A Broad Goes Abroad

Lolly McKenna

A Broad Goes Abroad

My first international trip inspired me to start a blog, as a way to stay connected to people back home. I started it up again when I studied abroad last fall. Now I am getting ready to depart my home country yet again, and it's time to prepare for documenting some more journeys!



Europe September 16th 2010

Other than the stones in the street being highly dangerous for walking, the bus system being crazy, and the driving even crazier, Rome has been absolutely fantastic. I love the old buildings that line each street with high ceilings and the palatial windows that everyone hangs out of, shouting down to the streets. I love the energy of the city. Everyone seems to feel alive and happy. I love that everywhere we go, we are stopped and asked if we are from "Espanola". I love the pizza, I love the pasta, I love the bread. I love that there are fountains everywhere, in the middle of streets, that are continuously flowing for people to fill their water bottles. I love that that the water is safe! I love how you turn down this tiny little street, ... read more

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin September 14th 2010

Ok, so I was in Berlin for two full days, of which I saw many, many attractions. These pictures tell you what I saw. Unfortunately the internet services in Germany and Rome have not been liking TravelBlog, so I have had to upload pictures via Facebook. Berlin is a pretty city. I look for unique architecture, and there was some. However, whenever I find myself in a big city, they all begin to look similar. Skyscrapers begin to appear everywhere, or just really modern looking buildings. The same shopping places are in all major cities that I have been worldwide. I tried to take pictures of things that caught my eye. When I am home, I intend to officially upload the Berlin pics to this page so that they are on my blog as well!... read more
berlin train station
charlottenburg palace, berlin
charlottenburg palace, berlin

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Warendorf September 12th 2010

Here are the most recent pictures that I have. They were from the day that I met probably more than 20 of Ferhat's family members. The new people I met aren't in the pictures, just some people I have already mentioned here. We went to a wedding today, but Ferhat brought his camera. I decided to leave my things back at the house because I did not want to carry my big, loud purse (the only one I have with me) to a wedding. Perhaps I can borrow his pics to show you all. Today we go to Berlin and I think the train leaves around noon. From which city, I don't know. As I finish packing, I'm writing this entry. The hotel in Berlin costs 5 euro to use Wi-Fi. I'm going to assume that ... read more
ferhat, timur, and another cousin.
sibel
ferhat and baby cousin

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Oelde September 10th 2010

I forgot to tell you that yesterday I had stuffed grape leaves for the first official time. Ferhat's mother spent two hours making at LEAST 50 from scratch, just because I am here visiting. I thought I should tell you because I know both of you would have found them amazing, since you both love them. They were very delicious, and not from a can! For everyone else who is reading this, the entry can be for you, too, if you like/love stuffed grape leaves.... read more

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne September 8th 2010

I don't really feel like writing anything here, and I am not even certain people are reading this. If you are, please let me know with a comment or something, and I will get back to writing normal entries. However, for now, I will just list what I have done and you can see the pictures for more details. * Stayed local two days ago, but managed to see weird things. First I saw a vending machine for clean needles, so the local junkies could stay safer with their drug injections. Then, when we returned to Ferhat's house in the evening, I saw a massive toad right in front of the car, with its disgustingly big tongue hanging out. * Yesterday, went to Dortmund so Ferhat could meet with his professor, then took a train to ... read more
weird things, massive toad
dortmund university, train station
dortmund university train station

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Dortmund September 8th 2010

Currently I am sitting in a computer lab at a university in Dortmund. This is where my buddy Ferhat attends school. Right now he is meeting with a professor to discuss his exam grades and next semester's classes. Unfortunately, the wait in line to speak with this professor has been at least a half an hour long, since we arrived to see three guy before Ferhat waiting. I have been in this computer lab for an hour, running out of things to do. Luckily there are people on Facebook whom I can chat with! The constant challenge, though, is navigating this German keyboard. The y's are switched with the z's, and a whole bunch of important punctuation is located all over the board. Plus, to get this punctuation, you have to press Shift, Control, Alt, maybe ... read more

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Münster September 6th 2010

Yesterday, as Sundays typically are, was a relaxing day in Stromberg. Shops were closed, we all slept in late. Well, I thought I slept in late until I walked into the house and saw that Ferhat's mother was the only other person awake at the time. It was also a day of big meals. Wonderful and delicous breakfast with eggs, sausage, peppers, and onions... oh and the delicious Turkish bread I keep having. A few moments later, Ferhat's mother began preparing for what would be a late lunch, early dinner feast. The meal would have kebabs of three or four different kinds, rice, salad, fried vegetables, and more. I never thought I would say this, but the food has been TOO much for me. I find that I am the one that is not able to ... read more
stromberger castle, stromberg
stromberger castle, stromberg
stromberger castle, stromberg

Europe » Germany » Rhineland-Palatinate » Stromberg September 5th 2010

So far, I have a few videos of a horse I saw at the competition, and a couple of baby Timur. Unfortunately, the site is not uploading them well. The uploader freezes as soon as I press "Upload." Now I haven't had this problem in the past. Hopefully I can fix it so you can see what I saw!... read more

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Warendorf September 4th 2010

Yesterday, the 3rd, Ferhat took me to a very big horse competition in Warendorf. Apparently the town is known for horses because the population of people is about 40,000 while the population of horses is about 240,000. We met Ferhat's cousin who invited us to this show, and he told us that the total price of all of the horses combined is about 7.5 billion dollars. I almost had a heart attack when I heard this, but when I saw the horses, it all made sense. They were beautiful! I saw amazing dressage (not that I know any difference) and jumping that sure blew what I've seen at home out of the water. EVERYONE was jumping at least 5 feet, and these horses were breathtaking. I was able to pet one and Ferhat's cousin told me ... read more
horse championship, warendorf
horse championship, warendorf
horse championship, warendorf

Europe » Germany » Rhineland-Palatinate » Stromberg September 2nd 2010

When I landed in Germany, I was feeling a little sick. I thought it was just motion sickness, but then slowly it became worse and worse. I was sick in the car, my stomach was cramping, and I felt absolutely disgusting all over my body. I was thinking to myself, WTF am I really getting the flu after being here for only an hour?!?! It got even worse when I arrived to Ferhat's house and his mother made lunch. I felt terrible that I could not finish the tiny amount that I had on my plate. The food was very good, but I was so nautious. All I wanted to do was sleep. A few hours ended up doing the trick and even though I was not 100% back to normal, I was able to continue ... read more
i don't know the name of this town, germany
town hear ferhat's house
germany




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