Vilnius, Lithuania

            After what seemed like the longest train ride EVER, I arrived safely in Lithuania’s capital city of Vilnius in the early afternoon. As is my habit, I took a taxi straight to my hostel and regrouped. Now, before I get into all the particulars of my activities, I want to quell some family anxiety. There seems to be a misunderstanding about where I am and the dangers of being so “close” to Russia. I am receiving concerned emails and phone calls form certain members of the family about my safety that I will be swept up in Putin’s decidedly overstated “communist revolution”…. So I’ve included a map: As you can see Lithuania is surrounded by friendly countries and I can assure there is no trouble here at this time, so fear not MacNichol family!!

            Ok anywho, during my city expirations I was surprised to find the city was not at all how I expected. I envisioned communist block style housing and gray building with cracked corners and forlorn shutters, and boy was I wrong. This city is astoundingly beautiful. Communism met its demise here between 1989-1990, which in reality isn’t that long ago, so of course there are remnants of it, but more so than that, the city is a true Baltic beauty.  The old style baroque buildings and cobblestone streets give way to a large busy city center and some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered. The city is cut in half by a river and large spired cathedrals are tucked into the crevasses of what seems like every street. Fresh flower shops dot the alleys and bouquets can be had for less than $1 (I admittedly went a bit overboard…). 

            The food here is succulent and heavy on the stomach. Juicy grilled meats, dark breads, savory pastries, dense sauces, thick soups with seafood, and sweets so sweet they make ones teeth scream are the norm and it leads me to wonder why everyone here isn’t obese!! The streets everywhere smell like baking bread and juicy meat at lunchtime and a side of some variety of potatoes seem to accompany every meal. The fresh produce markets smell like herbs such as thyme and freshly ground pepper and I spent a good amount of time just perusing and contemplating my tiny purchases.

            The parks are dense with trees and tulips (my favorite flower!) and there are many benches to sit enjoy the sunny weather. What a treat!!

            I went to check out Vilnius University on my second day and was even more surprised by the University than the city. I am including another areal photo of the campus so you can see how it is laid out, but the most impressive aspects are the ceilings.  They are painted with the most intricately spectacular works of art and combined with the large courtyards and tiled floors some of the buildings feel more like castles than classrooms. There is a large greenhouse on campus and the whole place seems...peaceful, although I am sure that changes around finals time!

            Needless to say I enjoyed it quite a bit and realize I did not quite budget enough time to see all I wanted! Shoot!! But perhaps I’ll be back…. For now I am on yet another overnight train this time to Bucharest with a stop over in Budapest. I will keep you all posted on my ongoing journey and inform you immediately if there are any Dracula sightings in Transylvania ;) Love and miss you all xoxo

The Netherlands

            Let me just say this blog entry will be mostly educational as the purpose of my visit here is, after all, to school shop…but don’t stop reading!! I promise sprinklings of fun facts here and there to keep you entertained. ;)

After a 6-hour layover in Newark airport I excitedly boarded my plane for Amsterdam. Although I had previously chosen an aisle seat I lucked out and had no one sitting next to me for the whole 8 hour flight, yahoo!! (I used this extra space to store my secret extra carry on and to play solitaire) Also before I get to revved up here, I just want to take a moment and say that airline food on Europe bound international flights is waaaaaay superior to US flights.  I remember this from when I flew to Spain in high school and was again reminded of it on the flight over here. This is what they served for breakfast….yeah, it’s muesli and it even tasted good! Not a spongy two-week-old microwaved breakfast sandwich in sight, so bite me Delta/United/American Airlines with your crappy plane slop!! Ok moving on….

I arrived very early in the morning and even so, I feel compelled to mention that the International arrivals/departures area of the Amsterdam airport at 7am may possibly contain the best people watching I have ever witnessed.  It is really indescribable and must be seen in person. The variety is quite astounding.

          I took a taxi directly from the airport to my hostel and after a bit of rest and reorganization I headed out for some exploring. I must say the city is quite clean and beautiful and the canals are truly lovely.  Amsterdam is shaped like a giant pentagon with one side on the river and is enveloped in a unique system of canals that runs all over giving off the impression that the sea is a at your fingertips. At least that is how I felt coming from Idaho, where Payette Lake is the largest body of water in my life. This aside, Amsterdam is by no means a sleepy city. The constant hustle and bustle gives the place a lively hum and everything seems to be in motion.  Although I speak not a word of Dutch, people were friendly and most spoke enough English to get by. I spent most of the time wandering, enjoying the nice park areas and even ate some French fries dipped in mayonnaise…I know it’s shocking but I read in my Lonely Planet book they were a popular snack (they could put anything in those books I swear), although I am not sure why because it isn’t very tasty…

I had also read The Netherlands is the most biking friendly country in the world and it shows as the streets and bike lots seem to be packed with bicycles at all hours of the day. Side note: The bike lanes are not sidewalks and walking in them with get you sideswiped or at least yelled at.

On my outings I found many little tourist shops with cute wooden shoes (I almost got some but remembered my poor swollen suitcase back in my room and refrained…next time…), lots of pubs and coffee shops, and decent sunshiny weather. It seems the only thing that Dutch people like more than coffee and biking and beer is cheese. Like seriously…its everywhere, and it is oooohhhhhh so delicious.

Fun facts about The Netherlands:

1: It was the first country to legalize same sex marriage (2001).

2: Most of the country is at sea level or below.

3: The Netherlands was one of the six founding countries of the European Union.

4: 70% of the worlds bacon is comes from The Netherlands.

5: The Netherlands and Holland are not actually the same thing!! The Netherlands is the official name of the country while Holland is considered to be the Western costal area. Who knew!! Thanks to a friendly staff member at my hostel, now I do!

Ok back to business. The next day I took a train south to the The Hague University to have a little looksee. I went on a campus tour where I met a nice girl named Anna with whom I later had a coffee date at one of the thousand coffee houses around the campus (not exaggerating).  The tour included a question and answer session that was very helpful and I got some great info about studying abroad and what my program entails. The university itself is compact and very professional looking with big metallic shiny buildings and large throughways, not to mention it is also appears to be floating on a canal. Obviously I didn’t take the aerial photo but thanks to Google you can get a better view of the campus.

            After I had my fun in Amsterdam and The Hague, I took a late morning train north to Groningen. The largest city in northern Netherlands with a population just under 200,000 Groningen has a much homier feel to it than its famous southern counterpart.  The streets seem narrower and the buildings seem older and the whole city emits a lacksidaisical almost goofy charm.  Groningen is home to Hanze University of Applied Sciences, which I took a tour of and found myself quite taken by the campus. It is not as new or attention demanding as The Hague, but it is quite lovely and the location is very convenient to the city. After the tour I hung around for a cooking demonstration in the food court where I got to try some kind of exaggeratedly thick pea soup with vegetables in it. I think if I lived here it would be the ultimate comfort food. It was delicious.

            Ok, so here is my dilemma… As I now sit on an overnight train to Vilnius (with a changeover in Warsaw), I find I am torn between the two schools.  The Hague is very well known and nice and in a bigger metropolitan area and is slightly more expensive, where as Hanze is in a quainter city and less expensive although also less prestigious and more hidden away. What to do, what to do?! Those of you who know me best already know I will be making lists and obsessively comparing for the next few days and depending on how Vilnius agrees with me I will decide. Stay tuned!!

PS I apologize for the lack of/lame photos…my selfie abilities are terrible and I will do better in the future haha

PPS If any of you are wondering about how Mr. Charlie is doing, here is photo I received from Jason yesterday. Yeah, I think he's fine..... :)

St. Louis, the Gateway to the World!!

            Many people know St. Louis as the gateway to the West.  It was this for the Lewis and Clark expedition as well as countless other explorers and settlers throughout the turn of the century. For me, it was the gateway to the whole world, and the first of many stops in the coming weeks.  Why St. Louis? Well hopefully you all remember my dear friend Jason. He has made St. Louis his home for many years now and after his visit to Idaho and then to China, I thought it was about time I got my butt out to the Midwest to see his stomping grounds.  He works for a telecommunications firm and is 

preparing to move into his brand new custom built dream home on the outskirts of the city.  I simply couldn’t that!!

            So let’s backtrack a bit before I get too carried away. After my return from Portland, I had a rat race ten days trying to prepare for my impending journey. 

I sewed a few airplane seats for Mom, got my LLC set up (Works by Madi is now a reality, and business cards are on the way haha), delivered a pair of Rod Kagen sculptures to Sun Valley, went on a spring hike in Riggins with Charlie and Carly, had a delicious dinner party with Mom’s friend Vivian, finally watched Captain Phillips (Which I have been meaning to do since the Oscars…great flick btw), and even had time to make Mexican Mocha Brownies for John’s birthday the day before I left. Whew!!! What a wonderful life this is. ;)

            So last Thursday Charlie and I saddled up and headed for the airport with much gusto.  Sadly we were delayed 3 hours in Phoenix, which was a bummer because the Phoenix airport is unbelievably stuffy and quite frankly smells like an armpit. Maybe it was just my wing of the airport…luckily, because we had so much time I took Charlie outside to their fabulous pet relief area so he could run around and do his thing and I could get some fresh air. When we were finally collected in St. Louis at around 10:30pm I was so tired I could hardly function!

After a good nights sleep and a little unpacking, Jason and I did a bit of sampling at some nearby wineries. All was well until a bee bounced off my forehead and landed in my wine! Not to worry he was swiftly saved from death by booze and I cautiously finished the rest of my beverage with my hand over the mouth of the cup.  Over the next few days we walked along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and did some rock climbing at a very cool facility near the city. It was Jason’s first time ever and he rocked it! Way to go bud! After our forearms were completely jellified we went to Jason’s Mom’s house for a yummy home made dinner of chicken alfredo, salad, garlic bread, and strawberry shortcake for desert. I got to spend the evening chatting with his Mom about cooking, teaching, and traveling and even met his lovely sister on a rare but seemingly deserved study break. Thanks for a great evening girls and good luck Janette on your exams!! : D

            On Tuesday we took a trip into the heart of the city to see the St. Louis arch which was very cool and had a wonderful view of the city from the top, although the cable cars where quite small and slightly claustrophobic. After the arch we visited Forrest Park and the history museum that sits in the middle of it where we spent a few hours perusing fun facts about western expansion and the Louisiana Purchase.   When we had our fill of historical date and figures we headed to Little Italy to have our fill of delicious Italian food such as toasted raviolis and saffron seafood cannellini soup. Yum!! 

            We did have one minor mishap during the week which involved Jason accidentally breaking his car key off in the ignition and although the car would still start, we subsequently locked ourselves out of the car while taking the pups to the dog park….ooops….BUT after a little extra walking and some phone calls to AAA we had that baby opened up and dropped off at the Chevy dealership while Jason and I rented a car from Avis for a couple of days.  It was quite a process, but we got everything under control just in time to meet Jason’s friends Dan and Kelly that evening for dark chocolate martinis…not even kidding, that’s a real thing and my word are they something to behold.

           

Early Thursday morning Jason dropped me off at the airport for the next leg of my journey (stay tuned for details…). Mr. Charlie Pants with be staying with Jason and his Chihuahua Shelby for the next 8 weeks and I have to say I miss him already. But I know he is in good hands and we will be reunited soon enough! So I said my good byes and headed out with my overweight suitcase.  What a whirlwind of a week! Thanks for everything Jason. I had a blast and I can’t wait to see you in 2 months! 

            Hope everyone is well and enjoying their spring! Please let me know what you are all up to! I am always only an email or Skype call away!! xoxo

Portlandia Round Two!!

       Well hello again!! I am sad to report my stay here in the green city of Portland has come to a close, and was both downtrodden and excited as Charlie and I boarded our Boise bound aircraft. Unfortunately I did not get to visit with the returning MacNichol's but am hoping their trip was spectacular! How could it not be really...

      Ok so, all in all I was faux-Portland resident for 24 whole days, in which I attended 22 yoga classes, 10 spinning classes, 6 swimming workouts, 4 exotic dance classes, 1 day hike, and countless other adventures! Thanks to my dear friend Rachelle and swell cousin Jack I was able to get out often and explore in excellent company!! It was really a blast and I had such a great time despite the constant rain. 

       So to pick up where I left off in my last entry, after my volunteer work was done at ART, my co-workers invited me to the opening night of the theater's featured play called Motherfucker with the Hat.  The prodution was as vulgar as the name suggests and absolutely hilarious! I had a grand time laughing and blushing simultaneously...  Thanks again to all the people at ART who showed me the ropes and allowed me to work with them for a few weeks and Jenny for getting me the hook-up!! 

       The next evening Jack and his room mates joined me for Curry Chicken and the Oscars (which I have little interest in but love to cook for hungry people) and was was more than happy to meet my cousins awesome roomies! Throughout the next few days I found myself ice skating, riding the arial tram, lunching at the Ethiopian food cart, painting, and wine/cheese sampling. What a hoot!

       Also, last week I caught the train up to Seattle for a night. Now, in case you don't already know, I love trains!!! I had a ball and stayed at hotel in Pioneer Square downtown. Now, I feel I should put a disclaimer on this next comment as to not offend any Seattlites (so disclaimed), but I feel Seattle is Portland's elder dead-end sibling....well, downtown at least.    There is this constant semi-romantic symphony of seagulls and sirens at ALL times, and as far as I could tell every person I passed in the street was either a business assosiate in a suite on a cell phone look stressed OR a strung-out tweeker shadily asking if I could spare a dollar. I remembered my last trip to Seattle much more fondly and with give the city the benefit of the doubt by assuming this sickening phenomenon is confined to the downtown area. 

       Anywho, the reason for the journey was my visit to the Johnson O'Connor Foundation.  This an aptitude tesing facility that Aunt Jenny urged me to visit to help with my future path (because it is currently sprouting off in like a zillion different directions...which is very good but also equally as confusing!). It was very interesting and although did not tell me anything that was shocking, gave me a lot to think about. It never hurts to know things about yourself especially the inner working of your own mind. Thanks Jenny for convincing me to do that!!!! I won't totally bore you all with all the details of the results, but I will say that my latest decision to go to grad school for International Communications jives nicely with my aptitudes. So there, a step in a positive direction haha.

       Also while in Seattle I met up with my friend Mary and her fiance Craig for dinner at a near by Mediteranean restaurant. It was great to catch up and visit for a few hours. Congrats on the upcoming wedding you too!!! :D

        It seems like so much to sum up in one blog entry but there you have it...Madi lose in a city for 3 ½ weeks and this is what happens haha. I don't want to ruin my future blogs just yet, but here is a sneak peek at what is soon to come!! As usual I will end with this picture of Mr. Charlie....he was very concerned about being left behind as I was packing so he got in his kennel to show me he was ready too. Adorable. Love and miss you all!!! xoxo