... be neither buyer or seller at the Red Light district

We were originally going to Brussels for the weekend and found a excursion company that would take us to Luxembourg for a day but it ended up that that particular tour was full so we ended up hopping on a train for Amsterdam! We got to spend about 8 hours in Amsterdam, going on a tour, seeing Anne Frank's house, walking through the Jourdaan district, touring a diamond cutters office and their subseqent store, (ask me anything about color, carats, clarity and cut because I know exactly what I want now) eating at the Hard Rock cafe (what we needed a little Americanness) and of course on our way back to the train station for our train back to Brussels walking through the Red Light district. Anna was hilarious she would have to almost get up her courage to walk past the girls in the windows and then would sprint straight past and only spare the most passing glance. I looked, I didnt stare (umm awkward) but I looked I mean its like going into a department store right? I may look at the men's clothes but its not like IM going to buy them so I dont spare them a long glance. Wow I just related prostitution to a department store... nice. Anyway the train ride back was eventful as Chip, Mr frat-tastic, had not filled in hi Eurorail pass; definition of filled in: writing the date you are traveling on your paper, not getting a stamp or paying money, writing a date down; thus causing him to get in trouble with the train ticket man who was wearing a ridiculous hat so it was extremely hard to take him seriously and them Chipper had to pay 45 euro for a ticket when we were already on the train and more than half way back to Brussels. Oh did I mention that Chipster partook of alcohol on the other accoutrements in Amsterdam's cafe before heading back on the train so he was ummm how should I say this not on top of his game... in a word: hilarious.

... bake the perfect croissant

Croissants here I come! everyone is invited over for croissants, pain au chocolat, jam triangle twists (and foccacia bread) made especially by moi! I had the best three hours I have had in Paris by far in this baking class! I absolutley LOVED it. I realized that baking is way harder than anyone thinks, baking is way more fu than I thought before, Meryl Streep in Its Complicated could not have made pain au chocolat in one night because the dough has to sit overnight, I love jam, and I want a stand up Kitchen Aid mixer and cooling trays for my birthday. The class was so much fun and even if I have to toot my own baking-whiz horn my croissants and other pastries were the best! I cannot wait to make then at home so raise your hand if you are ready for brunch at jane and Katie's house! (Since I cant see if you raised your hand you can leave a comment on the blog and that will suffice!) I really dont know who reads this blog so you can tell me that too!

... see the hills alive with the sound of music

So we didnt go to Salzburg but we went to Vienna, close enough right? I mean that is where the Baroness was from so we made it somewhere in the movie! Vienna was wonderful and beautiful. everything was old school traditional and the ringstrauss, basically the ring around the very middle of the city, was the coolest place to people watch. We (Anna and I) took a city tour and saw all the fabulous sights and then went out to Schonnbrunn palace, basically Marie-Therese's bad A house. The gardens were magnificent and I liked this palace and its surrounding gardens better than Versailles! We went to a Mozart concert, and I sat through it because it was Vienna, it was okay but lets face it I was a little more interested in the free champagne we got that the music. We tried the famous chocolate torte and strudel, apple of course, again it was fun to try but I much prefer gellato and PF changs' chocolate cake (hint hint since my bday is coming up). All the streets were beautiful and I would pick out a new "house" on every block! We tried to get to Salzburg and go on the Sound of Music tour but alas it wasnt in the cards. The trains both there and from were crazy we transfered in Munich from a sleeper train from paris on which this family got on in the middle of the night after Anna and I were already asleep and turned on their flashlight and shined it right in our faces (jerks) and then took the covers off Anna (I guess to check it she was real....?) and then the whinny kids who were too old to whine couldnt decide which bed to take, I can understand the predicament except on your ticket it tells you exaclt what bed to take and you dont have another option. So that was fun and then coming back from Vienna we had to stop in Frankfurt and our train was an hour and a half late coming in so were going to have 5 minutes to find our train to Paris (the very last train to Paris) and get on it. So we bolt off the train from Vienna and run like mad to find where our platform was, we find it and oh the train is late by ten minutes so we ran to get dinner and we ran back (sweating profusley by this time since its like 90 degrees and there is no AC and no breeze in the BUILDING) and the train is now delayed an hour. So we hit up Starbucks for some free wifi and a drink. I tried to order a passion iced tea but oh yeah I forgot they dont have ICE so they cant make that. Chalk up one more thing I want when I get back to America, the list consists of but is not limited to: AC, ice cubes, Chuys, Honey nut cherrios, real milk, girl scout cookies, my bed, Lilly, passion iced tea, sonic drinks, no more french people and much more.

... understand that the Swiss are the best

This past weekend Anna and I went to Geneva for the weekend on the train. It was an intense ride seeing how it was over 90 degrees and there was no AC... yeah all you US people think you've got it bad well at least you have AC and drinks with ice, because we don' t. We got in Friday night and after checking in to the hotel went and had possibly the best dinner I have had since I left the US, we sat outside, in a breeze (very important), and had a wonderful time. The next day we went and saw the United Nations building the Palace des Nations and then walked through the botanic gardens and then walked towards the town along lake Geneva. We went on a boat tour of lake Geneva and saw all the sights such as: the mermaid of Lake Geneva, the house where FDR and Eisenhower stayed, Josephine Bonaparte's house and of course the famous spire of lake Geneva, the fountain that shoots water extremely high in the sky. After our boat tour we went on a trolley tour of the city and saw: the reformation wall, the oldest church in Geneva, the Opera and other amazing sights. All in all it was a great trip and you would think that all we would have to do was get on the train back to Paris right? Well you would be right except somehow we didn't do that... we got on the train in Geneva that was leaving at the EXACT time as on our ticket and said it was going to Gare de Lyon, well that is one of the train stations in Paris and the one we left from so we hopped on and I feel asleep. I wake up an hour later to Anna yelling "Katherine everyone is getting off! The train is stopping here!" Well obviously we are not in Paris so we look outside and where are we... LYON. FRANCE. Yeah the Gare de Lyon in Lyon. So we freaked out and ran out on the platform trying to desperately explain what we did and what happened to a platform attendant and he told us to get on this other train right next to ours because it was going to Paris. So we jumped on and not one minute later does it depart, I kid you not. So we are trying to find empty seats because of course our assigned seats are on another train and we find two in the last car, in the last row. Adventure? I think so!

.... Kiss the Blarney stone

... travel across Ireland by herself

I spent five days traveling across Ireland; I went to Dublin, Cork and Belfast. I flew into Dublin and then took trains from Dublin to Cork, then to Belfast and back to Dublin so I could fly back to Paris. Ireland is amazing, everything is so green, the people are so nice and the history is so interesting! I spent my time in Dublin trekking across to find the Dublin Castle, a viking history building, the cathedral, the shopping street, watching a Gaelic game, exploring Trinity College (with the book of Kells) and of course all the pubs in Dublin. The gaelic games are the irish version of american soccer but you can use your hands and there are multiple ways to score. if you get a "field goal" that is worth 1 point but if you get a "goal" as in soccer you get three points. I watched the game between Dublin and some other team in red and tooted my vuvuzela quite a bit, I was of course going to for Dublin! At Trinity college there is a very famous book called the Book of Kells, it is reported to be the most beautifully illuminated manuscript in the world; not that I have seen every illuminated manuscript in the world but it was quite exquisite. You can find out more about the Book of Kells here. Of course the pubs in Dublin are a must see, I mean what else are the Irish famous for besides leprechauns and drinking right? I watched the USA v Ghana game in a pub and then the next night the England game as well. Very riotous and very loud and most of all VERY fun!
I left for Cork at about 9 AM on the train out of Dublin and it took three hours to get there, Just looking at the intensely green landscape was amazing because it defiantly does not look like Texas in the summer. When I reached Cork I checked into my hotel and walked to a pub, in the rain, to get lunch. At this pub it was just like yousee in the movies, all the 'regulars' are sitting at the bar and then woosh a new girl walks in (me) and of course I get all the questions "Where are you from" etc. These are all guys old enough to be my grandpa and one of them thought I was from Kansas.... ummm okay? After lunch I went out to the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney stone! It was so cool, there were some tourists there although I have a feeling that if it wasnt raining there would have been more. Any way so I climbed to the top of the castle and kissed the stone, which you have to lay on your back and lean backwards over the side fo the castle to get to the stone. There is a person holding on to you but still... scary and fun!
The next day I left Cork at 5AM to get a train to Belfast. Once in Belfast I walked to the Queen's University and walked through campus and then went to the Botanical gardens, which is where the iconic gazebo is. Then it was off to the Ulster Museum where I learned about Ireland's past and the time of Troubles. After the Ulster museum I took a black cab tour, which I would highly recommend to anyone who si going to Belfast, and my tour guide Tom took me all around West Belfast where the Peace Walls are and the War Murals. He was telling me that since he is Catholic he would not have been able to set foot in the area by the murals about ten years ago because he would have been shot. It was so shocking to learn that this sort of tragedy was going on just a short time ago.

The entire trip in Ireland was so wonderful and eye opening and it really taught me a lot. I know Jane wasnt happy but it was one of the best times of my life!

Linda and me at the Sacre Coeur, Basilica of the Sacred Heart! Linda and I have to go halfway across the world to see each other! its not DL but its the next best thing!