I can't believe it has been a month since the last time I posted something up here. I'm sure my dad is not too happy with me by now, as this is my only way of communicating with most of you. So for that, I apologize. But at least I have a lot to tell you this time.
The last time I posted something was just after I returned to Paris. Since then I have done a bit more traveling.
About a week after I got back from Paris I went on a study trip to Edinburgh, Scotland with the whole Hansard group. We had lectures a couple of the days that we were there but the rest of the time we were free roam the city. It was a very small city so it was easy to walk from one side to the other. It is also a very old city. Edinburgh Castle sat on the top of a huge hill in the middle of the city so on one of our free days a bunch of us walked up and took a tour. They have turned parts of it into a museum, where you can walk through and the Scottish Crown Jewels and the history of the monarch and the army. It was amazing seeing the architecture from centuries ago. Unfotunately I didn't take many pictures in Scotland because my camera died half an hour into the first day and of course I forgot to bring the charger. I will be sure to steal some pictures from my friends though.
Other than the castle we spent some time in the European Parliament office there, where we had a lecture. Right next to the EU builing was a set of cliffs that overlooked the city, I think it was called King Arthur's Way. I got some great pictures from the cliffs that I will be posting online for you guys to see.
I have said since coming to Europe that I do not want to experience these cultures through a camera lens. Although I have taken quite a few pictures (because my mom would have my head on a platter if I didn't), I prefer to experiences different countries through their food and drink. This may be a major contributor to my dwindlying bank account, but I think it is well worth it. In Scotland, one of their traditional dishes is called Haggis. It's basically ground sheeps intestine with a bunch of spices thrown in....and of course I tried it. Surprisingly I liked it.
The next country that we went to was Ireland. This wa a leisure trip rather than one for school. Instead of going to Dublin like every other tourist does, some friends and I decided to go to Galway, which is a small city on the west coast of Ireland. After getting into our hostel at 3am the first night we went on a bus tour of the area around Galway. They took us past a couple castles and through a lot of farmland until we reached our final destination...the Cliffs of Moher. If you remember back to my last post, I said that Chateau Versailles was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Well, that is now the most beautiful man-made landscape I have seen. The Cliffs of Moher are the most breath-taking natural landscape. They hundreds of feet down to the ocean below, and I actually managed to get some pictures within a few feet of the edge. I know, it surprised me too that I was able to get over my fear of heights. I have a lot of pictures of the Cliffs on the website that I posted a link to at the bottom of this post.
During the bus trip we stopped at a local Irish pub and got lunch. So keeping in mind what I said before, I obviously ordered lamb and a Guiness. This was the first Guiness that I have ever had, and how fitting that it was in Ireland. The next day, some of my friends took a day trip to Dublin, but I didn't want to go because I figured it would be too touristy. Instead, I went to the Aran Islands with some of the girls. We rented bikes for the day and rode about 20 miles around the island. We got a beautiful day so the pictures came out great and the riding went very smoothe. On one side of the island there was a fort built on top of a cliff at the edge of the sea. The first was apparently built over 4000 years ago. All in all, Ireland has definitely been my favorite trip so far... but I have many countries to go.
The other day I made a schedule with a couple buddies, Rob and Joe, for our travel plans after we finish with classes. We will be traveling for about 3 weeks and we will be going to Amsterdam, Berlin, Krakow (to see Aushwitz), Venice, Rome, Florence, Nice (southern France) and Barcelona. I'm sure I will be exhausted by the time I finish that but it will be well worth it, and the experience of a lifetime I am sure.
Other than traveling I have been very busy with schoolwork and my internship in Parliament. I'm at the library right now working on my 40 page dissertation due at the end of March. And as many of you have heard, I just got assigned a very important project at work. My MP has just proposed a bill to Parliament that deals with the objectifiation of women in British media. She is worried that the naked women pictured in free daily newspapers (called Page 3 girls) are sexualizing young children and exposing them to adult material far too early. So rather than work on monotonous casework for my last few weeks, I will be doing research for the bill and helping her write the 10 minute proposal speech that she will be giving in Parliament on March 31st. I have tickets to watcht the Prime Minister Questioning that day so I will get to watch her deliver the speech that i worked on, which will be a great experience. Working in Parliament has provided me with amazing opportunities that I don't think I would have gotten anywhere else. I will be sure to keep you updated on my work and I think I will be able to get a DVD copy of the speech for the family to see.
I really appreciate all the support everyone has given me while I've been away for so long. As much as I love being over here, I do still miss all of you. Knowing that you read this and are keeping up with my travels through my parents as well definitely makes everything better for me over here. I hope to write again fairly soon, it certainly won't be a month before my next post.
-Chase
PS: Cole will be here in a few days so I am very excited about that. I'll be taking him to a wine reception for the Hansard Society at the House of Lords in Parliament his first day here. So he will be thrust into posh British society immediately upon his arrival. We have an eventful week planned while he is here so I will let you all know how it went after he leaves.
PPS: here is the site for my pictures. http://www.webshots.com
I think you can search for a user (mine is CBent88) and look at their pictures. if not just email me and I can give you my account info so you can see them. My email is bentley.chase@gmail.com
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