Eurostar

January 25, 2012

Before i talk about the eurostar...there are a few things i noticed about in london. They don't say/have signs that say exit, restrooms, or elevator...theirs say "way out," "toilets," and "lift." Also, I was surprised that no one was staring at me.

The Eurostar train left on time...10:57am. I had a window seat next to a kind, tired older man. It was a weird sensation on that train. There were lots of dark tunnels and my ears were painfully popping for the first half hour. The whole ride was two hours. I passed out for about half of it. Whoever invents teleportation will be my hero as well as a billionaire. I'm really sick of loading/unloading and it's only been like 36 hours.

Exploring London and people watching was definitely the highlight of today. That is the fun stuff that i need to get to. But anyway...

The Eurostar arrived in Brussels at 14:05. I went to an information booth to ask about a train to Bruges. He directed me where I needed to go. The lady that then helped me was wretched. She wouldn't even listen to me or look at me...so I ended up paying 13.50 euros for a train ticket I have already bought a $750 pass for. But whatever. I get the feeling that European women are meeeeaaaan. Two for two. I wandered to the deck or whatever it is called. Brussels was cold!! I broke out my mittens and waited for the train.

The train was super nice like the front runner. I accidentally sat in first class so when the ticket lady stamped my ticket she said, "parlez vous le francais?" I replied with "eh...un peu. Anglais s'il vous plait." then she told me, in English, to move to second class. It was legit.

I don't even entertain myself on these train rides. I just look out the widow. It's pretty. Oh, and dad, I saw a couple chicken coops with chickens. :)

I was hungry and sick and tired at this point, but I chugged on. I arrived in Bruges and bought a 1.50 euros bus ticket to the city center. I ended up getting off at the first stop because I didn't know where I was going and would rather walk. So I walked and I came across some pretty alleys and buildings. I found the city center (there's a huge bell tower...it's not hard to find haha). I walked in circles for probably thirty minutes trying to find my hostel. I finally found it and got my stuff in my locker and went potty. The w/c's (water closets) cost money here. It's the most unfortunate thing evers..my little bladder isn't going to like it.

There were lots of people out shopping at the millions of shops here in Bruges, but I haven't heard any English with the exception of the guy at the hostel. I feel very...alienated. It's kinda cool to be a minority though.

It has been misty rainy all evening. I like it except that my pictures are bad.

I went and got dinner at a little Belgian frites place. I got a fish burger. I drank my bottled water with a straw and ate my fries with a fork. It was weird. It tasted good though!

I did some more wandering and now I'm back at the hostel. I will be sleeping on the top bunk in a room with five other girls. Tomorrow i have to move to a co ed room with seven girls/guys. Tonight is beer tasting night. Drink five get the sixth one free. Good thing I'm so tired I could crash right now and sleep til morning (it's 6:30 pm). Haha. There are ten others lounging "with me" at the moment.

I am ever so grateful for the kind words and love and support and comfort from my family and friends. I have zero confidence right now, but y'all are keeping me going. It will get better once I settle and see some cool things!!

Arrived in London

January 25, 2012

An hour before we landed, they gave us a breakfast consisting of a muffin, a banana, and some oj. It was better than dinner. I watched the plane on the map get closer and closer to London.

When we finally got below the clouds, the entire landscape was just sparkling with city lights. We landed at 6:48 am. The passport check lady was super rude and asked me a million questions about traveling alone and what not. She asked me why I did not have my Eurostar ticket yet, and I told her that I wanted the eurail discount which I could only get at the station. She said they don't do that. Keep reading and you'll see how wrong she was.

I got 50 pounds out of an ATM more or less for fun/to try it out. It was a success.

I bought my underground pass. That was 5.30 pounds. It took an hour to get from the airport to the King's cross st pancras station. I'm loving the British accents and fashionably dressed men. I'm typing this in a British accent in my head. The underground was a lot like the subway.. Dark. Scary. Bumpy. And stinky. Man, the people here stink. They all have a distinct smell and they're all stinky smells. One guy straight up smelled his armpit. Everyone is in a hurry. No one talks to anyone else. The newspaper is about money, fashion, and soccer...excuse me, football. No one is wearing jeans. I would look local if it weren't for the big backpack I'm carrying around.

I got my Eurostar ticket leaving at 10:57. My eurail pass got me 57 pounds off the price so it only cost 61 pounds. Well, that's a lot. But not compared I what it would've been without the eurail pass. Stupid passport lady. Way to represent the UK.

I had about an hour to kill so I stepped out of the train station and was immediately in awe. London is so busy! Everyone is so rushed! Everyone dresses so nice! I walked up and down the street until I decided to come back to the station to check in.

Yet another security run through and passport check. This one was better though. I love all the stamps I'm getting in my passport.

Okay, well I talk a lot. I should stop.

PS sorry about the random order an placement of the pictures. It doesn't let me control it.

PPS there is a girl behind me balling her eyes out in French. Maybe she is in a similar situation as me? Maybe I should help her.

3...2...1...Blast off!!

January 24, 2012

Today was the day...the day I have been waiting for and anxiously counting down to since at least 75 days ago.

I woke up at 6:15 after a good night's rest. I did hit snooze...I was excited, but I still needed seven more minutes of my bed. I took a nice shower, got ready, and ate a bowl of Life. I curled my sister's hair for picture day and said my goodbyes to both little sister's, all three dogs, and my one sweet mama. My dad and I packed our bags in the car and headed to the airport.

We arrived a little after 9 am. The lady in security almost skipped right over checking my ID because she thought I was underage (reason number two of one million that I probably should not be doing this ;) ). We were through security and sitting in my terminal in just twenty or twenty five minutes...so we sat around for an hour and fifteen minutes. My first solo plane ride would take me to Detroit, Michigan.

My dad's flight to Reno for work left ten minutes after mine so he left me about the time mine started boarding. I may or may not have shed a tear or two at this point realizing that I was now alone as I would be for 62 long but amazing days.

They said "Gardner" over the intercom and I looked around and waited for someone else to get up and walk to the desk. When no one did, I realized that it was probably me so I went over and they just checked my passport.

I was in zone 4 so I was one of the last to board. The first class snobs and zones 1-3 had pretty much taken up allll the overhead bin space, but I managed to awkwardly make room for my backpack.

The plane had three seats on each side of the aisle. I had the aisle seat so I waited for my row mates to arrive before getting settled.

One young man finally came, and he had the window seat. The seat between us remained empty for the entire flight...it was the ONLY empty seat on the plane. How lucky (and lonely) is that?! I decided it was reserved for one of the million people that wish they were with me but were too wussy to tag along. :)

The guy by the window was from India but currently lives in Detroit. He was probably around 30 years old. He was headed home from California where he had some sort of meeting about starting his own business. He backpacked Europe seven years ago and told me all about the places with the best beer. It was great advice that I pretended to be grateful for. :) He gave me his email and told me to let him know if I got into any trouble in Rome because he has friends there that would drop everything to rescue me: An American girl they don't even know. I like the sound of the southern Italians already.

We were in the air at 11:34 am MST. Take off was scary, as always. All of a sudden the pilot just guns it. It totally freaks me out an I feel stuck to my seat. I feel the corners of my lips touching my ears. It's like a roller coaster but scary. Every noise, every bump seems like the start of the plummet to my death.

We flew over Kaysville and then up and over the clouds into fantasy land where I will be for the next two months. Goodbye Kaysville. Goodbye Utah. Goodbye real world.

The movie I watched was "I don't know how she does it." It was ok. I dozed off for a while but my head kept bobbing and I couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. I read sky magazine which just happened to have all sorts of good tips about visiting London and Amsterdam. I ate sour patch watermelons, courtesy of the best second mother on earth, listened to Justin Bieber (no shame), and put my head down on my tray table wishing I had the pillow my friend previously told me about..I also saw it in the sky mall magazine along with many other brilliant ideas.

We arrived in Detroit at 16:40. I went potty. I found my gate. I boarded. I flew to London heathrow. The flight was seven hours. There were only 60 people on the plane for 300 do I took up a whole row and tried to sleep for most of the time. Most of the people in my flight were seemingly pompous Brits :)

Carry On, Carry On, Carry On

Reason 1 of probably 1,000,000 that I should probably NOT be doing this:

I thought you could only have a total of 4 oz of liquids. 1 oz toothpaste + 1 oz shampoo + 1 oz lotion + 1 oz contact solution = 4 oz liquids and that's all you can have!

Just now learned that you can take liquids on an airplane so long as they're not in a CONTAINER bigger than 4oz. You can have as many <4 oz containers that can fit in a quart sized Ziploc baggie.

Good to know...it's just the day before I leave. NBD.

Packing List

It's much easier to pack to backpack Europe in the summer than it is in the winter. I over-pack so a lot of this may get left behind, but as of right now...this is my packing list:

Clothes
2 tunics

1 pair leggings

1 pair "long johns"

1 pair pants

2 cardigans

2 sweaters

1 scarf

1 pair of gloves

Underwear (lots)

Socks (lots)

1 pair pajama pants

1 T-shirt

Coat

Belt

Boots

Flip flops

Toiletries
Shampoo

Conditioner

Lotion
Razors

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Fingernail clippers

Deodorant

Make up

Contact case/solution

Facial Cleansing wipes

Chapstick

Floss

Brush

Comb

Bobby pins

Headband

Elastics

Q tips

Hairspray

Soap

Travel Necessities

Money belt

Adapters/Converter

Padlock

Microfiber towel

Camera + charger

Cash

Credit/debit cards

Passport +copy of passport

ID + copy of ID

Train pass

Student ID

Watch

Other Items

Ear plugs

Sleeping mask

iPod arm band

Umbrella

Headlamp

Phrase book

Guide book

iPod + charger

Phone

Headphones

Hostel and train information

Glasses + case

Tweezers

Day bag

Pen

Notebook

Plastic bags/Ziplocs

Pillowcase

Hand towel

Tissues

Tylenol + other medications

Family contact information

Flight itinerary

Credit card theft #'s

Dual voltage straightener

Blow dryer

FAQ

1. Have you seen Taken?

Yes, yes I have. Three times actually. Great movie. 

2. When do you leave?

Tuesday, January 24

3. Who are you going with?

Me. Myself. and I. No group. No friends. No no one. Just me.

4. Are you crazy?

Maybe.

5. How long will you be gone?

2 months. I will be home March 27.

6.  Where are you staying?

Half of the time I will be in hostels...the other half of the time I will be staying with host families and working for them in exchange for room and board.

7. What is a hostel?

Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge, and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available. (from wikipedia.com)

8. How did you find the families?

This website.  Host families leave an "ad" telling what they offer, where they're located, and when they need help. "Workawayers" email these families if they're interested and work it out from there!

9. So, what will you be doing for the families?

In Germany and Austria, I will be working around the house...a honey-do list of sorts. Nannying...cooking...cleaning...etc.

In France and England, I will be working in the bed and breakfasts that the families own. I will clean the rooms, do laundry, cook, and work at the front desk. 

10. Where did you get this idea?

See this post.

11. Where are you going?

See the left hand column of this blog for the list of the places I'll go

12. How will you contact family/friends at home?

This blog. Email. FaceTime.

Feel free to email me at casiegardner11@hotmail.com and leave comments so I know that someone might actually be reading this. :)

Two weeks and counting

I just got the blogger app on my iPod so that I can update you when I have wi fi in the hostels or at my host families' homes. I'm getting more and more nervous, but I also can't wait to go!

Just to warn you all, this blog will probably contain more details than you care to know. Just remember that I'm alone in Europe and this blog is my main source of social interaction (hopefully not for long...i'll meet people over there) and contact with the real world.

So bear with me, and enjoy!!