was a great experience. Everybody seemed to be really happy!

This past week has been rather chill on the social aspect. In previous weeks, I have been so busy with meeting up with friends after work, etc., but this week, I have had the opportunity to go to my Aqua Aerobics class on both Monday and Thursday. They were great! I wish I would have gone to the Thursday class more often. He was tough!

On Tuesday night, I was suppose to go to a fundraising party, but Dan's friends were in town and had invited us out for dinner. We went to this restaurant called Brickhouse, which is in Brick Lane. It was AWESOME! It was Sarah's birthday (lots of birthdays this month) and she had invited a load of people she knows that lives here. I think she has more friends here than I do and I live here! Most of them were Australian and they were all really nice people. Sarah is Luke's girlfriend and Luke is Dan's friend from... well... I can't remember when. I'm sure they have been friends since they were little. Dan has a knack for staying friends with people forever! OH! So.. back to Brickhouse. The food was really delicious... but what I liked the most was the band! They played tunes from the 1910's - 50's and they were fabulous! There were only three guys: one played the fiddle, the upright bass, and the guitar. The fiddle player was from NYC (I instantly knew he was a Yank), and not too sure where the other two were from... probably London. Dan and I have talked about going back there just to listen to the band play. It's always so exciting when you have a great dining experience such as that. It doesn't happen too often!

Tomorrow is my birthday!!! I told Dan I didn't want anything, but I did want for him to bake me a cake. I thought that was a fair request. I even gave him the recipe of the cake that I wanted! ;) It's a Lemon Cake with a cream cheese type of icing. I made it once a long time ago when I lived in Atlanta. It was SOOOO good! I bet when he makes it, it is going to taste much better than when I did. You know, kinda like when somebody else makes you a sandwich it tastes so much better than when you make it yourself. I think because it's made with love. That has got to be the special ingredient. ;)

Tomorrow night, we're getting a few people together to go out on the town. I haven't properly been out since I moved here, but now is my chance! We're going to Loungelover, which is a swanky lounge somewhere in Shoreditch (a borough). I'm really excited about it because I can finally work my birthday dress I had bought for my birthday LA trip last year... and I didn't get to work it properly. ;) I love that dress! Although it is something that I wouldn't normally buy. And the man, Dan, is even going to dress up! I'm in a search for a nice shirt that will fit him properly and I'm going to cut his hair and make him look pretty. I'm sure my mom finds all of this familiar as most of the time when I'm shopping with her... well, let's just say she's my barbie. I guess I never got to properly play barbies when I was little, so I'm making up for it now. :) Dan will be grateful for this... he just doesn't realize it yet.

On Tuesday, I'm leaving for my three week trip throughout Europe. The rest of my weekend will be dedicated to researching the cities and preparing myself for the trip.

Hope you're having a great Summer so far!

02 July 2008

Hiya!  Back again with news from the old world.

The past nearly two weeks have been smashing!  Absolutely SMASHING!!!

Last Tuesday, Dan and I met with his friends Pete and Lily at a tiny local pub prior to going to the RADIOHEAD concert.  The concert was in a huge open field.  When you first walk in, there are loads of booths set up and you immediately smell Chicago festivals!  Or, your back yard barbeque.  Inhale.  Love/miss the smell of hamburgers on the grill!  The concert was great!  I was so grateful to be there listening to one of my favorite bands and having the Dan at my side (he REALLY didn't want to go...).

Next up, I went to Wimbledon!  Finally satisfied the dream I have had since I was around the age of 13.  Went with Kevin Foy (a.k.a. "#2" to the Foy family, my "brother" to everybody else) and Ryan (one of Dan's friends).  What an amazing experience!!  First, we waited in "The Queue" of which you are handed a queue card and a 20 page pamphlet about "The Queue".  We thought we were going to wait for an hour and a half, but luckily, it was only about an hour.  Granted, we were there on a shady day where the weather looked iffy.  We think a lot of people left the queue when there was a slight sprinkle of rain.  Lucky for us, that was the only sprinkle of rain we saw all night.  Once you get to the front of the queue, they make you go through airport-like security.

Since we were there after 5pm, we got super cheap tickets for £14.  I was jumping up and down and squealing like a little girl for about the first 5 minutes.  And then I bought a program for half the price of the admission and I stopped jumping.  We walked around the grounds and checked out a couple of the men's doubles matches for a minute.  We also saw the new Court 2 that will be open for next year.  I was on my way to get some Strawberries and Cream (a MUST at Wimbledon) and we see this man close to the gate scanning tickets as people leave.  Ryan inquired and then I asked the guy if I could have a couple of the tickets he just scanned.  He said, "They are worthless after I scan them.  Ask any of these people if they want to keep their tickets.  If they don't, you can have those."  Ok.  Easy.  A couple of ladies that were leaving, gave us a couple of tickets.  Problem is, we needed one more.  Ryan asked a couple and they gave him theirs.  Sorted!  Our tickets were AMAZING!!  We sat right in the middle about 2 rows from the front.  I'm SURE we were on tv!  I kept telling the guys to wave!  Anyway, we watched Ancic upset Ferrer.  We got in around the end of the 2nd set.  On the 3rd set, I was hoping for one more set.... and I got it!  Hurrah!

Saturday, I was suppose to go to the Bon Jovi concert, but Kristine got sick and had to go to the hospital.  Instead, Dan and I went to the park and I laid out in the sun while he skateboarded.  Then we came home and spent 3 hours cooking a vegetable lasagna for Damien and Julie and Damien's brother and girlfriend.  It was delicious!!!  I was so knackered after that, though.  Went straight to bed.

Sunday, I woke up super early and went to visit Gerard and his family in Adderbury... which is outside of Banbury... which is about 1.5 hours away by train.  It's in the sticks.  But a very beautiful and peaceful place to be.  Gerard's family is so much fun!  He has a 7 and 14 year old.  They are both so smart and extremely entertaining.  Rebecca, the youngest one, amazes me with her memory and wittiness.  Natasha has grown up so much since the last time I saw her.  She is so mature for her age and is constantly looked up to by Rebecca (a.k.a. cheeky monkey).  Caroline, Gerard's wife, made us a lovely lunch with little finger sandwiches and a delicious dinner... lasagna. :)  Yummm.  And Gerard, to my surprise, made us a really lovely desert with berries, filo, and lemon curd.  I'm so glad I was able to spend some time with them.  It has been in the making since December 29th!

This Tuesday, I went after work to meet up with Sharon to play some tennis.  Sharon is a doctor and a Kiwi.  She's very pleasant and so sweet!  We didn't get to play, unfortunately, because the courts were already reserved.  Poo.  We're going to try again next Tuesday.

Tonight, I met up with lovely Claudia.  Poor girl.  She was working as a bartender at the bar next to where Dan works, which is how I met her.  She said she was working anywhere between 60 - 80 hours a week.  Before her boss went on holiday, she told him that she didn't want to work any more than 50 hours a week and he replied telling her to go find another job.  She gave her 3 weeks notice.  But it was a little more complicated than just leaving the job, she also lived upstairs from the bar.  She was kicked out of her room as well!  She and her boyfriend just found accommodation and moved in last night.  Claudia has found another job, luckily, but her boyfriend hasn't (he used to be a manager at the bar).  Such stress!  On her last day, she found out that other bartenders were making a little more than a pound more an hour than she was.  I get the impression the boss was taking advantage of her!  What a jerk!

Where one door closes, another opens... so they say.  I know she will do just fine.  She's very strong and is staying positive about the whole situation.

Today, I took my computer in to the office as I had a selection of photos for Mark to choose from.  He ended up choosing 18 pictures from my little collection.  Not bad! :)  I'm curious to see how he gets them printed (if he gets them printed) and where they will go.  I'm leaving all of that to him as I have spent enough time on the pictures themselves and I'm not getting anything out of it... financially. :(

Until next time...

PS - Going to Brighton again this weekend.  Am SO excited!