Hope everyone is enjoying their day and thinking of what they're thankful for. I'm thankful for the fact that I've had the opportunity to experience all of the wonderful things I've seen this semester (and most of that thanks is due to my Dad and S-Mom)! I have to say being away from home for the holidays has actually made me homesick! I'm starting to get excited to come back to the US in a few weeks. Three weeks from Sunday!
GW is taking us out for a "Thanksgiving" dinner tonight, which should include some dancing and be a lot of fun! On Saturday, we're going to El Escorial, which is a large palace just outside of Madrid (and where all the Spanish Kings are buried).
I'll try to update again in the next few days, but in the meantime stuff your bellies for me and enjoy your turkey!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Andalusia
Sorry I never got a chance to blog about Andalusia! I had already visited Cordoba, Seville, & Granada, but here are my pictures. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing!
Paris pictures coming in a few.
Paris: the First Non-Monarchical Society of the Semester!
As the title suggests, France was the only non-monarchical society I've visited - crazy how those kings are still around right?
Anyways - Paris was by far the most magnificent of the trips I was able to do, but unfortunately it was my last :(. Friday was my birthday (and now I'm finally 21!), and I arrived in Paris around 5:30, but not until after having had to fly RYAN AIR one more time.
Let's start with Ryan Air. Sure - the airline is cheap - I paid €20 to get to Paris...only I didn't go to Paris...I went to Beauvais, an airport about an hour and a half north of Paris. To get to Paris, you have to take a bus...that costs more than your flight. Also, the service is terrible, and I doubted the pilot's abilities on more than one occasion. But - what can you do when you pay €20 right? Enough about that miserable experience.
After arriving to Paris, we went to a small bistro, and I had some quiche that was out of this world. I stayed with my friend who is living literally blocks from the Eiffel Tower, and it was so beautiful. After that Richard and I met up with Derek and Ryan (and some of Derek's friends) to go out for my 21st birthday, which was awesome. Unfortunately, the metro closes somewhat early in Paris, so Richard, Ryan, and I walked back to the apartment, which was somewhat of a trek. Richard went to bed, but Ryan and I really wanted to eat. After wandering through Paris we finally found a cafe that was open at 6am. We had orange juice, hot chocolate, bread and croissants - SO AMAZING. By the time we finished it was almost 7am, so we decided sleep was overrated.
At 9am - same day (although it felt like a different day) - we went to the Louvre. The only thing I can say is that the Mona Lisa is the most underwhelming painting ever in person. You expect it to be this really awesome big painting, and it's really tiny and heavily guarded. The actually building was magnificent though. It's an old, grandiose palace that is just as magnificent as all the art in it! Ryan and I spent about an hour and a half there before we decided to go through Paris to see some things.
First we went to the Bastille. FYI - it's not there anymore, it's an opera house. If you're interested, no need to go see. Then we went up and saw where Moulin Rouge was, which was pretty cool. After Moulin Rouge we went down to the Eiffel Tower to see it by day which was pretty cool. Since we were starting to crash from lack of sleep, we just sat on a bench and watched people for a while. Always a fun activity. After a souvenir salesman on the street wouldn't stop accosting us to buy mini-Eiffel Towers, we went to grab some coffee and relocated to another part of the river. We people watched for most of the afternoon, which was tons of fun, then took two hour naps (amazing).
For dinner we all met up with Derek's friends and went to a place near the apartment. I had a croque-monsieur, which is basically a ham and cheese sandwich grilled with cheese on top. The food in Paris is absolutely amazing though - I miss it already. For dessert we got some little snacks on the Champs Elysées and hot cocoa. Since Derek and his friends had an early flight in the morning we all headed home, and I went to bed around midnight.
Sunday was my last day :(, but we still explored a little more. Unfortunately when I woke up it had started to rain. At 9:30 we headed over to Notre Dame cathedral. Since I didn't visit Westminster Abbey (very expensive to even get in) I can't compare the two, but Notre Dame was fabulous. The stained glass windows, the high gothic arches, and the giant organ made it by far the most beautiful church I've ever seen in my life. Ryan and I stayed for a mass for about 20 minutes (which was interesting) and then left. The people there were so disrespectful to the mass (since you can visit at the same time), but I guess some people are just rude. Between the rain and the 40 degree weather, we wanted hot cocoa/coffee by the time we left. We crossed the bridge (since Notre Dame is on an island in the Seine) and went to this cafe.
Best story of Paris. While we were sitting enjoying our warm drinks, I noticed a cat in the cafe. In America, I'd be disgusted - but this is Paris. The cat came over and jumped up on the bench with Ryan. It proceeded to sit there in his lap while we had our drinks! It was so precious, so we named him Pierre. If only he had a cigarette and a baret - then he would have been a true Parisian cat.
With some time to kill, we went to the Luxembourg Gardens and saw the ORIGINAL STATUE OF LIBERTY (¡VIVA AMERICA!). So cool. Then we met up with Richard for lunch in the Jewish quarter - the falafel was amazing. After lunch we wandered around Paris for a bit, until I had to make the trek back to Beauvais and then Madrid. The pilot on Ryan Air was a little less skilled than other pilots I've had, and the landing was certainly not my favorite part of the flight. Nonetheless, I'm back in Madrid and alive!
Pictures will be coming soon, but I'm done traveling now! Aside from some day trips around Madrid, I will be spending the last 4 weeks I have in Madrid. I'm somewhat excited though since I actually don't know Madrid that well yet. This weekend some friends and I are going to El Escorial, a palace about an hour outside Madrid (similar to Versailles and Paris) that is supposed to be magnificent.
¡Hasta la Próxima!
Anyways - Paris was by far the most magnificent of the trips I was able to do, but unfortunately it was my last :(. Friday was my birthday (and now I'm finally 21!), and I arrived in Paris around 5:30, but not until after having had to fly RYAN AIR one more time.
Let's start with Ryan Air. Sure - the airline is cheap - I paid €20 to get to Paris...only I didn't go to Paris...I went to Beauvais, an airport about an hour and a half north of Paris. To get to Paris, you have to take a bus...that costs more than your flight. Also, the service is terrible, and I doubted the pilot's abilities on more than one occasion. But - what can you do when you pay €20 right? Enough about that miserable experience.
After arriving to Paris, we went to a small bistro, and I had some quiche that was out of this world. I stayed with my friend who is living literally blocks from the Eiffel Tower, and it was so beautiful. After that Richard and I met up with Derek and Ryan (and some of Derek's friends) to go out for my 21st birthday, which was awesome. Unfortunately, the metro closes somewhat early in Paris, so Richard, Ryan, and I walked back to the apartment, which was somewhat of a trek. Richard went to bed, but Ryan and I really wanted to eat. After wandering through Paris we finally found a cafe that was open at 6am. We had orange juice, hot chocolate, bread and croissants - SO AMAZING. By the time we finished it was almost 7am, so we decided sleep was overrated.
At 9am - same day (although it felt like a different day) - we went to the Louvre. The only thing I can say is that the Mona Lisa is the most underwhelming painting ever in person. You expect it to be this really awesome big painting, and it's really tiny and heavily guarded. The actually building was magnificent though. It's an old, grandiose palace that is just as magnificent as all the art in it! Ryan and I spent about an hour and a half there before we decided to go through Paris to see some things.
First we went to the Bastille. FYI - it's not there anymore, it's an opera house. If you're interested, no need to go see. Then we went up and saw where Moulin Rouge was, which was pretty cool. After Moulin Rouge we went down to the Eiffel Tower to see it by day which was pretty cool. Since we were starting to crash from lack of sleep, we just sat on a bench and watched people for a while. Always a fun activity. After a souvenir salesman on the street wouldn't stop accosting us to buy mini-Eiffel Towers, we went to grab some coffee and relocated to another part of the river. We people watched for most of the afternoon, which was tons of fun, then took two hour naps (amazing).
For dinner we all met up with Derek's friends and went to a place near the apartment. I had a croque-monsieur, which is basically a ham and cheese sandwich grilled with cheese on top. The food in Paris is absolutely amazing though - I miss it already. For dessert we got some little snacks on the Champs Elysées and hot cocoa. Since Derek and his friends had an early flight in the morning we all headed home, and I went to bed around midnight.
Sunday was my last day :(, but we still explored a little more. Unfortunately when I woke up it had started to rain. At 9:30 we headed over to Notre Dame cathedral. Since I didn't visit Westminster Abbey (very expensive to even get in) I can't compare the two, but Notre Dame was fabulous. The stained glass windows, the high gothic arches, and the giant organ made it by far the most beautiful church I've ever seen in my life. Ryan and I stayed for a mass for about 20 minutes (which was interesting) and then left. The people there were so disrespectful to the mass (since you can visit at the same time), but I guess some people are just rude. Between the rain and the 40 degree weather, we wanted hot cocoa/coffee by the time we left. We crossed the bridge (since Notre Dame is on an island in the Seine) and went to this cafe.
Best story of Paris. While we were sitting enjoying our warm drinks, I noticed a cat in the cafe. In America, I'd be disgusted - but this is Paris. The cat came over and jumped up on the bench with Ryan. It proceeded to sit there in his lap while we had our drinks! It was so precious, so we named him Pierre. If only he had a cigarette and a baret - then he would have been a true Parisian cat.
With some time to kill, we went to the Luxembourg Gardens and saw the ORIGINAL STATUE OF LIBERTY (¡VIVA AMERICA!). So cool. Then we met up with Richard for lunch in the Jewish quarter - the falafel was amazing. After lunch we wandered around Paris for a bit, until I had to make the trek back to Beauvais and then Madrid. The pilot on Ryan Air was a little less skilled than other pilots I've had, and the landing was certainly not my favorite part of the flight. Nonetheless, I'm back in Madrid and alive!
Pictures will be coming soon, but I'm done traveling now! Aside from some day trips around Madrid, I will be spending the last 4 weeks I have in Madrid. I'm somewhat excited though since I actually don't know Madrid that well yet. This weekend some friends and I are going to El Escorial, a palace about an hour outside Madrid (similar to Versailles and Paris) that is supposed to be magnificent.
¡Hasta la Próxima!
Monday, November 8, 2010
London: The Proper way to Mind the Gap
Had such an amazing weekend in London with Ryan and Eve! We did SO many things and saw so much!
Last week was somewhat meh since I got back on Monday afternoon and had to leave again on Thursday night. In the meantime I had to write two papers. Somewhat stressful, but I got through it.
First, let's have a small chat about Ryan Air. WORST AIRLINE EVER. I will never use them again after my flight to Paris (that I already booked...and only paid €20 for). You're only allowed to bring ONE carry one bag (not even a purse or backpack or anything). On top of that, you have to walk out onto the tarmac to get to the plane, and then it's a complete free-for-all. All of this would be worth it if you got to your destination on time and at a really cheap rate. But to be honest, they only use the airports that are really far from the city, so you end up paying another €30 just to get to and from the airport.
I went to the bank and took out some money (since they don't use the euro). My favorite thing about London: Adam Smith is on their £20 note! How exciting no?! Once we got into London though, it was wonderful...except all the restaurants close...at 11. After finding some sandwiches at a convenience shop, we went to bed, since it was going to be a long day on Friday.
After waking up, Eve and I registered for classes (woo class registration day), and then we set out for a fun-filled afternoon at the British Museum. The British Museum was definitely one of my favorite things in London, since it's one of the few places you can see things from Ancient Egypt, Greece & Rome. The funny thing - all of it is stolen. British Empire 1, Rest of the World 0. While we were in the museum, a very nice gentleman offered to take a picture, and we noticed a small poppy on his coat. He then explained to us how it has to do with remembering the fallen from World War I (and veterans in general), and you can buy them at restaurants etc! Of course, we set on a mission to find them, but not until after we ate lunch!
The British are famous for many things; food is not one of them. Eve and I grabbed some steak and ale pie with cider for lunch (of course, much later than British lunch, since we were still on Spanish time) and headed over to the National Gallery. Boyko met up with us there, and we spent maybe half an hour in total in the museum. We saw the famous stuff but didn't want to waste the afternoon. Outside, it was starting to rain, but we walked by Parliament and Buckingham Palace. London is meant to be seen in the rain anyways. The pubs are somewhat of an interesting experience and very different than Madrid. Since British food isn't necessarily...good...we decided Indian food would be a better option (since London is supposed to have awesome Indian). This is where the day got interesting.
While waiting for our food a nice, older man asks us to watch something (I'm still not sure what it was) while he went to have a cigarette. He sounded Scottish maybe. He was also properly intoxicated (as they would most likely say in Britain). When he came back he realized from our accents we were American. He then began to thank us, to thank us for all that America did for the UK during the war (yes...he was referring to World War II). For the next twenty minutes, he went on about how much he loved America, how great the special relationship is for Britain & the US, and continued to repeatedly thank us. All in all, I laughed quite a bit. We talked about Presidents and Prime Ministers and all sorts of interesting stuff. Then he fell off his chair and almost knocked our table over. The first thing he says: "I'm not drunk! I'm not drunk! I was just off-balance." Yes. That was the quote of the weekend. For sure. On his way out he decided to do a round of "God Bless America." I had no clue what he was singing, but it was not "God Bless America." We did a quick shout of "God Save the Queen," and off they went!
We went down to Soho to explore a little bit and then headed home for the night. Such a cool neighborhood! Afterwards, we headed home for the evening and met some of the kids staying in our room, and they were from Holland. We chatted about Amsterdam and then went to bed!
Saturday was much nicer weather - NO RAIN! Such luck for London! We went to the Science Museum, Kensington Gardens, and saw Buckingham Palace by day before lunch. At lunch we got bangers and mash - since it was necessary to try SOME British foods while we were there. After lunch, we went down to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, both of which were absolutely beautiful. The city is so interesting in the contrast between the modern, new buildings of the financial districts and the old, English architecture.
The one thing I wanted to do was go to Harrods - just to see it. After we got our coats from the hostel, we found our way over to Harrods by walking through some back streets in Kensington, very pretty. Harrods was cool to see, but I didn't buy anything obviously (since I'm not rolling in it).
Ryan knew a good place to get Fish and Chips (since that's what we all agreed we wanted for dinner) near his apartment, which is north of the central city. On the way, we got off the tube and stopped at Abbey Road to take a picture. It'll be on my London photo album, but it didn't come out very good. Oh well! The place we went for dinner was in Hampstead, which is a really cute old neighborhood - reminded me a lot of Massachusetts. After Fish and Chips we said our goodbyes.
Our flight left at 10:10am, so we had to leave the hostel around 7am to get to the airport on time. The train ride was beautiful through the English countryside. London was my favorite city that I've visited so far, but I still have Paris coming up in two weeks! The traveling is starting to get exhausting, but it is so worth every minute of it! I'll post my pictures a little later on (some are up on Facebook already).
*Explanation of the title: Proper is an adjective that English people use more often than Americans. When I was getting out of the tube Friday morning, it was raining harder than before. The woman behind me said "It's raining properly." Pret also sells "Pret's Proper Porridge." "Mind the Gap" is what the tube says every time you get to a station. They are essentially telling you to be careful of the gap between the train and the platform, but it is somewhat of a signature phrase.
Last week was somewhat meh since I got back on Monday afternoon and had to leave again on Thursday night. In the meantime I had to write two papers. Somewhat stressful, but I got through it.
First, let's have a small chat about Ryan Air. WORST AIRLINE EVER. I will never use them again after my flight to Paris (that I already booked...and only paid €20 for). You're only allowed to bring ONE carry one bag (not even a purse or backpack or anything). On top of that, you have to walk out onto the tarmac to get to the plane, and then it's a complete free-for-all. All of this would be worth it if you got to your destination on time and at a really cheap rate. But to be honest, they only use the airports that are really far from the city, so you end up paying another €30 just to get to and from the airport.
I went to the bank and took out some money (since they don't use the euro). My favorite thing about London: Adam Smith is on their £20 note! How exciting no?! Once we got into London though, it was wonderful...except all the restaurants close...at 11. After finding some sandwiches at a convenience shop, we went to bed, since it was going to be a long day on Friday.
After waking up, Eve and I registered for classes (woo class registration day), and then we set out for a fun-filled afternoon at the British Museum. The British Museum was definitely one of my favorite things in London, since it's one of the few places you can see things from Ancient Egypt, Greece & Rome. The funny thing - all of it is stolen. British Empire 1, Rest of the World 0. While we were in the museum, a very nice gentleman offered to take a picture, and we noticed a small poppy on his coat. He then explained to us how it has to do with remembering the fallen from World War I (and veterans in general), and you can buy them at restaurants etc! Of course, we set on a mission to find them, but not until after we ate lunch!
The British are famous for many things; food is not one of them. Eve and I grabbed some steak and ale pie with cider for lunch (of course, much later than British lunch, since we were still on Spanish time) and headed over to the National Gallery. Boyko met up with us there, and we spent maybe half an hour in total in the museum. We saw the famous stuff but didn't want to waste the afternoon. Outside, it was starting to rain, but we walked by Parliament and Buckingham Palace. London is meant to be seen in the rain anyways. The pubs are somewhat of an interesting experience and very different than Madrid. Since British food isn't necessarily...good...we decided Indian food would be a better option (since London is supposed to have awesome Indian). This is where the day got interesting.
While waiting for our food a nice, older man asks us to watch something (I'm still not sure what it was) while he went to have a cigarette. He sounded Scottish maybe. He was also properly intoxicated (as they would most likely say in Britain). When he came back he realized from our accents we were American. He then began to thank us, to thank us for all that America did for the UK during the war (yes...he was referring to World War II). For the next twenty minutes, he went on about how much he loved America, how great the special relationship is for Britain & the US, and continued to repeatedly thank us. All in all, I laughed quite a bit. We talked about Presidents and Prime Ministers and all sorts of interesting stuff. Then he fell off his chair and almost knocked our table over. The first thing he says: "I'm not drunk! I'm not drunk! I was just off-balance." Yes. That was the quote of the weekend. For sure. On his way out he decided to do a round of "God Bless America." I had no clue what he was singing, but it was not "God Bless America." We did a quick shout of "God Save the Queen," and off they went!
We went down to Soho to explore a little bit and then headed home for the night. Such a cool neighborhood! Afterwards, we headed home for the evening and met some of the kids staying in our room, and they were from Holland. We chatted about Amsterdam and then went to bed!
Saturday was much nicer weather - NO RAIN! Such luck for London! We went to the Science Museum, Kensington Gardens, and saw Buckingham Palace by day before lunch. At lunch we got bangers and mash - since it was necessary to try SOME British foods while we were there. After lunch, we went down to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, both of which were absolutely beautiful. The city is so interesting in the contrast between the modern, new buildings of the financial districts and the old, English architecture.
The one thing I wanted to do was go to Harrods - just to see it. After we got our coats from the hostel, we found our way over to Harrods by walking through some back streets in Kensington, very pretty. Harrods was cool to see, but I didn't buy anything obviously (since I'm not rolling in it).
Ryan knew a good place to get Fish and Chips (since that's what we all agreed we wanted for dinner) near his apartment, which is north of the central city. On the way, we got off the tube and stopped at Abbey Road to take a picture. It'll be on my London photo album, but it didn't come out very good. Oh well! The place we went for dinner was in Hampstead, which is a really cute old neighborhood - reminded me a lot of Massachusetts. After Fish and Chips we said our goodbyes.
Our flight left at 10:10am, so we had to leave the hostel around 7am to get to the airport on time. The train ride was beautiful through the English countryside. London was my favorite city that I've visited so far, but I still have Paris coming up in two weeks! The traveling is starting to get exhausting, but it is so worth every minute of it! I'll post my pictures a little later on (some are up on Facebook already).
*Explanation of the title: Proper is an adjective that English people use more often than Americans. When I was getting out of the tube Friday morning, it was raining harder than before. The woman behind me said "It's raining properly." Pret also sells "Pret's Proper Porridge." "Mind the Gap" is what the tube says every time you get to a station. They are essentially telling you to be careful of the gap between the train and the platform, but it is somewhat of a signature phrase.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Amsterdam and Brussels
Here is my photo album. The pictures from both cities are beautiful (and the map should label which pictures are in which cities). I decided to post my photos from trips in different pictures than my other album.
Enjoy!!
Brussels: Chocolate, Waffles, and Mussels
And the saga continues. We got to Brussels around 6pm. What a difference 3 and a half hours south makes.
Driving into Brussels we drove through a beautiful park filled with colorful trees. It was so exciting getting to enjoy some Autumn color since I wasn't able to be in New England (or the Northeast) this year. The drive in was beautiful after stops in Utrecht and Antwerp. After navigating through the metro we got off on Avenue Louise to walk to our hotel. Avenue Louise is essentially the 5th Avenue of Brussels and a neighborhood that's popular with expatriates. This time we were staying at a budget hotel for the three of us meaning we had real beds and a real bathroom! It was pretty awesome for the price. We decided that after the long bus ride we wanted to get a really nice dinner. We ended up in the Grand Place, which is the main square of Brussels. The architecture was awe-inspiring although drastically different than Amsterdam. Everything had a very grand, French style to it. Yet again, I fell in love.
The next morning we went down to the central part of the city and found a cute shop to get waffles. Let me just say, these were some of the best waffles I've ever had. Our plan was to do the "European walk" which leads you through the European district and by all of the important EU buildings. Across the street from where we ate waffles was a macaroon shop. We bought a small box of macaroons and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate tasted like heaven in a cup, especially against the cold weather of Brussels. As we began our walk we saw lots of things such as the Grand Palace of Brussels and the Park across the street. The city is entirely bilingual (Dutch & French) so all the signs are in both languages, although French was more prevalent.
The walk took us through a really unique area of the city; we saw the European Parliament and the European Commission. There were even more parks on this walk; I felt like Brussels was a city of parks (with beautifully colored trees!). At the end of the walk was the Belgian military museum. At the top was an arch and you could see a panorama of the city, so of course we went. On our way back towards the hotel we looked up some NY Times reviews of Brussels to find a good restaurant for dinner. We found a place called Au Vieux Bruxelles, which was recommended for their mussels. We got them in a curry sauce, and they were to die for. We also had a pork dish with (something) pickled on top and a creamy sauce. The final dish was called waterzooi. Since the menu was in French we had no idea what anything was, and we guessed. The waterzooi was my choice, and we were baffled by what it was. When I finally googled what it was after dinner, we found that it was basically just a stew with chicken in it (although in the past it was fish). After much speculation about the type of meat in it, we agreed it must have been chicken. I was a big fan. For dessert we had a crepe and some chocolate ice cream.
Brussels was yet another beautiful city, in a very different way. I'm glad I was able to see two cities on my long weekend. They both were such opposite ends of the spectrum, but it made the weekend that much more enjoyable. This morning Sydney and I parted Mia at the train station (since her airport was south of the city). It was a great weekend, but London is in three days, and I'm so excited to see Boyko and London!
Driving into Brussels we drove through a beautiful park filled with colorful trees. It was so exciting getting to enjoy some Autumn color since I wasn't able to be in New England (or the Northeast) this year. The drive in was beautiful after stops in Utrecht and Antwerp. After navigating through the metro we got off on Avenue Louise to walk to our hotel. Avenue Louise is essentially the 5th Avenue of Brussels and a neighborhood that's popular with expatriates. This time we were staying at a budget hotel for the three of us meaning we had real beds and a real bathroom! It was pretty awesome for the price. We decided that after the long bus ride we wanted to get a really nice dinner. We ended up in the Grand Place, which is the main square of Brussels. The architecture was awe-inspiring although drastically different than Amsterdam. Everything had a very grand, French style to it. Yet again, I fell in love.
The next morning we went down to the central part of the city and found a cute shop to get waffles. Let me just say, these were some of the best waffles I've ever had. Our plan was to do the "European walk" which leads you through the European district and by all of the important EU buildings. Across the street from where we ate waffles was a macaroon shop. We bought a small box of macaroons and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate tasted like heaven in a cup, especially against the cold weather of Brussels. As we began our walk we saw lots of things such as the Grand Palace of Brussels and the Park across the street. The city is entirely bilingual (Dutch & French) so all the signs are in both languages, although French was more prevalent.
The walk took us through a really unique area of the city; we saw the European Parliament and the European Commission. There were even more parks on this walk; I felt like Brussels was a city of parks (with beautifully colored trees!). At the end of the walk was the Belgian military museum. At the top was an arch and you could see a panorama of the city, so of course we went. On our way back towards the hotel we looked up some NY Times reviews of Brussels to find a good restaurant for dinner. We found a place called Au Vieux Bruxelles, which was recommended for their mussels. We got them in a curry sauce, and they were to die for. We also had a pork dish with (something) pickled on top and a creamy sauce. The final dish was called waterzooi. Since the menu was in French we had no idea what anything was, and we guessed. The waterzooi was my choice, and we were baffled by what it was. When I finally googled what it was after dinner, we found that it was basically just a stew with chicken in it (although in the past it was fish). After much speculation about the type of meat in it, we agreed it must have been chicken. I was a big fan. For dessert we had a crepe and some chocolate ice cream.
Brussels was yet another beautiful city, in a very different way. I'm glad I was able to see two cities on my long weekend. They both were such opposite ends of the spectrum, but it made the weekend that much more enjoyable. This morning Sydney and I parted Mia at the train station (since her airport was south of the city). It was a great weekend, but London is in three days, and I'm so excited to see Boyko and London!
Amsterdam: Apparently I'm Dutch!
What a weekend! We just got back from Brussels around 3PM today, and I have to say I loved every minute of my weekend.
We arrived to Amsterdam around 9:30 on Thursday night and took the train into the city. Our hostel was above an Irish Pub called Durty Nelly's (yes, that is the actual name of it). Hostels are such an interesting experience, but it's worth the money you save. After dropping our things off and settling in, we headed out into Amsterdam mostly just to see the city for a little bit. We walked around and ate waffles covered in chocolate. The city is so, SO beautiful. The streets are small and old; there are canals running through the entire old city (almost like Venice, but with streets too); and the city is very, very bike friendly. During our walk around the city, we may or may not have accidentally strolled into the red light district. After saying we weren't going to go there, we looked down a side street and saw red lights. On the other side of the canal: prostitutes in the window. As we continued we realized we were in the heart of the red light district. Oops! Thankfully the city is small, and we quickly found our way back to a main path.
The next morning we woke up early to make sure we took advantage of our only full day in Amsterdam. We got muffins (they had amazing banana muffins :D), and afterwards we headed to the museums. We got the Van Gogh museum, which was by far one of the best museums I've ever seen! We spent nearly two hours in the museum and finally left to make sure we had some time to do some other stuff.
As you may or may not be aware, Dutch cuisine isn't necessarily the most "world-renowned" cuisine you can find in Europe. Instead, they really recommend you try the Asian foods since most of Indonesia was a Dutch colony. We went out for Thai food (since most of the Indonesian places were pricey), which was delicious. We then meandered over to Anne Frank's house since I've heard it's a must-see if you're ever in Amsterdam for a weekend. It was so interesting and very emotional to see the house she lived in.
We slept in a little bit on Saturday since we were so tired from all the walking and exploring on Friday. Once we got up we went for a short walk, picked up our bags from the hostel, and grabbed some breakfast at a cute little café. I had an olive and feta quiche and English breakfast tea, in case you were concerned. Afterwards we went to the Centraal rail station to get the metro towards Amstel station so we could catch our bus to Brussels!
The ride to Brussels was perfect, and I was able to sleep for most of it. Thankfully, I did get to see some of the Dutch countryside (including a windmill!). The Netherlands is really a beautiful country, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it. If someone asked me to move there for work, I'd consider it in a heartbeat. The culture and lifestyle were much quicker paced than Spain, and I loved the architecture and size of the city. I have to say, one of my favorite things was the old homes surrounding the canals! They had these beautiful homes with navy blue bricks and white trim (and red shutters on the top window). Absolutely loved it. On a more funny note, I apparently look Dutch. Although just about everyone in the Netherlands speaks English (in fact the signs at the airport had NO Dutch on them), people kept speaking to me in Dutch! I'm proud to appear local, but I'm very obviously a tourist no?
I'm going to put Brussels in a separate post so that it's easier for me to organize my thoughts. Until the next post :)
We arrived to Amsterdam around 9:30 on Thursday night and took the train into the city. Our hostel was above an Irish Pub called Durty Nelly's (yes, that is the actual name of it). Hostels are such an interesting experience, but it's worth the money you save. After dropping our things off and settling in, we headed out into Amsterdam mostly just to see the city for a little bit. We walked around and ate waffles covered in chocolate. The city is so, SO beautiful. The streets are small and old; there are canals running through the entire old city (almost like Venice, but with streets too); and the city is very, very bike friendly. During our walk around the city, we may or may not have accidentally strolled into the red light district. After saying we weren't going to go there, we looked down a side street and saw red lights. On the other side of the canal: prostitutes in the window. As we continued we realized we were in the heart of the red light district. Oops! Thankfully the city is small, and we quickly found our way back to a main path.
The next morning we woke up early to make sure we took advantage of our only full day in Amsterdam. We got muffins (they had amazing banana muffins :D), and afterwards we headed to the museums. We got the Van Gogh museum, which was by far one of the best museums I've ever seen! We spent nearly two hours in the museum and finally left to make sure we had some time to do some other stuff.
As you may or may not be aware, Dutch cuisine isn't necessarily the most "world-renowned" cuisine you can find in Europe. Instead, they really recommend you try the Asian foods since most of Indonesia was a Dutch colony. We went out for Thai food (since most of the Indonesian places were pricey), which was delicious. We then meandered over to Anne Frank's house since I've heard it's a must-see if you're ever in Amsterdam for a weekend. It was so interesting and very emotional to see the house she lived in.
We slept in a little bit on Saturday since we were so tired from all the walking and exploring on Friday. Once we got up we went for a short walk, picked up our bags from the hostel, and grabbed some breakfast at a cute little café. I had an olive and feta quiche and English breakfast tea, in case you were concerned. Afterwards we went to the Centraal rail station to get the metro towards Amstel station so we could catch our bus to Brussels!
The ride to Brussels was perfect, and I was able to sleep for most of it. Thankfully, I did get to see some of the Dutch countryside (including a windmill!). The Netherlands is really a beautiful country, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it. If someone asked me to move there for work, I'd consider it in a heartbeat. The culture and lifestyle were much quicker paced than Spain, and I loved the architecture and size of the city. I have to say, one of my favorite things was the old homes surrounding the canals! They had these beautiful homes with navy blue bricks and white trim (and red shutters on the top window). Absolutely loved it. On a more funny note, I apparently look Dutch. Although just about everyone in the Netherlands speaks English (in fact the signs at the airport had NO Dutch on them), people kept speaking to me in Dutch! I'm proud to appear local, but I'm very obviously a tourist no?
I'm going to put Brussels in a separate post so that it's easier for me to organize my thoughts. Until the next post :)
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