Would you look at the time? It's already November!! And since Germany doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, it is really the Holiday Season here! Christmas decorations everywhere, ugly sweaters purchased, and gloves and scarves are in full swing.
As in the case of most study abroad bloggers, by the final month I have too many things to blog about and too little time to do it in the face of term papers, impending finals, last travel plans, and the "I meant to go there weeks ago"s. But goodness so much has happened since my last post about Oktoberfest. I will do my best to sum up the latest happenings and conclude with some reflections about the past week and the weeks ahead.
For our midterm break my friends and I decided to travel to Brussels, Bruges, and London to see a little bit more of Europe. A quick synopsis:
Brussels: chocolate, waffles, beer, The Grand Place, Mannequin Pis, so many cute streets and shops, Atomium, ruins, cathedrals, palaces, too many pictures.
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| Belgium waffles in front of Mannequin Pis |
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| Sablon Cathedral, Brussels (don't mind the awkward pose) |
Bruges: more chocolate, more beer, Market Place (main square), gardens, and great food
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| Garden Cafe, Bruges |
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| Market Place, Bruges |
London: so expensive, so beautiful, so busy, Picadilli Circus, Oxford Street, Big Ben, London Bridge, London Eye, indian food (true story), Apple Market, Platform 9 and 3/4, British Museum, Globe Theater, Buckingham Palace, more great food
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Big Ben, London
(and one of my favorite pictures) |
Okay so two weeks after this whirlwind trip we were back on a train, heading to Poland; Krakow and Warsaw to be exact. Picture the excitement, terror, debacles, and adventures of 75 American students running around Poland together for a week. I loved Krakow! It was a sweet little city with plenty to see and a small-town feel. Our visit to Auschwitz was an incredibly powerful day too. We toured the Auschwitz camp as a group and then went on to Birkenau, the death camp portion of Auschwitz, for self-guided tours of the massive space. With snow on the ground and heavy hearts it is a day I will not soon forget.
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| Birkenau-Auschwitz at sunset |
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| The first time I've seen snow falling! |
Conversely, I will not be visiting Warsaw again if I can help it. From police corruption to creepy people, my experience was more negative than positive there despite visiting some exciting historic sites and seeing a lovely piano concerto. It wasn't my favorite city though. I did enjoy the day trip we took to the medieval city of Torun--small, but historic and complete with mulled wine and a game of chess.
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| Copernicus statue in Torun, Poland |
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| On our way to a Chopin piano concerto in Warsaw |
So that brings us back to this past week. Our last day in Warsaw I received some rattling news from home and since then have been grappling with the feeling that I need to hug my mom as soon as possible. This week has been one of reflection, little sleep, and a deep understanding that despite the beauty and wonder that awaits around the globe and the roots that we can put down there, the word "home" is reserved for where your heart hangs. I have 28 more days until I fly home and am more thrilled than ever to be back in California, despite the wonderful time I am having in Berlin and Europe.
This final month brings: Istanbul, Fussen, Nuremberg, Christmas markets, (and final exams)--we're at the FINAL COUNTDOWN.
