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.