Bed Time.

I'll need to keep this post short and sweet. Why? Two reasons:

1. After spending the majority of this week working on assignments I don't have a massive amount of fun stuff to write about.
2. And keeping this quick allows me to dedicate more time to completing these assignments. Hopefully in advance...maybe.

Boo...

ESN decided to freak us out for a second time by hosting the Final Bed night (just five days after our Farewell Ball). Gawd...stop doing this to us! What are we possible going to fill the rest of our Tuesday nights with?? Well, to be fair, it's been a while since I decided to grace the place with my presence - but it was still a shock to the system. 

We had a pretty epic last night though! It seemed that everyone and their granny was on the terrace of our building for predrinks - was really cool to have such a large gathering and bump into people that you didn't expect. That, and then the club itself, were both great. And, surprisingly, Bed was not too crowded...or creepy either. Success! =P

The morning that followed was, of course, sobering...but well worth it. Then, in the evening, we finally dragged ourselves away from the safety of our pyjamas and blankets, and into the real world for a pub grub dinner with the girls. Beautiful.

On Thursday evening Lindsey, Emma, Nadia and myself treated ourselves with a cinema trip and obscene amounts of popcorn. A personal reward for diligently working on essay number one (of three...*sigh*). We saw The Grand Budapest Hotel; another bizarre, nonsense, Wes Anderson film (the same guy who did Moonrise Kingdom from the Open Air Cinema Night). Described in one word: Odd. So very odd. 

Today my study break was a gym venture. Me and Freya decided to brave the Power Pump class. We entered somewhat ignorant to its contents and were faced with an intense upper body work out (with weights). Tough when, like me, you have zero arm strength. But it was pretty awesome, and we might even make it a weekly occurrence. Certainly going to feel the pain tomorrow. Even as I type this, I'm beginning to feel a slight strain in my muscles...pathetic! 

Later amigos. You better wish me luck with these damn assignments... *grumbles*

Political Roses.

This week the Dutch weather has taken the idea of summer and ran with it. And for this Scottish lass, with wee white, milk bottle legs, it has been a physical and emotional struggle. I have been flirting with the concept of being able to soak up all that glorious vitamin D, but facing a reality of hiding from the sun's rays and hideous humidity. Humidity is not cool dude. Not cool.

Saturday started with a speedy market grocery run, before embarking on a girlie shopping trip with Lindsey, Eva, Jess, and Helena. We traipsed around the shops and lived up to those typical female stereotypes: eating food, spending money we don't have and taking advantage of every free promotion going (from free coffee to political roses). I also invested in some decent purchases; finding myself a pretty dress, skirt and vest top for just €27 - love a good bargain!

On Sunday evening a small group of us ventured to Locus Publicus, a nearby pub that has about a million and one different variations of beer. I was feeling more a little lost as, one by one, our crew ordered a selection of beers that I had never even heard of and bashfully admitted to the waiter that beer isn't really my drink of choice. Not a problem apparently! I was recommended a beer that tasted like berries, and was pleasantly surprised when my pink beverage was placed down before me. It turned out to be a really lovely evening, pretty uneventful for a blog post, but nice all the same! Finally, Jess and I concluded the evening by devouring a falafel at mine before calling it a night, ready for classes to ensue bright and early the next day.

Monday was certainly my day for unanticipated BOGOF offers. First receiving two Mars Bars out of the vending machine instead of one, then purchasing two Mocha Cookie Crumble's from Starbucks and accidentally confusing the cashier enough to only pay for one...oops! Slightly ashamed to only have those two examples representing my diet for the week, but we all have the occasional chocolate day now and then! ;)

Happy place.

Temperatures appeared to reach a high on Tuesday; drawing me outside for a gentle stroll towards the lake. After lurking in the shadows for some time, and applying copious amounts of sun cream, I emerged to find some friends enjoying a picnic. Gatecrashing, I settled myself down on the blanket to enjoy their company for and hour or so before heading our separate ways once more.

The evening that followed was that of the Open Air Cinema, watching Moonrise Kingdom under the stars. After temperatures managing to reach about 26°C during the day, surely there would be no weather issues, right? Wrong. The moment we arrived, rain began to fall. Warm(ish) rain. But rain all the same. Everyone abandoned the site to and fled for shelter to wait out the short-lived shower. But with humidity in the air, there was another type of weather which was definitely not short-lived; thunder and lightening contributed massively to the atmosphere of our little outdoor gathering. A pretty bizarre setting for a film: sitting on cold, wet concrete with just a plastic bag separating me from the ground, surrounded by a mismatch of students all wrapped up against the cold with blankets and jumpers, whilst the occasional lightening bolt crackled above our heads, lighting up the sky. Beautiful...

...and cold. Very cold.

This week's final landmark event was the ESN Farewell Ball at Club Vie. Yes, that's right. The Farewell Ball. How the hell did that happen? Despite my utter disbelief that the academic year is beginning to wrap itself up, it was a great 'final' party! Of course, it's not going to be the last party of the year, but most likely the last one with everyone together in one place. I'm probably not the biggest fan of Vie, but I'm just so glad that it turned out to be such a good evening with a great atmosphere. It was also really lovely to bump into all those old characters from the beginning of my exchange that I don't happen to spend a lot of time with. Always a pleasant surprise! And we obviously polished the night off in the kebab place, where else? ;)

You Crazy.

I have finally become a fully fledged European after experiencing my first ever Eurovision Song Contest - everyone was outraged to discover that I had never bothered to watch it before! Eva was kind enough to host our little party as we progressed through the four stages of Eurovision emotional development:

1. scepticism 
2. bewilderment, 
3. hilarity, 
4. and ending in fiercely competitive spirits. 

Quite the journey.

It was quite an experience; learning the hard way that only Ireland bothers to humour the United Kingdom with half-decent points, but also revelling in pride and joy as the Netherlands climbed up to second position on the points table! Causally hijacking on the Dutch pride. =D

Eva's "Eurovision Selfie"

The following night Jess and I enjoyed an impromptu Bridget Jones evening: snuggled up on our respective sides of the bed, eating vanilla & chocolate chip muffins, and sipping on hot chocolate. Cosy night of bliss!

On Monday morning I was forced back to the mundane reality of uni work and classes, only to discover this sight at the entrance to university grounds...

Apparently the Dalai Lama has been kicking about the Netherlands this week, and I believe he was speaking at a seminar, presumably on university grounds (but don't quote me on that one)!

The following afternoon one of my old school friends rocked into my favourite city, and home-from-home: Rotterdam. It was slightly surreal; initially I was going through the motions of preparing for Rachel's arrival without fully realising that it was actually happening. But, of course, it did and we had a great couple of days together. That evening we kept things simple: getting her checked in and settled, devouring a yummy dinner at Vapiano then rounding the evening off with a long-overdue gossip session and holiday plans!

It was decided that Wednesday would be Rotterdam day. At first glance the weather appeared to be relatively stable so we rented Rachel a bike then took a cycle down by the river for her to see the iconic Erasmus bridge. Then, all of a sudden, at the point furtherest away from our next destination, the heavens opened. The rain and wind picked up; soaking us within a matter of seconds. Then the thunder and lightening started. It was terrifyingly loud, making the pair of us scream in fright as I pictured us getting swept into the river, bikes and all. It was frighteningly close and we were both hysterical by the end of the journey: laughing and screeching our way to the museum. Great start to the holiday! 

Eventually we calmed down a little and took shelter in the Maritime Museum. It was suitable for a short stint to hide from the rain, but nothing over spectacular. Afterwards we each indulged in a portion of New Deli soup for lunch at Hotel Bazar - one of my favourite locations! Rachel seemed suitably impressed with the menu and outlandish décor too. Following a hearty lunch, the weather had cleared enough for our cycling tour of the city to commence. I took her to see just about every square inch of the city, and by the end our bums and thighs were in absolute agony. It was so much fun, and great exercise - no regrets! =D

Later, after a little bit of retail therapy, we went our separate ways to get ready for Pauliina's birthday celebrations! It was a really fun, girlie evening of pretty cocktails and cupcakes, and the rare opportunity to see most of the girls at once! Lovely.

The next day we were up early to visit Utrecht - a first for us both! It was fun to discover somewhere new together, and nice taking a break from playing tour guide for once! We began our day trip with a guided tour of Dom Tower, climbing the 465 steps to the highest balcony of the beautiful church. Towering over the city, we got a spectacular view of Utrecht, even catching a glimpse of Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the far distance. It was amazing! To top it off we even had the opportunity to listen to and watch some of the bells playing before reaching the very top. It was quite a hike, and the stairs got incredibly narrow (and a little uneven) towards the top. But the stunning views made it completely worthwhile! Honestly, I think the biggest challenge was walking back down without talking a tumble! Was certainly relieved to reach the bottom...phew!

Following a questionable lunch, the remained of the afternoon was spent strolling round the city with little, or no, direction. The weather was beautiful, so we were quite happy to save our euros and simply soak up the atmosphere, finding plenty of picturesque scenes!

Making our way back to Rotterdam relatively early, we treated ourselves to a pizza hut before strolling back to my place. We had the most perfect timing: stumbling across a bewildering event near Blaak. Neither of us had any idea what was going on, but it was absolutely hilarious. Basically, a bunch of crazy Dutch people attempted to cycle along a narrow platform and ring the bell at the end without toppling into the water. Only in the Netherlands...

It was a pretty sweet way to end what had been a bizarre, and exhausting, holiday. After poorly timed fire drills, thunder storms, double bookings and cancelled trains to the airport, I think Rachel may need another wee break just to recover. But we had an absolute blast and she was a fabulous guest!

Finally Friday arrived and I forced myself to visit the gym, doing 4 kilometres on the treadmill and then a further 3.5 on the cross country trainer. A rather successful visit and my first proper gym session in months - need to get back at it! 

Knackered! 

Chop chop.

I started the weekend with my usual market venture, this time with Jess, Emma and Helena. Due to long Tuesday classes and a number of busy Saturday's it was my first trip there in far too any weeks. I felt so refreshed to be doing my shopping at the market again...a very homely feeling!

Monday was Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsday) which meant uni was cancelled and a free festival was held at the beautiful Euromast park. I didn't have much of an idea what to expect, but since it was free, I kept my expectations pretty low, but it was actually pretty cool. And, after a long morning of studying, the music, amazing sunny weather and festival vibes were more than welcome. We stayed a few hours, bumping into a couple of friends and investing in chips and curry sauce (always a must), but all too soon I had to force myself home to prepare for my early morning presentation. Ew. 

The remainder of the week wasn't overly eventful. I feel like I have seen quite a lot of my friends, but almost all of that time had been spent meeting up for group assignments, or chance encounters. I guess that's how life goes at Erasmus =P

Couldn't be bothered styling it for the picture.
I'm just proud that I finally got it cut!

My Friday was rather eventful. Finally getting desperate enough to get my hair cut by a Dutch stranger. It took a ridiculous amount of time to build up to...but anyone that knows me properly will know that I don't particularly like people touching my head. And I trust almost no one with the job of cutting my hair. But it actually went okay. A very cheap and cheerful service - was literally in and out within 10 minutes! And there was virtually no styling done, not that it mattered with the torrential downpour going on outside, but it still surprised me slightly when I was shifted out the door supporting a haphazard looking hairdo. It actually looks really nice once straightened though! Would definitely go back!

Then it was pizza and movie night at Freya's place. Always fun. And I even got a spooning session with her adorable stuffed elephant. <3 Made my night!

Oranje Sea.

King's Day 2014. Even google was getting in on the action.

Friday was King's night, which me Cameron, Emma, and Kaia decided to celebrate. The original plan was to travel to Den Haag and to take advantage of one of the free festivals there. Then the rain started, for all of 10 minutes. But that was enough for the girls to loose faith. They declared the rain their enemy and settled for a night in Rotterdam. Inside. And they weren't for budging on the issue! Stubborn gits (but I love them for it). =P

Rather than biking to the train station, we instead made our way to Emma's for pre-drinks. Taking advantage of her lovely apartment and making ourselves comfortable, we didn't leave for a good few hours. But eventually we made our way to Witte de Withstraat - one of our favourite streets for a night out - and ending up in Blender, which was a first for us all. 

Most of the people there were a fair bit older than our little crew but, after our initial surprise, it was quite nice to be left to our own devices and dance the night away. Emma and myself left quite content, but the other two were a little less impressed with the place. Regardless of any depute over venues, I think we all had a nice time! 

Afterwards there was just enough time for a quick falafel sandwich *delicious* before cycling home and crashing at 5am.

Happy King's Day!
I found orange firework 'stickers' and got a bit carried away messing around with all the effects, but you get the idea!

The following morning I had no voice. No doubt, a mixed result of my enthusiastic singing from the previous evening and the onset of a horrific cold. Feeling more than a little rough for King's day. Bleugh.

It was around midday before I finally emerged from my pit and made it to the city centre. I met the girls there and we wandered around the shopping area, which was much busier than usual with people setting up stalls and doing impromptu performances on the street. It was pretty cool, but I'm sure nothing compared to the madness of Amsterdam.

We strolled about some more, passing some festivals which looked pretty fun. But they were also expensive and I knew, that in my sickly state, I wasn't going to last very long before needing a lie down. So after indulging in some fries and curry sauce I was done. I couldn't even manage sitting down to write my essay or mess about on facebook. Done. So very done.

...I slept most of the day away, only waking up to eat food, then to sleep some more. Possibly not the best way to spend the holidays, but my body just wasn't up to the challenge...gutted!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning I declared that I had man-flu. Maybe a slight exaggeration. And a technical impossibility. But I felt truly awful... Even worse when I discovered that I'd taken down most of my friendship group with me. Always so generous that way! ;)

On Tuesday Jess hosted Cameron's farewell dinner and pre-drinks before Bed. It was a lot of fun, and I'm always happy for someone else to cook me dinner! We also discovered that we could open a wine bottle without a corkscrew, all that is required is a shoe, a wall, some brute force, and the perfect technique! I had every intention on joining the girls on their night out, but by the time they were all ready to get going I was ready to hit the sack. Totally done in. I did feel a little guilty, especially since it was going to be Cameron's last night out, but I know my limits. The following morning I was still feeling pretty rough, and that was purely from my cold and feeling a little under the weather - bailing was definitely a good call!

So on Wednesday me and the crew (Lindsey, Cameron, Kaia and Emma), went on a zip-lining and ropes obstacle course. It was amazing! Although it initially didn't look like we'd be able to participate because none of us had a Dutch bankcard to pay with...typical. But luckily Lindsey came to the rescue and managed to successfully guilt trip the staff by using the "Oh, but it's our friends last day!" card. At that one of the workers offered to pay with his card if we gave him the cash! What a gem!

Personally, I loved every minute of the climbing, and was elected as guinea pig by the others who forced me to lead the way (not that I minded)! Apart from Lindsey (who decided to sit out on the last one) we managed to complete four of the five courses. The got progressively more difficult and I think we reached a consensus (slightly reluctantly on my part) that number four was our limit! Still quite an achievement!

For fear of dropping our phones, we didn't manage to get any 'action shots', but this group photo will do nicely!

With all our gear on! =D

Later that evening Jess joined us for pizza night at my place (or, in my case, my own home-cooked bolognese - delicious)! It was just a simple, chilled out evening, and a final night with the team still intact.

On Thursday Jess, Emma, Cameron and myself watched Frozen during the afternoon before a frantic rush to put Cameron, and her luggage, on the tram. Very haphazard, and very us! It was slightly surreal to actually see someone actively pack up their belongings and leave, rather than just accepting the abstract concept that now is goodbye because so-and-so will be leaving in a few hours/days. It just seemed a lot more final. So, as the tram pulled away, the three of us just stood there in the street looking like lost puppies and didn't quite know what to do with ourselves!

But life quickly takes over once again...going back to university projects and assignments...very weird!