Niagara University Europe Trip

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Heathrow

14 hour layovers suck......that is all I have to say...for now...

Saturday, July 12, 2008

I'll start with what I did today. This morning I got up and went to the Underground station to meet up with Suzanna (she had a day layover in London). Her flight was delayed, but she got here eventually. We then walked around a little and she decided she wanted to see Billy Elliot. So we got tickets On our way back to school, we walked through the park and I did some last minute souvenir shopping. When we got back we let Jared know we couldn't meet him at 4 (it was a 2:30 show) and then went back to watch the show. It was extremely good. I won't do a separate post for the show, but the same kid played Billy, but Michael (his best friend), his father, and grandmother were all different actors from before, so the show had a slightly different kick.

After the show we came back to school and got dinner. Now we're finishing up packing and going to bed, even though it's barely ten now. Suz has to leave at 2:45 (fortunately Trevor is going on the same bus to the same airport as her, because he's going to Italy tomorrow) and we have to be ready by 4. So it will be a short night tonight and a long day tomorrow. But my day will be shorter than everyone who's going home, because I have a shorter flight.

I found out they are flying out of the same airport right before I bought my bus ticket, so I can just ride with everyone else.

In conclusion, this has been an amazing trip. By all means keep checking in, but I don't know if I'll be able to update in Romania at all. When I get home I am going to upload the rest of my photos onto facebook (Paris, Rome, and Cornwall) and hopefully do the final blog post. But for now, we have some conclusion. So, with a farewell to Western Europe and my Study Abroad Experience, I leave you all for a short while to do God's work in Romania for a time.

Some more Cornwall Pictures

On top of the world:

The edge of the world....you can't see it, but I'm pretty sure I'm crying.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Wicked Take 2

It was better the second time around, and not just because I had a better seat (though that did have something to do with it.) It is such an incredible show, and to watch these actors get onstage and do such a great job every night is a phenominal experience. Most of the actors were the same as last time, though the Wizard was played by the person in the role (whereas it was his understudy before). I'm so glad I went to see it again and I will always remember it.

Tying Up the Last Few Things...

So today was spent walking around the city. Jared and I got up fairly early (compared to the hour we went to bed) to go on the London Eye. We got there as it opened, so we got our tickets and then got in line. They loaded up the first three pods and we were almost to the entrance, when they started dismissing people and bringing the people that were already on back down. They had to close for maintainence. So we just continued on with our plan.
We went to the Victoria Theatre and bought tickets to see Wicked (yes, again, but this time in the stalls). We then wandered over to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. There was nothing exciting about it. It was like a glorified marching band parade. We left a little early.
After lunch we came back to school to drop some souvenirs off that we had bought, then went back to the London Eye. It was running this time, and had a REALLY short line. We were on in 15 minutes. It was pretty cool, but when you've been at the top of every main city you've been to (Eiffel Tower Paris, Reichstag Berlin, Vatican Rome, Guinness Factory Dublin) the London Eye kinda loses some of the effect. Regardless, it was still fun.
Jared and I then came back and packed. He did not completely pack, but because I am spending the day with Suzanna tomorrow, I wanted to be as packed as I can be. I managed to get everything into my bag (though my carry-on is really heavy) so hopefully everything will run smoothly in going to Romania on Sunday.
We then went to Sports Cafe because the school was having a little "Goodbye" party for us, so we grabbed some food and went to the show. Now I'm going to try to upload as many pictures as possible before going to bed, though I'm really tired.

New Albums

I added a couple more albums. Sorry I'm behind, but these computers suck. There is a slight chance that I will get Rome, Paris, and Cornwall up before I leave. If I don't, I regret to inform you that it will not be until I get home at the end of July or beginning of August before I upload them. But don't worry- it will happen.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Cornwall Pictures

Just to warn you, these pictures may actually be too beautiful to look at. Please feel free to take a break if necessary.

Also, they are indeed real. If you see me standing on rocks that are 100 feet in the air, I really am. I am not greenscreened in, and the cliffs actually exist.

The first set of stairs going up the cliff. Come to find out this is one of the easier and less teacherous paths

Jared's having a Gollum on the Stairs of Cirith Ungol moment.

Enjoying the ocean air

We climbed out to the end of each one of those outcroppings. The one way in the distance is the one that I'm standing on in the previous picture

Gollum attacking a sleeping Frodo

Quite the fall. Don't lose your step...

Looking back on how far we've travelled. You can't even see the first cliff anymore...

Land's End with a sign pointing to New York

St. Michael's Mount with the tidal road leading to it.

So I can't watch videos on this computer, but I'm pretty sure there's a general shot, then a Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings recreation, then the Walking up the Hill Revealing shot, then another general sweeping shot.

Jared has more cool pictures on his camera, but I don't have access to them right now. Maybe when I get home I'll put them up. In the meantime look to his blog and facebook.