The Glasgow diaries

In case you didn't know, me and Rach visited Nicki in Glasgow over the weekend. Here's the uncut version.
The day we arrived
Nicki picks us up at the airport and drives us directly to her flat wich is situated in the centre of Glasgow. It's light, modern and cozy and we embrace it from the bottom of our hearts. The buidling used to be a hotel and still looks a bit like it + it has roomservice!
After chilling, chatting and eating, we move out to the West end, a relly nice area with loads of cafes, pubs and bars. End up in a scottish pub with a guy singing Simon and Garfunkel way to loud.
Day 2
To profit on the good wether we decide to visit Loch Lomond, one of Scottlands biggest lakes, with a lot of nature around it. We end up stuck in the middle of a big fucking grassfield with no where to escape but to take of our shoes and cross two rivers. As we finally find our way back, we meet a 70-something-old man who is out taking photos and he wonders where we're from
and says he saw us earlier, when we were lost on the wrong side of the river.
- So you're hiking, he says.
- Er, not really, says Nicki. We weren't prepared for this.
- Ha, ha, I know she wasn't, he says, higly amused and looks down on my metallic Dorothy Perkin's shoes.
He takes some photos of the stupid tourists before we head back to the pub where Nicki parked the car. The pub is about 300 years old and apparently Rob Roy used to eat here. Explains the large collection of postcards saying: "If it was good enough for Rob Roy..."
You can stay over night at the pub, and a friendly, kilt-wearing guy takes us upsatirs to show us the Deluxe-suite. It's the scariest thing I've ever seen, with heavy, dark furniture and tartans from head to toe. And in the middle of it all: a huge jacuzzi.
- This place looks haunted, says Nicki.
- Oh, this one isn't, says the kilt-wearing guy. The room above it is.
As we head out in the corridor he points out a family picture from the 1800-century and presents them as The haunted family.
After a big pubmeal we depart out to the car and a guy in his sixties, strolling around with his wife greets us.
- Hello, how are you ladies doing this lovely day?
- Not to bad, and yourself, says Nicki.
- Enjoying the view, enjoying the view.
- You like the view?
- Aye, the view I'm looking at now, I like!, he says before his wife starts giggling and pulls him away.
Day 3
Rach gets to do what she desires most in the world: getting a toured visit of the Celtic Stadium. Meanwhile, Nicki and I stroll around Glagow, indulging in some Urban Outfitter's shopping.
Later in the afternoon, Rach leaves for Edinburgh, to visit her friend Rory. Nicki and I start the evening in a restaurant, where the friendly waitress treats us with Amaretto and cholcolate after dinner and sits down, chatting while having an espresso. I get the impression that she knows Nicki very well, but apparently they've only met twice before when Nicki' s been there eating.
We continue the night at Guru, a nearby nightclub where they serve drinks in plastic mugs and some of the people seem to be my brother's age. I start chatting with the nicest-looking guy I've seen since I left Gothenburg (there's Annecy for you: pretty landscape, not so pretty people) while Nicki stands in the bar, being wonderfully bitchy to every guy who steps up, offering her a drink. Later, she shares some of the higlights from the conversation:
Random guy: Hey, can I get you a drink?
Nicki: No, I have one.
Random guy: So why don't you have another one?
Nicki: Okay, I think you've mistaken me for someone who's easy.
(Turns around)
Random guy: I want to kiss you now, but I think I probably shouldn't.
Nicki: I think you're completely right.
Random guy: So what do you want from me?
Nicki: What do I want from you? I want you to fuck off. So why don't you take a walk, loose a couple of pounds, age another 10 years and then we can talk.
Meet my friend Nicki.

Day 4
Okay, you're probably tired of reading by now, so I'll just skip through the day and go straight to the night, when Rach and I jump between six different bars and finally end up in Guru, for some reason. As you can imagine, I was quite merry. After bluffing us into one of the bars,
(Me: Hey, we know Ewan who's working here tonight.
Bouncer: Are you on the list?
Me: Yeah, It's Anna+1. We were more people from the beginning, but we kinda dropped of, so it's just the two of us now.
Bouncer: Ok. this way, have good night!
Me: Cheers, mate!), I molest the security guy at Guru (if by molesting you mean picking up the cushion from a sofa, carriyng it to the bar to demonstrate that it's loose, then as security guy approuches you, telling him that you did it because you were bored and then asking him what would happen if I took his headband and ran. Apparently, I would get thrown out).
The returning day
Wake up, still drunk 5 hours later and within 2 more hours, find myself sitting on the plane back with Rach, next to a group of loud, scottish/ indian guys, going to Amsterdam for a bachelor party. But they're not yet drunk, says the guy sitting next to us, kindly offering chewing gum before the whole group bursts out singing.
Yeah right.

The end

The table dancing- preparty

Sometimes actions speak louder than words.
At one point, our neighbour actually knocked on the door. Since I was the closest to the door (unfortunately also the drunkest) I FOCUSED, thought for a while about the best to open a door and, here it comes, opened. All I remember saying was "Oui, biensur. Pardon".
Biking to the park was also harder than it seemed. So was walking. But I actually managed to, and sat down in the grass without as much as stumbling. I was so impressed by myself. So were the others. Bendik actually went as far as complemementing my walking skills.
"Well done", he said.

The bikewoman

Ok, in case you were wondering, I haven't died, just been busy enjoying the wonderful weather and freaking out over my applications to university (if there was a record of changed applications I would have it).
Yesterday Tricia came to visit and is staying with us until Friday. Verri nize, decided to skip class today in order to learn more important stuff, like playing frisbee. Had to leave the park in the afternoon to go and re-rent my bike. Also to fix some stuff, like the broken bell and the parcelcarrier wich has fallen off. Unfortunately, the new bikeshop-manager (old, grey woman) is not at all as friendly or easy-going as the flirtacious guy before her. As I entered to pay my monthly rent she inmediately told me that I had to show her the Ifalpes-student card, something the other guy never bothered about. Ok, off to the school to get the card, then off to nearest photo-station to get the two photos required. The bikewoman didn't look too impressed when I thriumphantly returned an hour later with the studentcard. "Vous devez faire une photocopy aussi".
When I came back with the photocoy she seemed to lighten up. I took my creditcard up and waited for her to start the examination of the bike, wich usually takes 5 minutes. "Bon, Vous pouvez retourner apres une heure".
Returned after one hour and the dorbell was fixed but the parcelcarrier was still the same. She didn't have any more of those, she explained. I should really be more careful with my bike. I tried to explain, as politely as possible, that the broken stuff was more due to crappy bike-quality than my way of riding it. Almost everyone at shool had had some problem with their bikes; chains falling of all the time, broken bells etc. This didn't seem to convince her. There is no problem with the bikes, she said. The quality is excellent. No fence, but she knew how the students from Ifalpes drove their bikes. Exhausted after spending the afternoon dealing with bike-stuff I finally surrended. "A la prochain fois", she shouted threatening as I walked out, leading the bike. "Looking forward to it", I shouted back. Not.

The day we went to the gym

Huh, what a weekend. First Easter, then applying for university for the fall (Uppsala first, Malmo next, will probably add some more alternatives along the way), then forgetting my brother's birthday, then call from Sanny telling me we have to book tickets for Italy, then big chock finding out how much money I spent so far.
It all felt better when I finished cleaning the house (God, can't belive I just said that, am actually turning in to my former roomate, The-crazy-german-lesbian-bitch any day soon). Later in the afternoon Louise came over and we finally went to The gym. With a big T. Bought gym cards, oh yes we actually did. For one month but the very friendly gym-guy gave us an extra month for free. After getting my ass kicked on badminton by Louise ( pretty embarrasing considering I used to take classes. Well, I guess you can't be best in show on everything) we made a pathetic attempt to make sit-ups.
And now, just sitting here in the privilige of my own bed. Room is cleaned, the sheets are smelling fresh from the washing machine and the door to my balcony is open. I'm all alone at the house, rest of the gang is at Finn Kelly's but for once it's nice to take a night off and just enjoy your own company. Forgot how nice I was. The tea and chocolate beside me also helps.

The big Easter lunch

Some days, everything is just perfect. It was a Saturday blessed with sun. The big easter lunch, which we had been talking about for weeks, finally took place in the park. The swedish crowd (+Louise's twin brother and friend who drove down from Stockholm thursday) + 2 americans, 2 brits, 1 dutch all gathered together and shared eggs, cooked potatoes, meatballs, salmon and suspiciously big strawerries. Top 5 topics dicussed:
1. Norwegian guy Bendikt's skinny pants
2. British guy Simon's cute bum (according to british gay guy John)
3. Brats in Stockholm (No names, but some people present served as perfect examples)
4. My stockholmska
5. The freks in Annecy
We stayed in the park all day, then left for Katreens house to preparty before Finn Kelly's. And apres, Rivers. Naturally.

The new group and the new roomie

Ok, for the second time an amazing roomie left the building and us in tears. Sunday morning the lovely Nicki ("If I go to hell I might as well make the most of it") departed back to Scottland. Why? You never seem to get used to people walking in and out of your life just as quick.
Nicki, we miss you already and can't wait to visit you in Glasgow the end of april.
The very same day, another roomie walked in. A dutch girl named Minke who seemed totally ok and nice, but if anything, experience has taught me not to rely on my first impression. I mean, it took the crazy german lesbian (x roomie, left us the week before) two weeks to climb out of her nutty shell and show us her true self (cleaning and food-obsessed were only two of her dark secrets).
We're actually expecting a new german (yey, can't wait to meet another one from the country of the socially handicapped) but she hasn't showed up yet.

This Tuesday: new schoolstart after springbreak, new group and new teacher. Another invasion of asian people to the school. My homies in group 5: Suoqui and Angqui made a pact against the japanese ( apparently the chinese and the japanese don't have that much in common).

And now to something completely different. Finn Kelly's and aprés: dinner at Katreen's. Oh! and am going to cheese testing tomorrow. Think might wear baggy jeans.

The state of Lyon

,






Lyon, Lyon. So close to Annecy, yet so different. No, not really, but it was really nice to escape for just one day and breathe different air and see different people than the freaks who usually walk the streets of Annecy.
The crazyness started on the train. Louise and I were getting bored and since Nicki was sleeping (bitch) we decided it might be a good idea to wrap a lot of pink toiletpaper around her shoes and see if she would notice. She did. But she actually found it so amusing that she kept it on to see if Henri (friend of hers, met us up for lunch and showed us town) would notice. He didn't. Wait, this actually gets better.
We spent the whole day strolling around in Lyon and ended up in a really fancy bar, that according to Louise looked a lot like Cafe Opera in Stockholm. After getting a little merry we managed to arrive to the train station literally two minutes before the last train would leave. At this point, Nicki thought it would be a good idea to buy a bottle of wine from a really tacky bar at the station, to continue our state of drunkedness. Sitting on the train, drinking cheap wine out of plastic mugs took 'classy' to a whole new level. Arriving at the the station in Annecy, we decided to continue the party at Finn Kelly's with champagne and shots. We also recreated the the toilet paper around Nickis foot to take a picture of it (as shown above), and of course she forgot about it and walked out of the bar still wearing it, just in front of a swiss guy she met a couple of nights before.
The night ended at Rivers and in order to survive in there, your only option is to continue being heavily drunk. "Drink them beautiful", I told Nicki. "You mean drink them possible", she responded.

Aah, the charming life of Annecy...