More about Amsterdam

Hey!! I just woke up from a much needed nap. Our flights didn't get cancelled and we actually made the 1:55 a.m. bus this morning to get back to Oxford by 3:45 a.m.
This EasyJet thing is really ghetto... you can only book online or at the airport I guess. There are no assigned seats, and I'm not sure about RyanAir but I hear they overbook, so you have to get there super early. It is definitely different, and I realized why it was so cheap. Of the 4 weekend trips we are taking, we are using EasyJet for two of them. EasyJet has already cancelled 2 flights... one leaving for Amsterdam and on coming back from Prague. I couldn't fix one of them until we got to the airport, kind of scary. So that was my flight situation.
Amsterdam was fun... the guys wanted to do a lot more than I thought they would. The first day we got there, we got in around 8:00 a.m. We had to wait on two of the guys who rebooked a flight at a different time though. I remembered the train station from coming with mom, but didn't remember how not so nice of a city it was. I mean, it was old. Our Hostel was on top of a bar, but there were cameras everywhere which helped with feeling secure. I guess I need to realize Hostels really aren't nice, just cheap... but not even so cheap anymore.
We went to the Heinekin brewery (which I sent a lovely video with Jenny, of course). We went to the Van Gogh museum (I sent yet another video), we went on a boat tour of the city, walked over to the floating chinese restaurant, watched all the soccer games at pubs (usually in our hostel), and walked all day, every day. I was able to meet up with Jenny and Katie, it was really nice to see them. We were so tired the first day, we all went to bed really early. They had some shopping there too, so many H&Ms everywhere.
Well, I picked up my books this morning and have sooooo much to catch up on. I have a paper due Thursday, should be fun.
I can't believe it's already July... I'm so sad I'm missing July 4th celebrations tomorrow. Eat lots of yummy food for me, please.
I think that's all....
Oh, yeah, it is extremely hot in England (according to them). It's got to be like 80 something and they are giving cautions about what to do... drink lots of water, get off the underground if you feel hot, etc. I'm like PEOPLE... it is 80 something degrees and there is a breeze, but what can I say. We freak out about Ice and Snow, they freak out about hot weather. It's just funny because I can picture it being over 90 degrees at home, hehe.
Well, love you all and miss you all. I'm off to study for now, but I'll try calling in a little bit. My dinner time is switched to 5:30 now instead of 6:30, just to let you know.
Hugs and Kisses!!!!!!
Love, Adair

Short Trip to Amsterdam

Although my hostel was in a pretty sketchy area and i was completely paranoid (even slept with my passport case on) we are just about to check out. Our plane leaves Amsterdam at 9:50 p.m. and I'll get back to Oxford by 4:00 a.m. on Monday morning if everything goes as planned.
Alright, well I'm off.
Love you all and miss you!
love, Adair

Life on the Road

Hey there! Ihave a 40 minute break between breakfast and class, perfect for checking emails and such.
My textbooks aren't here yet. GA Tech was supposed to ship them here, but have not quite made it. Once they get here I'll have to start studying. Oh darn. Tonight is happy hour from 5:30-11... might be a fun night!
My dinners have been so good (although I really just want a hamburger off the grill and fresh watermelon). I never realized how good American food is, and inexpensive. London and England in general is soo expensive. I look at things and am like, oh that's only £3... but £3 = $6 for a sandwich or notebook or anything. It's crazy. I can't believe the my friends lived here for so long.
Well, I'm about to head over to class, but I hope you have a wonderful day. I love you and miss you.
Love, Adair

Shopping, Shopping, and more Shopping

Hey! So I just got back from shopping. I had to buy soap, laundry detergent, etc. but since it's the world cup and all the sports store here had a HUGE sale. Oh my gosh. The store is right here, I wish you could see this place, it's incredible.
There is a pub on campus with a big screen for the projector and the cheapest beer in town. So I'm about to head over and watch the soccer game before dinner.
Love you! Miss you!
Adair

Oxford, finally!

I'm in Oxford. It is the most beautiful place I have ever been. It is incredible, I never thought it would be so amazing. The campus is a good size, but I can walk everywhere.
My room has a patio!!! I'm in the Graduate side of campus and got the newer dorms, I lucked out. I have a kitchen on the other side of the hall, very convenient. I also have a mini fridge in my room and a grocery store right down the street so I can make my own lunches. My room is actually a good size and very homey. It is so nice to be able to put my clothes away and know I will have a "home base" for the next month.
Dinner was really good last night, the dining hall looks like the one from Harry Potter...it's really neat, haha. I walked around a little bit yesterday after we arrived and the town is actually pretty big. There was a lot going on: lots of shopping, restaurants, pubs, etc. I have a water lily pond right outside of my building and a big platform that I plan on laying out at. The playing fields are on the other side of the pond, that is where I plan on trying to run a bit and the guys are really excited about playing soccer.
I am soooo happy I brought that blanket, it makes me feel even more like I'm at home when I sit around my room. I lucked out and have a shower in my building, most other people only have bathtubs. I also have a small sink in my room which is nice. It was pretty hot yesterday, but a really nice day to arrive. I'll take some pictures and try sending them soon.
The last couple days in London were pretty cool. We went to see the changing of the guards, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, London Bridge (and Tower Bridge), and went to Leicester Square. It was a jam-packed day, especially because I had a final that morning. I think I did ok on my final, and I'm almost positive I'll make a B in that class. My other 2 classes begin on Monday, our books havent gotten here yet from Tech (oh darn). But I'll have class from 9:30 - 11 and then 11- 12:10 or something like that. I'll have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. Probably study a good bit.
I leave for Amsterdam on Thursday and then I'll get back to campus on Sunday. The bus stop where the buses go from Oxford to London are seriously a block away. It couldn't be more convenient. Buses run at pretty good times, so hopefully those will work out to use to get to the airports and back. The group I traveled with was really amazing, I'm glad to be here in Oxford with other people, but I am sooo happy our weekend trips will be with the people from the travel portion.
I have internet access now, so I'll be able to write more emails and start sending pictures. I'm going to try to upload my pictures to a website, so I'll let you know how that goes. Today is my only real day of summer vacation before my next set of classes, so I'm relaxing all day. I'll try emailing you about a time that maybe you could call later on, so keep checking emails from now on. :)

Love you all so much and miss you too!!!!

Love,
Adair

London! London!

Hey there! I'm in London now eating Fish and Chips. Not really, but I did have some last night.
I had a final this morning and one more on Friday. I leave for Oxford on Saturday morning.
We went to the National Museum today and to Buckingham Palace. We watched the England world cup game last night in a pub... it was intense.
Hopefully I'll catch up with Alla on Thursday or Friday, she's here in London for an internship. I'll write more later, but for now...
Love you,
miss you,
Adair

Ahh... To be in Paris...

Bonjour!

I am in Paris until Saturday morning. It was incredibly hot but it started raining tonight, which cooled it off some, luckily.

I went to the Louvre today and saw the Mona Lisa, it was pretty cool. I also went to the Pantheon here and went into the crypts. I liked that better than the Mona Lisa. And then we climbed a whole bunch of stairs, again, to the top of the cathedral and got an incredible view of Paris. We were going to go to the Eiffel Tower tonight but the rain didn't quite allow that. I went to the Champs Elysees and walked around for a bit; very expensive, of course.

I eat so much baguette and nutella it's not even funny... but it's delicious.

Our hotel is really nice -- it's brand new and has this really sweet pool with powerful jets that work like a massage, it's pretty awesome. I didn't bring a bathing suit, the only thing I've forgotten so far, so I had to buy one, oh darn. I found one for pretty cheap (compared to the $100 bathing suits from the GAP, I mean come on...it's the GAP). I used it earlier, it worked out well. Back to the hotel -- it looks like it should be in the IKEA store. All of it. We have a see-through bathroom (makes it kind of awkward taking a shower) but it has a rain head (from the top, feels like rain) and a flat panel LCD tv, with a few BBC channels. Really good for soccer.

I forgot how rude the French were. We went to buy Metro passes and I actually remember a good bit of French. Enough to watch French TV, read French signs and actually understand what it says. So I tried to speak French to the guy selling the passes and he shushed me away acting like he didn't understand anything I said. How Rude.

I'm taking a night off tonight and going to bed early. I've been so tired from going to bed late and waking up at 6:30 a.m. The walking is serious too. I don't know how anyone could gain weight on the traveling portion.

Well, I'm off to bed. Another day full of museums and walking tomorrow.

Love you, Adair

P.S. I think we are going to try and get some fondue tomorrow. We heard of a good place that has all the wine you can drink.

Bungee Jumping in the Swiss Alps

This is a video of when Adair basejumped a few days ago. A little dark, but still neat.

Visiting Switzerland

Hey there! So I finally got back to the hotel for the first time in over a day. I ended up going bungee jumping!!!! can you believe it? Not only did I follow through and actually jump but it was the highest bungee jumping place in the WORLD. It was off of the dam in Switzerland, the one that they filmed the James Bond movie Goldeneye off of (...I know, we keep sticking with the James Bond theme) and the jump was at midnight. They do special jumps 3-4 times a year in the middle of the night and it just so happened to be during the 2 nights we were in Switzerland. So 16 of us rode the train for 3 and a half hours to the other side of Switzerland after class, took the training course, and finally jumped (with the Alps and a full moon in the background, the most incredible view ever). I didn't even scream on the way down. I'll tell you more about it later, but it was so amazing. Don't worry guys, I don't ever plan on doing it again, haha. Of the 16 people in my group that went, we all jumped, some even twice. They had a big surround system and played music the whole time. It was really awesome, they were playing the Red Hot Chili Peppers when I jumped...it was perfect. I still can't believe I did it, I mean it was 722 feet!!!!!! and I hate heights. I didn't even hesitate, I just jumped. Everyone said I had the most graceful jump of anyone. Then we slept in the train station, and caught the train back to Zurich at 5:30 in the morning and got to class earlier than everyone else. But it is now almost 5:00 p.m. and I left the hotel yesterday morning at 8:30 a.m. so I am tired, but Nick is packing so I am able to use his computer and the free internet we get, so I am taking advantage of it. Here is the website that you can check out with the information about the dam I jumped from: http://www.trekking.ch/eng/bungy/info_007.asp
Tomorrow we leave for Paris. I am already over halfway done with the travel portion of my trip, it has been going by so fast. The weather has gotten a lot better, which is really nice. The bus ride tomorrow is supposed to be the longest and worst. I'm not looking forward to it. Nick isn't so happy because he keeps missing the World Cup soccer games he wants to watch...they seem to be on tv when we are traveling. It's nice though, because we are in Europe and get to watch games at times that are convenient.
Switzerland has been really nice, but very expensive. I never realized how upscale the living is here. I can't tell you how lucky you all are to have free ketchup, free ice, free water, free bathrooms, and cheap food. I got a happy meal the other day from McDonalds (it was so delicious I can't even tell you) and it was like $5.00!!! But it also came with a little ice cream cone, but still. The bathrooms here cost around a euro, so I hold it until we go to a museum and I can go for free. The things I'm learning to do.
I'm at a good hotel again with really good breakfasts. I am able to make sandwiches to take for lunch and grab a piece of fruit, so that has been working out really well.
I thought I lost my camera, but it fell out of my lap on the bus. Luckily, it was fine.
I know I'm writing a lot, but it's really nice to be able to write emails for free from the hotel.
How is everything else going? Did Heidi and Brendon sign everything for their house? How is Sophie? Is it getting really hot yet? Please just keep me updated with everything, i miss you all so much.
Well, keep me updated and I'll check my email again before we leave. Love you all so much!Love, Adair

It's a GO people, the Blog has been Adair-approved!

Tell your friends, this blog is up and running!
Adair has given me permission to post her email updates from her trip across Europe. I will try to post them as soon as we get them.
--Matt

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Adair,
Matt was thinking that since you don't have much time at a computer that he could create a travel blog for you while you are gone. He can paste your email text into the blog and add any pictures you send. This way, anyone in the family can catch up on where you are and what you are doing. I wanted to ask you first because once it is posted, it will be accessible from the web, so I need to make sure you are comfortable with that. Let me know what you think and then I will let Matt know.
Hope you are having fun!!
E

hey, that's fine.
i probably wont send pictures for a little while, i'm just bumming interent time from other people's computers. it costs money, so hopefully once i get to oxford i can send out lots of pictures. :) but yes, that would be great.
i'm having a great time, miss you all!!!
love,
Adair

Day Three - Running Late for the Art Show

hey everyone!
i am having a lot of fun... almost was late for the museum today because we got lost. if i was late, my grade would have dropped by a letter grade. needless to say we ran like no tomorrow, i had a small asthma attack, buuuut we made it and laughed later.
my bed has a big fluffy comforter and i eat lots of brie cheese in the mornings. i have also learned not to ask what the food is, i just eat it. we leave on sunday and go to italy.
the picture below was taken today in front of the kunsthistoriches.

austria is beautiful, wish you all were here. i miss everyone, a lot.
i also saw the kiss today, it was incredible...mom was right.
well, i'll write more later.
Love,
Adair

Austria

hello again.
our welcome dinner last night was typical austrian and delicious.
today i went to the kunsthistoriches and saw pieter bruegel and some other artists work. tomorrow i go to the upper belvedere and see gustav klimts the kiss.
rosa has emailed me but im not sure how to get in touch with her or where ill be so hopefully i can meet up with her.
austria is beautiful, the weather was amazing today.
i have been eating a lot of pizza, mainly because it is cheap but i have been forcing myself to take the stairs to hopefully not gain as much weight.
tomorrow will be a busy day but will be fun. ill try to dowmload some pictures soon and email them to you.
i miss everyone and hope everything is well.

Adair

Day one in Europe

so i made it to vienna ok. im at the hotel and have accesss to a computer in the lobby, but it is very odd. it is difficult to type on.
we have a welcome dinner here at 730 and then i think im going to bed, im really tired.
i just went down the street and got a scnitzel sandwich, it was good.
im trying to figure out how my calling card works and i will call when i figure it out.
love you all and miss you lots...
Adair