We made something called canapes for the party. Jenny and Anja had made them before and thought it would be a good idea. Basically you put random stuff together on bread or crackers and hope it tastes good. I was nervous because these are bluegrass banjo playing Irish guys but they thought it would be fine. We made food for about 100 people it all looked really pretty but I wouldn't even eat it. Pesto with salmon and olives... yum haha. The party was good craic though. We had some drinks, our Irish friends came over, they played some music, we tried to eat the food, and had a really good time. 
The next day was our Thanksgiving dinner. We obviously wanted to have a turkey but they didn't have any the day we went to ASDA, so we got chicken instead. We made mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese (which turned into a house favorite- courtesy of me), chicken, green beans, and Rahel and Michelle brought the Swiss chocolate dessert. White and milk chocolate Toblerone mousse- we all died from deliciousness. It was the first time Alex or I had made a Thanksgiving dinner on our own but we think it turned out really well. The sweet potatoes were almost a lost cause but Anja saved them in the end. It was so much fun cooking with all my friends and then eating until we couldn't breathe anymore.
After dinner we sat around playing games and listening to music. I can't express enough how much I love these girls and how amazing it has been to spend the last three months with them. I think this was when we decided to have a Christmas dinner and a secret santa presents. Jenny had already made a plan for our house to have an advent calendar and do presents for that as well. I had never done advent before but apparently it's pretty common. Each day someone gives a gift and someone gets one. Just small things that will be reminder of one another and our time together. It was one of my favorite things we did as a house.
Edinburgh, Scotland was the next trip. Jenny, Anja, Alex, Rahel, Michelle, and I all went. Alicia still wasn't feeling well, so she decided to stay home again. This was probably one of my favorite trips though. Edinburgh is an absolutely gorgeous and magical city. The first day we arrived we found our hostel, got settled in, then headed in the city. We walked toward Edinburgh Castle while the sun was setting and it was an incredible sight. This was probably the best castle I saw but maybe the sunset made it seem more magnificent. We came across the Edinburgh Christmas market. We walked around and got some hot wine (gluhwein). Apparently very typical European Christmas drink and I quite enjoyed it. We also saw the gorgeous gluhwein man. He was working the booth and was a mixture of a Scottish/Irish//bearded lumberjack/model/elf. Forever known to us as The gluhwein man. Alex, Jenny, and I saw these great bags and we all decided we needed one. We walked around a bit more and decided to do a thrill ride. It was a giant swing that went up really high and spinned around and things. We were getting hungry after the ride and tried to find this one restaurant that was in our guide book. It was a vegetarian place, so I was excited. We walked around forever trying to find this place. We finally did and it was more like a cafe. We thought it was okay and would try it anyway. Turns out vegetarian restaurants in Europe are reaaaally vegetarian/vegan and not very good. I ordered a bean burrito, all excited because of how much I love burritos and it was so pitiful. Worst burrito of my life. Pretty sure none of us really enjoyed our food. After a disappointing dinner we went back to the hostel to put on more layers of clothes. It had gotten so much colder as night came. We went back into the city for a ghost tour. The tour was actually more funny than scary. Our tour guide kept saying 'small ones in the front' and then pointing to me. It wasn't scary at all until the end when a guy in a mask jumped out and I freaked out. I practically jumped into Anja's arms. We called it a night after the tour and went to the hostel for some sleep.
The next day we had breakfast at MILK. I got the vegetable quiche, assuming it would be a mixture of vegetables and it turned out to be a mushroom quiche. I do not like mushrooms, so that was sad. I hadn't been having much luck with the food in Edinburgh. After breakfast we walked up Arthur's Seat, a famous hill that over looks the city. We decided to go further to the very top and while it was incredibly windy, it was also the best view imaginable. We came down for a coffee and to rest a bit before heading up a hill on the other side of the city. This one was much lower and not nearly as much of a work out. We did some shopping after the climbing. We went to all these great secondhand stores and cute little shops. We had an amazing Italian dinner at Zizzi's. We went back to the hostel and relaxed for a bit. Anja told us these hilarious stories. And we had snacks and dessert.
The third day we had breakfast at the Hula cafe, a place we stopped the day before for smoothies. We did some more shopping at all the great shops. We saw a magic act of a guy swallowing a sword and eating fire on the street. We relaxed in a coffee shop and then explored the National Museum of Scotland. We had to catch a bus that afternoon for the airport, so we tried to find lunch then head to the bus stop. It was really crowded and we couldn't find a place that could fit us all. We walked further and finally saw this pub/bar with enough room. We went inside, figured out our orders, but soon realized why it wasn't very crowded. These really obnoxious guys were yelling at the sports games on tv, kept jumping in line for beer, and just being overly male. We were on a time crunch to catch the bus and the bartender seemed more interested in refilling their pints then taking our orders, so we just left. Struggling to find somewhere else to eat but even more hungry now- we had to walk almost all the way back to the hostel before finding somewhere. We finally did and it ended up being the best baked potato I have ever eaten. Cheese and beans was the best combination. Finally we got our stuff, made it in time for the bus, and flew home.
(see facebook for more pictures- thank you to Anja for some of these)
The next trip was Amsterdam. Alex was suppose to go with Rahel, Michelle, and I but she had some legitimate concerns for her health and decided to stay behind. I won't go through a day by day here but it was a very interesting experience. Obviously Amsterdam is known for weed and sex- culminated mostly in the Red Light District. But I always assumed it looked something like it does in the movies or how I picture prostitution and stripping in the States. Well, I was wrong. Very very wrong. I was absolutely shocked and taken aback when I walked through the RLD at night. First mistake was that we went at night but it was something I will never forget. The women are in windows like zoo animals. There was utterly no respect for women on this street. Not in the windows or those walking by like myself. All three of us got shouted at and completely disrespected by the men on the streets. We couldn't of walked any faster out of there. I was in total shock. It was the lowest form of treatment you could have toward a human being. I might not be totally accurate but I see stripping and prostitution in the US more as a choice made by the women. Obviously it's not true in all cases but in my experience the women choose to strip to make a lot of money or what have you. The biggest difference here was that it did not look or feel like the women's choice in any way. The power and control were completely in the hands of the men. It was probably one of the most horrifying things I have ever experienced. Call me a prude but what I saw was not okay. It was something I needed to see once but never again. The whole rest of the trip I couldn't look at a male on the streets and wonder if he was low enough to partake in such a thing. Amsterdam was definitely a mixture of emotions. I hate that such good has to come with such bad. I'll never look at a man who says he's going to Amsterdam the same way- even if he claims it's just for the smoke.
On the bright side- Amsterdam had really wonderful canals, architecture, marijuana and weed museum, sex museum, other strange museums we didn't visit, great shopping, and the best coffeeshops in the world :)
(floating bed)
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