My Last Night in Madrid

Hello!

Tonight is my last night here in Madrid. We had a very emotional time saying goodbye to the baby Mia--Patricia's granddaughter. And we are just about to eat dinner, home made pasta from Mia's Italian granddmom...should be fabulous.

I am sorry to have been so lagging with the posts--I will do the Royal Wedding post from the states!

It is a bittersweet time here!

Spring Break III: Rome, Venice, Verona

From Berlin I took a train to Munich where I caught the rickety night bus (it was very much past its prime) to Rome! I met my friend Abigail at the train station and we went to our hotel (a luxury, not a hostel!) and then started our day. We decided to wait in line the first afternoon for the Vatican. It is a very intense experience. There are people hawking "skip the line, get a guided tour!" tickets every step of the way. We were almost swayed by these people until we saw a group from NYU in Madrid and joined them in line (skipped a bunch of people). We did end up waiting for a good two/three hours but there were gelato stores aplenty and we made do. When we finally made it into the Vatican, our waiting paid off! The "skipe the line, guided tour" people had been offering tickets for 45e a person...the actual cost of the same kind of ticket was only 8e. So we felt justified and continued on.

The most impressive thing we saw, naturally, was the Sistine Chapel! It was very eerie/surreal to see an image in person that I have seen on mugs, posters, in commercials, etc my whole life.

The next day we went to the Forum, which was by far my favorite part of Rome. It was gorgeous, amazing, and so ridiculously full of history I didn't know what to do with myself. 

Everything about it was hard to believe. We had the audioguide so we learned cool little tidbits like people used to gamble on the steps of the temple. You can still see where they carved their scores/the game:

We then went to the Colosseum which was of course very impressive and colossal. 

And then we wandered around, consuming pasta and gelato whenever we felt like it. We found and threw coins into the Trevi Fountain. I forgot what I wished for but that's ok since I wouldn't be able to tell you anyway or it wouldn't come true. 

After two fabulous days in Rome, not enough by any means, we traveled to Venice. It was lovely, but unfortunately I forgot my camera (how could this happen?) but here is a picture from Abigail's: 

We spent the day wandering around and looking at all of the little stalls and markets. And of course, ate pasta and gelato. There was one gelato place that had the best Pistachio flavor we had ever tasted. So, during the course of one day, we went there three times. I only wish we could have done more. 

The next day we went on a day trip to fair Verona. It surpassed all of my expectations! I imagined it would just be a touristy place with lots of Romeo and Juliet merchandise. It turned out to be a very cool town with lots of history. It had it's own mini-colosseum (from the Romans), several Roman bridges,  and an old castle. 

But of course, we couldn't go to Verona without doing the Romeo and Juliet stuff...

Here I am, as Juliet, waiting for my Romeo to come and marry me in secret before our confuddled and tragic suicides. 

Coming soon: 

Royal wedding!

Spring Break II: Berlin

From London I flew to Berlin to meet my old roommate Jessica! We took the subway back, decorated with window stickies of the Brandenburg Tower, and with neon patterned plastic seats--very artsy. Jess had class the first day I was there, so I had time to wander around by myself.

I went first to the "Topography of Terrors" exhibit. It is the location of all the old Nazi buildings, now reduced to some foundations and a museum.

I then wandered up towards the Brandenburg Tower. As I approached, I noticed a mass of people and realized there were police cars everywhere and that the main street was blocked. I joined the crowd and walked around until I heard some English being spoken. I asked what was going on and they told me apparently one of the Clintons would be leaving the hotel right in front of the Brandenburg Tower. So I waited a couple of minutes and then... Hilary Clinton came out! She looked very put together and handled the crazed "I love you!"s of some weird fan very well. 

The next day, Jessica and I went walking through most of the major attractions. 

We went to a main, artist-enhanced section of the wall: 

We ate Curry Wurst (not something I would like to eat every day, but worth a try!)

We saw the very interesting Holocaust Memorial:

The stone squares start only about knee height, but as you walk towards the center the ground drops and the stones get larger so you are immersed in a cold, shadowy place. It was very eerie. And the floors slope in all sorts of directions so it looks like it's rippling.

Then we went to Museum Island which has this gorgeous structure, unfortunately I don't know the name:

All in all, I thought Berlin was very clean. The people were very nice. The nightlife was fun. Everyone spoke English. There are tons of monuments and museums and public art pieces.

I enjoyed it!

Spring Break I: London

My flight to London's hour and twenty minute away Stansted airport left Madrid at 6am. That means, Cordelia and I (she also had a Ryanair, cheapo flight at 6am) got up at 3am, took a cab to a bus that left for the airport at 4am, and finally got to the airport around 4:45am. Before I even got on the plane, I was wiped out. The flight was uneventful, and I landed around 8:00am into a normal looking airport where everything was startlingly in English!

I took a bus from the airport to a stop about 40 minutes away from my hostel, right in front of the Sherlock Holmes Museum (221b Baker Street!) On the bus the song "It's Raining Men" came on--the same version from Bridget Jones' Diary I, when Darcy and Cleaver are fighting for her in the street. I took that as a sign from any deity that I was meant to be in London, Bridget's stomping ground, at that very moment. It was gorgeous and sunshiney and my walk to the hostel was pleasant.

When I reached the hostel I literally dropped my bags,  collected myself, and then went to sit in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park (literally across the street from my hostel) to collect myself further. I planned a walking trip and headed on my way.

My first stop was Harrod's, which was gorgeous and opulent and ridiculous all at once. My favorite room, besides of course the food areas, was the "Writing and Reading Room" where they had oodles of stationary, pens, notebooks, binders, school supplies, and these:

Gorgeous leather-bound classics like Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby--you name it. They were stunning, smelled rich and luxurious (yes, I smelled them), and I have been thinking of them ever since. They run about 150pounds, so over 200USD each.

Then I wandered around soaking everything in and ate my first British meal:

Diet Coke and Cadbury candy.

I then stopped in the Victoria and Albert museum which I had never heard of but was totally worth the visit. It has a bunch of old artifacts, architectural pieces, etc. 

Then I kept walking until I got to Buckingham Palace. The wall surrounding the palace is covered with spikes and barbed wire. It was very disconcerting to see such drastic and barbaric looking security measures around such a pretty place, and on such a normal street. 

Unfortunately, I never saw a changing of the guard and doubt there will be one when I am there next weekend for the royal wedding. But I did at least see the guards in their hats standing still for hours on end. 

The gift shop was the most striking part of the whole thing. The first thing that greets you when you walk in is a battery of what look like personal, face-book worthy photos of the Royal Family. 

It was very spooky! Naturally I bought the weirdest one I could--a complete and staged and awkward family shot of everyone.

From the Palace I went to St. James Park to take a rest. After visiting a couple of parks in London, I would call St. James my favorite--it was just too pretty to believe!

English rain makes for fantastic English Gardens. 

Then I wandered to Picadilly Circus and walked around that area, grabbed Chinese for dinner (such a treat after months without) and sat around taking in the sights.

By the end of the night I was sitting next to the Westminster Bridge with this gorgeous view,

The next morning I started by day up at King's Cross station, home to Hogwarts' Platform 9 and 3/4. I took my first double decker bus ride and nerded it up by sitting in the front seat and taking pictures.

The platform itself was a little less exciting than I expected: I was the only one there taking a picture and it was right next to a construction site. And the "bricks" are just contact paper. But! The idea was there and I had to do it.

From Kings Cross I walked down to the British Musuem, which is imposing and impressive.

They have things from all over the world: mummies, artifacts, etc. The biggie for me was the Rosetta Stone:

After the British Museum I went to another Museum that I saw in a brochure, the Hunterian anatomy museum. It was a bunch of medical oddities in formaldehyde--interesting and spooky. One fabulous thing about London is that all of the museums are FREE. It makes a very, very expensive city a little more feasible.

The rest of the day I wandered around, and crossed some of the many pretty bridges. I ended the night going to a little movie theatre and seeing a Spanish (ha) movie.

The next day was Canterbury! The nerdout reached it's peak as I made my Pilgrimage, in April too (!), to  the Cathedral. Canterbury is a very cool city with a surprisingly bustling shopping area (all of your big stores were there and super busy). The Cathedral was gorgeous, and tucked away behind the little English looking streets.

After you walk through the Cathedral, the grounds are incredibly beautiful. 

Besides the Cathedral, the town is gorgeous. Very quaint with lots of parks and gardens, and this very cool Norman Castle: 

The Castle is cool because it is just standing there, open to the world, and has eerie staircase remains and old rooms that you can imagine were once spectacular. I sat in a park and ate lunch surrounded by pretty flowers and old, old structures. 

The next day, back in London, I went on my quasi-Bridget tour. I had already seen some of the things she talks about, Cafe Rouge, some of the department stores, etc, and now just had some big places to hit.

For example, the Royal Courts of Justice where Mark Darcy works.

And the news store across the street where she says "You like me just the way I am", etc etc so on and so forth, see first movie for details.

I then walked along Strand St (!) and Fleet St (!) until I got to the Tower of London. The history behind the tower is so cool, and the free (after the expensive ticket) tour guides are great, but the whole thing felt way too touristy and showy. There was dramatic music playing in the armor room, shrieks and screams in the tiny torture room, etc. But it was worth the visit. 

From there I crossed the gorgeous Tower Bridge. 

And walked along the Thames. I saw the same strange restaurant that Liz and Sydney did during their time in London last summer, with Harpeth Hall's logo: 

As well as the street where Bridget and Daniel Cleaver share their first kiss after dinner...

Later that night I went to an improv show where I saw two members of the original Whose Line Is It Anyway cast that I used to watch all of the time. It was very funny, and I learned some Britishisms that I had to figure out via context clues. 

The next day I went to Westminster Abbey, where unfortunately I couldn't take pictures. I saw Chaucer's grave (!), Dickens' grave (!), and a lot of monuments to other writers. Also: thank goodness I took the Liam Neeson narrated (ha!) audioguide tour or I would have missed Elizabeth I's tomb, Mary of Scots' tomb, etc. They are tucked away in easy to miss corners that I probably would have walked by on my own. Right next to the Abbey is Big Ben which is gorgeous. 

All in all I had a wonderful time exploring the city. I will have more pictures of the Palace and the Cathedrals after this weekend...the big, big Royal Wedding.

Spring Break--I.O.U

Hello! Coming to you from my hostel in London! I owe you all:

-pictures from Mallorca
-blow by blow of london
-pictures from london!

sorry for such a delay! London is lovely!

A little souvenir from Paris...

Apparently that is what French Bridget looks like!

Nerd Alert!

I just booked a day trip to Canterbury (as in the Prioress, the Knight, the Miller, the Friar, etc) for when I am in London! I am super excited.

Paris

I spent this weekend in the city of lights. We arrived around 3pm on Friday, took the Ryanair bus into town, and took a cab to our hotel. I knew from the second we got out of the bus station area, which was still gorgeous for a bus station area, that we were in business.

Our hotel was situated northeast from the main tourist attractions (Eiffel Tower, etc) but was very untouristy and felt like we were in the midst of real Parisian life. Here is the square that our hotel was on:

The first thing we did when we arrived and had settled down was, naturally, eat. Our first meal in Paris was beautiful, and delicious, and nourishing, but we felt like blundering American weirdos trying to order it. I had no idea how little French I actually did not know. Somehow, with the patience and help of the waiter (everyone we interacted with was incredibly nice, despite our butchering their language) we ordered this beautiful meal: 

A chicken (freshly roasted, plucked off the bone, dripping with juices and covered in crispy skin), mayonnaise (something totally unrelated to American "mayo"--spiced, delicious, saucy, perfect), tomato, and lettuce sandwich on the perfect chewy insides crunchy outsides baguette. 

Thus fortified, we walked through the streets, meandering up to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. It was beautiful. 

We went inside during a Mass, which was strangely allowed, and got to hear some actual organ music that shook the whole building and made everything seem very powerful and meaningful. This was a nice change, since some Cathedrals pipe in corny choral tunes to appease the tourists and annoy snobs like me. We saw nuns actually sitting in the wooden choir seats that I have never actually seen used in a cathedral, and heard part of a French service. It was a lovely experience. When we travelled to the front, we were in for another surprise. 

There is a gorgeous park/step combination where people go to see a beautiful view of the city, eat, drink, and relax. After the basilica we wandered around at night, following the beacon/spotlight on the top of the eiffel tower. We eventually realized the beacon was just as bright from every spot and had to give up and take a train (probably saved us 3 hours of wandering). 

One of the reasons that Paris feels so cool, and it does, is the confidence the city seems to have about itself. For example, look at that Metro sign. It's so cool! Instead of the typical "M" signage, they dress up their metro stations with a cool, creepy font and eery lighting.

The area surrounding the Eiffel Tower, as you can imagine, is full of tourists and strange men throwing these strange "light balls" and motorized helicopters into the air to try and tempt you to buy something. Once you make it through that mess, the area directly under the tower is actually peaceful, and looking up through the metal is very impressive. The line to take the elevator all the way to the top was insanely long, so Abigail and I decided to tough it out and take the stairs. We waited in line for about 20 minutes, which was agonizing for me. It was like waiting to run the mile in high school, or the dreaded morning of a middle school "field day." We purchased our tickets, I practicing deep breathing to expand my lungs for the assault they were about to endure, and handed them to the guard. It turns out, we only had to take the stairs to level 2, still about 650+ steps according to the little markers they paint on the sides of the steps to keep people motivated. It was quite a haul, and by the time we reached the 2nd level I was sweaty and agitated, but there was a since of comraderie among all of us "climbers" and pretty soon afterwards the endorphins kicked in, just in time for the top. 

Unfortunately none of my pictures really turned out from the top of the tower because it was so dark, but it was gorgeous. We could see the palace, the Louvre, the Arc. It was lovely

The next morning we set out early for something I had my heart set on since I booked my ticket to Paris: Versailles. 

I really never figured out how to take pictures of the palace, its chapel, its grounds, its other smaller palaces that do any of it any justice at all. Everything is too large, too intricate, too overwhelming to capture in in a couple of pictures. But here it goes:

This is the front gate. I like to imagine it is totally, pure gold but it is probably plated.

Here is the best picture I got of the Hall of Mirrors! I was so excited to go into this room after learning about it in high school and then seeing it portrayed in all sorts of movies, history channel shows, etc. It was gorgeous. One wall totally lined with floor to ceiling mirrors and the other wall completely composed of floor to ceiling windows. Unfortunately, going to Versailles on a Saturday morning meant unbelievable crowds. We were initially impressed when our tickets said "free audio guide" and stood in line to get ours like the nerdy yuppies we are. We didn't realize, however, that everyone else in the entire palace would have the same idea, and would stop in the middle of each room to listen to their tours. We literally had to beat past tour groups, idling audio-guiders, and masses of humanity to get through most of the rooms.

It was a relief to get out to the grounds.

Everything was lovely and manicured. The estate, I had no idea before I visited, is unbelievably huge. It is a sprawling compound, complete with the main palace, a farm, two "lesser" palaces, mazes, a lake, orchards, etc etc. We really could have spent a whole day exploring either the palace or the grounds alone. 

I really loved this fountain because it was weird and whimsical and it really feels like they are coming out of the water. It is also particularly cool at this point in history since Atlantis was just discovered. What a coinkydink!

They had a really good restaurant there (French touristy food is the best I have tasted in my life) and we walked all the way out past a pasture with sheep to Marie Antoinette's "play" country house. 

It was huge and beautiful. I understand why she would like to spend time there, though, as the actual palace of Versailles is so ornate and opulent that a nice stone building seems like mind-clearing minimalism. 

Right next door was another mini-palace that several of the Louis used to escape from their lives at the big palace as well. 

The marble was a really pretty pink and white mixture, and through those arches are more and more gardens and lakes that are all perfectly planned out and symmetrical and lovely. 

Here my friend Abigail and I took a picture in one of our favorite rooms in the Louis' mini-palace.

When we got back to the city proper, we were famished and had to stop for a classic Crêpe. I got simple, but fabulous beyond belief, butter and sugar. It was delicious.

We then spent time walking around the city, making our way to the Louvre, the river, and Notre Dame.

The beautiful behemoth, the Louvre, is beyond incredible. This picture just shows a pretty view of it from the back, and does no justice to its immensity or impressiveness. There are rows of beautiful bridges like this one across the river and they make a gorgeous walk.

Notre Dame was full of tourists but very pretty. It had gorgeous stained glass windows and you could see the famous gargoyles leering at you from the very tops of the towers. Inside it was gorgeous and had lots of shimmering candles,

That night we had a dinner to remember. Abigail and I had spotted a cute street the night before and pegged it as "the one." We chose a restaurant that was small, cozy (we were sharing booths/longish tables with Italians, French, and Germans) and had excellent, excellent, excellent food. I was on the brink of ordering salmon, which I'm sure would have been delicious, when Abigail said "I am getting a rare steak with Roquefort sauce." So naturally, after that, I had to get one too. It was life changing. The beef was tender and perfectly rare. The sauce felt like butter, Roquefort, and oozing steak juices had decided to join together and make a better world for some lucky diner. It came with real potatoes au gratin that were salty and creamy and cheesy, and a sort of creamed corn mousse. We intentionally took over two hours to eat this meal and drink a bottle of red wine (we just pointed and smiled at the wine list seeing as we had no idea what we were doing) and it was fabulous. I wanted to take a picture of the food but didn't want to be that American taking a picture of her food in such a nice restaurant. So I will just have to remember it. 

The next day Abigail and I parted ways. She wanted to spend extra time at the Louvre and I wanted to squeeze in the Le Père Lachaise cemetery where Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Frederic Chopin, and a billion other people are buried. It was the perfect kind of day for a cemetery, partly cloudy and hazy--brisk, and the park itself was gorgeous. 

It was full of weird/quirky/dumpy looking gravestones and tombs. This one was my favorite. The amorphous blob with a vase on top. 

Here is Jim Morrison's grave: 

Apparently there is a tradition that you drink beer/pour some on his grave when you come to visit. It was around 10 in the morning and some girls (much, much, much) younger than me were doing this.

There was also this tree by Morrison's grave that was decorated  with lyrics and some creepy groupy professions of love. 

Here is Chopin's grave, very tasteful: 

And finally the Pièce de résistance...

I didn't end up kissing it, even though I did bring lipstick just in case I felt moved when I was there.

I met Abigail at the Louvre before we left, another stunning locale.

And it was with heavy hearts that we clambered back onto a Ryanair bus to the airport. I fell in love with Paris, like everyone else in their right mind who visits, and cannot wait to go back.