So I wasn't sure that I'd be able to find internet usage, but here I am. I realized that I wasn't certain of what terminal in Charles de Gaulle airport I was flying out of, so I'd better look it up. And here I am! Yesterday, Odile picked me up at the Lille Youth Hostel and we drove to Ypres. I was expecting to see more WWI battlefields and stuff, but instead, we saw a cute little city that had once been walled, and we walked the ramparts (tops of the old castle/fort walls) for a bit. It was quite pretty, [View Full Entry]

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I arrived yesterday in Lille, and it's been go, go, go! I met my friend Valerie's friend Odile at the train station, and we walked to her friend's apartment where I was able to leave my bags. The three of us went out for lunch (I didn't mention that I'd had a sandwich on the train to Lille) and then Odile and I headed out to do a little walking tour of Lille. It's quite pretty! There is a Spanish influence to the buildings, and it used to be a cloth making city. It was also a fortified city, meaning walls [View Full Entry]

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Getting to Bruges this morning was a challenge. I packed my bags (while everyone in my dorm room was still sleeping) and headed over to the Gare du Nord train station, about a fifteen minute walk. (Probably would have been less if I wasn't wearing 25kg of luggage, but anyway...) Bought a ticket for the train and went to the track to wait for it. I had about a half-hour wait. The train didn't arrive. It was supposedly running 13 minutes late, but it was certainly more than that. The next train going to Bruges arrived before that one did, so [View Full Entry]

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Not a terribly eventful day. Got up at 8am, showered, hung out at the hostel for a while (as my clothes were still drying!) and packed everything up by 11am. I left my bags there, and went next door where I had some yummy crepes at an amazing price! 4 little crepes (one cheese to start, then banana, then nutella, then cherry) plus Coke-like drink (actually had a weird taste to it) for less than 3 euros! Quite amazing! I headed to the airport, where I waited around for an hour to check in. I was first in line and went [View Full Entry]

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Slept in a bit this morning, all the way until 8am! The noise from the street was a little much, so I got up, showered (hogged the double shower bathroom!) and got ready. I took my time, eating breakfast, surfing the net, and then around 10:30 I decided to "check out" and leave my packed bags at the hostel so I could go to the Jewish Synagogue and do some souvenir shopping. Walked to the Jewish Synagogue in the immense heat and took a few pictures. For the oldest synagogue in Europe (I believe that's what they claim) it wasn't THAT [View Full Entry]

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It's hot here. Very, very hot. My room is stinking hot, and it's after 11pm. I think only one set of windows is open, and it's not enough. The day was also (obviously) very hot. I arrived in Budapest around noon, and proceeded to get off the train and go in search of a bank machine for some Hungarian forints. The first bank machine I went to decided that it didn't like my bank card. That had me a little worried, so I went off in search of another machine. Fortunately, that machine spit out some forints (to my relief) and [View Full Entry]

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My night last night was a frustrating one. I headed up to my dorm room, and discovered that at 10:45pm, everyone was already asleep and the lights were out. Okay.... a little early, but understandable. I tried to open the locks on my bags, and found that the one to the main compartment would not open. Not at all. I took the bag into the hall to try it, and still no luck. Even today, I can't open that compartment with my nice clean clothes. Fortunately, there is another way into that compartment, top-loading, but what a pain! Not an easy [View Full Entry]

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Another early train on which I slept, and I've made it to Vienna. Not an easy feat either, since after having a compartment to myself for the first hour, two Czech guys (I'm assuming) got on and were chatting loudly, with beers in hand (at 9am!) and then when they left, a group of people (also Czech? Maybe Austrian?) got on and were playing music, talking loudly and playing cards.... So I arrived in the train station, went to find the tram to get to my hostel, and took it in the wrong direction! Good thing I was paying attention -- [View Full Entry]

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Okay, quick update.... all was not lost. The rain had stopped by the time I left the internet cafe, and I was able to walk around for about 3 hours rain-free. I was able to hit a few of the spots I had wanted to, and also did some wandering about and souvenir shopping. I hope my (older) nieces like what I picked up for them! :) I didn't bother to try any more night shooting; I'm too tired and it was starting to rain again as the sun was setting. I guess I'll just have to be happy with what [View Full Entry]

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What a depressing day. Considering that I'm supposed to be loving every minute of this city, taking photos galore, and wandering around checking things out, I'm finding the rain quite depressing. I'm soaked. I tried to make a go of it this morning, wandering around the castle for a couple of hours in the rain, but I think I may just give up soon and head back to the hostel for the night. The castle grounds are beautiful, but there were people everywhere. It drives me nuts that people walk right in front of you (or right into you!) while you're [View Full Entry]

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