Why the Blog?

These days everyone wants to travel the world. As kids and teens we dream about it. As adults we might often think about it, but never find the time. We dream, but few of us ever reach our goal. I am one of those few.
Soon, starting September 4 , my dad and I are going overseas to three places-Israel, Thailand and Prague, Czech Republic. Well, those are where our homes are going to be, but we will be traveling in Egypt, Sweden, and other places. We will stay in each place for about three months.
I am an eleven-year-old girl named Rachael. My father is Philip and my mother(who is not coming for the whole trip but is visiting) is Margie. In this blog I will keep you posted about events. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Friday, May 30, 2008

Update

Hi! Just a quick update today, Dad talked to Uncle Harry and it seems that we will not be going to his place today, but we will tomorrow. So, today for me is a day of fun doing whatever and for Dad a day of work, poor Dad.

Well, that's about it for now, I'll try to post as soon as I can about tomorrow, but it might have to wait until we get back from Uncle Harry's on Saturday, OK? Bye!

Ireland and New York

Hey, all! I'm in New York! I'm sooo happy. Well, here's what happened in Ireland!

Ireland was, all in all, pretty boring. Dad and I were really sick, so we mostly stayed in the hotel room for the whole time there. I am getting better now, but Dad isn't.

New York is awesome! Today we went to the Strand, one of the two biggest and best bookstores in the US (the other one's in Portland, Oregon) and I bought three books including the one I've been looking for for forever and I'm soooooo happy!

Tomorrow Dad and I are planning to go to Uncle Harry's house, I'm really excited! See you then!

P.S. For those of you who are wondering, I am planning to end this blog a day before I leave for Iowa, June 1st. Thank you everyone!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Lots and lots of stuff

Hey! Sorry I haven't written in so long, but I was busy. I have a lot of stuff for you guys, so enjoy! Also, Sheila and I got a cold sometime in this time period. Dad got it too on Sunday.

The day after Sheila, her class, and I went on a hike Sheila, Dad, Emma, and I went to Stockholm (Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you this before: Sheila and Emma live in Uppsala which is north of Stockholm, the capitol of Sweden) for the day. It was awesome! To get to Stockholm we had to take a bus to the train station, and then there was a 40 minute train ride.

Stockholm was big! The first place we went to was the castle. It was really cool, and we also got to see the changing of the guards. The guards were all in uniform and walked with their legs all straight and their arms swinging! It was comical, and Sheila and i had fun imitating them. We walked all around the castle district and saw some really cool stuff. I also got this book that I have been wanting for a while now, and I'm so happy!

After the castle we went to the huge museum which had all these themes: space, old-fashioned stuff, optical illusions.... the list could go on forever! We all had a fun time looking at everything.

On Saturday, Dad, Will and I went to a dance show that Sheila was in! There were all these songs with all these cool dances ranging from little kids to high school people. Sheila was in the 9-11 age group, with one of the two hip-hop songs. She was awesome! There was this one song that i got unfortunately stuck in my head. It was inappropriate for some of the kids there!

After the show, Sheila and I went to Will's house to spend the night. We watched a Eurovision thing where all the European (including Israel!!!!) countries picked an artist to make a song and ten sing it on TV, and after all the songs were sung people got to call in and vote. Sweden didn't get a lot of votes, but it was a great song! Wah. Russia won, and I think their song stunk. Sheila and I didn't get to sleep until after midnight!

On Sunday, Sheila preformed again, but only Emma went to watch her, so after dropping off Sheila Will drove me to Emma's house. There was no-one there since Dad went to Stockholm again and Emma was at work, so I entertained myself until Sheila came back. After Sheila and Emma got back, we decided to go to a pool! Sheila and I would swim, and Emma would sit somewhere and study for a test that's coming up. Did you know that Emma is studying to become a vet? I want to be a vet, too!

The pool was awesome! Actually, there were three pools! One where there were all these water slides and fun stuff, that's where the kids mostly went. Another was where the diving boards and the lap lanes were. Yet another was outside, but there was no-one there, it was too cold so Sheila and I didn't go in that one for too long. We stayed in the pool for three hours! It was so fun!
When we got back to the house Dad and I started packing since we were leaving on Monday.

On Monday we left Sweden! Nooooo! I really miss Emma, Sheila, Will, and all the pets! I soooooo hope that I will see them again not too far in the future.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

SWEDEN!

I'm in Sweden! It's so fun here. I'm not sure if I explained this before, but Dad and I are staying in my friend Sheila's house (she grew up with me in Iowa) with her mom Emma and her hamster and four cats!!!!!! It's really nice to see Sheila again, I haven't seen her for almost 3 years and Dad 8!

The first day here was OK. Emma and Sheila picked Dad and I up at the airport after our two-hour plane ride and drove us to their two-bedroom apartment. Sheila and I hung out for the rest of the night.

The next morning Sheila and I woke up at 7 am and went to Sheila's school. There I was introduced to her friends and spent the day with them. Her teacher was really nice, and i learned how to crochet! It was cool how at the beginning and end of school the class sat in a circle on the floor and knitted, crocheted, and did a lot of other projects. In that one day I crocheted three necklace/bracelet things! That night I slept over with Sheila at Sheila's dad Will's house (her parents are divorced) and i met Sheila's rabbit Nibbles. Will works at Sheila's school and lives on campus.

Today I spent the morning at Will's house and at lunchtime Sheila got me to eat lunch with her and afterwards went on a hike with her class. I enjoyed myself a lot. I am SO happy to be here in Sweden with our friends!

I'll try to blog again soon, OK? TTYL!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Holocaust Museum

Hi! On Wednesday (I know, I know, I forgot to blog this until now when I found the pictures, I'm sorry) Dad and I went to the Holocaust Museum that's in Budapest. It was...... deep. I learned a lot, and saw a lot, too. It was sad, there were films of what the Holocaust was like and they showed dying people.

But the cool thing was that they had a Synagogue there, connected to the museum. You could take pictures there, too, which was nice! But what really touched me was that they had glass benches and there were the names, pictures and cause of death of all the people that belonged to the synagogue and died in the Holocaust. The saddest one was of a little girl that died when she was only three. The thought alone makes me tear up! I mourn for all those deaths.

I'm actually glad that we went to the museum, for although it was horrible seeing the films of all those starving and dying people I learned a lot and achieved some release. You know, on this trip I have learned a lot about the Holocaust and I think I have started to come to terms with it.

"... Real hunger is to look at another man as something to eat. I know what real hunger is." ~Primo Levi

Boat trip and Szentendre

Hi! Guess what Dad and I did today? We went on a boat up the Danube to a town called Szentendre! (pronounced Sen-tend-ray) The boat ride was fun, around an hour and ten minutes. The breeze was awesome!

Szentendre is a small artist's colony by the Danube. It's really pretty, with cobblestone streets (not many cars, either, which is nice) and lots of church tower spires! I really like the buildings there, it's sorta like Eger where there are short small buildings painted in bright colors. It has a cheery atmospheres, and I really liked it!

One of the really cool places we went to was the Pozarevacka Church. Even though it was small, it was great with absolutely beautiful paintings and eighteenth-century style furnishings. It was cool in the stone room and we stayed there for a while.

After that we walked around for a while, visited another church (this one didn't allow pictures) and went on the train home, since we have to pack for Sweden!

And that's our trip to Szentendre! I liked it a lot.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

News

Hi! My cold is almost better now! My headache is only mild and my sore throat gone, but my stomach is going wacko. Oh, well!

Guess what? Dylan stopped by on Monday! Unfortunately, he only stayed for one day, and then set off again. I miss him, he's good company. I think that we will not see him again for a while, at least not while we're here. Poo.

Something funny happened the other day! I was in this bookstore, and I was looking around when I saw my favorite series by Robert Jordan in Hungarian!!! It was so funny!

Only five more days until we leave for Sweden! Wow, time has flied, hasn't it? I almost wish it would slow down a bit, but then again it's getting a bit boring here :)

Um... that's it! See you later!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Today

Today Monique went back to France! Nooooo! I really loved having her around and I really hope that I will see her again sometime.

I'm sick today. Poo. Last night I couldn't sleep well at all, I kept having fever dreams and then walking up for a long time. I never really got into deep sleep, I mostly had light sleep. And then I woke up this morning with a bad headache and a 101 fever! Luckily after I took some medicine the fever went away, but my head still hurts a bit. I'm just glad I didn't get sick when we were leaving for Sweden!

I have to go now. Bye!

Buda with Monique

Hi! As you probably know, yesterday Dad, Monique, and I went to Buda. It was really fun! We went across the chain bridge and took the lift up to the castle. The view was awesome! We were planning on going to the National Gallery, but since it was such a beautiful day we decided that we'd rather stay outside. So we walked over to the medieval Jewish Synagogue. It was pretty cool, there were all these gravestones with Hebrew on them!

After the synagogue, we walked around for a while, enjoying the day. At one point we were listening to a man play the violin, and since we put some money into the case he walked over and started playing for us! He asked where we were from, and when Monique said she was from France, he started playing old French songs! It was cool.

The rest of the time in the castle was mostly spent walking around. We had a very good lunch, and then decided to go home. When we were walking back, we stopped at a little fountain and watched the pigeons drink from our bench! I loved watching the birds come and drink. There was even one that rolled around on the wet sidewalk by the fountain to take a bath! It was funny.

So that was our day in Buda!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Flea market and baths

Hey! Sorry I haven't written before this, we got home late last night and I had things I needed to do....

Yesterday, as I'm sure you know, Monique, Dad, and I went to the flea market and the Turkish baths. It was really fun! We walked to City park, enjoying the nice day and each other's company. The flea market was just how I liked it, with not a lot of people walking around (I don't like being in huge crowds in the small space of the flea market, it makes me a bit claustrophobic). I bought a really cute necklace for a cheap price! We had a really fun time there, looking around.

Soon we went to the baths. There really isn't a good system in the baths. You walk in the door, and there are 3 ticket offices. There's a long line at one and nobody at the other! It's pretty confusing. Anyway, we get our passes and go through the door and upstairs. There are a ton of dressing rooms lining the walls with two walkways. This guy in white directs you to a room, one for the three of us! So, after we all change, the guy in white gives us this string bracelet with a hexagonal piece of metal with three numbers on it and then locks the changing room. We go downstairs and outside to the baths. After around 2 1/2 hours in the baths we went back upstairs and showed the guy in white the bracelet thing, and he unlocked the room. After we changed we went out and got 200 HUF back, for if you come out in 2 hours or less you get 300 HUF back and if you come back in 3 hours or less you get 200 HUF back. It's a really confusing system!

So, then we went to a place to eat, and home. I had a really fun time with Monique! Tomorrow you will hear about Buda with Monique!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Monique and hair

Hey! Monique's here! She isn't anything like I pictured, in looks, but her personality is sweet and kind just like I pictured. We walked down to the Danube with Monique, and we ate dinner at our favorite Turkish restaurant. I'm really happy she's here!

Guess what? I got a haircut today! I went into the hairdressers only wanting to get a trim, but for some reason the hairdresser misunderstood and now my hair just brushes the top of my shoulders, whereas it used to be to my mid-back! There were a few tears when we got back home, but that was only from the shock. I actually love my new hairdo, my hair was a bit thin and stringy when it was long and now it gets to re -cooperate. Also, with summer coming, short hair is a good idea! I'm really happy.

Well, that's all for today, be ready for tomorrow, the flea market and baths with Monique! Bye-bye!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Updates

Hey! Here are some updates on what's happening around here.

Monique: There weren't any tickets on the 7th, so Monique is coming on Friday the 9th. I can't wait to show her Budapest! On Saturday we are planning to take Monique to the flea market and the Turkish baths.

Dylan: I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but Dylan is no longer with us. He went out on a bicycling trip on the 2nd or 3rd, and will not be back until the 13th. Dad said he got an e-mail from him and it seems like he's having a great time! In around 1 1/2 weeks Dylan is planning to go away again to France to see a friend and he's going to work on an organic farm! I love farms, I actually grew up on one with my mom.

Upcoming Trips: Dad and I are unsure if we are going to go on another trip, we would like to go to Prague, but we might not find the time. I really hope we do go on another trip, I'm sure you guys are getting bored of reading posts like this with not a lot in them! I'm really sorry!

Well, that's it for now, I'll let you know as soon as something changes!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Vienna

Hi! I am so sorry I haven't written before this! It's just that we were so busy in Vienna we didn't go on a computer to do more than check our e-mail. Did you know that in Vienna the keyboards are all messed up? The y and z keys are in the wrong place, and so are the commas, colons, semi-colons, dashes, question marks, quotes, and apostrophes! It makes writing very difficult.

Vienna was awesome! It's really funny how even though its only 3 hours away from Budapest, no-one from Vienna that we talked to has ever been to Budapest! For most of Wednesday afternoon-evening we spent in downtown walking around. Vienna is famous for its chocolate, and I was just in heaven! The architecture is great in Vienna, and a really good example is the huge church in one of the main squares (see picture).

On Thursday we walked around some more. We went to an amusement park and rode on the huge ferris wheel!I know that ferris wheels are generally little kid things, but this is the ferris wheel in one of the largest amusement parks in the area! It was big. We also went to a museum that had all the crown jewels from various emperors of various countries. They had the largest emerald in the world there! It was pretty cool.

Our hotel room was one of the best hotel rooms that we have stayed in in a while. It was nice and big!We had a great time in Vienna, although I like Budapest better.
I am glad we went there!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Margrit Island

Hiya! Guess what Dad, Dylan, and I did yesterday? We went to Margrit (pronounced Margaret) Island, which is it the middle of the Danube! It's really cool, like a huge park! I'm sorry, we forgot to bring the camera, but next time we will!

We mostly walked around there. Around a quarter of the way through our time there, Dylan left us to go play Ultimate Frisbee. Dad and I walked around for a while until we came to this really good restaurant! The food was delicious!

After we ate we sat and read on the bench and then we got some ice cream! I got my favorite kind, Magnium, which is like a chocolate bar filled with ice cream! We walked back along the shoreline, and then went home since it was like 6pm (we didn't get out there 'till 3pm). I had a really fun time! I just love plants and trees, so Margrit Island was like a haven for me!

Up Next: It's official! We are definitely going to Vienna! We already have our tickets!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Thingy-mabobbers

Hello. This post is just a filler post about the small changes that have happened since I posted last.... yes, I am being a little pedantic (teacher-like, no offense to teachers), deal with it.

Dylan came back! For those of you who don't really understand, there were some problems and Dylan had to fly back to the US. Eli left here because it was time for him to go, not because he wanted to be with Dylan, Dylan was supposed to come back anyways. Dylan will be staying for a few days.

GOOD NEWS! On Sunday Dad and I are going to Vienna for 2 days! I can't wait. Also, we might have another visitor here! Dad's friend Monique is going to try to come out on the 7th of May! I am so excited about meeting her, she seems like a really sweet person from what Dad has told me about her.

Well, I think that's it for now! See ya later, alligator!