Off to London!

we are awesome, originally uploaded by sarahconquerseurope.

Alright guys, I'm in the halifax Library and I have 8 minutes left so I'll give you a quick update. Last night we got wasted and didn't even go out anywhere, we just drank my 40 of coconut rum that I got in Mexico (I knew I should have ran back for it!) It was hilarious and an all around good night. We fell asleep around 3am and I woke up WIDE AWAKE around 6:30am. No Joke! That is SO not like me. So I got up and wandered around for a while, organizing my things. It was the weirdest thing. Everyone got up around 10am and we milled about for a bit. Went to the new place and by this point, it was the afternoon and I slept on this creepy and dingy pullout bed with somebody's dusty old comforter on it. I guess I should be getting used to this sort of thing by now! Hostels will be sketchy AT BEST! haha. So anyways, me and Car wandered around for a good while and we ended up here. But not before checking out the Alexander Keith's brewery again! So now we have a few hours to kill before we meet back at Sarah and Adams house. I have no idea what we will do, but it's really nice in Halifax today. I bought a converter (YESS!) so I am excited. We have to be at the airport around 4pm hali time tomorrow, so we are going to get a really good sleep tonight and keep our act together. Hope everyone is doing well, and the next time I post it will be in London Town! Love Sarah

UBC

We stopped into another internet cafe today. I have some very exciting news everyone....I GOT ACCEPTED TO UBC!!!! Mom I know you are flipping out right now. I am so excited and this is going to be intense, organizing my classes from overseas. Oh noes. I am still safe and good and we are getting ready to fly out Thursday. I won't really have a chance to get to another computer before we fly out but I will try.

Hiii from Hali

Hey friends,

Carla and I are taking a break in an internet cafe to say hello. The flight we took from Calgary was BRUTAL... there was a man snoring in the seat in front of me, and a baby was crying the whole time. I've never wanted to punch a baby so hard in my life. Carla and I tried to sleep, but to no avail. By the time we got to Hali, we were delirious. Sarah and Adam met us in the terminal, and Sarah (bless her heart) was sleeping on the seats. Seems that they decided it would be a good idea to go out to Tribeca last night, and then come straight to the Airport so that they wouldn't miss us. They ended up at the airport around 3am hahaha and we didn't pull in till 7:20am (flight was delayed). So things are all good here, Halifax weather is nice. Sarah's house is basically empty because they are moving in a couple of days. Last night we went to Tribeca where a jazz band was playing. Makes me want to bust out that clarinet and learn a little jazz. Carla and I have been wandering around all afternoon, down to the harbour, through the cemetary and basilica, just hanging out basically. Right after this we are catching the bus from Barrington to the store that Sarah works at. We'll hang out there for a bit, and then Adam is going to pick us up. Tonight we are going out for sushi (yumm) and then maybe to a pub. We had a good rest last night and I am feeling much better. I wonder how the flight from Halifax to London will be! I bet I'll be knackered and I don't even want to think about carrying around that backpack. I'm throwing things out left and right! Trying to keep that pack light, you know. I hope everyone is doing well back at work, it's weird to think I would be starting my 1-9pm shift soon. Sarah is ripping off wireless internet, so I will try and come back down here to post before we fly away on Thursday. MUCH LOVE <3

I wanted to know.....

whether I could post from my iPod touch. I guess I can! Not much to update, but will post tomorrow before the flight.
さようなら。。

Yay for slideshows!

Yay I got my flickr slideshow to work. It is located on the sidebar close to the bottom. It doesn't have any Europe pictures there yet, but just you waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!

Blog Changes

P.S. I am going to keep changing the blog as I see fit until I leave haha. So it may be different everytime you log on until I am quite satisfied!

Tying up loose ends

I did all my laundry today! Nobody told me going to Europe would be so much work :( haha. I have to get my pack on all day tomorrow and buy last minute things. I wandered around in Walmart confused for about an hour tonight. They shouldn't be allowed to just switch sections around whenever they feel like it because then I feel like a moron trying to find a stupid converter. I didn't even end up finding it! Does anybody think a converter should be in any other area than electronics or sockets? Because that makes the most sense to me, but go figure. That stupid thing was probably in seasonal or something dumb like that. haha. Momma says buy it at the airport, but who waits to buy things at the Airport? It's just gonna be like $80.00 or something. Oh! Speaking of $80.00, Nathan bought my travel insurance for me! D'aw. That is the sweetest thing ever, trying to make sure I am safe. I also got an ADORABLE watch from Theresa today, that was the most practical and accessorizable gift I got. Thank you so much! The library gave me a card that they all signed today and it was also very cute (considering I totally slept in today and missed a good portion of it haha) I think I will go to sleep a bit earlier tonight, I've got a big day tomorrow. I had dreams about waterslides inside old cathedrals (I should try to market that) last night. I also talked to Sarah Shea today, that beautiful friend of mine. She is so excited that me and Carla are coming, and her and adam offered to pick us up from the Airport. We will def. pay for gasoline and copius amounts of Tim Horton's breakfast sandwiches. That is one of the things I remember the most is rolling into Hali, foggy as hell, and getting like 3 sausage and bacon breakfast sandwiches each. The best. Carla messed up her hair, (a bleachy box of hair dye left in her hair for over an hour!) so I'm going to help her fix it before we touch down in London Town. I've had an offer to hitchhike from Amsterdam to Berlin with a girl I am staying with, but I think I'll travel a bit more around the Netherlands before I do that. That's all folks!

The land of my forefathers....

So I decided to nix Copenhagen from the trip. I made that decision at like 3am last night after tirelessly searching for places to sleep. The only places I found were either ridiculously expensive, or out of town basically. I really wanted to check out Christiana, the free town within Copenhagen that was started in the 70's and still exists today. I think it will have to wait until another trip. It's alright because I wanted to search my relatives in Denmark a bit more, maybe I have some distant relatives I can crash with ^-^ (not to mention the 8 X 43043289010389210832 bajillion hours it takes to get to Copenhagen)

So after Cologne, it's off to Berlin!

i put up a new picture!

Let me know what you think! That sweater is actually red so I am feeling pretty talented. Although....with the time I spent doing that, I could have spent looking up safety websites for Europe or other travel related things. That's alright haha. It's all good fun. So I fly out this Saturday! EEK! It almost doesn't feel like this is happening. Same thing happened before Mexico, so I'm not too worried.

ONE LOVE!

Quick Update!

1. I got my rail pass in the mail! I opted for the Global Youth Flexi Pass, which means that I have 15 days of travel allowed within 2 months. The flimsy paperness of it doesn't inspire confidence that I won't destroy or lose it. haha
2. I bought my tickets for the Miyavi show in Barcelona
3. Momma took me shopping today for a few things. I got a money belt and a flashlight, a new camera (GUESS WHICH ONE!) and a scarf....didn't get shoes or a jacket though, and that's what we really went for haha. Okay so I have to go back in the SNOW (!!!) tomorrow and find a few things.
4. I booked a flight from Rome to Barcelona today through Ryan Air eek I have to be somewhere at a certain time! That's not free itinerary planning! Although...I like the security of knowing a few major details of the trip for safety reasons. I don't want to be stuck in a new city in the dark with no where to stay!
5. I leave in 6 days! I really have to phone Sarah Shea, she probably forgot I'm coming we haven't talked in so long ;)
6. I dyed my hair extensions today and they match my new hair color, yayayayay
7. My fingers are still numb from playing guitar.
8. I really want to see the Kostnice Ossuary outside of Prague!
9. In Barcelona, I am couchsurfing for the first two nights, and staying at Kabul Hostel for the other 3 nights.
10. I'm sleepy!

That's it for now, I've got a comfy bed calling my name ~~~

Hiking in Cinque Terre?

This is a picture of the village of Manarola in Cinque Terre. I want to go hiking there! It's in Northern Italy, and you can hike through all five villages for a total of 9km. Day trip maybe?

Rail travel and You

Rail Schedules!
This website is proving very useful! I'm trying to get all my rail travel in order. It's so hard because my itinerary isn't set in stone, so I don't want to buy too little...but if I can get by with the 10 day pass, I am going to DO it! And then I will plan flights or alternative travel (but no hitchhiking, sillies) for everything else. I am getting worried about money, and I don't know why. I feel like I've been saving up for this trip my whole life. My big plan when I got out of high school was to travel before I made a decision on school. I sort of traveled (I moved to Banff) but I never ended up going to Europe. I feel like this is such a long time coming. Thing is, I'm only 21. I have like 50 more years to travel after this summer, so there is no reason to feel like I have to see it all, ya know? Anyways, I've been playing guitar all day so my fingers are hurty and I can't use a keyboard without cringing. But I learned 4 songs!!!!! I will upload a video laters.

14 days, suckas!

~Everything in Flux;

Everything is in flux. Anything could change every moment, and it often will. Penny was accepted into Leeds University in England for her Masters degree in Library studies. Janice was given (not offered) a teaching position starting next week, which means she won't be around for the reading program. My itinerary is changing daily. I add and remove cities without a moment's thought. This impermanence is welcome and also the source of unduly stress. Throughout my life it hasn't always been easy to go with the flow, but I am proud to say that things rarely affect me like they used to. When my camera got stolen, I shrugged it off and thought of the new camera I would buy. When I lost 500 pesos in Mexico, no problem. When I found out that Carla was only coming to London with me instead of Barcelona and Paris, I found an opportunity to change my route with no looking back. This easy-going nature was not always so simple for me to do. But I think it will help me on my travels. For some travellers, getting their backpack stolen is the end of their life, end of their trip, the WORST possible thing that could happen. But for me, it would affect me, but not really. Material possessions are nice, but not nessecary for happiness. It's just not worth the emotional arousal and stress. I would get upset if someone else's things were stolen, but that is just empathy. I guess what I am trying to say is that the one thing you can count on....is change. If you are perfectly happy in the present moment, in the right now, you must realize that it will inevitably change. Things will never stay just as they are. That is the nature of the universe. And it's beautiful! It's an amazing thing! I'm just going to keep going with the flow, keep riding that wave of life - see where it takes me. ^-^

Fan-Girl Dilemma

Okay so I was THIS freaking close to buying the tickets for Tokio Hotel online today. I always get to the point where they want my money, and I panic. I mean, tickets are €65! EEK!

Not to mention that Monte Carlo is schmooze city, what with it's yachts and cars and helicopters and yachts that have private helicopters and whatnot. Would I want to be around all the rich and fabulous (the answer is of course, yes). I also confirmed what I feared (and am excited about)....TOKIO HOTEL AND MIYAVI WILL BOTH BE PERFORMING IN BARCELONA ON JUNE 27!!! Of course they couldn't be a day apart at least :( But anyways, exciting nonetheless because that will be the best freaking day of my life, knowing they are both there. I've decided that I am going to see Miyavi on June 27. Tickets go on sale April 14 (I found out from some random spanish people on a music site) so I will buy them this Sunday.
Tokio Hotel will be performing at Rock in Rio on June 28 in Madrid. I kind of decided that was pretty much too ridiculous to go there next day, but I'm not so sure anymore. I'm just not sure I can afford all this extravagance ^-^ and androgynous boy chasing much longer. So I will leave it at that for now, because I can't think straight when I am in Fan-Girl Mode. There is a staff meeting at the library tomorrow so I don't have the day off. I will be going shopping Saturday for things I need. I hope momma will come with me, because she knows best. If I do it alone, I will end up with some new kicks, a garden hose, and 8 costumed midgets from a mail-order catalogue. She will keep me on track :) Oh yes. Some items from this shopping list include:
Money Belt
Camera
Flash Drive
Memory Card
Extra Battery
Converter and Plugs
Shoe Insoles (what shoes am I going to take?)
Universal Plug Stopper (for washing my clothes in the sink...I feel like that is going to end up sucking, alot)

Anyways, I best be going to bed. Nobody likes a cranky Sarah.

Red Light District aspirations? naww...

Okay. So here's the thing. Tokio Hotel is playing in Monaco on July 5th. That is past the date I said I would return to Canada. I have been watching all the fan websites very closely, all through their earlier scheduled concerts in Europe. I was so upset that all the European tour dates were before I was there, because I would just DIE to see them live. But don't worry, with my ISIC card my dead carcass will be shipped back to Canada for free. KIDDING! Anyway, Bill got an infected throat mid-march, and all tour dates were cancelled. They have been rescheduling them and they are playing in a TINY venue in Monaco (on a street, basically). They are also playing at Parc-Des-Princes in Paris, but that venue holds something like 49000 people. So I've been trying to figure this out. Do I have enough money to get me to July 5th? And to MONTE CARLO, no less? Nice is only 13km out of Monaco, so I could easily make it back without paying extravagant accomodation fees. But! Can I manage 76 days away from home with $4500? Not without making an extended stop in the Red Light District, I can't. Here are my options. I could easily find work abroad for a few nights, working in hostels or nearby pubs. That might be a little harder in places where I can't speak the language...but I do have an advantage because I am a solo female traveller and people are generally more open to helping a chica out. I could make a grand effort of using http://www.couchsurfing.org/ quite religiously and staying with people, but feel as though I may lose out on potential travel buddies that way. I'm not really sure. I am CERTAIN beyond a doubt that I will do anything to see both Miyavi and Tokio Hotel in Europe. That would make my life. I've loved both groups for years...and I don't want to miss out on this chance. Anybody have any red lights I can use?

P.S. Both Miyavi and the members of Tokio Hotel are all BOYS. Not GIRLS. And they are not gay. Stop calling them gay.


Monsoon (English Version) -Tokio Hotel


Miyavi - 素晴らしきかな、この世界 (What a Wonderful World)

ETD - 18 days, 432 hours, 25920 minutes.....

We travel on the road to adventure

On a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun

Like lovers and heroes, and the restless part of everyone

We’re only at home when we’re on the run// on the run

The Casio Exilim camera is calling my name !

"Saaaaarah Jaaaayne! I will help you keep your precious memorriiiies aaaliiiiiiiive! PURCHASE ME!!!! I come with a limited warrantyyy and I promise I won't crapp out on youuuuuuuuu at least until you come baaaack!"

It haunts my dreams.

It comes in lavender purple..should I spend the extra $79.99 for it? I could spend that on a 3 day holland bike tour! Ohhhhh the choices.