Photos: Darling Dresden

August 5, 20161 Comment

Dresden was a wonderful contrast to Berlin. The old town was all bundled together in one compact section, it was much smaller and felt like a mix between a university town and the suburbs. I experienced more kindness from family members who I was only meeting for the first time. I stayed with my grandmother’s cousin’s niece Martina and her husband Gert who opened their doors and arms to me, treating me as a daughter during my stay. I could not be more thankful for their generosity and hospitality. I had a truly wonderful time. We spent many evenings sitting on their back porch, overlooking their flourishing garden, sipping rosé, while they patiently answered all of my many questions about Germany. In pictures, here’s a bit of my time in scenic Dresden.

Day 1: Fabulous authentic German lunch and tour of the old town

Day 2: Tour of the Historic Green Vault and walk along the shore at sunset during the Kaiser Mania concert to observe crazy Roland Kaiser fans. On our way home we saw hundreds of rollerbladers; apparently Dresden shuts roads every Friday during summer for this large group to safely skate the city.

Day 3: Sachsische Schweiz National Park, biergarten (beer garden) lunch, Japanisches Palais (Japanese Palace), and in the evening met Gert and Martina’s son Jurge

Day 4: Tour of Semper Opera House, Zwinger exhibits- Old Masters Picture Gallery, Porcelain Collection, and Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon, tour of places my parents visited when they were young, met Gert and Martina’s son Frank, coffee with Gert and Martina’s daughter Enis and a snitzel dinner (YUM!)

I sincerely hope to come back to Dresden one day!

At Home in Berlin

August 2, 20161 Comment

When I reached Berlin I breathed a sigh of relief, I’d be in the same city, staying with family, for a whole week. No moving around, no racing to catch a bus, no transferring accommodations, no locking my belongings in a locker, no shower shoes. I’d be staying with my grandmother’s half-brother’s granddaughter, Eileen. Her smiling face was there to greet me upon arrival even though my bus ran an hour late.

Eileen is the definition of a #gogettergal! She traveled to the US when she was only 18, living long-term with a family in California as an au pair, and perfecting her English (honestly she could fool you into thinking it was her first language). Now fluent in not two, but three languages, she’s taking on a rigorous course of study with a dual degree program in Berlin. As business students, we had lots in common and even found ourselves swaping resume tips over dinner one evening (not sure whether that makes me want to laugh or cry).

Eileen welcomed me into her home having only met me once before. She visited my family in San Diego over four years ago on the same day as my senior prom. Being the self-absorbed high schooler I surely was, she came along with me to get my nails done and to pre-prom photos at the Four Seasons with a hundred of my closest friends and their shutter happy parents. It’s a maricle she ever agreed to letting me stay with her during this trip.

On top of picking me up and insisting on helping me carry my stuffed backpack, she had a complete packet printed out for me of all the top sights I should see in Berlin, as well as a metro card covering all the transportation I’d need during my visit. Back at her adorable flat she made me dinner and we talked late into the night. I was in heaven.

The next morning I woke up feeling so relaxed. After sleeping in, I found a smoothie and coffee waiting for me in the kitchen (Eileen!). I lounged around the house, wrote, planned my day, tried to clear a little space on my phone for more photos.

I finally got my butt into gear to venture into the city before meeting Eileen to go “babysit.” I say that in quotes because her mother, who I had never met, messaged me the night before letting me in on the secret that what Eileen thought would be a night of watching children was actually a surprise party. I felt so honored to be included in this surprise. That evening Eileen was thoroughly shocked by her friends and family and I felt really cool for having been let in on the secret. We spent the night dining and drinking cocktails under the stars with her girlfriends. Everyone made such an effort to include me even though we had never met before and I didn’t speak German. Luckily I’ve found major topics at girl’s nights to be fairly universal.

The rest of my week was scattered with gatherings of Eileen’s family and friends. Casual get togethers in charming backyard settings. Seeing the trendy apartments of these urban families was exciting. I loved how even for apartment buildings there were ample grass areas- shared backyards and nearby garden spaces everywhere. Interacting with children who don’t speak the same language as me was funny, but between my funny faces and their expressive body language we communicated just fine. One evening we had dinner overlooking a lake at sunset with Eileen’s wonderful parents. Later in the week I met my great half-uncle, Jurgen. My parents have always spoken so highly of their stays with him; meeting him in person put life to all the stories they had told me. His home was full of momentos from his travels, including a series of portraits of people he had seen along his way. These times getting to know my family were definitely the highlights of my trip to Berlin.

I did see some of the more traditional tourist sights as well. You can’t walk anywhere in Berlin without seeing the constant reminders of the country’s history. Brandenburg Gate, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Tiergarten, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Topography of Terror, Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdamer Platz, Mauerpark, the Berlin Wall. I experienced an aerial view of the entire city when Elieen surprised me with a ride in the Die Welt (The World) balloon. This attached balloon hovered over city center giving me the perfect overview of Berlin.

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Inspired by the many WWII monuments I decided to join a tour to the nearby Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. This was the most powerful thing I’ve experienced on this trip. To walk on the ground where these horrors took place, to see the living conditions and hear of the medical experimentation performed on prisoners. And to think the war ended in 1945, only a mere 71 years ago. It blows my mind to think what recent history this is. Germany is doing an excellent job of making sure this history is not forgotten, that people are educated in what took place and that history will not repeat itself. Spreading this knowledge is the best way to encourage tolerance and spread peace for the future.

Visiting Potsdam was a much more uplifting experience. I enjoyed seeing the elegance and grandeur of Sanssouci, Schloss Cecilienhof (where the Potsdam Conference took place), the expansive gardens and charming town. We even had the luck of witnessing a Diner en Blanc gathering where the Potsdam community all dressed in white and brought out tables and picnic dinners to dine together in the street.

I also loved the Sunday market in Mauerpark. It made me wish I had a big empty suitcase to fill with all the treasures I wanted to buy! Vintage breadbox- yes, clearly a necessity! A group gathered for karaoke, a live band backing the brave singer. I strolled along one of the longest remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall watching the artists at work. Children swung on swings that had been placed near the length of the wall. People of all ages sat in the sun, casually relaxing next to this wall that had once been a symbol of fear and separation.

On my own: Bruges, Belgium

July 22, 20162 Comments

Bruges, Belgium is the first city I’ve traveled to entirely on my own during this trip. My mom and I had a hurried goodbye in the Paris metro station at around 7:00am on Saturday morning and just like that I was completely alone. Part of me wanted to go skipping down the hallway overjoyed with my complete and total freedom! The other part of me wanted to stand there petrified with no more mom to turn to.

I successfully made my metro transfers and even met two backpacker on their way to catch the same bus as me. The bus ride was comfortable and many friendly hellos were exchanged between passengers. There was room for me to have a row to myself, which I was slightly disappointed about since I was looking forward to meeting people. Our trip from Paris to Bruges took about 5 hours with one stop for a bathroom break at an all-in-one supermarket/cafe/drugstore/pharmacy/gas station. I wandered around browsing some magazines in French and taking advantage of the generous 10 minute allotment of free wifi. Back on the bus I dozed and awoke as the bus pulled over along a canal to let us off.

The tiny town of Bruges was still bigger than I had imagined but it carried all the medieval charm I had read about. The tiered rooves, windmills, the big trees and little walkways along the canal, cobbled streets, grand churches with towers overlooking the city. I couldn’t wait to get out and explore.

Found my bus!

First glimpses of Bruges

It was too early to check into my hostel bed so I rented a locker and joined a free walking tour of the town the hostel was offering. The main thing I remember about the 1:30pm tour was how hot and crowded it was the entire time. I felt as if I was witnessing each of the 5 million tourists that visit this tiny town annually, here all in one afternoon. There wasn’t space to breathe. We bumped into each other, doing our best to avoid bikes, vespas, and the many horse carriages. Every once in awhile a car would even shove its way through the narrow, crowded, windy streets and everyone would suck in their stomachs and press up against the nearest wall.

The second most memorable part of the tour was seeing some of Bruges’ many swans and learning how they got there. Apparently the town keeps them as a symbolic punishment they received for killing a man with the surname Longneck. The king insisted the people of Bruges maintain swans in the town as a reminder of what they had done to his friend. He also made the people of Bruges destroy their town wall leaving them completely vulnerable and moved all trade to the neighboring town of Antwerp ruining Bruges economically- but the swans part is much more facinating.

Swan in the canal

Swans everywhere

Literally everywhere

Where’d they go?!

After standing in the heat for 2 hours and getting a good overview of the town I decided to check into my room and get out of the midday heat. The room was everything I expected, a bunch of tiny bunk beds with little curtains. Unfortunately I was on the rickety top bunk, surely waking my bunkmate up every time I had to climb down to retrieve something I had forgotten. During my entire stay everyone in the room was quiet and respectful, the beds were clean and comfortable, and the dorm showers were, well, not completely disgusting. Only one incident occurred where a girl in my 16 bunk dorm room had caught a guy from a few beds away using her bath towel- very awkward, but glad he didn’t grab my towel!

My top bunk.

After a nap I decided to wander the city some more and seek out the best spots to visit tomorrow. After 6:00pm the town was much quieter and much less crowded, the air was cooler, and the colors of the evening sun on the buildings was fantastic. The houses’ reflections on the canal were disrupted with every passing swan. Happy people were dining outside at every restaurant. It was so peaceful to wander the almost empty streets. I stopped in Market square to listen to a violinist and sketch the clock tower. I had no where to be and nothing to do. It was a wonderful feeling.

The next morning I locked up my things, filled up on the free hostel breakfast and set off with high hopes for fitting many things in in my one full day in Bruges. First to the Church of Our Lady to see Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. By 9:30am the streets were already filling up. Learning that the church didn’t open until 1:00pm on Sundays I browsed the entrances to a few other museums in town, but feeling I had enough of that in Paris, I opted to go find the chocolate factory and museum. Though the museum was unimpressive, the chocolate demo and samples were fantastic. Smooth and rich- better then anything I’ve tried back home. These chocolate makers were quite talented, each flick of their wrist making the chocolate into identical mini masterpieces.

I went back outside to fight the crowds for a glimpse of Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. In the cool, quiet of the church I could have sat for hours looking at her gentle marble face, but the constant flow of shuffling tour groups through the church was disruptive. Time to get out of town.

I unsuccessfully haggled with the man at the bike rental shop, but the ride was worth every penny. I followed a canal out of town towards the neighboring village Damme. The air in my face, a scenic route, and a smooth bike trail shaded by trees was the perfect combination. Since my words won’t be able to properly do this ride justice here is a slide show of my ride and some of the many animals and houses I saw along the way.

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After returning the bike and enjoying a nice dinner, I left the restaurant to find a huge group of people gathered in a central square used as a fish market during the day. Music was playing, wine was flowing, and everyone in the center of the square was dancing the tango. They moved so fluidly, smiling and laughing, switching dance partners occasionally. Men dancing with women, women dancing with women, men dancing with men. The gathering had a very “come as you are” feel. Some people were dressed very casually, others in dress shoes and flowing skirts. I loved seeing this community come together over a shared interest in dance. I sat and watched them for over half an hour, enjoying the environment. I felt very much included and welcomed even as an outsider knowing little to nothing about the tango. Perching on a low cement barrier surrounding the dance floor I sat, very content, not worried about accommodating anyone, or what anyone else thought of me sitting alone.

Goodbye Ireland, Hello Wales

July 3, 2016Leave a comment

We recently left Ireland, the land of amazing dairy (creating equally great lattes), and set off to the UK starting in Caernarfon, Wales. I still don’t completely know how to pronounce that city’s name- Welsh is proving very difficult. Take a look at this town’s name we saw as we passed on the train!

Literally did not even get the entire name in my photo it is SO long!

It was truly a unique time to be in Ireland because this year marks the 100th year since their fight for freedom during the Irish Revolution. We saw this anniversary, along with the excitement surrounding the Irish team’s (short lived) success in Euro 2016 celebrated through outpourings of Irish pride all over the south of the country, from larger towns like Dublin and Galway to more rural places like Kilkenny and Dingle.

The second half of our time in Ireland was my favorite; we spent it in more rural areas, soaking in the Irish countryside. Before visiting I imagined all of Ireland to be a crazy quilt of different green patches sewn together over rolling hills. Serine and breathtaking.

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Now that I’ve seen a bit of the country for myself, not Hollywood’s version, I realize there is a lot more to Ireland than that, but the “greenness” of everything still shocked me!

As I reflect on my visit here are a few quirky notes on Ireland of things that stood out to me as being different from the US. I broke them up, in no particular order, into “the good” which are the things I wish I could take back to the US with me and “the bad” which are things I’m happy to be leaving behind.

The Good:

Farm fresh dinner from McSwiggan’s, voted the best in Galway

Kind, generous, American loving people (this is, of course, a generalization but what I personally experienced). A big shout out of thanks to all the patient bus drivers who helped us find our way
Excellent access to wifi in most places- Cork even had city wide wifi
Restaurants having a list of their suppliers on the menu (this way you know exactly where your meal is sourced from- what a concept)
Delicious food fresh off the farm
How amazingly green everything is
The crafts and music of local artists

A loom of a local craftswoman

Musicians practicing at the pub
When you enter your hotel room, you place the key in a slot above the light switch for the lights to work (saving electricity by turning all lights off when you leave the room AND you never need to worry about loosing your keys)
How people were encouraged to pitch in to keep their city clean! Ireland even instituted a “Tidy Town” award that goes to the cleanest town

Clean up, clean up everybody do their share!

And the Tidy Town award goes to… Galway!
Tea everywhere at all times (with the best milk you’ll ever taste)
Tea time at Cupan Tae

The Bad:

Lots of smoking everywhere; we couldn’t really sit outside without being absorbed in a cloud of smoke
A downside to the charming windy streets is smelling the exhaust of cars just inches away from you
Few towels in hotels/b&bs, not a big deal, but a bummer if you have long hair to dry (aka no wash clothes or hand towels)
The bipolar weather- it’s not safe to go out without a raincoat and umbrella even if it’s sunny
Me hanging out with Fungi, Dingle’s resident dolphin
Old plumbing in most places had me questioning, will the toilet flush? Will there be enough water pressure to wash my hair?

I probably sound incredibly spoiled but this is so you all can be prepared when you visit and I can have a good laugh looking back at the thoughts of my younger self. Now I’m off to enjoy the beautiful Welsh seashore- expect more on Wales soon!

Irish Street Art

June 30, 2016June 30, 20164 Comments

I’ve been finding really cool street art all over Ireland. In every town we’ve stopped in there have been quirky, random, sometimes beautiful pieces covering the walls. No Banksy’s yet but UK here I come! Below are just a few I caught to share.

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