DAMN...AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam...is odd...whatever you think it is...yeaaaa...thats there...but you dont see it at all unless youre like heyyyyy RED LIGHTS!...its actually the coolest city...our hostel was in like a residential area and we were by the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijkmuseum...


yea...you know the RIjkmuseum...the one with the Damien Hirst exhibit "For The Love Of God"...THAT I DIDNT SEE!!!...I mean come on who doesnt want to see a human skull covered in diamonds?!...EPIC FAIL!...but I did drink some Heineken...at the factory...(yea...note diamond skull on side of museum...about shat myself...really I was sooooo mad we didnt go I couldve punched a baby....[not that I ever would thats horrible])

Old advertisement sign for Heineken..which is hanging in my room too..and reminds me of Tegan and Sara...which is always good...since I love them...but anyways...I didnt make it to the Van Gogh museum either...I was full of epic fails this trip...I did have a rather delicious waffle though...oh and the street graffiti was really cool! and was everywhere...

I also wrote as I walked one night...which was a bizarre night...cause we were in Amsterdam...like walking by a cop...and totally not seeing the German shepherd that was with him and almost running into the dog and thinking it was going to rip my leg off...and having bottles of rum jingling in my bag...yea...and the cheese puffs...I hate cheese puffs...space cakes though?...are delicious!...and that night I wrote as I walked...so dont know what I was writing...you cant really read it...and then there is "SMGL" at the top of the page...and it has nothing to do with Shmeegol or whatever the hell from Lord of the Rings...
(oh Amsterdam...how I miss you...)

THE LOUVRE!!!!!!!!!!!

Im aware that my pictures are sub pare...my camera is kinda broken (dont drop things down the great wall of China)...so you make do...anyways...can we talk about the Louvre...and how its hardly even arguable the best art museum in the world...and in no way should be compared to creme brulee! thats just effing stupid...BUT! if by chance you have an insanely good creme brulee you could be like "dammmmn son this creme brulee is the Louvre!" (cause obviously if you were going to have creme brulee youd also talk like that)...but whatever...Im sorry when youre given the chance to be in the Louvre for 4 hours for free...Im damn sure Id take advantage of it...(I mean come on...I did) but whatever...The amount of paintings and the size of them was crazy...and lets talk about the Mona Lisa...

Everyone I talked to who has been to Paris complained about the size of the Mona Lisa (granted these werent art majors maybe that has something to do with it) but whatever...They said that it was so small and less than exciting and whatever...but Its a portrait...and portraits arent huge unless its depicting a huge scene...but it was exactly what I expected...actually a tad bit bigger so I was more than excited to see it...but I dont really care its the Mona Lisa...I care its Da Vinci though...I did find it weird that they let people take flash pictures...I only took one inside the Louvre and that was of the Mona Lisa...cause my camera is retarded the flash wont turn off so I dont wanna speed up the decay of the paintings or whatever...(I care unlike the typical tourist with 50 billion cameras around their necks looking like tools) but whatever...
The Louvre was great...I spent time there was Casey (who as you may or may not know loves American food and giants [particularly from causeways]...*RAWR*)...and as we were leaving met up with Nikki and Julie and had some starbucks...cause it was damn cold...
The Louvre was so awesome we decided to throw it in to everyday conversations...for example..."I louvred those puppies"...that does not work...BUT after a great night out with friends..."Hey guys...last night was the louvre!" <-Perfect example right there...or check the creme brulee reference above (UGH!)...good times had in Paris...I <3 the Louvre.

HELLLLLLLO PARIS!

Let's be honest...I was least excited to go to Paris...and I loved it the most. I would SOOOO go back right now. The musicians on the metros...though annoying were really cool...even Megan falling on the metro was funny...sad...but funny...the Palace of Versailles was the first place we went...CRAZY! and the art there by Jeff Koonz...really? why?...but whatever...it was crazy...the mirror room where the Treaty of Versailles was signed...and it was pretty cool to go there after we went to the Battle of the Boyne so I already knew a bit about King Louis XIV so that was pretty cool...kinda think he was a prick...but that's just be...you know that divine right crap...whatevs...we walked around Paris for a bit and saw huge important buildings...on our way to the Arc de Triomphe.The Arc is to honor all those who fought for France especially during the Napoleonic Wars, and also under the Arc there is the grave of the unknown soldier from WW1. AFter we left the Arc we strolled over to the Eiffel Tower...got interviewed by CBS no big deal...oh right and it was snowing...it melted right away even before it hit the ground...but needless to say we were not dressed for the weather...and from the Eiffel Tower we went to the Notre Dame de Paris. Which I dont know if you're aware...is really really cool...
The excessive detail they put into everything in these churches is insane...and I found it all that a lot of the alters in Paris had different images other then Jesus on the cross in the back...odd...but outside of Notre Dame is when Linda Lou called and we chatted about how i was sick and that I sounded like death...but totally made my day anyways...we walked around a bit going to a few different churches and then we went to the Pompidou...yeppp...the Pompidou...See?...Anyways...after that we ended up at Les Invalides...which was Louis the XIV as a military museum...and its where Napoleon's Tomb is now...Les Invalides also has a pretty sweet golden dome you can see all around Paris...not really...and Im just gonna say...ND's dome is shinier...but then again...it was raining when we were there...but hey it rains in South Bend too...and let's be honest...we were in Paris...and no visit is complete with out visiting THE Moulin Rouge...yep...anticlimactic...but hey...have I seen the whole movie?...nope...will I? nope...do I know Nicole Kidman dies?...yea...so why watch it?...cause its a great movie...whatevs...Yea Paris is grand...the croissants are to die for! I fell in love with them and baguettes and hot chocolate...yummm...our hostel was also really cute in the residential district so we were like in a small neighborhood and there was tiny markets and bread shops...and chocolate places...and of course a ton of places to get wine...but we stuck to our fanta and vodka since we werent technically allowed to have alcohol in the hostel...we win...especially with our nutella, peanut butter, banana, and pretzel sandwiches...yummmm haha it was actually so gross...but delicious at the same time...but lets be honest...we havent gotten to the best part of Paris...

NO MORE PIGEONS!

Venice...ummm is really pretty...its sinking...a huge tourist trap...and there's really no point in going unless you want to be uber touristy and or are obsessed with churches...the churches are beautiful and vary like crazy...some don't even look like churches on the outside...and the water like bus system...is less then exciting and ridiculously hard at night cause you never know where you are going between the islands...and the gondola rides?...yea pretty much the lamest thing of my life...but I guess Im glad i did it to be cliche... but whatevs...San Marco's Basilica was really really cool...my favorite place for sure...the detailing of the building on the inside and out was ridiculous...I loved it...and the public square...really why is there so many pigeons? I thought I was going to get pooped on constantly...NOT COOL!...
are we in Paris yet?

STAMP MY PASSPORT!!!!

While we were in Rome we visited Vatican City twice...and twice our passports weren't stamped...and I think it would be really cool to open up my passport and see a stamp of Jesus given a thumbs up or something...anyways...we went on a sunday too...so we saw mass...and like a billion and some people there...it was crazy...but really cool...I never thought Id be all gong ho on Catholicisms and stuff again...since I thought I couldn't stand it...but the ceremonies and stuff I find really cool...but maybe its just a fascination...I dont know...but it makes me want to change my name though to my confirmation name...cause mine is LAMMMME.... One of Saint Peter's out stretched arms...

(I hardly have any pictures from inside the vatican cause my flash wouldnt turn off...so i didnt feel like destroying art...cause im a nice person like that...ill knick some pictures from the other girlies)

Ok..so awhile ago I went to Rome?

Rome...We got to Rome on what? a Saturday? I cant remember...Rome is so much of a blur...I do remember our Hostel being in an alley of an alley...but if it was in another alley we would have been on another main road...and the cobble stone...is everywhere...

We visited the Pantheon (built by Agrippa who i guess helped Augustus beat...some dude...i dont know Im not gonna lie i didnt pay attention in my Classic Rome class yesterday)
Trevi Fountain

the Spanish steps

The Colosseum

The Forum

...and random little things like a door that you look through the key hole to see the top of Saint Peter's Basilica...and when you take a picture the Basilica disappears...at least it did in my pictures...
But anyways...Rome is such a weird mixture of old and new...similar to China...expect...its Rome...and its the Roman Empire...or Republic or whatever...it was an Empire...and I couldn't help but have Star Wars playing in my head every time someone mentioned the Empire...and the Pizza...Oh My GOD!...the first night we head past the Pantheon and a few small cafes and down an alley to this little pizza place got THE best pizza Ive ever had...it was cut in a square and then the man cut it in half and folded it so you can eat it on the go...delicious...and the next day we ate at one of those cute little cafes across from the Pantheon by a fountain and had musicians play for us...candle lite dinner...pasta...delicious...and the white wine was to die for...and I don't even like wine! but it was so good...There was also protests all over Rome because in Italy like Ireland they are increasing the expense of going to school...(but it still isn't like it is in America...so i was like really?...i sold my soul and my left leg...deal with it) but yea...My favorite place was definitely the Trevi though...i wish i could've sat there forever...but we really didn't have time...oh! and we (being that we are obsessed with Irish pubs) went to two pubs Trinity College and Scholars...I totally was given a rose in Scholars by a rather attractive Spanish lad...and we chatted a bit in Spanish which is weird cause I didn't think i remembered any Spanish haha this Spanish lad is not to be confused with "Juan Pablo" who slept on top of me (on a bunk bed kids...get your head out of the gutter!)
So...I look pretty gross cause we had been walking FOREVER and HIDING from the "feds" haha...oh god...never thought I would want to leave such a beautiful city...

It's SHOW TIME!

Thursdays are the nights we go to The Roost...but thats after I play at open mic at the Student Union...The Student Union is our on campus PUB/nightclub/venue/sandwich shop/snooker or pool hall...I love that place...Foster's for 3 euro too...mmm mmm good...actually not that good...but ok...anyways sometimes on Thursdays on a whim I go and play some songs...like Tegan and Sara's Speak Slow, Call It Off, Livingroom...or Journey's Don't Stop Believing...and of course Ive sang about "hot sex"...or Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon...oh and 1234 by Feist and I've even whipped out an original...anyways...once I sing my songs and my crazy fan club cheers excessively hahaha and calls each others whores its back to the apartments for another beverage of the alcoholic kind and then its off to The Roost where me and some friends watch another band perform and then head to the night club for drinking and dancing with friends.

Thursday are easy...
Music + Friends + a few drinks here and there + The Roost = The Best Nights.
(But then again just replace the day and pub and thats every night...

Slainte

What We Do On The Weekends

Our weekend trips we do is on the other blog i have just for those.
its...ummm...
http://smcireland.blogspot.com

It has stuff about Bushmills Distillery and Newgrange and what not...its cool...

NUIM a fine education...fire...and death...

Last Friday the Canteen (the campus's cafeteria/gym stuff) caught on fire...the building was already being expanded or something...they were working on the outside structure...and now I guess they got to work on all of it...it was also a campus preview day...apparently something went wrong in the kitchen...the canteen is on the other side of north campus and when I looked out my window of the apartment the sky was black...the first picture is of the smoke after it had died down from where the apartments are...there were helicopters and everything...quite a hectic day...(photos courtesy of Hans our Belgian friend we call Speedy McGee for running around campus and posting these pictures within 20 minutes)


Last night...you know...another cold, windy, and not to mention frosty night in Ireland...when does that not happen?...probably around 10:30...or 11...who knows...my house mates called Kristy, Nikki, and myself to the kitchen...there was emergency vehicles outside the apartments next to us...we first heard a rumor that the lift was broken and that something happened with the stairs...but that just sounds stupid...and unbelievable...then they unlocked the apartment office building and were telling people to go inside...even got people out of the apartment building to go in the office...it was weird...there was an bizarre calm to the whole situation...firefighters smoking cigarettes and people pacing and the only one who seemed to be working was the man who yelled at us for having christmas lights flashing in our window...granted there was seven of us staring out the window...after awhile the firetruck pulled away...and the ambulance moved...the whole situation bothered me...I went back to my room...obviously something was wrong and the was nothing else to do...the who thing seemed morbid to sit at a window and watch some tv like drama unfold...i wanted nothing to do with it...but my house mates were pretty interested but i mean...they were watching desperate housewives...i dont know...my house mates knew someone in the building so they called them...apparently there was a girl who had been missing...or some drug overdose...who knows really...other than apparently a girl committed suicide...and she had her door locked so they couldn't get in...we dont know when it happened or what exactly happened...and at the end of the day it doesnt matter because it doesnt change the outcome does it?...it bothers me though...cause to be put in the place to consider that you have to be going though a lot...and then even more to actually attempt it...and it doesnt take much to intervene whither you know you are or not...just saying hi or the hey hows it goin? line we give to who ever we walk by...just saying that to that girl couldve possibly prevented it...but that didnt happen...we have friends who know her...one of the smc girl's house mate is the girl's best friend...it was so weird especially how calm everyone was...and the most bizarre thing was around 1:30 in the morning a hearse came...a hearse...why?...i dont understand that...but you could hear the loud engine of the hearse...it sounded as if it had no gas and it gasped for air...a horrible gurgle type growl i guess you could say filled the street below...totally a scene from a movie or something...and you could hear the doors of the vehicles around being opened and slammed shut...and the horrible sound of metal sliding against metal...and random lights flashing behind the blinds of the window...this went on for what seemed like forever...I for one was not a fan...i just sat in bed with the reading light on above my bed for what seriously seemed like years...to only be six minutes...needless to say...i didnt sleep last night...