It was very relaxing. I attended a PhotoShop class by college professor Stan Leva.
I mustn’t forget to mention the great shows on the ship throughout this week. One production of pieces of Broadway shows, another of award-winning sings and an amazing Tango dance. Plus, a great show by an award-winning Piano comic, and a hilarious Ventriloquist.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Enas- Finally EST
I’m finally in Montreal, meaning I’m in the right time zone at last. We’re staying in my brother’s apartment (which should have been for the both of us) so I get to see how much space and comfort I’m missing out on. Basically, the apartment is like 10 times as big as my dorm room (not really an exaggeration). But, the city doesn’t feel like home, so I’m happy I’m going to Boston even more now =) (Although the space I would have had here is.... :( )
Hopefully today I go get my printer and GPS, and then my brother needs house stuff (like sheets mattress etc), and dad arrives tomorrow.
Hopefully today I go get my printer and GPS, and then my brother needs house stuff (like sheets mattress etc), and dad arrives tomorrow.
Enas- Baltic Stops 4 and 5
Helsinki, Finland: more wet than Tallinn was (but we were prepared so it’s okay).
The city is small and not so alive. I didn’t notice anything about it, except this really nice modern church built in the 60’s into a mountain.
Oh, and their chocolate is pretty good...
Copenhagen, Denmark. Gorgeous weather. Cute city.
I remember my dad telling me how amazing Danishes in Denmark would be. First day, I felt ill (probably from lack of sleep) so we stayed on the ship for most of the day (sorry mom and dad!). We had a tour before that but I felt too ill to focus or leave the bus. Maybe I’ll ask my sister to do a small thing about it and post it up here.
Second day, we disembarked for the last time (byebye Crystal Symphony =( and the friends we made and the amazing food)... One couple we met gave us contact details and want to meet us for dinner here in Montreal =).
We went to the “Imperial hotel” where they had refreshments out for us. Danishes: disappointing. I was beginning to lose faith in them =(.
Then we went to the airport, where we shopped for a bit, then my sister and I lost mom and dad lol, but found them sitting at a cafe getting Danishes. We joined them, and shared the food... Wow did it go fast!!!!! They were... INCREDIBLE!!! Seriously the gate was 20 minutes from closing and mom decided to get us another batch.
So seriously; Danishes at the airport ;)
The city is small and not so alive. I didn’t notice anything about it, except this really nice modern church built in the 60’s into a mountain.
Oh, and their chocolate is pretty good...
Copenhagen, Denmark. Gorgeous weather. Cute city.
I remember my dad telling me how amazing Danishes in Denmark would be. First day, I felt ill (probably from lack of sleep) so we stayed on the ship for most of the day (sorry mom and dad!). We had a tour before that but I felt too ill to focus or leave the bus. Maybe I’ll ask my sister to do a small thing about it and post it up here.
Second day, we disembarked for the last time (byebye Crystal Symphony =( and the friends we made and the amazing food)... One couple we met gave us contact details and want to meet us for dinner here in Montreal =).
We went to the “Imperial hotel” where they had refreshments out for us. Danishes: disappointing. I was beginning to lose faith in them =(.
Then we went to the airport, where we shopped for a bit, then my sister and I lost mom and dad lol, but found them sitting at a cafe getting Danishes. We joined them, and shared the food... Wow did it go fast!!!!! They were... INCREDIBLE!!! Seriously the gate was 20 minutes from closing and mom decided to get us another batch.
So seriously; Danishes at the airport ;)
Enas- A Night in Heaven and Hell
So we spent one night in London, transiting from Denmark to Montreal. We stayed in a beautiful hotel called the Petersham (which I’ve referenced before). The view from the balcony was breathtaking! However, the room smelled like dust (which I am allergic to) so I couldn’t breathe well all night, and in turn kept waking up. Oh well.
I just remembered I never finished off how the rest of London last time went.
Lunch at Zizzi (restaurant opposite Hampton Court) was really good. We had a big family thing, and took over the restaurant! ;P My cousin brought her adorable 7-month-old son so he was fun to play around with... Great food, and the waffles are seriously TO DIE FOR!!!!!
Dinner at Blue Elephant was better than I’d think it would be. True, my cousins who were with me were as amusing as always (actually more since there were no parents so they could speak as freely and, well, disgustingly, as they pleased). However, the food was SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!! The chocolate mousse had coconut bits in it... Mmmmmmm....
I just remembered I never finished off how the rest of London last time went.
Lunch at Zizzi (restaurant opposite Hampton Court) was really good. We had a big family thing, and took over the restaurant! ;P My cousin brought her adorable 7-month-old son so he was fun to play around with... Great food, and the waffles are seriously TO DIE FOR!!!!!
Dinner at Blue Elephant was better than I’d think it would be. True, my cousins who were with me were as amusing as always (actually more since there were no parents so they could speak as freely and, well, disgustingly, as they pleased). However, the food was SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!! The chocolate mousse had coconut bits in it... Mmmmmmm....
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Enas- Baltic Stop 3
St Petersburg, Russia was a wonderful two-day experience. The weather was perfectly 16 degrees and sunny.
On the first day in the city, we visited the Hermitage and the Gold Room (which they refer to as a “museum in a museum”). Unfortunately, photos were not allowed in the Gold Room... I also noticed the many beautiful sculptures on the outside of all the buildings. Notice the grandeur of the rooms.
I found out that the color Red in Russia symbolizes beauty, hence the red velvet material behind the throne and the coat of arms in the Hermitage. Another interesting fact is that in the old days, women could only smoke with their left hands, since their right hands were kissed by gentlemen (to avoid smelling like tobacco).
The biggest vase in the complex was thought to be used as a swimming pool because of its size (but it was just a vase). It is made from one piece of marble ( a second piece for the base), and they had to break down the wall to get it into the room because it would not go through the doorway.
Later in the evening, we went to a production of Swan Lake in the Alexandrenski theatre (also known as the Pushkin Theatre). It was a great performance. The story line is where Disney go the idea for the movie Swan Princess, so if you’ve seen that you’ll understand what the ballet is about.
On the second day, we visited Catherine’s palace. It was so grand with an amazing amber room; unfortunately no pictures allowed in there either. Luckily, that’s where Google Images come in.
In the next picture you can see chirrups located on either side of the main staircase. The one waking up was on the East side representing East, while the one sleeping represented West on the West side.
We also visited the next-door palace of Alexander (her grandson).
Next, the Peterhov gardens. The fountains in the park could easily be compared to (if they were not better than) those of Versailles, according to dad.
The last two both represent Russia defeating (Sweden I think). In the second one, you see turtles around the main statue, representing the enemy’s allies. (for the exact names try Google because our guide couldn’t remember them either).
Finally, we visited Nicolas I’s home (Anastacia’s father) where the last Romanovs lived before they were taken to Siberia after the revolution.
Commenting on the Disney movie:
1- Rasputin was not an evil man who made Alexis sick (the crown prince). Rather, he was the witch doctor treating Alexis for his Hemophilia.
2- Anastacia did not survive, as the movie tells. The woman pretending to be her was actually a dancer, as found out after her death. The real Anastacia was killed with the rest of her family.
They were told that they were taking a family portrait, and they were arranged accordingly. The picture was taken, and immediately the trigger was pulled on the whole family. (I can’t find the photo online unfortunately).
On the first day in the city, we visited the Hermitage and the Gold Room (which they refer to as a “museum in a museum”). Unfortunately, photos were not allowed in the Gold Room... I also noticed the many beautiful sculptures on the outside of all the buildings. Notice the grandeur of the rooms.
I found out that the color Red in Russia symbolizes beauty, hence the red velvet material behind the throne and the coat of arms in the Hermitage. Another interesting fact is that in the old days, women could only smoke with their left hands, since their right hands were kissed by gentlemen (to avoid smelling like tobacco).
The biggest vase in the complex was thought to be used as a swimming pool because of its size (but it was just a vase). It is made from one piece of marble ( a second piece for the base), and they had to break down the wall to get it into the room because it would not go through the doorway.
Later in the evening, we went to a production of Swan Lake in the Alexandrenski theatre (also known as the Pushkin Theatre). It was a great performance. The story line is where Disney go the idea for the movie Swan Princess, so if you’ve seen that you’ll understand what the ballet is about.
On the second day, we visited Catherine’s palace. It was so grand with an amazing amber room; unfortunately no pictures allowed in there either. Luckily, that’s where Google Images come in.
In the next picture you can see chirrups located on either side of the main staircase. The one waking up was on the East side representing East, while the one sleeping represented West on the West side.
We also visited the next-door palace of Alexander (her grandson).
Next, the Peterhov gardens. The fountains in the park could easily be compared to (if they were not better than) those of Versailles, according to dad.
The last two both represent Russia defeating (Sweden I think). In the second one, you see turtles around the main statue, representing the enemy’s allies. (for the exact names try Google because our guide couldn’t remember them either).
Finally, we visited Nicolas I’s home (Anastacia’s father) where the last Romanovs lived before they were taken to Siberia after the revolution.
Commenting on the Disney movie:
1- Rasputin was not an evil man who made Alexis sick (the crown prince). Rather, he was the witch doctor treating Alexis for his Hemophilia.
2- Anastacia did not survive, as the movie tells. The woman pretending to be her was actually a dancer, as found out after her death. The real Anastacia was killed with the rest of her family.
They were told that they were taking a family portrait, and they were arranged accordingly. The picture was taken, and immediately the trigger was pulled on the whole family. (I can’t find the photo online unfortunately).
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Vivi - I'm finally done packing
I'm finally done packing; my suitcase-plus-four-boxes-and-a-backpack are ready to go, I have a thick book to read on the way (The Portable Atheist by Christopher Hitchens), my Zune and cell phone are fully charged, and my laptop is ready for the road. I've got quite possibly every little thing I'll need for MIT and then some (I still feel like I've totally overpacked, actually), and my trusty sidekick the Digital Camera is anxious to begin our journey from Texas to Massachusetts, taking a grand tour of the East Coast and Canada.
I spent my last day at my biology teacher's house, and at a "party" (i.e. random movie night get-together thing) at my friend Sapphi's house with about 10 other people. It ended up being fairly fun, but after I finally left I could feel traces of tears spring to my eyes. This was it; I was finally leaving, saying goodbye to everyone.
It's terribly sad to be leaving, but the future can only get better. I'll keep you all posted!
I spent my last day at my biology teacher's house, and at a "party" (i.e. random movie night get-together thing) at my friend Sapphi's house with about 10 other people. It ended up being fairly fun, but after I finally left I could feel traces of tears spring to my eyes. This was it; I was finally leaving, saying goodbye to everyone.
It's terribly sad to be leaving, but the future can only get better. I'll keep you all posted!
Enas- Baltic Stop 1
I was so tired from being up most of the night in London, I slept for most of the flight and nearly missed the view at landing. I didn’t manage to take a photo of that from being disoriented and all, but it was basically fields of green with a few trees surrounding beautiful shiny rivers (I later found out the city is one third green, one third blue (the water) and one third lived on).
On the runway, all you could see on either side of the plane was endless trees. The same goes for the road between the airport and the hotel. The weather is just.. INCREDIBLE!!! Like 22 degrees (72 F) with a little wind and a few clouds. I was so afraid I’d forget to put something in, I’m actually typing into my iPod, to later just copy it into my blog.
We walked around the old town for a while, smelling something amazing the whole time. It’s the same smell you experience in Mijas; fresh ice cream waffle cones!!! Finally we gave in and got some ice cream, and it was pretty awesome. We took a nice walk around the river and came back for a drink.
Later on, we headed to dinner at a place called Princen. The food was AMAZING. I had the best Asparagus soup ever to start with, a great steak with very good salad and fries cooked in their own home-made butter, and a sinful chocolate truffle with raspberry sauce and some cream to top it off. This might sound funny, but even the water was amazing. Honestly, their home-made sparkling water (which they use tap water to make) was so good! A nice refreshing walk back to the hotel later, I’m about to head to bed. Goodnight!!
P.S. Stockholm = Amazing city :)
P.P.S. Bed = Fluffy as a cloud... Jackpot!!!! =D
Next day we just drove to the cruise and embarked, then had dinner in the onboard Japanese restaurant “Silk Road” which is a sub-chain of the world-known “Nobu”. Needless to say, the food was impeccable. Here’s the Sushi we had as a starter, but I was too into the food to take any other pics :P
Enas- Pictures
So posting pictures on to here would be too difficult because internet here is like $.75 per minute, but on my .Mac account I don't need to be connected to the internet to upload them... So here's the link to my .Mac site where all the pictures can be found...
http://web.me.com/nooosa/Site/Life_Until_MIT/Life_Until_MIT.html
Enas- Baltic Stop 2
TALLINN, ESTONIA was the first official port for us to disembark in.
Basically, we didn’t get to understand much about the city because it was FREEZING COLD and WETTTTTT!!!!! Seriously it was 12 degrees (53 F) and did NOT stop raining. The main thing we understood was that the country basically was not left alone (as in EVERYONE had taken over it lol; Vikings, Germans, Russians, etc) and so they were only independent for a few years.
Look at how dad looked after walking like 3 hours in the rain... Lo0ol
By time I got back to the boat, I think no part of my body was dry (although I was in a thick sweatshirt, a rain coat, and had an umbrella at some points). I was shivering and so I took a nice warm shower, then headed to the Lido deck for lunch; amazing burger and pizza, then went for an ice cream cone (by this time I was warm and fuzzy again).
Basically, we didn’t get to understand much about the city because it was FREEZING COLD and WETTTTTT!!!!! Seriously it was 12 degrees (53 F) and did NOT stop raining. The main thing we understood was that the country basically was not left alone (as in EVERYONE had taken over it lol; Vikings, Germans, Russians, etc) and so they were only independent for a few years.
Look at how dad looked after walking like 3 hours in the rain... Lo0ol
By time I got back to the boat, I think no part of my body was dry (although I was in a thick sweatshirt, a rain coat, and had an umbrella at some points). I was shivering and so I took a nice warm shower, then headed to the Lido deck for lunch; amazing burger and pizza, then went for an ice cream cone (by this time I was warm and fuzzy again).
Friday, August 1, 2008
Enas- Hi From GB
Hi everyone!!!
So I'm in the not-so-sunny country of England. I arrived yesterday morning on the red eye, and have barely been home since.
My family (as in uncles and grandparents) lives in Surrey, which is a suburb about 30 minutes away from Knightsbridge (the heart of London). So, we don't usually go into the city often (we come here every year roughly).
This year was different though. My best friend has been here for a while, and she is leaving tomorrow morning. Which means, I wanted to see her and say goodbye before she left, since I won't see her until December minimum.
So yesterday we went into the city, shopped for a bit, has a snack at Whole Foods(organic shop, excellent pizza), relaxed at home, and then went to a restaurant called Mimo for dinner (which is a great Italian place, btw).
Today, I went into Knightsbridge with my parents, shopped for a bit (got an amazing pair of gloves which let me keep my hand usage while I stay warm; Finally. Also got a nice neck-warming thing). We had lunch at the Sushi bar in Harvey Nichols (great food, overate lol), and then walked around for a bit. Oh, I forgot to mention, dad decided to get adventurous this summer, so we've been driving around in his rented convertible (he thought it was a nice idea for 3 days with nice weather). Besides freezing, it was a lot of fun. Then we hung out at my grandparents' for a bit, and went to dinner. We ate in a hotel in Richmond (whose name I can now recall; The Petersham). My best friend joined us there and we had our last meal together for a while. Oh, the food was great.
That's basically been it. Oh, I almost forgot; I had a problem with my teeth today, and now I have to go in for an emergency dentist appointment with a doctor I don't know; what fun when you have a million things to do and a lunch invitation and a dinner one!!!
Which reminds me; we're having lunch somewhere near Hampton Court tomorrow (I remember the palace and grounds to be awesome), and then dinner at the Blue Elephant restaurant downtown (which I heard is great). So, that'll be coming up.
Enas
So I'm in the not-so-sunny country of England. I arrived yesterday morning on the red eye, and have barely been home since.
My family (as in uncles and grandparents) lives in Surrey, which is a suburb about 30 minutes away from Knightsbridge (the heart of London). So, we don't usually go into the city often (we come here every year roughly).
This year was different though. My best friend has been here for a while, and she is leaving tomorrow morning. Which means, I wanted to see her and say goodbye before she left, since I won't see her until December minimum.
So yesterday we went into the city, shopped for a bit, has a snack at Whole Foods(organic shop, excellent pizza), relaxed at home, and then went to a restaurant called Mimo for dinner (which is a great Italian place, btw).
Today, I went into Knightsbridge with my parents, shopped for a bit (got an amazing pair of gloves which let me keep my hand usage while I stay warm; Finally. Also got a nice neck-warming thing). We had lunch at the Sushi bar in Harvey Nichols (great food, overate lol), and then walked around for a bit. Oh, I forgot to mention, dad decided to get adventurous this summer, so we've been driving around in his rented convertible (he thought it was a nice idea for 3 days with nice weather). Besides freezing, it was a lot of fun. Then we hung out at my grandparents' for a bit, and went to dinner. We ate in a hotel in Richmond (whose name I can now recall; The Petersham). My best friend joined us there and we had our last meal together for a while. Oh, the food was great.
That's basically been it. Oh, I almost forgot; I had a problem with my teeth today, and now I have to go in for an emergency dentist appointment with a doctor I don't know; what fun when you have a million things to do and a lunch invitation and a dinner one!!!
Which reminds me; we're having lunch somewhere near Hampton Court tomorrow (I remember the palace and grounds to be awesome), and then dinner at the Blue Elephant restaurant downtown (which I heard is great). So, that'll be coming up.
Enas
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