Now after travelling you kind of need a break, so we decided to extend our stop over in Miami for a couple of days. Literally went from hostel to beach to hostel so not much to tell really! We managed to wash our clothes, and honestly clean clothes are the best thing ever when travelling. The hostel had amazing orange juice for breakfast and both of us got burnt (although Steph much more so). The most amusing Miami related story is definitely how on the plane to Miami Steph's iPod flew out of the seat pocket on takeoff and (once the seatbelt sign had gone off) Steph proceeded to crawl up and down the floor of the plane looking under people's seats. The flight attendants were slightly bemused at the crazy British girl's antics to say the least. Luckily the iPod was found.
From Miami we went to Vancouver, and I have to say that Vancouver is one of those cities which I definitely need to go back to when I have more time and money. However, it was still a great stop, albeit brief. When we arrived we met up with Philly and her friend Amber and went for wings. I hadn't quite realised just how much I missed wings, and it's definitely something I'm gonna really miss when I'm back in the UK. The next day we went to Stanley Park and cycled round there. We were joined by Beanie, another British Year Abroad-er we met in the hostel. Stanley Park is gorgeous, truly truly stunning, I can see why people say that Vancouver is a beautiful city. Afterwards we went for Poutine, and much as it was nice, I don't think it's a patch on British chips, cheese and gravy! That afternoon me and Steph went to Lynn Canyon park and enjoyed the suspension bridge and the gorgeous scenery.
The next day it was time for us to drive on the wrong side of the road. We went to Enterprise and managed to get a really good deal on the car, plus an upgrade to a compact SUV, WIN! It was an amazing drive, the views through the Rockies are amazing, and so different seeing it all green rather than just full of snow. We stopped overnight at Lake Shuswap, staying in a hostel where you sleep in an old railway carriage. The hostel was lovely, mainly thanks to Blair (the owner) being really kind and the gorgeous dog and two cats that there were. Could have spent all day cuddling them! While we stayed there we went to Treetop Flyers in Chase nearby and got to go zooming over waterfalls which was very exciting! A lot of trip really has involved waterfalls but nothing wrong with that! That evening chilled out with Blair, and the rest of the hostel staff and watched Julie and Julia which was a great film! The next day we finished our drive to Calgary which was equally stunning as the first bit of the drive.
It was so nice to be back in Calgary, the first day we spent some time with Steph's family, went shopping at Chinook and went to the cinema to see Iron Man 3 with Erin. Was so happy to finally see the movie! Then the next day after going to see a prof, managed to meet up with Matthew, then the IVCF Christian group, then finally work people. It was lush to see everyone again, really missed them all and of course will stay in touch with everyone as they are amazing people. Then after some frantic packing moved from Sandy and Marie's house to Kate's house. Although we planned to go to the zoo, the weather and long lunch put paid to that! So instead just chilled out at Kate's and had a games night! The next day I was doing practical things like closing bank account, saying goodbye to Steph's family and then saying goodbye to Steph at the airport before chilling with a movie and an inordinate amount of snacks.
Today is my final day and I'm just relaxing and making sure I've got everything packed. I'm really excited to be going home and seeing everyone again, but I'm also really sad to be leaving Calgary. Luckily it's not going to be leaving forever, just for a while, I will be back (ominous as that sounds), and I am already looking forward to seeing all the great people I've met this year again!
So there it is, the end of this blog, the final post! I guess I should end with words of wisdom and there's nothing that I can say to really sum up such an amazing year, therefore I'll just have to end with telling people that, cheesy as it sounds, they wil never regret going on their year abroad because it is the best year of your life.
Showing posts with label america. Show all posts
Showing posts with label america. Show all posts
Friday, 31 May 2013
Monday, 6 May 2013
The city that never sleeps...
After an uneventful flight to Newark airport (which Steph hadn't quite realised was in New Jersey, not New York itself) we got on a bus which dropped us off in Times Square, less than a block away from our hostel. I saw THE Cake Boss leaving his shop, but the heavy bag meant the hostel was the first priority. After dumping our bags we wandered around in Times Square till we found some food we fancied the look of, and after eating we headed to bed.
The next day was my birthday (woo 21 years old), so I was understandably very exciting. Steph less so as we were up at 8:15ish. But we were seizing the day like the early birds we are. First we headed off to High Line, a walk which is an old abandoned railway above the ground in Manhattan. It's been turned into gardens and was a lovely suntrap too. It was nice to be able to be away from the hustle and bustle of the streets as even the short time in Times Square the night before had let me know that Americans definitely did not move out of your way and apologise as much as Canadians... After basking in the sunshine for ages we went down to the South Ferry station and had lunch in a nice beer garden which was also bathed in sunlight. Then, being the savvy New Yorkers we are (well kind of) we got the Staten Island Ferry for a free view of the Empire State building. Then we travelled back and went to the New York Public Library before sitting in more sunshine outside it. I kept reminding Steph to put on more suncream, as she was already burnt from Calgary. After skyping my parents and my brother in order for them to say Happy Birthday, we got changed into nice dresses and went to Ruby Foos (a modern Asian restaurant) for dinner. It was a great birthday meal, I treated myself to a glass of Prosecco and then had a gorgeous duck dish. The manager came over to welcome us, and also brought us mini lemon pies, one of which had a candle in it, lovely! Then, thanks to my wonderful friends, we got to go and see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway which was awesome. All the singers were great and I much preferred it to the film, there's just something about seeing things on stage! Then it was time for much needed sleep!
Day two started off with a lot of just chilling at Central Park which is really big, like massively big! Sat by a lake which was really nice and wrote a few postcards which I forgot to post so will be sent from Miami! Then we walked to the Met and had a look round, before going to the MoMa which was much more mine and Steph's style of art. After a leisurely walk back via the Rockerfeller Centre to book tickets for the next day we had a quick rest at the hostel before going to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was Steph's first experience at Hard Rock, but I think the plate of Nachos the size of her body won her over for sure!
The next day we went to the UN building which was disappointingly boring and plain looking before getting the Roosevelt Island aerial tram to get a different view of the skyline. Then we headed to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play Oakland. After a bit of a kerfuffle with different metro lines being shut we made it there. We quickly determined that baseball was a bit like rounders and they were clearly making it look harder than it was. We bought ourselves some Yankees hats as a good bit of memorabilia! Obviously we won (4-2) so that was great. Steph and me went for a celebratory tan in Times Square before heading back to hostel to put on a few more layers before dinner at a great little bar which had the hockey on. Then we went to Top of the Rock (the viewing platform at the Rockerfeller centre), I loved it, but Steph was a wee bit nervous with the height!
After an early start to make sure we were packed up and ready to leave hostel at 10 we got the metro to Coney Island. I being the excitable child I am was bouncing up and down by the time we got there. It was nice to be by the sea again, something I actually really miss while in Calgary. After a stroll down the boardwalk we assessed the rides available, I remembered how afraid of rollercoasters I am so headed to the arcade. While Steph may be better at driving games then me, I fully dominated at the dance mat! We then went on one little ride before stopping for lunch. I had a hot dog from the famous Nathan's hot dog place. It tasted just like any other hot dog, but still, always good to try the famous things. Steph then told me I had to do a proper ride, and unfortunately the Soarin' Eagle had started operating by then...not only was it a ride that flipped you upside down but you were lying on your stomach and went down drops headfirst. Needless to say it was not an enjoyable experience! After grabbing our bags from the hostel we headed to JFK for our flight to Chile and Julia...more on that next blog!
The next day was my birthday (woo 21 years old), so I was understandably very exciting. Steph less so as we were up at 8:15ish. But we were seizing the day like the early birds we are. First we headed off to High Line, a walk which is an old abandoned railway above the ground in Manhattan. It's been turned into gardens and was a lovely suntrap too. It was nice to be able to be away from the hustle and bustle of the streets as even the short time in Times Square the night before had let me know that Americans definitely did not move out of your way and apologise as much as Canadians... After basking in the sunshine for ages we went down to the South Ferry station and had lunch in a nice beer garden which was also bathed in sunlight. Then, being the savvy New Yorkers we are (well kind of) we got the Staten Island Ferry for a free view of the Empire State building. Then we travelled back and went to the New York Public Library before sitting in more sunshine outside it. I kept reminding Steph to put on more suncream, as she was already burnt from Calgary. After skyping my parents and my brother in order for them to say Happy Birthday, we got changed into nice dresses and went to Ruby Foos (a modern Asian restaurant) for dinner. It was a great birthday meal, I treated myself to a glass of Prosecco and then had a gorgeous duck dish. The manager came over to welcome us, and also brought us mini lemon pies, one of which had a candle in it, lovely! Then, thanks to my wonderful friends, we got to go and see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway which was awesome. All the singers were great and I much preferred it to the film, there's just something about seeing things on stage! Then it was time for much needed sleep!
Day two started off with a lot of just chilling at Central Park which is really big, like massively big! Sat by a lake which was really nice and wrote a few postcards which I forgot to post so will be sent from Miami! Then we walked to the Met and had a look round, before going to the MoMa which was much more mine and Steph's style of art. After a leisurely walk back via the Rockerfeller Centre to book tickets for the next day we had a quick rest at the hostel before going to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was Steph's first experience at Hard Rock, but I think the plate of Nachos the size of her body won her over for sure!
The next day we went to the UN building which was disappointingly boring and plain looking before getting the Roosevelt Island aerial tram to get a different view of the skyline. Then we headed to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play Oakland. After a bit of a kerfuffle with different metro lines being shut we made it there. We quickly determined that baseball was a bit like rounders and they were clearly making it look harder than it was. We bought ourselves some Yankees hats as a good bit of memorabilia! Obviously we won (4-2) so that was great. Steph and me went for a celebratory tan in Times Square before heading back to hostel to put on a few more layers before dinner at a great little bar which had the hockey on. Then we went to Top of the Rock (the viewing platform at the Rockerfeller centre), I loved it, but Steph was a wee bit nervous with the height!
After an early start to make sure we were packed up and ready to leave hostel at 10 we got the metro to Coney Island. I being the excitable child I am was bouncing up and down by the time we got there. It was nice to be by the sea again, something I actually really miss while in Calgary. After a stroll down the boardwalk we assessed the rides available, I remembered how afraid of rollercoasters I am so headed to the arcade. While Steph may be better at driving games then me, I fully dominated at the dance mat! We then went on one little ride before stopping for lunch. I had a hot dog from the famous Nathan's hot dog place. It tasted just like any other hot dog, but still, always good to try the famous things. Steph then told me I had to do a proper ride, and unfortunately the Soarin' Eagle had started operating by then...not only was it a ride that flipped you upside down but you were lying on your stomach and went down drops headfirst. Needless to say it was not an enjoyable experience! After grabbing our bags from the hostel we headed to JFK for our flight to Chile and Julia...more on that next blog!
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