Winter in Europe

To be honest I haven't stopped. And to be honest I didn't take very many picture during our trip. Don't worry, my family took lots of pictures, we've just had some storage issues we've been working out. I let myself {forced myself} to just take it all in. To experience. To live it.

 

Don't worry, my family took lots of pictures, we've just had some storage issues we've been working out. There will be pictures.

 

I've been looking at the pictures of the snowstorm on the east coast and for the first time I have the strangest feeling. I'm a California girl, born and raised. I've been to the snow, but I've never lived in the snow. After this trip I feel like I would be ok. Not always happy, not always making the correct winter choice, but I would be ok. 

I feel so bad because people have asked me, how was your trip? and my reply, "It was good, really cold, but good." 

What kind of answer is that?! 

Yes it was both of those things, but really it was so much more.  I could use way more colorful and descriptive adjectives to describe my adventure in Germany in winter.

So my trip, our adventure, was wonderfully delightful and made up of everyday moments that families find themselves in when they travel. We just happened to be in places where we didn't speak the language, no big.

There were train schedules and running to platforms while it was snowing. There were new friends and new customs. There were many cups of coffee and hot chocolate in cafes and rented houses. There was fondue without the proper pot. There was listening to famous concert pieces while sitting on museum steps. There was the trying of new beer.

There were memories made.

Back...and Letting the Secret Out

If you haven’t already guessed or figured it out, I was in Europe for Christmas. Germany to be precise.  The whole family went to see my brother who is studying in Munich for the German semester.  We are starting a trend for our sisters… we hope!

 

We started by landing in Switzerland and it was off to Munich where we stayed for a few days. We made a day trip to Nuremburg too. After that we headed to Rothenberg, a medieval walled city. And finally we ended our time in Prague and rang in the New Year. Happy 2015!

 

If you think we are crazy, we think so too!

If you are wondering how we did it, email or comment away. I hope to provide some back story and some of the adventures here. Maybe you can keep me accountable?!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you are enjoying a 

merry and bright day!

Merry Christmas!

If you'd like another hint:

Look in the tags of this post!

My Brother is Awesome

Because I'm a proud sister and because I miss him lots, I thought I would share my brother's newly created blog.  He is documenting his time in Germany.  Yay!

 

I'm super excited to read his account because well first of all he is a boy which means he talks less than I, a girl, do.  And, he has a time and space difference which would make anyone have difficulty in maintaining contact.

 

I am elated for him!  I keep thinking about the wonderful experience of studying abroad.  It has also made me realize that I had promised myself that I would blog my 2013 trip to Germany (and Europe).  It's been a whole year, which is crazy to me.  Here is to hoping that those adventures are documented soon.

 

I think my brother might be better at documenting his travels than I am.  Go have a looksee.

 

p.s. He texted me at 8.45/9am Germany time asking me if he should go to Nürnberg.  It was 11.45pm/midnight California time...

Music to My Ears

The sound of a language is music to my ears.

As I sat on the lawn studying for my class, 5 international students came and sat in a circle.  They grinned at one another, laughing.  And then the words started to flow.  They were softly spoken and only brash from the language, not in the harsh American English tone.   The French flowed from their mouths and the laughs ensued.  Also did the sharing.  One sandwich was produced, cut in half and it was passed around the circle.  The cigarettes came out and at first all I could do was smell the smoke.  And somehow it doesn’t bother me anymore.  It is a smell that though I would rather not smell it and though I do not want people to have the health effects, it is a part of the culture.  It is a way of life.

I wanted in on the conversation.  Every once in awhile a word would come wafting my way and I would understand.  That one word. 

It was hard not to stare, not to be interested.  But I also was timid.  I don’t know French.  I don’t know the culture.  I don’t know how to approach.  But I do know that I was offered a window into their life.  Just to be in the presence of a little difference was refreshing.

What is changing your outlook today?  What is making you feel refreshed?

Livin' with Purpose

Yesterday I felt like I got nothing done but I ran around like a busy bee.  I can tell you what I was doing at almost every moment of the day…scary

Yesterday I thought about life.  I pondered what I’m holding onto, maybe a little too tightly.  I’m learning to let go.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Yesterday I got to realize that I knew more than my professor on a particular subject. 

Example: Dear Professor, if you are weighing whether I might know what I’m talking about when I say something about the EU, know that I have studied and lived there for a semester.  You on the other hand have presented only limited, and somewhat skewed information on your PowerPoint slide {yes singular slide}. I would say I know what I’m talking about.  Oh and you have that fact wrong… 

{talked about here and here}

 

Usually I’m not so disrespectful of my teachers or people in my life in general {even if I am talking in my head}. 

 

I think that it was a good wake up call.  I lived something amazing a year ago.  And it saddens me to know that it has been that long.  It’s been a year.  But I learned so much.  I lived so much.

I want to live like I lived there; with purpose, in the moment.  I knew that that moment may not come back again.  And that’s not to say that I want to be a busy bee all the time.  I want to be intentional and live with purpose.  And I want to learn.

Lessons for today, give your professor the benefit of the doubt…even when you feel like you know more, keep an open mind for future classes, and ask lots of questions to get as much information!

Adventures are a Big Deal {1 year}

One year ago today, I stepped onto a plane.  I was anxious and nervous and tried to look like I had it all under control.  I was excited too, but at that moment the butterflies in my stomach was the only thing on my mind.   It was a long day.   Through the 3 times of loading and unloading my laptop in airport security, the horrid blisters forming at my heels, and lugging around the {probably} overweight carry-ons I gain confidence to be a traveler.  I was no longer a college student with a plane ticket off to another place; I was a woman studying and experiencing Italy.  

I was looking for adventure.

This space was created to chronicle the adventures of that time, but it has become much more.  I see the adventures in life more easily now.  {Besides lifestyle blogging is taking ordinary things and making them a big deal}  Adventures are a big deal!

I am so excited to keep sharing thoughts, ideas, and ordinary turned extraordinary adventures in this space.  

Welcome to the adventure…

Changing Your Perspective By Being Gone

There’s a lot of directions I could go with that title, but we are going to go with what a friend emailed with today. 

"As I continue to let the fact that I am halfway across the world sink into my system, I am coming to realize how much this opportunity...will change my life forever, including my views on culture, luxuries / necessities, food, and life in general."   

And it made me smile because this is what I try to tell people whenever they ask about my time abroad.  What do you want me to tell you?  That it was amazing, wonderful, and hard.   That I learned.  That I’m different.  I’m changed.   

These changes just happen.  Just like the way that you change as you grow up and maybe the way you were in second grade with your best friend is not going to be the way that you are when you are 45 with your best friend.  Let’s hope not! There is something valuable about being gone.  About placing yourself outside a situation and outside what is going on in this country, in this city, at this time, at this specific place.  I think that's why we have imaginations.  And I think that's why God created our imaginations to be a tool.  They can help us to be able to adapt to that place.  He gave us imaginations and other tools so that he could change us.  That might be a round-about way of saying that...let me know if I need to connect the dots better. Everything we do, every situation that we are placed into changes us. 

While writing this I even found some of my own perspectives changing.  I’m not a fantasy person, I love The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, but that's as far as I go.  I like things to be logical.  And let me tell you the imagination is not logical, but my imagination is a tool.  It allows me to empathize with others and envision what life might be like say...in Torino, Italy…right now.

I'm to Rome!

I’m not going to have access to the computer while I’m in Rome, so be expecting the adventures of Rome when I am back in the states. The next few days are going to be light on the posts.

Hope you are all ready for Christmas!

I’m so excited!

Barcelona {2}

Day 2 we got up and had the typical European hotel breakfast and then it was time to conquer Barcelona. We started out with heading to Montjuic Park not too far away. Just happens to be huge and had many of the buildings used when Barcelona hosted the Olympics. We did not venture to the stadium, because what do you see at a stadium once it’s not used. We kept laughing because there are escalators in the park.
After tromping around and seeing the fountains, the modern art museum and some other random statues and fountains throughout the park we headed into the town a little looking for a snack to take back to the park. We didn’t find anything but kept walking and found another park. From there you could see the bull ring and the kindergartners having a park day. I wish that we didn’t have so many liability issues so that American kids could have more park days in school. I think they are educational and healthy.
By this time it was afternoon and although we were enjoying the park we decided to go walking and look for the churro and hot chocolate place that we passed the day before. Usually we can’t find a place twice, but we were determined. The lady working the shop was so sweet and wanted to make sure that we enjoyed it. I could have sat there all day! She reminded us that we needed to watch our purses and cameras, which made us feel uneasy, but I appreciated the concern. {We got told a total of 3 times that we needed to watch our stuff…and most of the time there was no one around.} Churros and chocolate is a thing here, and from what I hear is most commonly eaten for breakfast. The churros were cold, but by dipping them in hot chocolate they get warmed right up {we did as we were instructed by the shop lady.}

After this we walked around the cathedral which was more like a village and then out to the port. We enjoyed the people passing by and the crisp air. We walked along the sea to the Columbus monument and then headed back to the hotel for a few minutes of rest.

This guy was making bubbles outside the cathedralWe changed are plans multiple time because we kept finding out new information. There is this light and fountain show that is supposed to be “magical” looking. We of course wanted to go see it, but the times are confusing because it is off season. We got there at the correct time, but the fountains were under construction and being cleaned. I was so disappointed! {especially because we had arranged plans around this site}. It was off to the Casa Batllo, and at this point I was just hoping the lights would be on. They were, but it didn’t look how I thought it would. That was ok, because it’s a weird structure in itself. Gaudi was a deranged man. Although he was brilliant in his designs, I’m glad I didn’t commission him to design anything for me…

At least they had some fun lights on at the non working fountains

We passed some more fountains on our jaunt down Las Ramblas so we of course took some pictures. As we continued on our way we looked for tapas and paies. The two local specialties that we wanted to try before we left. We accomplished both. I have to say that tapas were not what I was expecting, but all the food was good. After our meal we rambled and found some dessert. I split the Catalan cream with a friend. So delicious and not what we were expecting! It is lemony and similar to crème brulee.

It was perfect way to end our time in Barcelona.
The next day we went back to the Arc de Triumf while we waited for our bus back to the airport. And then we were on our way to Torino. We did so many things in Barcelona, but really tried to enjoy the time there and relax a bit. {There are lots of projects these next few weeks.}

Barcelona Update

Real juice!

This city blew me away by the fact that there is a uniform vibe that flows through the city. Just look at the architecture and you will know what I mean. Just by the buildings style you can tell what city this is. I’ve said it before and I will again, that you can tell when you are in a European city, but every city has its own unique style.
We arrived mid day Thursday after our Wednesday night thanksgiving meal {more on that later}. We had to take a bus into the city from the airport because I am a college student and I fly cheap flights. The reason that I went to Barcelona is because in total I spent $20 on my flight. Yeah Barcelona!

The first thing we noticed when getting off the plane was that it was somewhat warm, our usual California winters! After arriving we wandered to see the “Arc de Triumf” and then it was off to the famous open air market. Have you seen fresh squeezed juice in November? It was delicious and I contemplated going back every day that we were there. I rounded my experience off with an empanada. We checked into our hotel that was on the same street as little India in Barcelona {I had no idea it existed…}. Then it was off to the Sagrada Familia building by Gaudi. My, oh my, could you put any more decorations on a building?
Yes, those would be snailsWe hit up a grocery store for some snacks/dinner and did our own little walking tour. That day we seemed to have trouble reading maps. We went to the park in the city that boasts a mammoth, don’t worry it’s just a statue. But who sees a mammoth on a regular basis? We also were surprised by the beautiful fountain and we passed a library owned by the university. It took a lot of strength and convincing for me to give up on finding the entrance. I miss the library.

This a public park fountian...amazing!

We ended up eating our snacks by the fountain and then doing a little more of a walking tour. We passed some shops that we marked to go back to {mainly they involved food and our tummies couldn’t handle more food}. Then we walked Las Ramblas until it was time…

Time for a Flamenco show! It was Thanksgiving and we splurged. It was worth it. If I couldn’t spend the day with my family I might as well make a memory. After watching the amazing dancing and sipping on some famous sangria we walked home and it was time for bed.

Because I don’t want to overload you on details {as I have already overloaded on pics} we will save day 2 in Barcelona for tomorrow. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to spend time with your families!

Where in the world is Haleigh?

Barcelona!

pic via google

I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving yesterday! I spent my Thanksgiving Day traveling to Barcelona, Spain. I'll get back in a couple days and I'm sure I will have lots of stories to tell. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Very Important People

Admittedly, even though I was in Brussels for 2 days I did not get to see much of the city. But I still learned a lot. I could tell you of the places I didn’t go and the things that I didn’t see that I wanted to but let’s focus on the experience that I had.
It’s funny but every city that I go to in Europe is definitely European but that doesn’t mean that they all look the same. Brussels was the same way, European but definitely metropolis. The first day that we arrived it was a mad scramble to get to the specific commission building we needed to be at. There was enough water in the air that everyone looked disheveled, but not enough for an umbrella. The lady we asked for help gave us directions and then said ‘it’s across the street from the pretty glass building’. That last sentence was not helpful. There are skyscrapers that are ‘glass buildings’ everywhere in this part of town and none of them look ugly.
Moving on… The first meeting was in a Commission building, but not the commission building because of security reasons. When we walked in I felt like I was going to debate the future of the world in the classy board room. Even though the lecture was requested to be in English apparently the fact that we are from Torino trumped that. The lecturer only spoke {sarcasm} Italian, French and a little bit of English. Our professor translated which was nice. I was so proud of myself because I think I would have gotten most everything between listening closely to the Italian and reading the slides.
After that we had a little break where we went and bundled up a little more and then grabbed some ‘Belgian’ waffles {tourist trap} and then some Belgian fries. And then we walked to a really nice building where we had to have our names on the list to get in. I felt so important as I walked into the annual conference of the European People’s Party and the icing on the cake was that they keynote speaker was Jose Manuel Barosso. Barosso is a wonderful man that is the Commission President. Not only does he have a lot of influence, but he is considered a strong leader and he was a really good speaker. To watch what we were saw you can go here. After him there was a panel and all the talk centered around the euro zone. The euro is kind something that all the people who are educated or read the news talk about. That night I went to the hostel well informed brain active, and so tired.
The next day only held more important places as we went to the Committee of the Regions to hear about what this group actually does. I think of all the places I visited and learned about this branch most closely matches my personality. They are close to the people/citizens and give them a voice as well as the fact that they don’t make the important decisions but the help to influence them and guide them down the path that makes the best sense for the citizens and not the big guys. The speaker was so kind to us and made the talk fun and interesting.
We had a little break where I grabbed lunch with some friends and then we walked to the park to eat it and enjoy some more fall weather. The little café that we got lunch at is a chain, but they need a similar option in the US. It’s kind of like healthy, fresh, premade food. Whole foods meets Trader Joe’s…errr something like that.
Our next big building was the parliament building. It’s one of the three parliament buildings, but the other ones are in different countries. We heard a little background on the parliament and what was happening in the chamber presently and then we got sit in the chamber. It was so neat! We were supposed to meet a deputy {high official} of Italy and get to ask him some questions but were not able to. Even though he had nothing to do with the situation, the fact that he represents Italy means he had to be present at the negotiations. When I was in Brussels, the fate of the Italian President was being negotiated and decided in Rome. It’s amazing, scary, and exhilarating all at the same time. I didn’t find this out until Thursday.
Instead of meeting with a member of parliament I went and learned more at the Parliamentaruim, a museum about the Parliament. It was actually really fun and interactive. It’s brand new and has lots of hands on technology that gives the history of the EU, parliament, and world events. Before we went we were told it was supposed to be an interesting building so lots of people opted out of going. It was so worth the extra time!

The next day it was off to the airport and back to home sweet Torino!

This is a very condensed version of these 2 days, that doesn’t have many details in it. If you have any questions, want clarification or more information let me know!

Getting there is {more} than half the fun

Last Saturday I took almost the entire day to make my way to Bruges. It was not supposed to take that long but because of the company I didn’t mind so much. Well except for the almost missing the boarding time for the airplane. It was another lesson for me that no matter how much you plan, you don’t control the world or the circumstances in it. It was also a lesson not to fly out of that particular airport if at all possible because getting there is a pain!
My traveling partners and I took a series of transportation that day; metro, train, train, bus, plane, bus, train, train, and then more feet. That is the simplified version. And leading up to the plane it was what we have now coined as “Italian Style.” This term is used in a variety of situations.
When we arrived in Bruges we walked out of the door {to a huge “pickpockets beware” sign, why thank you} and into sweet little town. We walked to our hostel which was quite the trendy little place. Emphasis should be added to both those adjectives. Then it was off to a free walking tour. Did I learn stuff on the tour? Yes. Was the tour good? Ummm, not my favorite. Do I now not like the movie ‘In Bruges’ as much as the locals? Getting pretty close. Will I watch said movie? Yes…I guess…I will
Part way through, we stopped following the tour and got Belgian fries. They make a great dinner for very hungry on a budget students. And then we headed back to where the tour was but they had left so we settled down in the crazy Irish pub. It was such a neat place, called Druid’s Cellar and was underground in a cellar. The bartender was so nice and soon everyone was joking around. We met some guys that were there for a Parkor like competition and they were from the Netherlands and then some locals. After a bit we headed out and it was time for bed. It was a little earlier than expected but it took so long to get there I was tired!
Sunday is not the best day to be in any European city, especially a small one but we managed just fine. After breakfast we headed out on the town. We went under a hotel that used to be the foundation of a church that was destroyed. It was so neat down there! And then we traveled the streets stopping and looking in all the windows at the delicious chocolate. Some of the other girls wanted to do a boat tour but instead I just walked around and tried not to get hit by bikes.
Afterward we found a waffle place and had a little snack and then we were off exploring again. We decided to rent bikes and it was so fun. Although I do not recommend cobblestones if you can help it! I was sore the next few days. We stopped and got more fries, looked in more chocolate shops where we got delicious hot chocolate. The real stuff warm milk and melted chocolate. And yes I even bought some truffles. We spent the rest of the afternoon riding around the city and out to the windmills, enjoying the fall leaves and the crisp air. That night we went to the hostel’s restaurant for dinner and I got a veggie burger. It was literally a patty made out of vegetables and mashed potatoes fried to keep form. It was good though.
After our food we headed back to the pub from the night before. It was a little bit of a different scene. I discovered that there is a thing called pub quiz and that it is very competitive.
The next day we headed out for Brussels. It was a short stay in this town that I have fallen in love with, but I am so glad that I got to spend some time enjoying it!

Disclaimer: I wrote this and then the days got really busy so I didn't post it. I figured that ya'll would want to see pictures. And then I remembered that these were the days that my camera battery was dead...so there's not very many pictures. So sorry!

Final Day {Paris 4}

This was our last morning so we were all packed up and ready to go for later that evening. We got some breakfast and then headed to the D’orsy. Remember top 2 museums in Paris this is the other one on that list. Hello impressionism.
We got there when they opened so we only had to wait in line for a little while. We walked the museum and I was enjoying it all. It’s the imperfect making a perfect picture. So much like people.
Last time I was here you could take pictures. This time that was not an option. And they had redone a lot of things, so the walls that were white were now purple. {Why do I remember these things?} It was still wonderful. You know how I told you it was supposed to rain Tuesday. Yeah well we spent the clear part of the day in the museum. And then it was raining when we were done. Bright side, the line was really long and everyone was trying to keep under an umbrella when we left.
For lunch we went in search of the oldest café in Paris. It took us awhile and stopping in multiple hotels to ask for directions before we found it. It wasn’t as great as we thought so we continued to wander looking for food.
Tip 9: Ask for directions at hotels or cafés. There is a likely chance they will know the place that you are speaking of, usually speak English, and in the case of hotels usually have internet if they need to look the place up
We ended up finding a place that had the perfect French meal for a rainy fall day. Appetizer was French onion soup with bread and lots of cheese. Then came the beef bougion and finally crème brulee. We were all so full by the end that we wandered the streets some more trying to walk it all off. It was at this point that we decided that seeing Notre Dame was not needed. Robyn and I stayed and looked at famous cafés. We wanted to people watch. We ended up at a café that was not on the famous list but we could stay dry and watch people and have coffee. It was so nice to sit and enjoy the last few hours in Paris!
We headed out of Paris that night after grabbing our last baguettes. After arriving near the airport for our morning flight we walked out of the train station into fog. Looking for our hotel that night was interesting. We arrived safe and sound and snuggled in for the night. The next morning we flew back to home sweet Torino.

A Walking Day {Paris 3}

There was this great idea to see the city and walk to the Louve…yeah I walked along half the river Monday morning. Adventure.
Arriving at the Louve we knew that we would get in free {See Tip #5 and know how wonderful France is to students} but we still had to wait in line to get tickets. The line was long. We stood for 1.5 hours in line to get our free tickets. Dedication. We would have come back the next day when it was supposed to rain, but the Louve isn’t open on Tuesdays.
Tip 6: know what days the museums are open, or rather when they are not.
We finally made it in and enjoyed walking around and seeing the things we wanted to see. We spent a good 2.5 hours there before heading out to find food.
We were going to go to Notre Dame so we decided to head in that direction. We walked. Because we are poor college students we walked and didn’t pay for the Metro. I don’t know if that was smart or not, all I was thinking was that I needed to find a chair. And I did and some food. Finally. The water was expensive because apparently it was not clear that I wanted tap water. {Lady at the café, you are not my favorite and I’m not going back to your café.}
Tip 7: You will make mistakes as a tourist because this isn’t your city. I make one at least every trip and it costs dearly {in my eyes}.
Tip 8: When you order water in France you can get free water. {You can’t in Italy so don’t try it} Just ask for a craft, not a bottle. Its tap water but it’s not bad.
Anyways we then went to Notre Dame and saw a huge long line. I decided that I didn’t need to go in that badly. And I figured that I would go the next day…but somehow that didn’t make the priorities list for Tuesday. Then we walked some more.
When I think of Paris I think of a little street on the 2nd island in Paris {there are 2 islands in Paris did you know that?} that has ice cream shops and little boutiques. We got ice cream. I don’t really know what flavor I got but I know that it was raspberry, mostly…
Then we hopped on the metro and went home to get ready for dinner at a crepe place near us. On the way home I got an éclair. I figured I was in Paris and I don’t know when I’ve had a real éclair. It was delicious and a perfect before dinner snack.
We got crepes. The first one was savory and mine had an egg on it. Parisians love eggs, they put them in/on everything…quiche, pastries, ice cream, sandwich. Everything. Fitting that I would order that. The second was a savory crepe. I split one as I had had plenty of sugar. Mine did not say that it would be flambéed or lit on fire on the menu but I think the waiter was a little over eager and decided to do it anyways.
Then we walked {had to put that in there again} to the Eiffel tower. It’s so fun to see it sparkle. And that is how I ended a perfectly un-scary Halloween…