Bonjour Paris!

That's For Me!

My arrival in Paris was not quite as happy-go-lucky as Audrey’s was in "Funny Face" (I got stuck at the airport for nearly an hour while military guys with machine guys cleared out an abandoned piece of luggage). Nevertheless, I was still arriving in Paris, and I was going to be in Paris for a week, and I was going to wake up in Paris for my birthday! It was all lovely and magical in my head! 

We stayed at this sweet hotel, the Hotel D’Orsay, which was, true to its name, just down the street from the Musee D’Orsay. Aunt Joy needed some time to recover from her many hours of travel, so we didn’t actually leave the hotel until after dark. It was strange, how I was suddenly just walking along the banks of the Seine, seeing the Eiffel Tower glow in the distance, just as it always had in pictures and movies. I didn’t have quite the reaction that I did to the Coliseum (see the post My Roman Holiday to read about my utter Classical History/Latin fangirl presented itself), but it was still an almost surreal experience at first. We took a boat tour that night, and then we ducked into the first restaurant we found because by the end of the boat tour it was pouring rain. Ethan, you’ll be proud of me, my very first meal in France was a cheese burger with fries. It was delicious. I have no regrets. 

We did so many things, I don’t even know how to narrow down my stories (I’m not doing a two-parter post like with Rome, that was a bit unmanageable for me). Of course, we hit all the major tourist spots— if you think “Quintessential Paris”, we probably visited it. The first day, we went to Notre Dame (a truly incredible example of Gothic Cathedral Architecture), San Chapelle (which had some stunning stained glass windows), and the Cluny Museum (which was interesting, and exhibited mostly medieval era artifacts, with a few ancient Roman artifacts thrown into the mix). I loved the tapestries at the Cluny, the Lady with the Unicorn series were lovely and enigmatic as promised. It wasn’t an absolutely thrilling day, but Aunt Joy planned the itinerary, so I just sort of shuffled along behind and enjoyed the sights. We actually got to see some of the bouquinistes along the Seine as we walked to Notre Dame in the morning! I would’ve liked to browse a little more, but time has a habit of getting away from you when you’re on vacation. It was kind of strange, after having traveled alone for a week, to have to match up my own expectations with another person’s, and to meld your must-see itineraries. It was still a lovely weekend and I got to see and do not all but many things I’d wanted to!

The Grand Gallery

Of course, we did the major museums. The Louvre was insane, and particularly so because we happened to visit on city free day, so it was insanely busy. There was an incredible exhibition of Islamic art, the likes of which I’d never seen in the US in terms of size and range of the collection. I’m a huge fan of Islamic art, and this exhibit did not disappoint. I lingered so long, Aunt Joy had to remind me how much else there was to see in the museum. We saw some Da Vincis, and even spotted the Mona Lisa from a distance (honestly, the crowd was so insane, they need to put her in her own little room. Or use conveyor belts like they do with the Crown Jewels in England, so that you can get a look but not linger). I was very excited to see some famous works of art I had studied in high school history classes. 

I tried...

Of course, we also did the Musee D’Orsay, though it was the last thing we did in Paris, so we were both exhausted. Still, their collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works was great! Once again, so many pieces I’d only ever seen in books, came to life! I think one of my favorite museum experiences in Paris, and overall, however, was at the Musee l’Orangerie, which holds the giant Monet waterlilies. Their scope was astounding, and they were just so pretty. If you could fall in love with paintings, I think I might have fallen a little bit for those panels.

Aside from museums, we spent some time wandering. We went to the Marais one day, which is a trendy little area known for its quirky shops. Needless to say, I did some shopping that day. I also did some shopping the day we went to Montmartre. We took the funicular up the hill, and gazed down at the city from Sacre Coeur’s perch (before being hastily and alarmingly evacuated from the area. Oh Paris…). We wandered down the hill, hitting a few funky shops on the way down, and Aunt Joy scored some awesome vintage dead stock haute couture jewellery. I am very jealous! Though I definitely got my fair share of souvenirs! Montmartre was so charming, just as I imagined it after watching “Amelie”, though it seems to be a little touristy now. Parisians seem to view Montmartre the way New Yorkers view Greenwich Village.  

We spent quite a bit of time going out for “culinary experiences” as Aunt Joy once referred to them. For me, it was a week of the craziest, richest, fanciest meals I’d ever had in my life. Each place had a unique selling point. At one place, every dish was made with truffles, including the tiramisu I had for dessert, which was yummy, but weird because you could definitely taste the truffle. At another place, we had a tasting menu which was chosen entirely by the chef and sommelier, and which we, interestingly enough, ate blind. We were given a brief description of each dish, but we weren’t told what wine we were being served. In fact, for some of the courses, they served the wine in black wine glasses, so that we couldn’t see the color of the wine. It was crazy, albeit delicious. We had a really wonderful meal at the Jules Verne restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower. Yes, *inside* the Eiffel Tower. I didn’t even know there was a restaurant there, but there is and we ate there. Again it was delicious and very fancy, but the views were insane. Also, we were *inside* the Eiffel Tower. The restaurant even gave me a chocolate cake-like dessert wishing me a happy birthday, or ‘Joyeux Anniversaire’, since it was France. It was really, quite lovely. 

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

We took lots of photos from the observation deck, though we didn’t go all the way to the top. Though, as we were taking photos from the ground, Aunt Joy was amused at the fact that I was freaking out more about seeing the nearby bridge featured in ‘Inception’, than the fact that I was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. 

Me.

We spent a whole day at Versailles, which made Buckingham Palace look like a shack, and where everything was made of gold. The scope of the place was unbelievable. The hallways just seemed to go on and on, the gardens were exponentially larger than palace (which was already immense), and every item inside the palace was luxe and/or covered in gold. I loved the furniture and the carpets and the light fixtures. I loved it all. And that night, when we went home, I watched Sophia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” (you know, the one with Kirsten Dunst). It was cool to see them running around the rooms I had just toured, and also, I just like Marie Antoinette. She’s such a sad figure, I think, and I feel for her and her whole situation. But that’s for another time. 

Hall of Mirrors

Overall, it was a wonderful time. I saw so many cool pieces of art, architecture, and history that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. I wandered, I ate, I shopped, I saw, and I turned 21. It was a great finale to my travel adventures! 

And of course, I wouldn't be me if I went on vacation and didn't buy a book (or a few...)

#AmsterdamAesthetic

I had been to the Amsterdam airport numerous times before, since it seems to be a central European hub and thus a prime locale for layovers, but I had never actually left the airport, so that was new for me. Luckily, I was met by my lovely Dutch friend Judith, who helped navigate me back to her student residence in Leiden, a city about 30 minutes outside Amsterdam by train, where I’d be staying with her. Riding the train to Leiden, I got to see a bit of the landscape, and Judith was kind enough to point out old fashioned windmills (they are real and look exactly like the drawings! How fun!). The geography was very flat, and actually reminded me of car rides and Amtrak trips through the Midwest, which surprised me. 

Lovely friend and tour guide, Judith

Judith, clever friend that she is, let me convalesce from my travels that day. She fed me snackums and then showed me around her town of Leiden. Leiden is quaint and absolutely picturesque. We walked around in the evening, so transition from gloaming to darkness was quick, bringing with it all the lights still up from Christmas. The lights reflected on the water of the ever-present canals, which in turn illuminated the row houses. It was all very charming. We walked and chatted and watched ice-skaters at the town center, and I had Dutch hot chocolate, which was so rich that it was like drinking a melted chocolate bar. That evening, I met Judith’s two best friends, Wendy and Stephanie, both of whom were lovely and amusing. The three of them together reminded me of my own best friends (shout out to 320!). I was absolutely exhausted from all the traveling, especially since I had just gotten off the plane a few hours before, so I wasn’t quite as bubbly and personable as I could have been—nevertheless, it was a great evening!

On the tram!

The next day, Judith and I took the train into Amsterdam bright and early! We took one of the trams to one of the outer rings to the Rijksmuseum. (So Amsterdam is full of canals, and many of the main canals are organised into ring shapes. Judith told me that at one point, how closely you lived to the center ring demonstrated how important and wealthy you were. That’s it for Fun Trivia With Austen in this post). The Rijksmuseum was very cool! It was full of exhibits on Dutch history, including several on their colonial and trading history, which was quite fascinating. My favorites, however, were the Dutch masters! I saw some Vermeers and Rembrandts that I had only ever seen in textbooks before! The museum wasn’t huge, so we didn’t spend more than a few hours there. 

Not a "Dutch Master", but he was Dutch and he was Masterful, so...

After that, we wandered a bit, and got lunch at a bagel cafe that was really yummy! We sort of just wandered around the rest of the day, looking at all the idyllic picturesqueness that is Amsterdam. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what about the architecture of Amsterdam I found so aesthetically pleasing, but it had something to do with the color of the houses (which were often either deep or pastel shades of cool colors, like blue or purple), and the way they sort of listed to the side due to how old they all were. Plus, the canals and bridges are so precisely set up, they make it all very nice. 

Later, we went vintage shopping! I got several recommendations from friends and acquaintances to check out the vintage shopping scene in Amsterdam, and boy did it pay off. Those of you who know me, know that I am a big vintage enthusiast, so this was loads of fun for me! We went to several stores, and I found something to buy in each one! There were different items here than I normally find at home (at home I have the most luck with vintage formal wear, but in Amsterdam, I found all sorts of things I can wear in the everyday!). Judith was amazed at my shopping prowess, and I’ll admit, I do treat shopping, particularly vintage shopping, like a sport. A sport I always win. 

In fact, everything about Amsterdam, and even the other parts of the Netherlands I saw (which was not a huge sample size, I’ll admit), was very aesthetically pleasing. The landscaping and architecture and city planning was all so measured and neat, but not in a harsh, sharp way, more in a quietly organized way. All of the shops had lovely displays, the lights were all set up to reflect off the canal waters with a rather magical effect. I don’t know, it all just seemed so aesthetically aware, like *everything* was straight out of tumblr photo post (thus the title of this blog post). 

The next day, we left even earlier in an attempt to make it to the Anne Frank house, however, even though we got there quite soon after opening, the line was insanely long. I didn’t want to waste a whole day waiting in line, so I took a picture next to the sign and moved on. I’m a little sad I missed it, but hey, it gives me a reason to go back and visit!

All the cheese

After that, Judith wanted to show me the red light district. It was the middle of the day by then, so it was a little tamer than Judith said it could be. Nevertheless I didn’t quite know what to expect, so it was a tad startling to see women sitting in windows, watching and gesturing at strangers. It reminded me a little bit of a human vending machine. We did a fairly quick walk through, as there wasn’t really much to see or do, and then we got lunch, and wandered and shopped a little more. We went into a super touristy cheese shop near the train station. We sampled many cheeses and I learned that my family had been atrociously mispronouncing “Gouda” forever. 

We went back early that day since it was the 31st, so we could relax before our New Year’s celebrations. Judith’s boyfriend joined us for a fireworks show in Rotterdam. So, Rotterdam is not like many other cities in the Netherlands (visually at least). It’s very new, and very ‘city’ as I have always thought of cities (steel, concrete, skyscrapers, grid system roads). This is because Rotterdam was obliterated during WWII, and had to be rebuilt from scratch (I lied, *this* is the end of Fun Trivia With Austen). Coincidentally, Rotterdam is also where my grandma’s family originates. Funny. 

Anyway, New Year’s in the Netherlands was terrifying. People can not only purchase their own fireworks, but they also just set them off on city street corners for hours leading up to the New Year. It sounded like gunshots at first. Sometimes, people would lob fireworks or firecrackers into crowds of people, which is actually quite dangerous! I was genuinely worried I might lose a finger or an eye, or at least end up with a singed coat. Luckily, I made it out of the night unscathed, and the legitimate fireworks show was quite lovely! It was kind of strange, though, to hear everybody shouting the final countdown in Dutch! And once the New Year hit, I realized that it was only 5 pm at home! I was separated from my friends and family by a whole year! Strange thoughts. 

It was the first time I’d ever really been *out* out on New Year’s, since even when I’m not spending it with my family, I’m usually vegging out inside somewhere with friends (it’s very cold in Chicago, no one sane wants to be outside in the middle of the night in the dead of winter), so it was nice to get out (even if it was freezing). And I’m glad I got to spend it with Judith! Unfortunately for me, I had to get up quite early the next day to fly out to Paris!

Christmas Czech Point

The adventure is on! 

Excitement (hopefully), romance (uhh…), and mishaps (with a money-back guarantee)—just a few of the many things everyone has anticipated about my solo jaunts across Europe. Instead of going home for 2 weeks for the holidays this year when I’d just have to come back to take my exams before heading to the States for good, I decided to run around the Continent a see the sights. Part of which, I have planned to do alone (*queue shrieks of terror from all my relatives*). This has unsettled many adults in my family who have seen Liam Neeson’s crowning achievement “Taken” a few too many times. Luckily, I, unlike Neeson’s street-naive daughter, do not plan on telling any strange men where my hotel is and what my room number is, and therefore do not anticipated being kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. 

So far, that plan is working. Rest assured guys. 

My first stop on my own was Prague in the Czech Republic, where I spent Christmas. It was the most relaxing Christmas of my life, I’m not gonna lie. 

I stayed at this swanky hotel, the Art Nouveau Palace, which was almost a little too glamorous for me (I said “almost”). It had the most beautiful breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen in my life, with smoked salmon, pate, eggs, bacon, pancakes, and they served some kickass coffee, too. 

I arrived in Prague after a long and arduous journey: I had a layover in London Heathrow (and we all know how I feel about Heathrow: I hate it, and it was an airport designed by an idiot). Then, upon arriving at the Prague airport, I had to go through passport control since I was entering the EU from beyond. Now, in these European countries, they have lines for European passports, where people just zoom right on through, and then a line for everyone else, which is where I ended up waiting for an hour. It was hot, it was late, I was tired, and I had hired a car service to pick me up at the airport that I was praying would wait for me. Eventually, I was next in line to get my passport stamped, but as soon as the family in front of me was finished, the man in the booth put up a sign and shouted to go to another window. I was at my wit’s end by this point, and might have half shouted “No!” in the middle of the airport before running and shoving my way to the shortest line, near tears of frustration. Or, we could all choose to believe that I handled myself with grace, dignity, and poise. 

To their credit, the car company did wait over an hour for me at the airport. And after an ordeal of a day, I spent that evening languishing in the massive bed I had all to myself. 

View of Prague Castle from across the Vltava

I went exploring over the next few days. Prague was the one city for which I had no real expectations going in; honestly I went to Prague purely on the recommendation of others, and boy did it pay off. Overall, there wasn’t a ton “to do” in Prague, but it was an absolutely lovely city for walking and wandering. Apparently it was one of the few major cities that was spared bombing during the 20th century wars, which means that quite a bit of it’s old architecture remains intact to this day. The city was filled with rambling streets and a myriad of Art Nouveau style buildings in Easter egg colors. 

Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square

I explored various Christmas markets, and did quite a bit of souvenir shopping at the market in the Old Town Square. It was picturesque (though there wasn’t any snow!), especially at night when all the lights were turned on. And it was massive, making the dinky little market in Daley Plaza in Chicago look like a toy version. One day, for breakfast, I had a trdelnik, a traditional Czech pastry that is essentially just dough covered in sugar, so where could you go wrong, really?

Aside from just wandering around and eating things at the Christmas Markets, I did try to do some sightseeing. There were several small niche-interest museums that I visited including the Kafka Museum, the Museum of Communism, and the Mucha Museum. Now, when I say “small” and “niche” I mean in a house or on a side street in an old shop front. The Kafka Museum was cool, though definitely trippy and would not make any sense to someone who was unfamiliar with Kafka. It was fun and I got through the whole space in just over an hour. The exhibits were a strange, and sometimes startling, mix of historical artifacts (mostly letters, a few drafts, some photos, and even an object like a watch now and then) with audio-visual…experiences…I’m honestly not entirely sure how else I would describe them. There were often eerie sound effects in areas where reading letters between Kafka and his father, and a strange video interpreting one of Kafka’s most contentious and mysterious works, “The Castle”, along with many other oddities. But it was interesting and informative, and definitely a fun way to pass the time for an hour or so. 

The Museum of Communism was tucked away near on of the main modern shopping thoroughfares, the sort of place that you wouldn’t be able to find unless you knew exactly where to look, but I think it was well worth it. The museum was bursting with artifacts from its own Communist history, many of which were quite fascinating, though I wish I’d had the foresight to book a guided tour in advance, as I think a tour guide might have helped bring the exhibits to life. There were old uniforms, exhibits about propaganda and political cartoons (the ones they used against the US were particularly amusing, and not altogether irrelevant today actually). My favorite exhibits were the small recreations of Communist era rooms. There was even a rather moving video about the history of resistance against Czech Communism and the events leading up to the Velvet Revolution in 1989. I found myself crying right there in public after watching that video—I sometimes forget that Communism was a very real and very scary and very unironic thing in many parts of the world. However, the museum gift shop did not kowtow to such emotional sentiments. This gift shop was, in fact, the most self-aware and ironic gift shop I have ever been in. Naturally it was the perfect place to get all of Ethan’s souvenirs. 

Me and Lenin 

The Mucha Museum was lovely and very conveniently located just across the street from my hotel. I popped in on Christmas Eve and had a look around. I’ve loved Alphonse Mucha for quite a while (but the aesthetics of Art Nouveau have always appealed to me), so this museum, filled with a range of his works, including many of his most famous posters and subjects, was a dream and the perfect thing for me to do on Christmas Eve. Chances are, you’d probably recognize some of Mucha’s more famous works, actually, as his whole aesthetic is making a comeback. I’ll include some photos of his stuff. 

Mucha's Flower Series

Aside from the niche museums, I found ways to keep myself busy. One night, I happened upon a woman selling tickets to a Christmas Carol Concert that would take place in a Medieval church. How could I say now to that? Plus, with the insanely favorable exchange rate, the ticket was only like $3 (everything in Prague was so cheap it was incredible). I had to wander around a bit to actually find the church, but it was gorgeous. The concert was really fun as well, the choir performed Christmas carols from around the world in their original languages. 

Views of Prague from Petrin Hill Park

On Christmas Day I slept in and then decided to take a walk in the famous Petrin Park on the other side of the river. It was quite warm on Christmas, and the park turned out to be on a rather steep hill, so by the time I got to the top, my coat had come off, I was red-faced, and out of breath. But the views of the city were definitely worth it. Plus I got a little exercise in and saw Prague’s own mini version of the Eiffel Tower (I didn’t go up because it was going to be another 200-some stairs). I took the famous Charles Bridge back across the river, and then had a lovely traditional Czech dinner in the hotel restaurant before a 4 hour Skype session with my family. 

And back down the hill...

Overall, it was a really really lovely holiday. I don’t think I’ve ever really just been out and about on Christmas Day before, so it was nice to just sort of wander at my leisure, it felt very luxurious, though I did miss my insane family a bit (is this better than eccentric guys? *wink wink*). 

I’m Singing (and Walking and Shopping and Living) in the Rain!

As we all know, it rains in England. Quite a bit. 

Although it hasn’t rained all-day everyday, thus far, as I thought it might, it still has rained enough to notice. Today was the first day I had to go out in real rain, like a nice, steady, measurable rain. It was raining when I woke up, and didn’t seem as though it was going to let up any time soon, so I forged ahead with my friends as we all needed to purchase a few clothing items and home goods for our rooms. 

I broke out my new raincoat just for the occasion because, guys, I do not live all that close to campus or the city center. I could be further away, it’s true, and European vs. American sensibilities on walking distances are fairly different, but I’m used to Wellesley's bite-sized campus, where everything you need is within your sightline. My residence is a 20-30 minute walk to campus, and campus to the city center (where all the stores are), is another 10-15 minutes. And all this in the rain. I wasn’t exactly feeling like Gene Kelly, if you know what I mean.

Yet, the craziest thing is that while my friends and I had our raincoats and umbrellas wrapped around us in an attempt to stay dry, the locals seemed to hardly notice the rain. I saw people walking around in shorts and t-shirts and canvas shoes, running through the park, dressed up in heels and dresses all as though it was not steadily raining. Some people had hoods, or held their bag over their hair, or had a jacket, but many moved about as though it was sunny! It’s not as though this was just a drizzle, if I hadn’t had my raincoat, by the time we had reached campus I would’ve been drenched, my clothes would’ve been soaked straight through. 

The rain can’t be avoided though, and I supposed the blinding purple color of my coat wasn’t the only thing that made me stand out as a foreigner today. When you live in a rainy climate long enough, I guess you just get used to it. 

Conquering Boots, Morrison's, Pounds, and the Bus

Or, How I Accidentally Committed Petty Theft

My adventures in culture shock continued later today (surprise). After eating out for breakfast, I knew that I had to stock up on some groceries and other supplies before I turned in for the day. After breakfast, I went to some welcome talks and picked up my ID card. It was late afternoon by the time I was finished, but I needed to go shopping and the city center is only a 10 minute walk from the University. 

I went to a sort of mall, where I stopped at Boots drugstore. This was very similar to Walgreens or CVS. It stocked basic drugstore items, and even a few American brands, but standing there, as the stark florescent lighting reflected off the white linoleum floors, looking at the shelves stocked with brands that I didn’t recognize, the words of a well-meaning acquaintances floated into my head “They may speak English, but remember, it’s still a foreign country”. Those words had never rung so true until that moment, as I was forced to buy Sensodyne toothpaste since the shelves lacked Crest, and then I desperately searched for Band Aids, but found only unfamiliar brands of bandages offered for seemingly too much money. “Surely they must sell packs with more than 40 Q-Tips?!” I said to myself, as I looked at the outrageous price of £2.89. 

I left Boots, with 2/3 of what I had on my list at twice what I thought I’d spend. I made my way next door to Morrison’s, one of the supermarket chains in Leeds. As soon as I stepped in, I knew I was in for chaotic experience. The ceilings were low, not those high warehouse ceilings found in American grocery stores, which meant that the noise of carts rolling, intercom calls for price checks, the beeping of check out scanners, and the general conversation, turned into a wince-inducing din. I already had one bag to lug around, so I went to get a rolling cart. I found them chained together with a coin machine, asking me to insert a £1 coin to rent the cart. Not only did I not have a coin, but I also didn’t want to waste any of my precious money on renting a shopping cart, so I decided to go with one of the handheld baskets. I threw my Boots bag in the basket and began adding vegetables and breads, etc as I went along. The basket filled up quickly and became rather weighty. My biceps were already shot from dragging my luggage up 4 flights of stairs yesterday, so I ended up having to take rests every aisle or so (woefully out of shape, I know). 

I ended up with some veggies and fruits, some bread, butter, cream, cheese, eggs, and spices. I also got some aero chocolate, since it looked interesting. I had to wander up and down the aisles looking for eggs, eventually asking an employee, who mumbled the name so softly and gruffly that I just nodded and wander in the direction he pointed until I found them. Apparently in England, eggs are stored on regular store shelves, which is interesting and slightly worrisome. Needless to say, I’m still going to keep them in the fridge. By the time I went to buy my spices, my basket was overflowing and I was reaching muscle failure. I threw in some jars of salt, pepper, cinnamon, and garlic powder (I couldn’t for the life of me find actual garlic cloves). I went to check out, placed all my items on the belt, and found that I had to bag everything myself. I paid, it ended up being only about £15, not bad! 

I realized that there was no way I would make it the whole 30 minute walk back to my dorm, so I had to take the bus. I checked the bus time and stop on Google maps, and headed out. I had a little trouble finding the stop, and I was so frazzled I couldn’t even remember what bus number I was supposed to take. I ended up walking down a few blocks and back a few blocks, resting every so often. I had crossed the street and was outside the Morrison’s wifi area, and since I don’t have a UK SIM yet, I couldn’t check where I needed to be on Google. I sat on some steps to a church with 6 bags of groceries, looking like a crazy person, for a while, trying to figure out what to do. I ended up walking in the direction I lived, hoping that I would see a stop that would take me where I needed to go.

As luck would have, I found a stop! It was also full of students with grocery bags, so that was a good clue. Getting on the bus was a whole different adventure. I stepped up and had to ask the driver if the bus was going near my dorm, but all I could remember were the cross streets. When she asked where I was going, all I could say was that I was going to the stop nearest those cross streets. I went to pay, and the fare was £2, which isn’t bad! I had gotten some coins as change at Morrison’s so I pulled those out and was frantically trying to set down my groceries, search for the coins in my bag, and decipher which was the £2 coin. The kindly bus driver helped me out as I held out a palm full of coins (the money here is lovely and colorful, but there are far too many coin denominations, and I still have no idea what a quid is…). 

And that's not even all the coins...

I ended up having to stand on the bus, but I made it back to my dorm (which is at the top of a hill), and up 4 flights of stairs. It wasn’t until I went to make dinner, that I realized how little I had bought. Stocking a usable kitchen is difficult. On top of that, I hadn’t bought any tupperware, so I couldn’t make anything that would yield leftovers. I settled on scrambled eggs. As I was unpacking my groceries, I realized that I couldn’t find my pepper. I figured I must have left it unbagged at the store in my haste and briefly mourned its loss. However, after I got back to my room and unpacked my bag from Boots, what do I find, but my jar of pepper. Somehow, while everything was in the basket, it must have rolled into my Boots bag—I checked my receipt and sure enough, it wasn’t on there. Whoops. 

I’ve always loved heist and con movies, wishing I could be like the suave con men who commit daring, yet elegant crimes. I guess having lifted spices in a foreign country (allegedly) will have to satiate that craving. 

There were some high points to my day, however. I met 2 girls from my floor, one from Sweden, and one from Australia, and a guy from Germany. We talked about classes and ate dinner together, and discussed what our home countries were like. Shoutout to Ethan, you’ll love this: the girl from Australia told us about how her tiny dog likes to bark at kangaroos, which apparently come rather close to houses there! Right up into your yard sometimes, and are completely fearless of humans. Amusing, yet terrifying.