Amsterdam

Well we made it to Amsterdam around 9:30 p.m. We walked to our hostel from the station which proved to be a bit of a task. Kalyn was convinced it was going to be really easy to find but after we made a big circle I realized that wasn't the case. By 11:00 we finally found our way to the hostel, checked-in and went to our room. As soon as the I opened the door I could tell it wasn't the the most upscale place. It smelled awful, someone's dirty laundry had been dirty waayyy too long. The room was equipped with 4 bunkbeds and was quite small so there wasn't much space. One guy had already gone to bed so we tried to be quiet as we settled in. I was so tired from all the walking that I just wanted to go to sleep. Thus the first night in Amsterdam wasn't too exciting.

Sunday:
Checked out of the hostel and roamed around the city. Went to the Van Gogh Museum which was really cool. Headed to Leidseplein Street to meet Bow, our coushsurfer host for the night. Enjoyed a bite to eat together then took the tram to get to his place while he biked there. (Everyone in Asterdam bikes everywhere. It's genius really.) After being confused by which stop to get off at, we finally made it to Bow's. Then we watched Hang Over and went to bed.
Monday: Attempted to go to the beach alas, Bow's van wouldn't start. So Kalyn and I headed to city central where our second host, Sander lives. We had planned to go to the FOAM Photography Museum but it took so long to get to Sander's that we ended up missing the opportunity. So we hung out with Sander for a bit, grabbed a quick dinner then headed to a DJ Party that Bow invited us to. If you confirmed yourself for the party on Facebook then you got in free, so we all enjoyed a free dance party!
Tuesday: Last full day in Amsterdam.


Kalyn and I walked to the Anne Frank Huis and the line wrapped around the corner. We were both freezing and hungry so we decided to get some soup in hopes the line would die down some. Unfortunately, after our dinner it was still around the corner so we had to wait for over an hour before getting in but it was an incredible experience. I read her journal this last summer while working in Alaska and completely fell in love with her. So it was very surreal to be where she lived, see the bedroom she decorated with magazine clippings and actually see the journal she kept and her handwriting. It's such a blessing that she kept that journal. There was a video clip of Otto, her father, saying that he learned so much about Anne when he read her journal because she didn't show her deeper feelings. It was a great experience to be in the walls of the annex and read about everything and see Anne's quotes on the walls. She will live on forever.
I bought a poster of her with the quote, " One day this terrible war will be over. The time will come when we'll be people again and not just Jews!...We can never be just Dutch, or just English, or whatever, we will always be Jews as well. But then, we'll want to be." Anne Frank, April 9, 1944


Tuesday evening it began snowing quite a bit, so Kalyn and I enjoyed a walk down the quiet streets watching the snow. It was so beautiful. I thought Amsterdam was quite magical, with the canals, Christmas lights, snow, it seemed like something out of a fairytale.

Auf Wiedersehen Berlin. Zeg aan hallo amsterdam!

My pack is ready to go, full of dirty clothes begging for a laundromat.
In an hour, Kalyn and I will be heading to the station to catch our train to Amsterdam, which will be a seven hour adventure. Perfect to do some reading, possibly watch a movie and catch up on some sleep. We should arrive around 9:00 p.m. and we're hoping the walk to the hostel won't be too far. Don't really have anything planned for tonight but have been invited to a Christmas Party, so we might end up going to that.
Tomorrow we'll check out of the hostel and experience CouchSurfing for the first time!
Before you freak out about it, research it.
It's safe, free and the best way to experience a new city.
I'm excited!!!

Berlin: Good Food. Great People.

Arrived in Berlin Monday evening the 21st.
I was able to find the metro station from the airport easily enough but couldn't figure out what train I needed to take to get to the hostel. Finally, I asked a woman who pointed me to platform 4 and I was on my way. After about a 40 minute ride I arrived at the Hauptbahnhof Station and wandered around for 30 minutes before I finally found the hostel that was literally right across the street. Kalyn had already checked-in and was in the room so it was nice to see a familiar face when I opened the door. We both unpacked our things then decided to go for a walk to see what was nearby. We grabbed a cheap dinner and relaxed until the place was closing and we had to walk back to the hostel. Between the travelling and the cold, we were both exhausted and called it a night.
Tuesday:



We walked to the Reichstagskuppel and waited in line out in the cold so we could go to the top. It was freezing and by the time we had gone to the top and came back down we couldn't feel our fingers or toes. We hung out at the gift shop to warm up then decided to go back to the hostel to plan the next step.

After hanging out in the lounge and surfing the net for things to do, we decided to set out and find a Christmas market. It was around 4:00 p.m. and already dark so we walked to Unter den Linden and enjoyed all the lights on the trees and the big Christmas tree near the Brandenburg Gate.


The Christmas market was such a fun "German" experience! There were all kinds of booths set up, selling things from Bratwurst to glowing rocks. Everyone was having a good time and it actually felt like Christmas time for once.
Wednesday:
Kalyn is really into running and is planning on doing the Paris marathon this spring so she wanted to go for a run around Berlin. I went along and felt like I was going to die the entire time. I made it around 4 miles then decided that was good enough. She ran another 3 while I went back to the hostel and got ready. We planned to go to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp but by the time we figured out the metro system and how to get there we decided it would be better to go a different day since they close at 4:30 and it takes an hour to get there.


So we went to the East Side Gallery and looked at what remained from the Berlin Wall. It's so crazy to think that it wasn't that long ago that the wall was built and torn down. This country has experienced a lot of tragedies in the last century.

From the wall, we made our way to Check-Point Charlie and explored that area. To our delight, we discovered another Christmas market. So we enjoyed some warm drinks as we walked around and bought way too much chocolate and treats. After we couldn't walk anymore, we went back to the hostel and took a nap. Kalyn looked up popular places that the Berliners go and we headed to one for dinner. Lucky for us, we met some friendly Germans sitting near us at dinner who chatted with us and offered to give us a little tour of the area. So we all walked to the TV Tower which had already closed and unfortunately it was very foggy so we couldn't see too much of it. Afterwards we exchanged information and invited our new friends to visit us in Paris.
Thursday: Christmas Eve
We got up and bought our metro tickets to go to the Concentration Camp and after the 45 minute metro ride and 20 minute walk we arrived to find out it was closed for Christmas Eve. Disappointed, we walked back to the metro and passed a grocery store along the way. We decided everything would be closed for dinner so we wanted to buy something to make ourselves. Grocery shopping is a whole other activity when you don't speak the language. We were looking at things trying to decide what they were and hoping we were buying what we thought we were. We ended up getting the basics: a shrimp ring, curry soup and a green salad. It wasn't half bad and it was funny because we both have the family tradition of eating shrimp on Christmas Eve so we were keeping it alive!
Friday: Joyeux Noël à tout le monde!
We got up and somehow or another Kalyn had me on another 4 mile jog. My body was still sore from the first one so I figured it could only help. Then we were back on the metro headed to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. This time we were able to walk around and explore the area but the museum was closed.







It was a very surreal experience to be at the home of tragedy. All the books I've read and films I've seen couldn't compare to standing on the same soil where thousands of innocent people were murdered. It was such a humbling experience to say the least. When I walked into Station "Z" where the crematory ovens were and read about the routine done with the prisoners who had been chosen for death I couldn't help but cry. I will never be able to comprehend how anyone can feel justified in taking anothers life - let alone thousands of innocent lives! It's really quite terrifying that Hitler was able to persuade so many people into his way of thinking, resulting in the masses and masses or murdered men, women and children. I will be forever grateful for the experience of visiting Sachsenhausen. It made for a Christmas that I will never forget.
Christmas evening, Kalyn's stomach was bothering her. It has been for a couple weeks now and before we left Paris I went to the Doctor with her. She was given medicine that she's been taking three times a day and hasn't felt any better. So around 8:00 p.m. she wanted to go to the hospital to get looked at. We went to the Emergency Room and they took her blood and told her they'd test her gallbladder and kidney. I sat in the waiting room and thankfully my new German friends came and kept me company while I waited. After five hours of waiting, at 1:30 a.m. they released her and told her everything looked fine. They said the medication she was given in France was the wrong medication and told her to stop taking it. They said it was either a cyst or just digestive problems that should go away with the stop of the medication. It was a very long night and not exactly what I had wanted to do for my last night in Berlin. But it was good for Kalyn to find out that it wasn't anything serious.

Barcelona: Part Two

After my flight being delayed by an hour (I love EasyJet!!!) I was finally on my way to Spain. I arrived around 3:30 and found my way to the 'Sants' metro stop where I met Stephanie. It was a fun reunion and we recapped the latest in our lives as we took the metro back to her place. After dropping off my bag and meeting up with Alex, the three of us went out to explore Barcelona. They took me to Font Magica where we watched the famous water show set to America's 90's music. For example, Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and some good 'ole Police/Sting tunes. When that was over, we went to a fun little place and ate tapas for dinner. The fried potatoes with some sort of sauce were amazing! Afterwards, we walked down the famous street Ramblas and Alex took our picture with a man dressed like a tree. It's quite bizarre the things that people dress up as to get money.


Sunday, Stephanie and I hiked up the "I forgot the name" mountain and took pictures of the view of the city. It was truly beautiful.


Then we set out on our own little "Gaudi Barcelona Tour" visiting famous sites that Gaudi designed. We went through the Casa Batllo and I totally fell in love with the pure genius and creativity of Gaudi. His style was so incredible! I would love to build my own home using him as inspiration. Maybe one day, after I've won the lottery.


When we were exhausted from all the walking we stopped for dinner and I ate my first paella dish! It had all kind of meat and seafood and a different sauce. But I enjoyed it. (Especially with the squirt of lemon on it!) After dinner, we walked off the food by walking home. Was a really pretty night.

Monday morning we visited the Market and enjoyed some yummy Spanish pastries and some fresh fruit smoothies. Afterwards we warmed up at a small cafe with some coffee and then I headed off to the airport. The trip was short but so fun! I'm so grateful I was able to go and visit a tiny part of Spain!

Praying for Ellen Beall

Last weekend Jason got the devestating news that his sweet mother Ellen had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. Today she is getting a hysterectomy done and we're all praying that everything goes well!
Due to the circumstances, Jason will be ending the semester early to go home and take care of her. So Friday morning he'll leave Paris and head home to Baltimore just in time to be with his family for the holidays.
I just want to thank him for his friendship and the beautiful person that he is. My time in Paris would not have been the same without him. Over these last two months we've travelled to many places together and became obnoxiously inseperable. Our friends have teased us that we're like a married couple and others say we're obsessed with each other. Both statements are pretty accurate. ;-)
I never imagined that I would meet such a special person in Paris who would make such an impact on my life. God and Karma are good to me. I will miss sharing our inside jokes, "I slept AWFUL!" .. "X ~ WRONG ANSWER!!!" .. "I LOVE your jacket!" and all our sarcastic comments that the French just don't understand. The metro rides just won't be the same, neither will checking out boys all by myself. I'll miss the moments where we just looked at each other surprised/disgusted by the things that "ohk-war"dly happen around us.
Jason I love you and am so grateful to have met you and have you in my life. I once told you that I thought our relationship together was probably the healthiest relationship I've ever had with a guy and I still stand by it. You know me so well and I have always felt comfortable being myself with you. The day you told me, "I was thinking about if there was something I could change about Bree what would it be? I decided there isn't anything." I knew I felt the same about you! You've been the best thing about Paris and it will never be the same without you. You've become my best friend and my family. You've made me co-dependant!!! UGH!!! :-)
I hope you have a great holiday at home but don't forget to send a little luck my way every now and then.

I simply can't wait to see you in the spring where Bree+Jason=Obnoxious will be continued!

Memorable weekend in Paris

Friday afternoon Jason and I met up with my friend Bastien and walked around Paris and visited la Tour Eiffel.

It's crazy how big it is and yes, that was the first time I've actually walked around it since being here! That evening Jason, Kalyn and I ventured out to the 19th arrondissement to see Rue Royale play in the basement of the Rigoletto Theater (a cafè/ pub). The show was scheduled to start at 8:00 but probably didn't begin until after 9:00 and then went until after midnight. It was a fun intimate experience, much like Kilby Court and made me a little homesick. Rue Royale was amazing! They are both very talented and seem so down to earth. If you haven't checked them out, give them a listen on myspace.
Saturday afternoon Jason and I decided to go to a Rugby game.

Neither of us had been to one before so it sounded like fun. We bought tickets from a scalper, which was SUPER sketchy but he sold us two tickets for 40 euro. (Where we would've had to pay 50 from the ticket booth.) We were nervous that we had just been ripped off and the tickets wouldn't work but not only did we make it through the gate but our seats were great! It was really interesting to watch and we kept trying to figure out what the rules were as one man would get tackled but pass the ball off to another member and the play would continue. It was also very enjoyable to see good looking muscular men wearing bright pink. ;-)
That evening Jason, Kalyn and I met some really friendly French guys on the metro and hung out with them. For the most part, it was a great day.
Sunday afternoon Kalyn and I met up with our CEA study abroad group and went to Chartre for the day to visit the cathedral.

Afterwards we watched a demonstration of how stained glass windows are made. The demonstration was given in French but I was able to understand some of it and it was really interesting. When that finished we grabbed dinner in a little pizza pub and caught the train back to Paris. I was exhausted but it was a fun weekend.
I'm so grateful for my friends and the fun memories we've made together!

(Jason, I love you!!!)

New Music

As you all know, I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to music. Since having spent my summer in Alaska and now my winter in Paris I haven't been keeping up on new music coming out and am falling behind. But I did just get Muse's new album The Resistance and I'm obsessed with it. The song Uprising is definitely one of my favorites along with I Belong to You (+ Mon Coeur S'ouvre A Ta Voix) and I love how different the entire album is, which is only expected from Muse. They're pretty much amazing. Also, I was disappointed to find that they played in Paris last week and I had no idea. So now I'm attempting to find a good show while here that isn't already sold out or too expensive. Devendra Banhart is coming but alas, it's already sold out. So far the only thing I've found that I'm planning on going to is Rue Royale on Dec. 5th. From what I found, they'll be playing at a pub and it should only be five euro. I'm crossing my fingers this is true!
So if anyone knows of a good show coming up in Paris, please let me know!
Also, if there's some good music that you've been listening to and you think I'd enjoy it, let me know! I'm always happy to explore something new.
Besides Muse, I've been listening to: Coeur de Pirate, The Decemberists, Horse Feathers, Empire Of The Sun and Passion Pit

Pictures from Rome

View of Rome from the "Spanish Steps"


Nina, Lauren and I on the Spanish Steps


Basilica Church


The infamous Colosseum

Doctors Appointment

Went to an American doctor tonight who ignored me as I spouted off my symptoms and asked me to repeat them when she realized she wasn't listening. Then when I got done she responded by saying, "You don't look sick." ... REALLY? REALLY!?!?!
Then she went on to tell me that I wasn't coughing and people who have the swine flu cough more.. I was astonished by the stupidity of this doctor and was tempted to cough in her face! I have spent the last three days coughing and was coughing in her waiting room but because I didn't cough the ten minutes in her office she thought I was perfectly healthy. If it wasn't for my 100.4 fever I think she would've just kicked me out. But thankfully the heat radiating from my face and entire body made her re-evaluate things.. But by the end she told me that I was past the 72 hr medication of the swine so I just have to ride it out from here. The only good thing I got from that appointment was a note excusing me to miss the entire week of class. Not sure how that will go over but at this point I don't really care. She also told me that I need to stay in my room until at least Friday. I'm hoping that I'll start feeling better so I can at least spend the time doing some needed homework.
Anyway, that's the update of the evening!
bisous!

Grippe A aka Swine Flu

This last week I went to Rome with some friends and was having a blast until the last day where I spent literally the entire day in bed. At first I just thought I was getting a bad cold but when the body aches, fever, chills and night sweats kicked in, I became worried that I caught the Swine Flu. So I laid in bed unable to move and asked Jason to google the symptons for me. As he did it, he gasped and said he didn't want to read them to me. Needless to say, I had every sympton. Somehow or another I survived the airplane and bus ride back to Paris where I have not left my room since. Last night I ended up soaking five different pj's along with my sheets in the ever so lovely night sweats. I have literally never felt so close to death.
Today I will call an English speaking doctor in hopes of getting a prescription to some magical medicine.
Will write more when I'm feeling better.

Belle-Ile-en-Mer

This past summer while I was working in Alaska I met quite a few people from France. One of which was Bastien, a young man hitchhiking through Alaska who had stopped in Denali Park for a couple days. When we started talking I told him I'd be studying in Paris for the winter, so we exchanged information and have kept in touch. Last week he invited me to visit him at his parents house on a small island on the west coast of France called Belle-Ile-en-Mer. I decided I should go for it and Friday I caught the train to Auray where I switched to a bus to go to Quiberon. In Quiberon Bastien and his mother met me and took the ferry from Quiberon to Belle-Ile-en-Mer with me. His parents don't speak English so my dictionary was my constant companion and it was really good practice even though I still had to rely on Bastien to translate basically everything.
It was great to stay in a "real" French house and have that experience. Bastien and his Father built their home which they later transformed into a Bed & Breakfast. It was so rejuvinating to get away from the busy streets of Paris and enjoy the laid back lifestyle on the island.
The other great thing was the food! I haven't eaten that good in months! Every morning for breakfast they made me hot chocolate with French bread and blackberry jam that his mother had made. Lunch was vegetables and meat followed by more bread and cheese. (The cheese in France is amazing! I will definitely miss it when I go back to the states.) For dinner it was more vegetables, meat, bread, cheese and just when you didn't think you could eat anymore they brought out the dessert. I even ate rabbit and pheasant for the first time in my life and was truthfully surprised they were so good.
While the weather wasn't the greatest it didn't stop me from going out and exploring all the different beaches in the area. I was in constant awe of the beauty everywhere. I'm afraid my pictures don't do it justice. Monday when I woke up and started packing the weather was gorgeous. The sun was out and the skies were blue and clear. Bastien kept trying to talk me into staying longer but I had to get back to Paris for a test so he went with me on the ferry back to Quiberon where I waited to catch the bus. It was a quick trip but I'm so glad I was able to go and have such an amazing experience. I truly am blessed to be able to get out at see different sides of life. I love it!

London Trip

Tuesday morning Jason and I caught our bus to London. It was about a 4 hour ride to Calais, where we caught a ferry and relaxed for about an hour, then back on the bus for another few hours to London. It was such a LONG trip but was also VERY cheap. So really you pay for what you get.
We arrived in London late Tuesday night and checked into our hostel and called it a night. Wednesday we met Natalie, a really sweet girl from Australia, who was sleeping in our same room so we spent the day out exploring London with her. We visited the Tate Museum and saw some really interesting art. I enjoyed seeing Andy Warhol's work, but didn't necessarily enjoy Jeff Koons. lol.. (If you haven't heard of him, you're not missing out on much except pretty much porn they call "art".)
After an entire afternoon spent wandering through the museum, we set off to explore the streets and saw Big Ben and the Eye. It was so nice being able to ask questions in English and not worry about trying to translate anything. Although it was odd crossing the street and having to look right instead of left and vise versa. Even walking down the sidewalk was confusing, because I kept walking on the right naturally and then being in the way of people.
Thursday we visited the Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. Jason kept talking about how much I was going to like Westminster and he was right, it was my favorite place of the whole trip. Such a beautiful church and very interesting to learn of the history and all the royalty buried there. By the time we were done touring it, the choral services were getting ready to start so we stayed and for that. The Choir was made up of men and boys and they sounded very beautiful. It was definitely unlike anything I've experienced and I really enjoyed it.
Friday we walked around the Soho area and explored the different shops. Afterwards we bought tickets to the musical Blood Brothers, staring Melanie C (formally known as Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls). It was a very different plot, playing with the theme of nature vs nurture but I enjoyed it. By the time it was over it was 10:30 so we headed back to the hostel for the night.
Saturday morning we got up, packed and headed back to the bus station for the long journey. The ride home seemed to go a little faster and we got back just in time to celebrate Halloween in Paris with some friends. It was definitely entertaining seeing the looks we got from the French, seeing how they don't really celebrate Halloween. A lot of people would yell out "ca-boy!" when they saw Jason on the street and metro but it was a fun night.