LONDON

Only a hop, skip, and chunnel ride away, London may not have been one of most exotic destinations of this semester--but definitely one of the most fun. My friends and I took advantage of our sole long weekend in Paris, and headed to London ready for an Anglo-Saxon adventure. We were lucky enough to stay with family friends of mine, who lent us their newly renovated master bedroom for our stay. As our train got into London quite late, we arrived at their house on "Wetherby Mews" and knocked lightly on the door, careful not to wake the four year old boy sleeping inside. But after knocking for a bit with no answer, we peeked inside the house and saw poor Bruce, my family friend, sleeping peacefully on the couch. With his head tilted back, mouth agape, and hand still holding a can of Fanta beside him, it was no use attempting to rouse him. If it weren't for a very tired Dixon (Bruce's wife) who must've heard our knocks, my family friends would've probably woken up to four 20-year-olds sleeping on their front porch. Or a broken window.

Thus the weekend commenced! We experienced some typical London weather (rainy, foggy, misty), but as usual, everyone promised it was "most unusual," and really the past two months had been very sunny and beautiful. I find that whenever I go to London and, of course, it rains the whole trip, all the Londoners make a huge effort to convince us that it really isn't always like that but on the contrary, it's quite sunny and warm most of the time. I'm sorry but, I've been to London on two separate occasions now, stayed for long periods of time, and on each visit it rains non-stop. Literally on this long weekend, we had four days of straight rain. And I know it's not unusual because while walking around, I noticed people don't even use umbrellas. They are already so used to the constant mist of the city that they just pull up the hoods of their cute trench coats and go about their day. No need for rain boots--a true Londoner is either immune to wet feet, or all their shoes are waterproof.

Yet even though I was forced to sport my rain boots (Hunter, of course--if it weren't for the camera hanging off my shoulder, maybe I would've blended in), London took me by surprise. I was not ready for how much I was going to fall in love with this foggy city. It lacks the grand, old city look of Paris (which, Bruce pointed out, Paris only has because they were "surrender monkeys"), but I found that everything I missed about home...London has. And everything I don't like about Paris...London doesn't have. For example, I know it's futile, but I really miss Splenda. And I simply don't understand why Paris is still stuck in the 15th century with their sugar cubes! It doesn't make sense. Also the service in Parisian restaurants is abominable. I don't know if it's the pushy New Yorker in me, or because I'm the product of two restauranteurs, but when I ask for the check I expect to get it within five minutes. Not twenty. But of course, learning to function on "French time" is one of the beauties of Paris. So I won't fight it. Then in true Franco-style, there's the constant striking in France and as a result, the unreliable transportation. Again, "la grève" (the strike) is part of French culture. And of all the cultures in the world, I respect and adore that of France the most. But when I'm packed like a sardine in Europe's dirtiest metro system because only 1/5 conductors haven't taken to the streets, I dream of a Paris sans grève.

Another facet of London that reminded me of home were the abundance of diverse neighborhoods. If you want the best Indian food in town, go to Brick Lane. Then there's the street with all the hookah bars (or shisha, as they call it). Then there are the tiny neighborhoods lined with Irish pubs and sweet shops. London may be too big for some people, but I like how there's enough space to house a little bit of everything.

So what did we do in London? Well, my friend Sarah from college is studying in London this semester so she took us around to all her favorite spots and of course, the major sites. What a relief to travel and sightsee without looking at a map. Westminster Abbey, the Big Ben, Green Park, Hyde Park, the London Bridge--we walked it all. It was also Remembrance Day when we visited, so Westminster Abbey was especially moving because of all the red poppies sprinkled about the grass.

The highlight of the trip however (and he will love to hear this) was hanging out with Uncle Craig. Craig's not really my uncle, but he's known me since I was six years old and has since been a very close friend of my family, so an uncle is what he's come to be. He's the kind of person though I just can't describe with words, although I will attempt. Craig is the crazy one. The type of person who would do or say anything for a laugh, who has party tricks with his "bullocks," and who starts the evening drinking at three o'clock in the afternoon. He had only just met my friends, but that did not stop him from asking inappropriate questions and making everyone feel generally uncomfortable (and also hysterical with laughter). Essentially, Craig is a 19 year old frat boy--in much better clothes--trapped in the body of a forty year old man. If it weren't for him and Bruce and Dixon (the couple brave enough to put us up), we would not have even come close to having such a good time. To them, thank you so much, you've shown me London in a fresh new light and the verdict? I LOVED it.

The Big Ben and the London fog

Courtney (aka Coco) in the Westminster tube station

Westminster Abbey

Green Park

Buckingham Palace...

Usually it's open but the Queen was in town that weekend. So her royal quarters were closed.

The fountain outside Buckingham Palace

Walking around in Green Park...

Such an adorable cupcake shop! They also served "high tea" (still trying to figure out what that is)

Being everyone's entertainment on the Tube

Telephone booth pictures: cheesy but necessary 

Pogson and Davis

Mid-afternoon stop at Craig's suit shop! We thought we would only stay for an hour or so and say hello...five hours later it was dinner time. After this I couldn't look at a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for a week. 

Happy Christmas! Aw...so English.

The London Bridge

View from the Bridge

Borough Market

BERLIN

It kills me when people ask which city I liked the most because frankly, it's a question I don't want to answer. Vienna. Prague. Berlin. Who could possibly choose? Maybe in narrower categories. Best chocolate? Vienna. Best hidden vintage shopping? Prague. Best sausage? Vienna. Best beer? Berlin. Easiest to navigate? Prague. Best nightlife? Berlin. No Prague. No Vienna! I can't choose. But at the end of the day, if you're really twisting my arm, I would have to say Berlin. Perhaps it's the New Yorker in me, who felt limitless in such a big city who loved Berlin. Or perhaps it's the history buff, whose heart fluttered under the Brandenburg Gate knowing how both tyranny and democracy had marched there. Whatever the case, it was Berlin.

The city they call "up-and-coming," is already there in my opinion. I immediately felt the rush of Berlin's energetic atmosphere and the gentle pride of the city's community peeking up. As a country tainted with such tumultuous history, it has been difficult for national pride to rise again. Because besides having the strongest economy in the European Union, Germany has so much to be proud of. But speaking of such history, Berlin has done an excellent job of remembering (and remembering with distaste) certain facets of their past. For example, architect Peter Eisenman's ambiguous Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe consists of nearly 3,000 upright slabs of concrete, varying in size and arranged in labryinth-like grid. When the memorial was unveiled in 2005, it caused quite the controversy because people wanted to know what it symbolized or what the message was behind Eisenman's construction. But the architect refused to give more information, leading me to believe his memorial is that of the subjective sort. While walking through the hilly grid of blank, gray concrete slabs, I felt oddly alone. Even though I heard voices around me and saw other wanderers every so often, I couldn't help but get shivers down my spine. It was as if I could feel the cold concrete against the nape of my neck. At least for me, the overall effect of the memorial was eerie and mysterious, yet hopeful.

The other quite hidden "attraction," if you can call it that, is the recently unveiled spot of Hitler's bunker, where the dictator spent his last days in hiding before eventually committing suicide. The spot was only recently marked with a very small and neutral sign in 2006 because the government did not want to mark up any spot where neo-Nazis could set up camp. Today, the location of Hitler's old resting spot is a parking lot where many neighborhood dogs are walked and (to avoid crude language) not cleaned up after. So basically the site of the bunker is now (not avoiding crude language) consistently shit on.

But on to the much more prevalent and cheerful moments in Berlin! Although our hostel smelt a bit damp at times, it was located in the central and lively neighborhood of Mitte. From Mitte, my friends and I could walk to the Gendarmenmarkt, or the square housing two lookalike cathedrals built in the 18th century for the religious communities at the time. The square was especially beautiful at night when the cathedrals are lit up and the square is completely deserted.

From there we could continue towards Museuminsel, or Museum Island, which happened to be next to an adorable outdoor market. After visiting every museum we could in Vienna and Prague, we decided to take a break in Berlin and walk around the different neighborhoods. So although I didn't make it to the National Museum, I do think I got my dose of culture just visiting the Berlin Wall.

I was a bit disappointed at all there was left of the Berlin Wall when our tour guide pointed it out next to Checkpoint Charlie. It looked ratty and was fenced in (yes, a fence protecting a wall). But then I discovered the East Side Gallery, a long stretch of the Berlin Wall preserved as a memorial in its original location, and completely covered in art. The city commissioned artists from all over the world to paint over the wall, turning the dark symbol into a relic of liberty. From portraits of Motown kings to poems of peace, each painting expresses the city's long fight for freedom. Walking down that wall and running my hand across its smooth surface, it is one of the few times I could really feel the weight of so much history upon me. I wondered how many people had stood before that very spot and contemplated how to get on the other side. And I couldn't believe that it was only 21 years ago that it was finally torn down and the German people were able to build their country again. Needless to say, it was the kind of experience you can't get from textbooks. Sometimes you just have to be there.

First lunch in Berlin: Bratworst and french fries, finished off with an orange Fanta. 

PRATER

After missing our stop on the train in Berlin, we were forced to take the S-Bahn 20 minutes back into the city. It may have seemed like a disaster at the time, but a nice girl sitting next to me overheard our conversation and recommended some fun areas and restaurants to try out while in Berlin. Both her suggestions led us to our best experiences in Berlin. First to Prater (below), a beer garden where we had the best meal of our trip, and then to Kreuzberg, the young and hip shopping area where we could've spent days wandering. 

Delicious food...and delicious beers. 

First glimpse of the Brandenburg Gate!

The Hotel Adlon. Famous for its celebrity clients and even more famous for being the hotel where Michael Jackson hung his baby out the window. 

The Reichstag Building 

Inside the Reichstag...

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (or the Holocaust Memorial)

Hitler's bunker

On Museum Island

Funny moment in Berlin: 

Anne noticed while walking around one day that Germans don't smoke as much as other Europeans. After being in Paris, then of course Vienna and Prague, we were almost convinced that all Europeans smoked profusely. But alas, Courtney made the ever astute comment:

 "Maybe Germans prefer to die by sausage."

Walking around in Kreuzberg

Street Art in Kreuzberg

Around the city at night...

The Gendarmenmarkt

Berlin Wall

Favorite poem on the Wall

New Yorkers! I'm not sure why Cathy isn't as excited.

I promise I didn't write my name all over the Berlin Wall! But somebody else did so I thought I'd take advantage

All of us acting a bit silly in front of the Brandenburg Gate all lit up

A cute little store in Kreuzberg...

Art Gallery, Kreuzberg

Some store we passed by had been open for over a year--free beer for everyone! Only in Berlin. 

Small shop, Kreuzberg

Taking the U-Bahn! As well as the metros in Vienna and Prague, Berlin's metro works on an honors system. So basically we decided if they weren't going to force us to buy tickets (like in New York or Paris), they really aren't necessary. Be warned! Although this scheme might have worked for us in Vienna and Prague, we did get caught on the S-Bahn. The good thing is, our ticket police didn't know much English and their system of fining culprits was completely confusing (not to mention all in German). From the hand gesture-communication we were relying on, I don't think they expected us to actually understand where we pay, let alone pay at all. Let's just hope the ticket police don't find me at 567 Cantrel Perk West (that's what my policemen wrote down when I dictated him my address...I neglected to correct him). Woops!

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

Since we were in Berlin for six days, we thought it necessary to visit this concentration camp nearby. It obviously wasn't a fun experience, but I think if you're in Berlin, it's something you should just do. Walking around the former camp, I felt goosebumps. The camp was gated in with electric fencing and complete with a gas chamber and execution house. I don't think I need to say more to explain the horrors this place has seen. 

On our last day in Berlin, my friends and I decided to split up. One of my friends wanted to go back to the Berlin Wall, another wanted to lounge in a cafe and catch up on homework (I know, incredibly lame) and me, I headed to the Berggruen Museum famous for its collection of Picasso's and Leger's. Across the street I saw this building below. I had no idea what it was at the time, but it was absolutely stunning. I later learned it is the Schloss Charlottenburg Palace. Since my time in Europe, this is the second occasion that I've accidentally stumbled upon a palace. Not too bad!

Picasso poster outside the Berggruen

Smartest coffee in Berlin...