The Maypole in Munich!
Katya and I at lunch in Munich!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
TRAVEL WEEKEND DEUX: PARIS!!!
This weekend I took the Eurostar to Paris with my friend Logan to meet up with our friends Samantha and Alex. We stayed in a very petite hotel in the 17th arrondissement. Our neighborhood was cute and had a street market every morning. On Thursday night, we got into Paris around 6pm and spent some time searching out our hotel. It was on a small side street and even some of the locals didn't know the street by name. After checking in, we set out down the small windy streets for a restaurant for dinner. We ended up back in the main square of Villiers and ate at one of the small bistros there. After dinner we went exploring and discovered a Creperie not far from our hotel. There, Logan tried her first crepe. They were delicious! We headed back early and mapped out our plans for the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday, we woke up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and jouneyed on the metro to meet up with Sam and Alex at the Arc de Triomphe. There, we hopped aboard a Red Bus and took it for an entire loop through all the major areas of the city. We hadn't planned on doing this originally, however, it was downpouring and we were not ready to do the walking tours in the rain. It was 24 euros for two days and we could get on and off as much as we wanted. Our first real stop was the Louvre. There, we got in for free (yay being between 18-24 and a RESIDENT of the EU) and paid the six euro for the audio guide. We spent a few hours walking through the italian paintings (La Jaconde, Da Vinci, Michaelangelo) and wondered down to the Egyptian exhibit to look at the mummys and everything. During our tour, we stopped at the cafe there for some overpriced sandwiches and a look at the tuilleries (it was still raining so the big window view had to do) before continuing in the museum. After the Louvre, we hopped back on the bus and went to L'Opera, or more importantly, Les Galleries Lafayette. Although the fashion was tempting and there was a massive sale, we made our way up to the food hall for some gelato and chinese food. At this point it was already close to five and we all decided to part ways and join back up for dinner around 10pm.
For dinner, we went to Tokyo Eat, a modern restaurant that Sam's concierge had recommended. It had a very modern feel to it and was in a big warehouse. The menu was overpriced. I had scallops and risotto at 25 euro plus the wine so my total was 32 euro. They had said this was a fusion of French and Japanese food but to me it was just plain overpriced. The atmosphere was different though and it looked out at the Eiffel Tour, which glittered every hour on the hour past sundown so all in all it was ok.
After dinner we decided that we wanted to experience some of Paris Nightlife. However, the line at the club near the restaurant, "Duplex" was extrememly long so we decided to go to a local bistro near the arc de tiomphe and have dessert instead. My crepes were delicious and our waiter was quite the comedian. After dessert, Logan and I hopped a cab back to the hotel. We had to fit in some beauty sleep for our adventures on Saturday.
Saturday, we slept through the hotel breakfast so we journeyed out into the street market in search of pain du chocolat and some tea. The vendors had great produce, meats, and baked goods so it was difficult to get moving and on the metro quickly because there were so many different little stands in which we could dilly dally. Sam decided to go to the Montmarte section of the city, but we chose to wait two and a half hours in the frigid windy snow to take the cable car up the Tour d'Eiffel. It was just as cold up there but we got some great pictures as the weather decided to clear up. Afterwards, we went for some lunch and decided to do some serious shopping at les printemps. The style here is for small over the shoulder bags. We found a couple at longchamp that were reasonably priced. However, we decided to save the Euros and got some more gelato instead before walking back through the crowds and completing our circuit on the big red sightseeing bus. By the time we returned to our hotel it was 8pm, just in time for a nap. However, both of us were starting to get sick and we decided to nap untl 1030pm, go out for some crepes for dinner, and take it easy the rest of the night before our 730 departure the next morning.
All in all, the eurostar made the trip very easy and convenient. We were only 15 minutes away by metro from the station both in Paris and London. When we got back to the dorm today I took the opportunity to go for a run and get some groceries. My rommates and I all had tacos for dinner and as soon as I post this, I will have to start doing some of that thing called HW because exams are coming up soon. We are still trying to plan our midsemestester break. We originally wanted to go skiing but none of us have any gear. Now we are looking into resorts in Morroco or atleast somewhere where there is sun. The bleak london mist is a little depressing at times. Anywho, please e-mail me I would like to hear about all y'all too!
Miss and love you!!!
Brookie
On Saturday, we woke up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and jouneyed on the metro to meet up with Sam and Alex at the Arc de Triomphe. There, we hopped aboard a Red Bus and took it for an entire loop through all the major areas of the city. We hadn't planned on doing this originally, however, it was downpouring and we were not ready to do the walking tours in the rain. It was 24 euros for two days and we could get on and off as much as we wanted. Our first real stop was the Louvre. There, we got in for free (yay being between 18-24 and a RESIDENT of the EU) and paid the six euro for the audio guide. We spent a few hours walking through the italian paintings (La Jaconde, Da Vinci, Michaelangelo) and wondered down to the Egyptian exhibit to look at the mummys and everything. During our tour, we stopped at the cafe there for some overpriced sandwiches and a look at the tuilleries (it was still raining so the big window view had to do) before continuing in the museum. After the Louvre, we hopped back on the bus and went to L'Opera, or more importantly, Les Galleries Lafayette. Although the fashion was tempting and there was a massive sale, we made our way up to the food hall for some gelato and chinese food. At this point it was already close to five and we all decided to part ways and join back up for dinner around 10pm.
For dinner, we went to Tokyo Eat, a modern restaurant that Sam's concierge had recommended. It had a very modern feel to it and was in a big warehouse. The menu was overpriced. I had scallops and risotto at 25 euro plus the wine so my total was 32 euro. They had said this was a fusion of French and Japanese food but to me it was just plain overpriced. The atmosphere was different though and it looked out at the Eiffel Tour, which glittered every hour on the hour past sundown so all in all it was ok.
After dinner we decided that we wanted to experience some of Paris Nightlife. However, the line at the club near the restaurant, "Duplex" was extrememly long so we decided to go to a local bistro near the arc de tiomphe and have dessert instead. My crepes were delicious and our waiter was quite the comedian. After dessert, Logan and I hopped a cab back to the hotel. We had to fit in some beauty sleep for our adventures on Saturday.
Saturday, we slept through the hotel breakfast so we journeyed out into the street market in search of pain du chocolat and some tea. The vendors had great produce, meats, and baked goods so it was difficult to get moving and on the metro quickly because there were so many different little stands in which we could dilly dally. Sam decided to go to the Montmarte section of the city, but we chose to wait two and a half hours in the frigid windy snow to take the cable car up the Tour d'Eiffel. It was just as cold up there but we got some great pictures as the weather decided to clear up. Afterwards, we went for some lunch and decided to do some serious shopping at les printemps. The style here is for small over the shoulder bags. We found a couple at longchamp that were reasonably priced. However, we decided to save the Euros and got some more gelato instead before walking back through the crowds and completing our circuit on the big red sightseeing bus. By the time we returned to our hotel it was 8pm, just in time for a nap. However, both of us were starting to get sick and we decided to nap untl 1030pm, go out for some crepes for dinner, and take it easy the rest of the night before our 730 departure the next morning.
All in all, the eurostar made the trip very easy and convenient. We were only 15 minutes away by metro from the station both in Paris and London. When we got back to the dorm today I took the opportunity to go for a run and get some groceries. My rommates and I all had tacos for dinner and as soon as I post this, I will have to start doing some of that thing called HW because exams are coming up soon. We are still trying to plan our midsemestester break. We originally wanted to go skiing but none of us have any gear. Now we are looking into resorts in Morroco or atleast somewhere where there is sun. The bleak london mist is a little depressing at times. Anywho, please e-mail me I would like to hear about all y'all too!
Miss and love you!!!
Brookie
Monday, January 25, 2010
My Birthday, Munich, and Upcoming Events
I wrote this in Germany on Friday night:
Disclaimer: The y and z are switched on these keyboards.
We had a very early start this morning when the cab arrived at 450 am to take us to London Stansted. We got pretty cheap flights on easyjet but the trade off was that we were flying out of stansted instead of heathrow. By the time the seven of us split the cab it was onlz 11 pounds per person each way. When we got to Munich we realized that none of us knew how to speak German and we were a little bit confused on how to get to our hostel but once we spoke to the information desk we got it all sorted out. The trains here are very efficient and we are onlz a couple stops away from Meinplatz, the center of Munich. We split passes on the rail so all of the train travel this weekend was only 12 euro per person, including the train to and from the airport.
Today during the day we walked around the Meinplatz and climbed St. Peters to get a great (and cheap view of the city) we also got lunch at one of the delicious little cafes. We were even mistaken for being Bavarian by one of the girls in the bathroom. After lunch we spent some time walking around the central area. We also had a verz american experience of sprinting through the square to hear the kuckoo clock go off at 5pm only to find out that its only at 5 during the summer. We also went to dinner in a small restaurant off the main alley with all german menus. Our waitress was very nice and she desribed every item as best she could. She also showed us some more places to visit and gave us a free round of small german beers for our trip and my birthday.
When we got home from dinner, we took it easy because all of us were exhausted. We woke up saturday and went to an open air market for breakfast before going on a 3 hour walking tour of the city. We cut out of the tour early for some traditional bavarian food. Afterwards, we caught a train to go see Dachau, as it is very close to the metro stop.
That evening we had a traditional bavarian meal at a brewery across the street from our hostel and headed to Hofbrauhous, the most famous beer house. Our tour guide told us that it used to be men only and there were no latrines, so it could get pretty stinky in there. Luckily, the plumbing was up to par and the pretzels were delicious.
Since I have been back I have done the usual grocery shopping and dropped off some clothes to be laundered (15 pounds per time eeek :/) I have to remember that this is actually school so I tried to go to the library today at the local college and do some work so that I am prepared for a presentation of Friday and exams in a few weeks.
We have started to plan spring break and I think my friends and I are going to try and rent a ski house in the alps for the five days. My friend Tessa from Germany might even meet us there. We are working it out now to try and book it as soon as possible. We just don't really know any of the mountains so email me if you have any recommendations. We also aren't sure if we can rent EVERYTHING so we are researching it.
Upcoming travel adventures include Paris next weekend and Dublin on March 12. For the weekends in between, I think I am going to try and see some of the UK while I have a chance. I am also going to an Econ play tomorrow night and Avenue Q on Feb 1st so it should be a packed couple of weeks.
I hope everything is great stateside!
Miss you lots,
Brookie
Disclaimer: The y and z are switched on these keyboards.
We had a very early start this morning when the cab arrived at 450 am to take us to London Stansted. We got pretty cheap flights on easyjet but the trade off was that we were flying out of stansted instead of heathrow. By the time the seven of us split the cab it was onlz 11 pounds per person each way. When we got to Munich we realized that none of us knew how to speak German and we were a little bit confused on how to get to our hostel but once we spoke to the information desk we got it all sorted out. The trains here are very efficient and we are onlz a couple stops away from Meinplatz, the center of Munich. We split passes on the rail so all of the train travel this weekend was only 12 euro per person, including the train to and from the airport.
Today during the day we walked around the Meinplatz and climbed St. Peters to get a great (and cheap view of the city) we also got lunch at one of the delicious little cafes. We were even mistaken for being Bavarian by one of the girls in the bathroom. After lunch we spent some time walking around the central area. We also had a verz american experience of sprinting through the square to hear the kuckoo clock go off at 5pm only to find out that its only at 5 during the summer. We also went to dinner in a small restaurant off the main alley with all german menus. Our waitress was very nice and she desribed every item as best she could. She also showed us some more places to visit and gave us a free round of small german beers for our trip and my birthday.
When we got home from dinner, we took it easy because all of us were exhausted. We woke up saturday and went to an open air market for breakfast before going on a 3 hour walking tour of the city. We cut out of the tour early for some traditional bavarian food. Afterwards, we caught a train to go see Dachau, as it is very close to the metro stop.
That evening we had a traditional bavarian meal at a brewery across the street from our hostel and headed to Hofbrauhous, the most famous beer house. Our tour guide told us that it used to be men only and there were no latrines, so it could get pretty stinky in there. Luckily, the plumbing was up to par and the pretzels were delicious.
Since I have been back I have done the usual grocery shopping and dropped off some clothes to be laundered (15 pounds per time eeek :/) I have to remember that this is actually school so I tried to go to the library today at the local college and do some work so that I am prepared for a presentation of Friday and exams in a few weeks.
We have started to plan spring break and I think my friends and I are going to try and rent a ski house in the alps for the five days. My friend Tessa from Germany might even meet us there. We are working it out now to try and book it as soon as possible. We just don't really know any of the mountains so email me if you have any recommendations. We also aren't sure if we can rent EVERYTHING so we are researching it.
Upcoming travel adventures include Paris next weekend and Dublin on March 12. For the weekends in between, I think I am going to try and see some of the UK while I have a chance. I am also going to an Econ play tomorrow night and Avenue Q on Feb 1st so it should be a packed couple of weeks.
I hope everything is great stateside!
Miss you lots,
Brookie
Sunday, January 17, 2010
CORRECTION!
Only a few days shy of 21 and the memory loss has already set in. I incorrectly mashed Friday night and Saturday together and excluded Saturday all together. I spend Friday night in with some friends chatting and eating after the busy day of shopping. Then Saturday we went to the British Library and saw the Magna Carta; the original Alice in Wonderland; authentic Beatles lyrics scribbled on napkins and envelopes; and some other ancient literature. Afterwards we ate lunch there (4.50 for a cup of tea and a sandwich) and walked through Euston and Russel square to the British Museum to see some ancient artifacts and the Rosetta Stone. It is so great that so many of the museums here are free!
Had to do it! The Ultimate Tourist Pic:
Going to school ;)
Week Deux!
It's been about an entire week since my last post. WOWZERS time has passed quickly. Last week we had orientation lectures at the Royal Geographical Society on Tuesday and Wednesday and then started classes on Thursday. My first class was interesting and my professor is working hard to change up the pace during so that the four hour lecture is not too monotonous. After class we caught the bus to Oxford Street and walked around. Don't worry mom, I didn't buy anything. Once we got home we all ate dinner together in my friends kitchen on the third floor and got ready for a social programme event in Covent Garden. The event was a way to meet people on the program.
Friday my friend Sam and I decided to take an unplanned touring trip and took the tube to Westminster, arriving right under Big Ben. We walked through Westminster in search of tea and a chocolate croissant but by the time we found a reasonable cafe (the unplanned excursion added some additional walking time in several different directions) it was lunch time. We sat and had tea and sandwiches across from the Churchill War rooms before walking up Downing Street (10 Downing is like our White House) to Trafalgar Square. We wandered into the National Gallery. There we walked through several rooms and didn't even get to the Monet and Van Gogh rooms. Luckily, it is free and very accessible by the tube. We marked down the rooms that we made it in our Plan (map!) to and are going to head back in the future. We headed back afterwards to get changed and go to dinner at a nearby restaurant for this girl Abigail's birthday. From there we went to a local pub and headed out for the evening. After two full days of sightseeing we agreed to sleep in late and woke up around noon to see the Victoria and Albert museum. There we saw some exquisite fashion designs as well as different artifacts from all over the world. Afterwards, we got lunch in the food hall and headed home for a walk in Hyde Park with my friends. Once we got back, I went for a Long Run around the park and through the city before hopping in a shower and going to a "family dinner" with my friends from my floor and the floor above me.
Post dinner we planned our first travel excursion to Munich. We are staying in 2 private suites in a hostel that came to 30 pounds. The location is supposed to be great and the hostel had top reviews. Our flights were a bargain considering we waited to book until five days before. All in all the weekend for flight and hotel will be about 100 pounds. I am traveling with six other girls, and not one speaks any GERMAN...this will be quite an adventure. I am very excited and cannot wait for my first out of UK travel experience.
Anyways, I made a skype account that is ilovebrookie so if you see me on please add me and we can chat! I miss you and love you all and hopefully I will see you on the interwebs!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
I am here, I am alive, and now my computer works. The past few days have been a whirlwind of scheduled itinerary from BU and getting acclimated in general. Let me catch you up on everything:
Friday/Saturday: The Flight and Arrival
The flight was delayed out of Boston and we sat on the tarmac for about an hour and a half. We landed in London to a frigid -8 degrees and crammed our luggage into a modernized black cabby to get to our posh South Kensington Flat. My address is 14 Queen's Gate and I can see the Hyde Park gates when I walk out of the door. I had the room to myself and went shopping for some essentials with my friends Michelle and Amy. We ventured to Regent St. where the most posh shopping is (directions to the street included going past the Bentley auto store) and we had fun taking the tube for the first time. It was quite an adventure but much cleaner and more efficient than the good ol' t.
Saturday: The roomies arrive
My roomates Nicole and Annelise got here Saturday from the group flight. We live in a triple that is on the 2 1/2 floor. Kind of Harry Potter-esque. We all share a bathroom which is right near my bed as well as a minifridge. I crammed my clothes into my 2 drawers and bureau before they got here so the move in was pretty seamless.
Sunday: RA tours and minor sightseeing
Sunday we had a couple of mandatory dorm events but were able to get out to Kensington High Street for some walking around and dining. We had lunch at the Whole Foods restaurant which features a world cafe. Amy and I split a 5.99 schwarma so it was pretty reasonable. For dinner we had traditional pub food at the gloucester arms and watched the pat's defeat on television there before heading back from some brie and crackers in one of the communal kitchens. I will upload some pictures of the night as soon as I can. Unfortunately, the key to my locked drawer and kitchen cabinet broke so I cannot get any of my electronics cords etc out. It also means I am locked out of my Kitchen cabinet where my cereal and to go tea cup are. Starbucks has the same numerical prices but in pounds so Kyle's usual mocha frappuchino skinny espresso latte is 4.60 pounds not dollars.
Monday:
Today I finally got to sleep in. I woke up around eleven and went for a long run through the park and through our neighborhood in Kensington. Afterwards, we had a boat trip up and down the Thames. It was nice to be able to get a perspective on where all the famous sites in London are. Afterwards, I did a real grocery shop at Sainsburys and picked up some pasta, cheeses, produce, and snacks. This isn't vacation after all and I am done eating out on a regular basis. I need to save my money for some bigger and better things. We went to dinner afterwards and I had my second round of fish and chips before heading to the local college, Imperial College, to check it out. I headed home earlyish and caught up on some pretty incredible PSA's and here I am now. Check this one out, it is pretty moving despite the fact that it is from the AARP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA
Anyways, that is it for now on my adventures in London. I have been having a blast and can't wait to show you all my pictures. I will upload them as soon as my maintenance request for a new key goes through! Hope all is well across the pond!
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