Portugal Day 3

Woah sorry folks. I am back in AMERICA! (I will comment on that later) But I have decided to keep blogging because I have a lot to tell and I want the story to be complete!

By our third day in Lagos, we had practically exhausted all that there is to do in Lagos. (But, you say, all you have done is lie on the beach, how could that be?) Well really all there is to do in Lagos is lie on the beach. We spent the morning of our third day exploring the last bits of the beautiful walled town that we had not seen yet. We went into a lovely church/ museum and learned a little about the history of Lagos, which was once a jumping off point for famous Portuguese navigators, then turned into a charming fishing village. The church was beautiful if a little gaudy, and the museum was an odd assortment of different things, including a very large currency collection of hundreds of countries. It is always delightful exploring little towns because they always have little gems like this. A bit of travel advice- stick your head into every little museum you come by! Especially the ones in Portugal. They are always worth the couple of euros to enter.

Next, we checked out the fort, which was open. There wasnt much to the complex; the fort itself was tiny, with very few rooms. Only Casey, Laura and I ventured inside, and it was worth the visit yet again. It had a charming little chapel in it with bright blue tiles, a interesting exhibit on a work of art with an unknown artist, and a beautiful outdoor sculpture gallery. This gallery is what truly made the visit worthwhile. The gallery was on the roof of the fort, and consisted of metal wind sculptures that were truly beautiful. They shone in the sun and moved elegantly in the wind. My favorite was a bird whose neck moved up and down when the wind turned its wings. It also had little people riding on it.

We left the fort and joined the beach loungers. I continued reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a remarkable book about the start of the HeLa cell line, the first immortal cell line, that came from a poor African American woman without her consent. A truly remarkable book. I then went on a walk Caitie and explored the rocks and beaches around where we were sitting. I slipped on a rock and cut up my shin a little bit, which made me laugh because I could just see how much professor Geier would disapprove. I went on another walk with Sammy and Ken later on, and we wandered in the opposite way we usually walked. Instead, we climbed up higher along the cliffs. Ken and Sammy seemed skeptical when I suggested we go down a strange road with graffitied walls, but my sense of direction served me well. We popped out onto a coastal path that led along the cliffs and made for truly spectacular views of the ocean. We saw kayakers and boaters, and lots of beach goers. We wandered down onto the beaches and saw some topless women, which was a bit alarming for Ken. When we returned, we reported of our adventures, and everyone else accept a few went off to explore the path as well.

I went back to reading, and when everyone came back, a few of us tried the topless beach thing, since its apparently the thing to do in Portugal. Several other people on our little secluded beach followed our example, and we all felt quite liberated, except for Ken who couldn't avert his eyes from his book and was wearing a fleece to protect his skin from more sunburn. When the clouds made it too cold to sit on the beach anymore, we went and enjoyed some Mojitos, then headed to a boat ride along the coast.

The man who ran the boat rides realized we were cheap students and therefore easily coerced. He dropped the price for us by three euros, and we couldnt resist. ken, Laura, Sammy, and Casey hoped in one boat, and Maria, Caitie and I got into the second one. The boat ride was completely touristy, but really fun. Our guide pointed out rock formations that looked like a boat, buddha, a fat lady, elephants, etc., and laughed at us for enjoying ourselves so thoroughly. He took us through little nooks in the rock formations formed by waves, and even showed us some wildlife. Definitely worth the money.

We ended our day by purchasing or bus tickets to Lisbon and getting gelato. For dinner, we ordered pizza! ( I know, so lame of us, but we were all tired and had a very early day the next day.)

Portugal Day 2

Being ambitious budget travelers that we are, the next morning in Portugal we decided to walk to the market and get food to make dinner that evening. The weather was a bit iffy at first but as soon as we got outside, the rain clouds parted and it looked as if it was going to be another beautifully sunny day. I, being the intrepid outdoorsy person that I am, navigated us successfully to the market where we stared at dead fish for a good 20 minutes trying to decide what to buy. In the end we played it safe and got some whitefish that we suspected to be sole, as well as some other things, though the market wasn't that big. We then made our way back to the hostel, stopping at a pharmacy and a thrift store. These visits had very specific purposes; Ken hadn't worn sunscreen the previous day and was in desperate need of some aloe, and the girls had been reminded from the previous day that sand gets everywhere if there isn't a protective towel or other such thing to sit on. Laura and Casey bought fashionable little beach rugs to sit on and keep the sand away.

While searching for aloe, Ken told us a funny story about one of his friends from home. Apparently, he had also been badly sunburned at one point, and called out to his mom asking where the aloe-y was (pronounced aloe+y or aloeeee). For the rest of the week we made it our inside joke.. I cant count how many times we said "mom! where's the aloey!" I still almost say aloey every time I use the word now. curses.

The trip was an especially successful one because we determined that Laura's ATM card was now fully functional- she had forgotten her pin, but a couple of tries with some help and we figured it out. There is nothing quite as scary as the prospect of being stuck traveling with no money.

We returned to the hostel, Maria and Caitie joined us after sleeping in a bit. We spent the afternoon wandering around Lagos; it was a bit to cold to lay out on the beach all day. We went first to the old fort which at first glance didn't amount to much. It was closed so we kept wandering and did a lot of people watching. Apparently, the youth of Portugal were also on spring break, so they were having a massive beach party complete with games and very loud music. Though we were a bit daunted, we were rewarded for wandering past them because we found some beautiful secluded beach areas with not very many people. We played in the waves and tried to explore some interesting looking caves, but the tide was a bit high. Instead, Laura and I satisfied our adventurous sides by doing a bit of spontaneous rock climbing in dresses (apparently pretty dangerous on these cliffs... falling rocks are common).

We then got some mojito's and made our way back to the hostel. The sun came out and Ken put on copious amounts of sunscreen. I guess he learned his lesson! Sammy and I popped into a little art museum and saw some cool pinholes of Lagos, then she bought her own beach rug at a neat pottery shop. When we returned to the hostel, we started cooking dinner by firing up the grill, which proved to be more challenging than we thought. Laura an ken managed to get it lit while the rest of us prepared some pesto pasta, a salad, bread, chicken, and our fish with garlic and lemon. The final product was quite delicious, and it is always really fun to cook in a hostel. We were just finishing up our meal when another girl from a large group of (I think) German students came over to us and informed us that we had been using their olive oil and vinegar. We were, of course, mortified, and felt horrible about it. We offered to buy them some more, but of course they didn't need and entire bottle of olive oil. Instead, we gave them a bottle of wine, which seemed to satisfy them as they drank the whole thing! We hoped we didn't come off as annoying and rude Americans, but she was friendly and talked to us later. Ken then made us a highly caloric but DELICIOUS desert of cream cheese, nutella, and apples which we totally gorged ourselves on. Totally stuffed, we contented ourselves with playing "idiot" and listening to stand up comedy on Ken's Ipod.

When it was around bedtime, Sammy, Laura, Ken and I spontaneously decided we wanted to go out, so we went to Joe's bar where we had a certificate promising us free shots. We got there and drank a few Sex on the Beaches and sat and chatted. We really enjoyed the place, and it was complete with its own Jug bathroom! We even ran into the bartender who had served us all the beer and wine we could drink the night before! We then went to a different bar where it was a bit more dancer friendly. We didnt stay long, as apparently there were creepy men eyeing us according to our bodyguard Ken. We got home and promptly fell asleep.

Food Im going to Miss

As my term in Cardiff draws to a close, I thought I would do some fun little blogs about the wonderful things I ate this semester. (And I ate A LOT...a bit too much im sure.) I will only mention the horribly-bad-for-you food that can be found in the UK, though there is such food everywhere... it seems that every country has its own pastry, and each are equally good. In the UK, there are some things I am really going to miss that dont seem to be back in the good old US of A.

Fish and Chips- the classic, often served with vinegar and mushy peas. The best ones I had were actually in Dublin (NOT part of the UK). Chips are EVERYWHERE and very yummy.

Porridge- despite what Laura says, porridge is not the same as the oatmeal back in the states. Its better! The best porridge I had was at the B&B in North Wales, though I have been eating it daily practically.

Golden Syrup- great on porridge

Rice Pudding- Comes in a variety of flavors, just like yoghurt, and is amazing heated up. YUM

Stuffed Baguettes- especially if from bagels and bagettes, a little shop close to the Student Union here.

Quorn- some type of mushroom fungal protein that is made to look and taste like a meat product like chicken. Its actually quite good.

Flapjacks- Really really bad for you granola bar with lots of gooey sugar and butter

Welsh cakes- little pancake type things with raisins. We just learned that they are traditionally server with cheese and jam!

Bangers and Mash- sausage and mash potatoes. Glamorgan sausages are vegetarian and are made from potatoes and leeks.

Proper English Breakfast- beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sausage, eggs, and other yummy things.

Brains- the beer of Wales. very good!

and my personal favorite....

Sticky Toffee Pudding- sounds as good as it tastes!

As you can see, not a lot of health food options here in wales. Oh well, its all quite tasty!

Back to Portugal next!! :)

Its been too long!!!

Hello to anyone who still reads this and hasnt completely given up on me.

I apologize for my utter lack of blogging for practically this entire month. It has been a complete whirlwind. We had our massive research papers to complete at the beginning of this month, and immediately after, I started a long and pretty epic travel adventure to Paris, London, Oslo, and Stockholm. Then I had my first final in population ecology, then I set off for Germany, and now I am back for my last final and my last hurrah in Cardiff. I will continue to blog about my adventures when I get home, and I will definitely finish introducing my lovely study group mates who have truly made this experience amazing. As for now, I better study for physics. The packing process has started and its sad that I will have to say goodbye to Cardiff so soon!

Spring Break: Lagos, Portugal Day 1

Lagos, Portugal was the absolute best place to go for Spring Break. It is essentially a beach/ party town, but with a lot of the small town charm of a Portuguese fishing village.

The first morning we were there, we got up and went down to breakfast at the hostel, which was reported to be the best hostel breakfast in town. It was pretty good, and big enough that we could make a lunch out of it too, which we snuck out in our bags and pockets wrapped in napkins. We all were ready for the beach, and the weather did not disappoint. It was sunny and almost 70 degrees when we left the hostel, heading for the main beach in Lagos that stretches out for miles. We found a spot and settled down for a day of beach lounging. When we arrived at the beach, we were ecstatic; even though the weather in Wales had been pretty darn good the whole semester thus far, nothing compares to sand and sun and sea. We all ripped off our shoes, dropped our bags, and sprinted for the ocean, only to realize it was pretty darn cold. Some of us were smart enough to bring towel type things to the beach (I brought my sarong), but most of us just sprawled out on the sand and got a wee bit sandy. We all did a wide variety of activities while lounging on the beach; I read a fascinating book about Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells, Ken and Maria listened to music, Laura napped and read, Sammy.... knitted..

I took a freakishly long walk with everyone except for Sammy and Maria; we were gone a good hour or two, and made it very far down the beach. We passed fishermen, ran a little in the surf, and even did some swimming. When we got back, Maria was completely tan. Amazing. We went back to lounging and ken started digging a hole. We asked him what he was doing, and it was just that: digging a hole. We shrugged, considered it man time, and let him get to it. Eventually I got bored and started helping build a wall around the hole. It ended up being quite impressive: big enough for ken to sit in. When we were all a bit pink from the sun in odd places where we missed with our sunscreen, we headed up to one of the beach bars and had some Portuguese cocktails with brown sugar, lime, and some other delicious things. We then headed back to the hostel for showers and I got my first taste of Portuguese pastries. Let me tell you, they are amazing. We had been talking how we all needed to go on a diet after North Wales, and that simply went out the window. The pastry I got was basically a creme brulee in a pastry shell. it was so soooo good!

Speaking of the death of diets, we had a rule system in place for our trips together, and they have survived throughout the entire time we have been in Wales together.

RULE 1: No complaining once you leave the airport

RULE 2: NO talking about homework of any kind

RULE 3: The PC version: Always use the buddy system

RULE 4: No diet talk.

There are more, but the first three are pretty set in stone, and we did a pretty good job of following them once they were installed.

After our cocktails, we went back to the hostel for showers, then played some "idiot", which is a card game that Sammy, Ken, Laura, and Maria learned from some drunk and very friendly Norwegians in Amsterdam. Then we went to dinner at Casa Rosa, where we did the power hour, which involved drinking as much beer and wine as we could in an hour while eating dinner. Woah. I think we all made it through quite a few pints, and we were quite full of cheer when we left. Ken even leapt up into an orange tree to collect us some oranges. What a gentleman! We then went back to the Hostel and promptly fell sound asleep. Definitely a day of spring break done right.

Spring Break: Getting to the Algarve

Back to Spring Break.... Oy I am never going to finish this!!

Well anyway, on to Portugal! Caitie, Sammy, Laura, Maria, Casey Easley, Ken and I flew down to Faro, Portugal, on the 27th of March. Leaving Cardiff and getting to Portugal proved to be a bit of a fiasco... Sammy even started making a mental checklist of steps we had to accomplish before we were in the clear.

Step 1. Get to the Airport. This proved to be harder then we thought. We walked all the way down to the bus station, forgetting that it was the weekend and the buses to the airport left at infrequent times. In our case, it was leaving far too late, so we had to catch a cab. This was a pain, but we made it successfully to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Step 1. Check.

Step 2. Get through Security. Also something you wouldnt think would be that hard, but Caitie, Maria, Ken and I got stopped because of supposed liquid violations. Actually, everyone was fine, but they were a little bit suspicious of my cans of tuna and individual milk packets that I was carrying around for my future backpacking trip with Jackie. Security. Check.

Step 3. Get our bags on the plane. YET ANOTHER thing that seems pretty easy, but not in the world of budget airlines. As we approached the boarding counter, a line had formed of people stuffing their bags in to the tiny BMI baby baggage limit cages. Dread crept over us. We all had backpacks bursting to the limit, and I have my fairly full hiking backpack to contend with. Casey was the first to take up the challenge, and her bag fit with quite a bit of shoving. When she tried to get it out, it got a bit jammed and she actually broke the little cage, which ended up being a life-saver for the rest of us. We all made it through, even me with my giant bag. I am pretty sure the man took pity on us, as we all shoved our bags about halfway in and looked up with pouty faces. The only casualty was regrettably Laura's kindle, whose screen cracked when she was shoving her bag into the cage. Step 3. Check.

Step 4. Get to Lagos. Our issue here was simple: no busses left for Lagos from Faro late enough, so we had to call a car in advance. We were all slightly panicky because our flight had been delayed a half an hour and it took us another half hour to get through passport check in Faro, and we were worried that the car driver would charge us for being late. Thankfully, we exited customs and saw the sign Samantha Rocks waiting for us. The cab driver was friendly enough, and waited for us to exchange our money before starting out. The drive was pleasant, but when we arrived in Lagos, our driver couldnt find our hostel. At one point, he parked the car and left us sitting there, completely confused. When we finally arrived, we checked in to the Youth Hostel and made friends with the Hostel workers.

Step 5: Learn to say hello and thank you in Portuguese. Well really it was Laura who made friends with the hostel worker. She asked how to say hello in Portuguese, which is conveniently just Hola, and how to say thank you, which is obrigada (sp) or obrigad (sp) depending if you are a boy our a girl. It took us almost the whole trip to learn that if you are a girl, you always say obrigada, no matter the gender of the person you are taking to.

We were very VERY relieved to finally be in Portugal, and we went out to a late dinner at around 9, which is actually quite early for the Portuguese. We found a traditional Portuguese restaurant. I had a delicious fish soup. An interesting thing about Portugal that Laura's bible taught us; even though waiters will put bread out, it isn't free... it costs money, so if you eat it, you have to pay for it. Some Portuguese men laughed at us when we asked if the bread was free, and they imitated our American accents. Oops. The waiter seemed to like us though!

After an exhausting day of travel, we all were ready for bed, so we wandered around the beautiful cobbled streets of Lagos for bit then curled up for a good nights sleep in our squeaky hostel bunk beds.

Meet the Group Mondays! Special FLATMATE Edition, Featuring: Casey Gorman!

Today I will introduce Casey Gorman who have made living in House 26, Floor 2, Flat 2 more bearable and fun.

So here's Casey!

Name: Casey Gorman

Major: Neuroscience

Likes: Running, House/ other tv shows watched fo free on the interwebs, frisbee, Persuasion by Jane Austen, sarcasm, choir, watching rugby, Dr. Who, Welsh cakes (but who doesn't, really?)

Dislikes: the sound of glass bottles breaking when she throws them in the recycling, baseball, awkward tv/ movie characters, overly messy flatmates that dont do their dishes... (that means YOU Margaret! JUST KIDDING hehehehe), the fact that her body wakes her up at 6:15am, misplaced keys

Interesting Things about Casey:

Casey has proclaimed that she missed out on some essential parts of childhood... like camp. She only got to go to camp one year, and it was Science camp, so that doesnt really count. She may be the only person who didn't look forward to summer when she was little.

She works to preserve old books at the Colgate Library, which is as cool as it sounds.

Casey joined the ultimate frisbee team here in Cardiff, and has kicked major ass because she is the captain at home. All the boys on the team have a crush on her, as was told to me by Tom, a member of the kayak polo team and the frisbee team.

When we first got here, someone (I think it was Maria) told Casey that she was the only one in our study group who could pull of jeggings (jean+legging=jegging=horrible abomination of fashion).

We are all slightly envious of Casey's hair, which always looks perfect, even in the Wales wind and rain.

Whenever there is a pause or lull in a conversation, Casey randomly goes: La La La lalala. :)

Casey made us the only people to ever be late to meeting Geier at the bus this past weekend in Swansea. She just HAD to walk around the castle, and then we got completely lost and didn't even get to see the murder scene. (Dont ask, all will be revealed in time)

She was my roommate for the whole trip to North Wales, which was awesome. We had a good time sipping free port and bitching about our boyfriends, and we accidentally got free eggs at the first B&B.

How I met Casey:

Being the unobservant person that I am, I didnt really meet Casey until we were in our flat here in House 26. I went into the kitchen and saw that Margaret was talking about the fact that there were three Colgate students in our flat. I was like "oh! who is the third?" Casey was standing right there and looked at me like I was an idiot. oops.