After traveling two weeks alone, I returned for two days in Groningen to pack up my room before heading to London to spend New Years with my high school friend, Jeid. I was incredibly excited to spend time with an old friend after four months away from home. I arrived in London before Jeid returned from her Christmas in California, so I spent a few hours walking the city and visiting Tate Modern.
Once Jeid arrived, we met up with her friend, Charlie, for dinner and drinks. The next day we cooked a big breakfast and took it easy before going on a Jack the Ripper walking tour. After the tour, we grabbed a drink at a fun, historic bar and went to dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. After dinner, we grabbed another drink at a cool hotel/lounge/bar then headed home.
The next day was New Years Eve. We spent the afternoon/evening exploring Greenwich. Jeid used to live and go to school in the area, so she had all kinds of fun information to tell me. We went to a cute neighborhood pub to grab a beer before going to another cute place for dinner. While at dinner, we noticed a lot of people dressed up for the night's celebrations, so we headed back to her apartment to get ready.
Jeid and I didn't want to pay a lot to get into a New Years party. Jeid lives in a fun part of town with lots of bars, so we assumed we'd find a place without a cover. Sadly, most places were charging between 20 and 30 pounds for entry, so we settled on a fun Mexican restaurant/bar that let us both in for 10. I'm so happy we went there, because it was really fun! We met some people who were going to a huge dance party, so we decided to go with them. We did end up paying to get in there, but it was definitely worth it. There were soooooo many people, the music was good, and our new friends were really great. Eventually our feet hurt too much to carry on, so we left the party around 4am. All in all, it was a great New Years!
The next day, Jeid and I slept in until the afternoon. We were determined to find a delicious Sunday roast, so we finally left the house in search of dinner. We went to a place near her house that had the best reviews for a Sunday roast. We then explored the neighborhood further and went to a local's bar for a beer, and then to a restaurant for some delicious desserts. While at dessert, we got to talking with some guys from the neighborhood. The dessert place was closing down but we were enjoying the conversation, so we moved to the bar across the street (the same place we ate roasts earlier in the night) for some wine. We stayed out until I had to leave for the airport around 3:30.
Overall, London was GREAT! I had already done the tourist stuff when I visited in 2004, so Jeid and I just enjoyed each others company without the pressure of site seeing. It was so, so nice to be with an old friend again. We honestly could have been in the middle of a desert and still had a great time. It was really wonderful to see Jeid, and I wish I could have stayed longer. London is a fantastic city!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Roman Holiday
This year was the first time I was away from my family for Christmas. Initially, I tried to meet a friend in Paris for the holiday, but after looking into the logistics and costs of getting to Paris, I decided against it. I knew I’d be alone, so I thought I’d go for a more religious experience. What better place for a Catholic than Rome? Well, this is what I thought when I booked it. Plus I thought it would be sunny and “warm” in Rome.
I left Salzburg on an overnight train. When I showed the train lady my ticket she told me, “Oh, your cabin is very full so we’ve moved you.” This move meant I had an entire sleeper cabin to myself! This moment goes down as the luckiest travel moment of my life. Instead of the uncomfortable night sleep I was expecting, I was able to get a decent night sleep.
I awoke to a very sunny, Italian landscape and immediately regretted leaving my sunglasses on my desk in Groningen. “At least I won’t get a sunglasses tan,” I thought. Once at the Rome Termini station I had to take the metro to my hostel. I went up down stairs, up stairs, down stairs again, left, right, right, left… After a minimum of 5 minutes of following signs, I finally arrived at the proper platform. That connection was the most convoluted underground system I’ve encountered yet.
Once I emerged from the underground, I quickly realized why my hostel gave directions in place markers rather than street names. The streets in Rome are ridiculous! I guess that’s what you get when you have such an ancient city. So my first impression of Rome was a city of chaos.
I had done zero research on Rome (like every trip I’ve made while studying abroad), so I dropped my bags and started looking up things to do. A girl in my hostel was going to the Coliseum, so I joined her. We were smart and bought our tickets at the Palatine/Roman Forum entrance instead of the Coliseum entrance – it’s the same ticket – meaning we were able to cut a huge line (definitely do this if you ever go to the Coliseum). After a couple hours in the Palatine and Forum we went to the Coliseum. The Coliseum was exactly what I expected. We came, we saw, we left to a park on a hill to get a great view of the sunset.
After sunset, we were both hungry and tired so we returned to the hostel. We didn’t take into account rush hour traffic on the metro. It was so crowded that only Emma was able to jump on the very crowded train before the doors closed. I sadly waved her goodbye and waited for the next train. On the next train, I caught a man trying to rob me. He had unclasped my purse (which I felt because my hand was on the bag) but not taken anything. I don’t know Italian, so I could only give him my best attempt at a mean look as if you say “I know you’re trying to rob me, asshole.” We had an awkward stare down until he got off at the next stop. Welcome to Rome, Laurel!
The next day, I went to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum. St. Peter’s was really great, and climbing the cupola was even better. It was a clear, beautiful day and the view was incredible. After the cupola climb, I walked every foot of exhibition space at the Vatican Museum. I couldn’t help but question just how and why the Vatican actually acquired all that art. The art was great, but by the end I could care less about what I was looking at and I skipped a lot of my audio guide. I was arted-out for sure. I was completely exhausted and returned to the hostel for an early night.
The next day (Christmas Eve!) I simply wandered the city and stumbled upon the many archaeological and architectural gems of Rome. Before leaving the hostel in the morning I had researched Christmas masses to attend. I quickly ruled out the Vatican, as it seemed like a crowded, cold night. Plus, all public transportation stops running by that time of night, so I’d have to walk at least 45 minutes alone, in the dark, back to my hostel. A really cool mass I wanted to attend was midnight mass at the Pantheon. But again, I’d have to walk home alone in the middle of the night. So, I skipped all late night masses (you’re welcome, Mom) and attended a childrens mass at the American church. It was a really cute service and nice to be with families and children, although it made me miss my family. I poked into another mass service on my walk back to the hostel. It was all in Latin and Italian and was BOOOORing! I was really happy I opted for the kids mass.
I returned to the hostel to discover only 2 of the 15 hostel beds were occupied. My only roommate was Jana, a 53-year-old singer/inspirational speaker. Jana was super cool and definitely free spirited. But, it would have been really nice if a few more people were there. One of the hostel workers was born on Christmas, so the three other hostel workers, Jana and I played Uno until midnight, where we sang to the birthday girl, drank bubbles, and ate home-made tiramisu (soooooo good!). We weren’t ringing in Christmas, but it was a fun celebration.
Christmas day I did more walking around the city. It was strange to see how completely un-festive Rome was. There were very, very few decorations, no Christmas songs, and a complete lack of Christmas cheer. I assumed Rome would be a great place to be for Christmas, but it ended up being very underwhelming and the least Christmas-y place I’ve ever been. I guess that’s a good thing, because I could pretend it was a regular day and probably didn’t miss my family as much as I would have if I was in a place that knows how to do Christmas - like Austria or Germany.
By the 26th, I had seen everything I wanted to see, aside from the Pantheon. The Pantheon was closed on the 24th and 25th but I was assured it'd be open the 26th. Sadly, I didn't check the times it would be open because I arrived at 1:30 when it closed at 1:00. The worst part is I spent the morning relaxing because I knew I only had one thing I really wanted to see that day before my evening flight. Oh well!
Overall, Rome was a good place. I really liked my hostel, despite the lack of occupants, because it was run by a wonderful Italian family and they made me feel like I was part of the family. I also loved watching and hearing Italians talk - all the stereotypes are completely true! Nearly five days in Rome was a bit much, but it was a nice trip and I'd like to see more of Italy in the future.
By the end, I was very ready to go home. Unfortunately, I forgot that the trains don't go to Groningen past about 10pm, so I had to spend the night in Rotterdam airport and catch the first train back to Groningen. I never thought I'd be happy to return to Winschoterdiep, but after 2 solid weeks of traveling alone I was ready to be in a familiar place again. Of course that warm, fuzzy feeling died after making lunch in the health hazard, aka the kitchen. I was a little sad the solo adventure came to an end, but it inspired me to go on more adventures in the future!
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| One of the fountains at Piazza Navona - worth seeing! |
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| View from the Cupola |
Bring on the Cheese in Salzburg!
I was quite sad to leave Vienna. The main thing keeping me excited to move on was knowing I'd be going to Salzburg - the land of the Sound of Music. That's right, the Sound of Music. You all should know by now that I'm a huge nerd, and you may also know that I really like musicals, so of course I had to visit the place where one of the best movies of all time was filmed.
The train ride to Salzburg was positively picturesque. The sun was shining bright and a light snow blanketed the scenery. It honestly looked like a Christmas card out the window. I arrived around noon, relaxed for a bit, then joined a girl from my hostel for a walk of the city. The beautiful sunny weather didn't hold, and by the end of the walk it was snowing on us (my first snow of the year!). Salzburg is fairly small, so we were able to return to the hostel quickly. We had plans to eat dinner at the Christmas market (they are everywhere) after taking a short nap. I must have been really tired from Vienna, because my hour nap turned into a 3+ hour sleep. By the time I woke up, the only dinner option available was a sausage cart a few blocks away. Man, I love being "forced" to eat bratwurst.
My main reason for visiting Salzburg was to go on a Sound of Music tour (told you I'm a nerd!). In my head, I saw myself on a bus with a bunch of middle-aged women, belting out the movie soundtrack. Instead, I was on a bus with a good number of people my age (and some others) and they did not at all live up to my cheesy vision. Our guide was hilarious (I thought) and like normal, I was laughing really hard while most people sat silent. The guide seemed to appreciate my laughs because he gave me a free beer (at 10:30am). I will gladly laugh at almost anything in exchange for beer.
Despite the tranquil bus group, the tour was really nice and I loved seeing where the scenes were filmed. I'd totally do a tour in the summer time, but I'd first find a women's group - preferably a choir group - to do the tour with to ensure myself the cheesiest four hours of my life.
After the tour, I explored more of Salzburg by myself. Salzburg is such a great city! I walked a trail with beautiful views of the city, ventured through the Christmas market (again), and finished my day at the Augustiner Bräu beer hall. The Augustiner was really great, but it would be even better if I had gone with someone else. I was the only person there alone, but I didn't care that much. The waiter took pity on me (or saw a great opportunity) and kept coming over to chat with me. He told me all the great things to see and do in Salzburg, and I didn't have the heart to tell him I was leaving the city that night. My friends and I could spend hours and hours at the Augustiner, but my lonesome self decided to leave after finishing my half liter.
Overall, Salzburg was a really great city for me. Actually, all of Austria was great for me. I will certainly be visiting the country again the next time I'm in Europe. I highly recommend everyone to visit beautiful Austria!
The train ride to Salzburg was positively picturesque. The sun was shining bright and a light snow blanketed the scenery. It honestly looked like a Christmas card out the window. I arrived around noon, relaxed for a bit, then joined a girl from my hostel for a walk of the city. The beautiful sunny weather didn't hold, and by the end of the walk it was snowing on us (my first snow of the year!). Salzburg is fairly small, so we were able to return to the hostel quickly. We had plans to eat dinner at the Christmas market (they are everywhere) after taking a short nap. I must have been really tired from Vienna, because my hour nap turned into a 3+ hour sleep. By the time I woke up, the only dinner option available was a sausage cart a few blocks away. Man, I love being "forced" to eat bratwurst.
My main reason for visiting Salzburg was to go on a Sound of Music tour (told you I'm a nerd!). In my head, I saw myself on a bus with a bunch of middle-aged women, belting out the movie soundtrack. Instead, I was on a bus with a good number of people my age (and some others) and they did not at all live up to my cheesy vision. Our guide was hilarious (I thought) and like normal, I was laughing really hard while most people sat silent. The guide seemed to appreciate my laughs because he gave me a free beer (at 10:30am). I will gladly laugh at almost anything in exchange for beer.
Despite the tranquil bus group, the tour was really nice and I loved seeing where the scenes were filmed. I'd totally do a tour in the summer time, but I'd first find a women's group - preferably a choir group - to do the tour with to ensure myself the cheesiest four hours of my life.
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| If only I were 16 going on 17! |
After the tour, I explored more of Salzburg by myself. Salzburg is such a great city! I walked a trail with beautiful views of the city, ventured through the Christmas market (again), and finished my day at the Augustiner Bräu beer hall. The Augustiner was really great, but it would be even better if I had gone with someone else. I was the only person there alone, but I didn't care that much. The waiter took pity on me (or saw a great opportunity) and kept coming over to chat with me. He told me all the great things to see and do in Salzburg, and I didn't have the heart to tell him I was leaving the city that night. My friends and I could spend hours and hours at the Augustiner, but my lonesome self decided to leave after finishing my half liter.
Overall, Salzburg was a really great city for me. Actually, all of Austria was great for me. I will certainly be visiting the country again the next time I'm in Europe. I highly recommend everyone to visit beautiful Austria!
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| View from the trail. |
Monday, December 26, 2011
Vienna
After a wonderful three nights and two days in Budapest, I headed to Vienna. I stayed with a friend I hadn't seen in a few years, Mattia, and visited with some other NEURUS students. Mattia arranged for his friend, Felix, to pick me up at the train station and take me to his place. It's a good thing he did, because Mattia's door is in the same entryway as a grocery store and I would have skipped right over it. My first experience exploring Vienna was walking Mattia's dog. Felix and I left out the back way and I managed to not pay any attention to where we were going. Felix left me at the park, it started raining so I turned back and found myself unable to find the back door. I circled the block a few times before giving up and going through the front door. By that time, I was totally wet and cold and gave up on exploring the city further. Instead, I took a nap and went shopping for beer and food, only to forget my money and try to tell the checker using hand signals that I had to put the beer back, go upstairs to get more cash, and re-buy the beer. Then Mattia came home and told me it's ok to enter the building with the dog using the front, only exiting should happen out the back. All in all, a very Laurel-esque first 10 hours in Vienna.
Things dramatically improved after that. Mattia, Felix, Lindsay (from Budapest, she was also going to Vienna) and I went to a party that night. Many people were wearing traditional Austrian clothes, which seemed slightly bizarre, but cool. We (mostly Mattia) had a fairly ridiculous, but fun, night. Saturday, Mattia gave me a walking tour of the city. Much of the beautiful architecture in Budapest was constructed while under rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I heard time and time again that if I thought Budapest was beautiful, just wait until Vienna. Sure enough, Vienna was absolutely beautiful. I kept asking Mattia, "hey, what's that building?" and he'd say "I don't know, an apartment or something." Everything was so ornate, even mere apartment buildings looked grandiose. It started to rain/hail as our walk finished, so we returned home.
That evening, Mattia and Felix's friends had a punch (like glühwein) and cookie party, which I was told is a very typical type of holiday party in Austria. I was the only non-German speaker there, which made for a night full of 'smile and nod' moments. I really enjoyed myself (and the food and drink!) despite the language barrier, and his friends were all really nice and translated for me.
After the party, we had plans to meet different friends at a bar. While on the metro, we ran into yet another friend who told us a bar was opening that night, complete with free drinks! We went to meet the friends at first the bar, but they had already left, so we went to the opening night bar with free drinks. Mattia was still a little worn out from the night before, so he left after one drink while Felix and I chatted the night away....until 5am when the bar closed. We had no idea it was so late! We were absolutely shocked at how quickly the time had passed. Thankfully the walk home wasn't too far (no metro at that time) and I had good company to lead the way.
Sunday, I went to the Belvedere to view works by my favorite artist, Gustav Klimt. The grounds themselves were just as impressive as the artwork. It was a nice, fairly sunny day so I tried to spend equal time indoors and out. After the Belvedere, I met with a fellow NEURUS friend, Georg. Georg gave me another walking tour of Vienna. He's gone to school in Vienna for the last 5ish years, so he knew quite a bit about the city and showed me different sites from Mattia's walk. We went to a cafe at the end of the night, where Lindsay met up with us after she got out of the opera.
Monday, I met Lindsay at Schönbrunn Palace, the summer palace for the Habsburg monarchy. Thankfully, we beat the crowds by arriving early because tons of school-aged kids showed up as we were inside the palace. After our palace tour, we ate food at the Christmas market there (these markets are everywhere!) and then went to an Austrian restaurant for lunch. I wasn't even hungry by the time we arrived to the restaurant, but I still managed to eat all of my very delicious schnitzel. Then, we walked the city some more before I left Lindsay to give the dog a walk. After that, I met up with Felix to taste some of the famous Vienna cafe cakes. I wish I could have tried them all because the two I had were soooooo good. Then, I met some NEURUS friends for a really great dinner.
After dinner, I met up with Felix again for a final drink in Vienna. Mattia wasn't feeling up for beers because he had worked all day, but I wanted to keep my Vienna experience going! Thankfully Felix was up for it. We went to a bar near Mattia's house and sampled a few Austrian beers. Again, we stayed until the bar closed - this time they actually asked us to leave because it was Monday night and they really had to close. Oops!
I'm happy we stayed until they kicked us out because I really didn't want to leave Vienna. I had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful city, meeting with friends, and eating great food. I would go back to Vienna in a heartbeat - even if just to eat the food! Ahhh Vienna, you were fantastic.
Things dramatically improved after that. Mattia, Felix, Lindsay (from Budapest, she was also going to Vienna) and I went to a party that night. Many people were wearing traditional Austrian clothes, which seemed slightly bizarre, but cool. We (mostly Mattia) had a fairly ridiculous, but fun, night. Saturday, Mattia gave me a walking tour of the city. Much of the beautiful architecture in Budapest was constructed while under rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I heard time and time again that if I thought Budapest was beautiful, just wait until Vienna. Sure enough, Vienna was absolutely beautiful. I kept asking Mattia, "hey, what's that building?" and he'd say "I don't know, an apartment or something." Everything was so ornate, even mere apartment buildings looked grandiose. It started to rain/hail as our walk finished, so we returned home.
That evening, Mattia and Felix's friends had a punch (like glühwein) and cookie party, which I was told is a very typical type of holiday party in Austria. I was the only non-German speaker there, which made for a night full of 'smile and nod' moments. I really enjoyed myself (and the food and drink!) despite the language barrier, and his friends were all really nice and translated for me.
After the party, we had plans to meet different friends at a bar. While on the metro, we ran into yet another friend who told us a bar was opening that night, complete with free drinks! We went to meet the friends at first the bar, but they had already left, so we went to the opening night bar with free drinks. Mattia was still a little worn out from the night before, so he left after one drink while Felix and I chatted the night away....until 5am when the bar closed. We had no idea it was so late! We were absolutely shocked at how quickly the time had passed. Thankfully the walk home wasn't too far (no metro at that time) and I had good company to lead the way.
Sunday, I went to the Belvedere to view works by my favorite artist, Gustav Klimt. The grounds themselves were just as impressive as the artwork. It was a nice, fairly sunny day so I tried to spend equal time indoors and out. After the Belvedere, I met with a fellow NEURUS friend, Georg. Georg gave me another walking tour of Vienna. He's gone to school in Vienna for the last 5ish years, so he knew quite a bit about the city and showed me different sites from Mattia's walk. We went to a cafe at the end of the night, where Lindsay met up with us after she got out of the opera.
Monday, I met Lindsay at Schönbrunn Palace, the summer palace for the Habsburg monarchy. Thankfully, we beat the crowds by arriving early because tons of school-aged kids showed up as we were inside the palace. After our palace tour, we ate food at the Christmas market there (these markets are everywhere!) and then went to an Austrian restaurant for lunch. I wasn't even hungry by the time we arrived to the restaurant, but I still managed to eat all of my very delicious schnitzel. Then, we walked the city some more before I left Lindsay to give the dog a walk. After that, I met up with Felix to taste some of the famous Vienna cafe cakes. I wish I could have tried them all because the two I had were soooooo good. Then, I met some NEURUS friends for a really great dinner.
After dinner, I met up with Felix again for a final drink in Vienna. Mattia wasn't feeling up for beers because he had worked all day, but I wanted to keep my Vienna experience going! Thankfully Felix was up for it. We went to a bar near Mattia's house and sampled a few Austrian beers. Again, we stayed until the bar closed - this time they actually asked us to leave because it was Monday night and they really had to close. Oops!
I'm happy we stayed until they kicked us out because I really didn't want to leave Vienna. I had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful city, meeting with friends, and eating great food. I would go back to Vienna in a heartbeat - even if just to eat the food! Ahhh Vienna, you were fantastic.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Budapest
I wasn't sure what to expect in Budapest, so like all trips, I simply showed up and made plans on the fly. I arrived to my hostel right as a group was getting ready for a pub crawl. So, I literally put my bags down and headed out the door. We went to a few of the famous ruins bars, which I didn’t realize were a thing to see until days later. I really enjoyed meeting my hostel mates and getting a brief introduction to Budapest.
I woke up later than I wanted to the next day and missed the morning city walking tour (thanks pub crawl), but still made it to the afternoon communist walking tour. It was very interesting to learn about life under communist rule and it made me realize that we don’t learn hardly anything about communism in school aside from “it’s bad, don’t be a commie.” I really had no idea what everyday life under communist rule was like, so I really appreciated the tour – and democracy.
I met a fellow American on the tour and we decided to grab dinner afterward. Lindsey had been teaching English in France for the last two years and was traveling around Europe before moving back to the States. I went into the trip thinking I would do everything alone, but we got along great and decided to stroll the city after dinner and made plans to meet the following day. Basically, we went on a girl date and it went really well.
The next morning, I made it to the city tour! I had already seen most of the sites thanks to the stroll the night before, but I learned a whole lot about Budapest and was very thankful I did the tour. Afterward, I did more city exploring on my own and went to the Market Halle for lunch. The indoor market had tons of food and crafts. I’m not into souvenirs, but I’m most certainly into food. On the recommendation of my tour guide, I ate stuffed cabbage (which came with a side of cabbage) and apple strudel for dessert. I couldn’t finish the stuffed cabbage but my dessert stomach demolished the strudel. It was the best strudel I’ve had.
I then met Lindsey at the House of Terror, a museum that details the oppression of Hungary under Nazi and Soviet rule. It was heavy stuff, but good to see. We needed a pick me up, so Lindsey convinced me to go to one of the thermal baths with her. I’m so glad I did, because it was wonderful! It was basically a huge pool naturally heated with thermal waters. We spent a couple hours there, and then grabbed food and beers before calling it a night.
Overall, Budapest was wonderful. I met great people, got a good history lesson, and didn’t spend much money while doing it! The weather was by far the worst part of the trip. It rained a good deal on Wednesday and all of Thursday. I had an early bus to Vienna Friday morning, and of course it was the most beautiful, clear day you could imagine. That's just my luck. Oh well, I still had a great trip!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Flying Solo
Until two weeks ago, every trip I made was with at least one other person. It's great to travel with friends, but sometimes you don't get to see and do all you want because you make compromises. Since then, I've been going alone and absolutely loving it. I started with a day trip to Amsterdam on December 8th. I took my Rick Steves guide (thanks Clark family!) and did two of his city walks, visited the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum, and finished the day with a wonderful dinner with Shane (I used to nanny for his family - I love them). In one day, I managed to see all the things I hadn't seen in my previous trips. It rained most of the day but that didn't impede me at all. It felt so great to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.
Three days later, I made a day trip to Utrecht. The only thing I knew I wanted to do was climb the Dom Tower, the highest church tower in the Netherlands. The rest of the day I simply wandered the city. I stumbled upon Kerst in de Nicolaikerk (Christmas at the Church of St. Nicolas). I pretended to sing Dutch Christmas carols, bought and drank glühwine in the church (no judgment from God, it was a fundraiser...), and ate my first oliebollen, a Dutch type of donut. It was so good that I think I'll try making one when I get home: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oliebollen-Dutch-Doughnuts/. It was also De Culturele Jazz Zondag so I attempted to find a free jazz show. Instead, I went to a film about Thelonius Monk, took a nap in the theater, and decided to call it a day.
Now, I'm on a two week trip to Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg and Rome - doing all of it by myself. I have found that I'm a very efficient traveler, largely due to my rapid walking speed, and I can pack a lot in a short time. I really like being able to make decisions on the fly and spend as much or as little time at the "must see" places. I know what I like, so I do what I like. Traveling alone has been great, I highly recommend it!
Three days later, I made a day trip to Utrecht. The only thing I knew I wanted to do was climb the Dom Tower, the highest church tower in the Netherlands. The rest of the day I simply wandered the city. I stumbled upon Kerst in de Nicolaikerk (Christmas at the Church of St. Nicolas). I pretended to sing Dutch Christmas carols, bought and drank glühwine in the church (no judgment from God, it was a fundraiser...), and ate my first oliebollen, a Dutch type of donut. It was so good that I think I'll try making one when I get home: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oliebollen-Dutch-Doughnuts/. It was also De Culturele Jazz Zondag so I attempted to find a free jazz show. Instead, I went to a film about Thelonius Monk, took a nap in the theater, and decided to call it a day.
Now, I'm on a two week trip to Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg and Rome - doing all of it by myself. I have found that I'm a very efficient traveler, largely due to my rapid walking speed, and I can pack a lot in a short time. I really like being able to make decisions on the fly and spend as much or as little time at the "must see" places. I know what I like, so I do what I like. Traveling alone has been great, I highly recommend it!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Toughening Up
I used to think anything below 70 degrees constituted jacket weather, and anything below 60 was outright cold. These days, I get excited if the temperature reaches 40. I check the weather every time before I leave my room to see if I need to wear wool socks and tights under my pants, which jacket(s) I should wear, etc. My California blood wasn't cut out for this kind of weather, but I'm getting better! My hands have been numb so often that I'm almost used to it. I still can't handle cold feet, but I don't use wool socks nearly as often as I used to. Some days I don't wear a hat out, but usually I regret that decision half way through my bike ride. The funny thing is, while it's taken me over three months to adjust to the (actual) cold, it will take no more than three days for me to adjust back to my old sense of cold.
Some people, especially the Germans, are really anxious for it to snow. They say it isn't Christmas unless there is snow. Personally, I don't want it to snow. Sure it would look really pretty, but I didn't bring my snow boots and I'm slightly terrified of biking in the snow. I know I sound pathetic, but what's wrong with loving the warmth? Many people feel bad for me because I've never had a white Christmas. Perhaps I'll get a glimpse of it this year, or perhaps the sun will shine bright on Christmas day!
Some people, especially the Germans, are really anxious for it to snow. They say it isn't Christmas unless there is snow. Personally, I don't want it to snow. Sure it would look really pretty, but I didn't bring my snow boots and I'm slightly terrified of biking in the snow. I know I sound pathetic, but what's wrong with loving the warmth? Many people feel bad for me because I've never had a white Christmas. Perhaps I'll get a glimpse of it this year, or perhaps the sun will shine bright on Christmas day!
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