Yey! After over a year, I finally managed to figure out how to log on and update my blog...I had this typed out from before (you needed a goole account to log into this thing and they changed it all around so I couldn't find out where to post...yep technical difficulties...I'm such a loser), so I'll finish with my Wales story and later this week post my last week's vacation blog:)

We got back to Edinburgh and left for our swanky flight on British Airways to London We took the commuter train to our hotel in Notting Hill and then went out for dinner. The next day we explored a little. We were walking around a bit wondering where people eat breakfast. These construction guys were looking at us and said “Hi,’ so we were like “where do you get some bacon and eggs around here?” We ate at a seedy little joint and then headed to the Tower of London. We were standing outside with a bunch of city workers and Amy saw three rats. We thought she was going nuts and seeing things, but then I saw them, and then Trisha. We were joking with the workers because they were walking around with a shovel trying to find them (cause we were freaking out) and we are like be careful they’ll rip your face off. They never did find them. Well, we decided not to go in the Tower of London as it was way over priced so we continued our journey to the Tower Bridge and then took the UNDERGROUND (aka subway) to the Parliament Buildings and then we walked around and saw Westminster Abbey. It was Remembrance Day (not sure what the British call it), so they had lots of wreaths and funny looking poppies out. Then we went on the London Eye. We were able to get a great view of London on this puppy. It was huge and took 25 minutes to go all the way around. To finish off our day, we headed to the British Museum. This is huge. It was interesting but we were tired, so did not walk through the whole thing. We ate at a little Italian joint on the way.

The next day was our Welsh Dragon Haggis tour. This one was not as good as the Scotland one, but we kept ourselves entertained and saw some stuff. The first day we stopped in Chepstow and posed on the half Welsh, half English bridge and a saw a wicked Norman castle. We then went to the Big Pit where we go to dress up in sexy miner’s helmets and belts. We were escorted down the mine by a fine Welsh gentleman who could not understand a word Amy said. Yep, she needed English translators. Then off to view the ruins of the spectacular Tintern Abbey. Then to our final stop of the day which was in Abergavenny. It was a Welsh town with more takeaways than any place needs. We stayed in the Black Sheep Hostel which was an absolute arm pit. I think I came out with bed bug bites. Some of the locals got a kick out of us:) Amy was asking for the manager at this fish and chips place...saying they needed new menu ideas....the Canadian poutine....and she was explaining what it was. Since their words are different for things...she kept picking up stuff and saying ," we call this salt" "Do u call it salt?" Then when the bill came he said 90 pounds. She’s like “bullshit! How much did you charge them?” as she pointed at the locals. He was only teasing, of course.


The next exciting day in Wales we left Abergavenny. And headed through Rhayader and stopped at a nice little café on its outskirts. Then we drove through Elan Valley and saw three dams huge dams. We drove and drove and drove some more and saw Castell-y-bere which was “a wicked example of a Welsh Castle” as quoted by our tour guide. We ate lunch in Llanidloes and then stopped in Porthmadog which was a seaside town. We just stopped to see the washrooms though. Drove through Snowdonia and then stopped for the night at Caernarfon. The hostel we stayed at was such a step up from the other. Totters hostel was nice and it was clean! We were also able to sneak up and steal the smaller room that only had four beds. Way better then sleeping with 12…This town had a huge castle in the middle of it that was built by Edward I. There was also a nice pub around the corner. Amy, Trisha, and I headed over for a good time. The Jukebox cost a fortune to keep music playing in it though. Don’t worry we got the nice Welsh boys to keep it full of money. These guys looked about 15 years of age and were not the most attractive bunch. The one boy we nicknamed “Fang” had a thing for Amy. She did not go home with him though.

The last day in Wales we visited…Are you ready???? Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch that almost took up a hole line. It’s the name of a town in North Wales. The name translates as "The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave" in Welsh, has long claimed the fame of having the longest name in the world. We stopped for a the famous picture of the road sign and that’s about all she wrote in that town…nothing much more to see or do. Then we began our trek back to London. We stopped in Llangollen which is a really touristy Welsh town and home to the shop with the longest shop name amongst other things. We walked up to the Welsh Castle on the hill, called Dinas Bran.

We then stopped in Stratford-upon-Avon which was a Shakespeare fest. We did not pay to see his grave or his house as it would have been so boring. We checked out some parks and churches, looked in some shops and clogged a few toilets. We are now back in London, and I had no idea how I would get a bus to the airport when my flight left at 6 am. I did not pay for a hotel. I snuck into Trisha and Amy’s and hotel and took the last bus back the night before and slept on the nice hard airport seats. All in all, it was a fantastic trip. I never even got robbed! But I did lose my Visa somewhere in Scotland.....don't ask.

Well, here is how my journey home went...When I flew from London to Sweden, I had a little bit of a problem getting back into Finland because of the expired Visa....but I said just ONE day to get my stuff...PLEASEEEEEEEEEE. So they let me in:) Then I got to the airport....and Teemu was not there....and my stuff was at his place...so I went to his place...but he was not there either.....so I waited like 3 hours in the pouring rain for him and he finally came. He had been waiting at the wrong terminal:( So, by the time I had met up with him and got my stuff....I just went to bed. I was exhausted. So I’m kind of sad that I never really got to do any farewells.

Well my flight home was also disastrous. My flight left Helsinki at 9 am but due to weather in Paris could not leave till about 2 hours later. I missed my connection to Montréal and waiting like 3 hours in line in Paris to get a new ticket. I had to run like there is no tomorrow to catch the new flight. Well I get to Montréal....and waited and waited...but no bags....I waited a bit more to be sure....then I missed my damn connection to Ottawa. So I had to take the next connection to Ottawa...and finally got home like 8 hours later then I was supposed to. My bags arrived like 6 days later...I was starting to worry.

I was home for a week and then Teemu came to see me:) I picked him up in Montréal and we stayed the night and went and explored. We saw the Notre Dame, the old port of Montréal, the biosphere, and we went to the Biodome and the Olympique tower. Bioodome was cool. The had a different environment in each different section...so one minute I'm walking through the amazon sweating my clothes off...and then next I'm walking through the Laurentian forest and arctic freezing my ass off:) We also went to Ottawa many times and had some beaver tails and poutine:) Did the Parliament and a bit of a walking tour of the downtown area. We went shopping a million times:) My aunt's friend took us out to the comedy club one night and we all got hammered. Went to a Sens game. We went to Toronto for 2 nights. We did the CN Tower, Casa Loma, Hockey Hall of Fame, Air Canada Centre, Skydome, ROM, so we saw all the main sights. we then went to Niagara Falls:) Its beautiful. They had all their Christmas Lights up along the Niagra Falls parkway. The falls were lit up at night too:) We did the journey behind the falls and it was pretty cool:) Since we were already half way around Lake Ontario we decided just to continue doing the full thing...which meant we crossed the border into Buffalo...New York. Teemu got photographed and finger printed and probably anal probed...I have no idea want the yanks did to him in there....he came out a hole other person. No…it was just annoying we had to wait and he had to pay 6 bucks for them to finger print him. We stopped in Rochester and it’s the biggest dump. The place was kind of deserted and everything was closed. So we didn't stay too long. We must have been in the wrong area. We crossed back over the border in Kingston and continued our drive home.

We went to Morrisburg its a little own along the St. Lawrence to see A Light at Night at Upper Canada Village. All the buildings were lit up for Christmas and they had horse drawn sleigh rides and train rides along the beach...so it was pretty nice:) We also of course went to the big Christmas Parade in Winchester. The Parade of Lights. My town is about 5000 people, but for this parade about 15,000 more visitors come to see it:)

OK, I have updated last year…now new posts for this year will follow must make it my resolution.