Lightning Round

Lots of things have been going on since I last updated. Last time I promised a post on Brussels. Instead I am going to be a cop-out and cover the last two weeks on my life in 60 seconds.

Miranda and I went to Brussels! We walked around a lot...

took really cliché photos...

and ate at Le Pain Quotidien in its natural habitat.

Caitlin visited me in London!

Adria and her friend stayed in London for a night

We saw some bands perform at Clerkenwell Design Week

Martyna is visiting me presently but leaves tomorrow

I saw a Dr. Dog and Booker T live! I took Toby Leaman's (of Dr. Dog) set list at the end (cause we were standing front row yeyuh!). We also met the drummer (Eric Slick) and shook hands with him! Practically famous.

I am spending these last weeks trying to soak up what I love about London. Here I am, soaking up no sun on my block.

Birthday

So it's been a week and a half since I turned 21! I had been meaning to post sooner, alas, my Berlin post was still looming. Putting off things I (kind of) enjoy = procrastination at its finest. I had a lovely day—and I hadn't been expecting much. The weather was surprisingly pleasant (as the entire time I've been back from Spring break—aside from the first two days—has been November cold). I went to brunch with my ladies Miranda and Hannah, at my favorite diner here (Andrew's!). 

Flowers from Hannah

I spent the afternoon running a few errands, walking around, and sipping coffee. 

For dinner, we went to an organic restaurant called The Duke of Cambridge which also has an adjoined pub area.   

Miranda and I walking to the restaurant

Hannah and I outside the restaurant

The food was delish, I wish I could afford to frequent the place! Hopefully I'll go there at least once more before I leave. Leila joined us after dinner for a bit, and eventually Miranda, Hannah and I returned for cupcakes!

Birthday cupcake!

Overall, my birthday was a good reminder of what I have gained from this year abroad. Most importantly, it has brought me close to some wonderful people I would have never met otherwise, and I am very thankful for all their efforts on my bday!

This past week I went to a She & Him show, as well as a Jose Gonzalez show! Both were really great. 

Zooey Deschanel of She & Him

My friend Sean from Tulane is also staying with me for a while. Here we are before an unsuccessful night out. Damn you London nightlife.

Miranda and I outside at Cargo (bar/club/venue)

I should note that I have been done with finals since May 12th! It's such a relief to have them over with, and I'm pretty sure I did alright on both. I am a little bit stunned by the fact that I have so little time left in London (three weeks and two days), and for about half of that time I will be entertaining guests. I am already feeling nostalgia for London. It's going to be really weird parting with it. 

For the rest of the time I am in London I will also be volunteering at Coram's Fields (a children's park/center) doing some minor gardening. I don't have a set schedule or anything, so I am hoping I will have the willpower to go at least a few times a week. 

I am actually in Brussels right now, heading back to London tomorrow, so expect a post on that soon! 

Berlin!

Okay, this is my long overdue post. The last stop of my Spring break journey before my extended stay in Poland, was Berlin. Prepare for a subpar entry as my memory is waning, as well as my patience for writing about things that happened over a month ago.

The first time I went to Berlin was three years ago, and I had wished my stay had been longer than two and a half days. This time around I spent another three and a half days there, and the appeal of the city had not faded. It's hard to really explain why, but I could see myself living there (if I spoke German, of course). Berlin isn't glamourous, like Paris, but it just seems mellow and a place one can actually live. It's big enough, without being hectic and tiring (and overrun by tourists!). 

Maeve being an Ausfahrt upon our arrival to Berlin.

I found certain parts of Berlin to be oddly utopian looking, I'm not sure if this photo really captures it. 

Maeve, Christine and I went on a free walking tour that was much like the free bike tour I went on with the ladies three years back. Though most of the information was familiar, the tour was just as enjoyable the second time around.

The Reichstag

Berliner Dom

Shmaif and I

NYPD Party Police-Berlin: fighting crime with a gun in one hand and a latte in the other.

The Berlin Wall

One night we went to a really great German restaurant, my meal:

We also went to a jazz bar, the music was good but the audience was being super uptight about us whispering (really, quite inaudibly) to each other. Never mind the fact that the same people giving us dirty looks were later committing similar crimes!

Maeve and Christine left a day before I did, and I switched hostels to be in the same one as my friend Shayna, who was traveling with people from her study abroad group. I'm glad I didn't leave after only two days! And... the weather was lovely.

Donezo.

Paris

Hannah and I arrived in Paris around 6 p.m. on April 2nd. We were immediately overwhelmed by the amazing weather (relative to freezing cold Scandinavia), and the beauty of the city. Over the course of the next 12 hours, however, we quickly discovered that for every part enchanting, there were equal parts shady.

Our hostel had a balcony and a lovely view. 

Our first couple of hours in Paris were sheer bliss, we wandered around the hostel neighborhood—Montmartre. We got nutella & banana crepes. Hannah said, "We should get some wine and celebrate, freakin, New Years." So we bought a baguette, boucheron cheese, and wine, and had a picnic on the floor of our hostel room.

Wandering at sundown, the Moulin Rouge on the right

Close up

By the time we had gotten to this monument, Hannah and I had already witnessed a mini-scuffle on a crowded street, and had also been verbally harassed and briefly followed.

The picnic (first of many)

Hannah noted, "this wine may or may not have won a renoir award."

Our makeshift sound system, don't ask, the acoustics were just way better.

When Maeve and Christine finally arrived later that evening, we had planned to go "out". These plans fell through and instead we ended up walking with Maeve's friend Kit back to our neighborhood.

The girls getting sassy whilst waiting for their crepes.

 On our walk back, we saw a man running (really) fast in our direction and then past us, and when we got to the corner of the block, we saw someone else (presumably his partner in crime) getting arrested. Sketchy moment number four of the day. By the time we got back it was pretty late, so Christine, Hannah and I went to bed and Maeve and Kit wandered some more and then almost got mugged (sketchy moment number five). Paris quickly began to resemble a movie about crime in New York City in the 80s. 

The following day we saw so much. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower as seen from the metro!

Since there were now four of us, we were presented with many more opportunities to take touristy photos.

Maeve and I on the Avenue De New York

Eventually, we were all starving and decided to stop at a quaint little (not painfully expensive) restaurant in a fairly (okay, really) bourgie neighborhood. We all decided to get the Croque Madame (a Croque Monsieur with a fried egg on top) which is basically a ham sandwich with a ton of melted cheese on top. At first it was delicious, but by the end of our meal we all felt like our arteries were going to explode.

Le Croque Madame

After our 2000 calorie lunch, we headed towards the Louvre.

It was a long walk, but at last we saw the iconic glass pyramid.

The inside of the Louvre blew my mind. Not in the good way. It was packed to the brim with people, making it difficult to look at and appreciate the art. I felt like i was in a bizarre social experiment. It seemed as though this giant museum, with all of these famous paintings, was a complete satire of art culture.

Here is a glipse of the madness at the Louvre—a mob in front of the Mona Lisa. Everyone had their cameras out, obv!

Maeve looking through a window at the Louvre

A view from the Louvre—everything was so bright and vivid, this photo looks more like a painting to me.

Maeve and Hannah resting/recovering from the chaos.

Rainbows were a frequent sight in Paris

After a coffee break, we walked to Notre Dame

Ta da!

More scenic/surreal views of Paris on the way back to our hostel

The following (last) day that we were all in Paris together was much more relaxed. We did a lot of wandering around Montmartre.

Here is one of many moments where we were deciding which arbitrary street to walk down... so many options. (photo cred to Christine)

Downhill

Eventually we reached the Sacré Cœur, pretty soon after we got to it, there was some monsoon-rain for about half an hour—we hid inside.

The view of Paris from outside the Sacré Cœur

Shmaif and I, Paris in the background! (photo cred to Christine, again!)

We took a nice break midday to nap and such after our walk.

On our last evening, we went to Maeve's friend Kit's house for dinner.

After very few hours of sleep, Maeve, Christine and I were off to Berlin the next morning!

Here I am sleeping at the airport, au revoir, Paris!