gezellig

{1. view of Prague from peddleboats on the Vltava River 2. Tyn Church 3. Astronomical Clock 4. Skyler and I in Old Town Square 5. gorgeous architecture near our hotel 6. infinity street art 7. beer flights at the Beer Museum Pub 8. peddleboats filled with friends 9. sunset on the Vltava}

Oh, Prague. 

I don’t think this trip could have been any more perfect. I fell in love with a city about which I knew absolutely nothing until I arrived. The uniquely beautiful architecture, ridiculously fun nightlife, perfect weather, and quirky vibe of the city won me over instantly. Prague itself was utterly amazing, but the true highlight of the trip was being able to spend it with all of my best friends from this semester abroad. 

We did quite a few things on our four-day stint, but my favorites included a twilight walk down the Charles Bridge, beer tasting at the Beer Museum Pub, peddleboating at sunset on the Vltava river, and a traditional Czech dinner that included goulash and beer brewed on site, not to mention Sensation White.

I can’t imagine a better way to start the beginning of the very end of my time abroad. 

{1. the view of Hagia Sophia from the second floor 2. a detail view of Hagia Sophia 3. Sarah, Skyler and I in Hagia Sophia 4. an outdoor view of The Blue Mosque 5. beautiful mosaic tiling in The Blue Mosque 6. Muslim prayer in The Blue Mosque 7. The Basilica Cistern 8. A new friend found in the Grand Bazaar 9. The Spice Market 10. twilight on The Bosphorus river}

My trip to Istanbul was an absolute whirlwind. I had originally planned to be in Turkey for three full days, but because I unexpectedly had to fly to New York on Monday, I was only able to stay in the city for about 48 hours. Despite the time crunch, I was determined to see as much of Istanbul as possible. 

On Saturday, we managed to get to the five sites I had at the top of my must-see list. We were accompanied by a wonderful tour guide, who gave us invaluable background information for everything we saw (we would have been totally lost without her!). We started out at Hagia Sophia, which blew my mind. The building left me completely speechless- I don’t think any pictures can do it justice. Next, we saw The Blue Mosque, which is renowned for its intricate blue mosaic tiling. This was my first experience in a Mosque, and I was fascinated by the religious ritual we were able to observe. The third sight of the day was Topkapi Palace, the primary royal residence for the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years. Then, we headed to the creepy-cool Basilica Cistern, an ancient cistern built in the 6th century during the reign of Justinian. We spent the rest of the day in the Grand Bazaar, a destination my friends and I had been dying to see. The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest and largest markets in the world, with somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 shops. We spent hours perusing vendors’ goods, picking up a few treasures throughout our visit. Our favorite shop was a family business that sold beautiful linens (where I picked up an intricately woven tapestry I plan to display prominently in my room next year); here we met our new friend (pictured above), a beautiful Anatolian cat with one blue and one green eye, who performed tricks for us. On Sunday, we went to the Spice Market, where we took in gorgeously vibrant spices and potent teas only found in Istanbul. Next, we took a cruise along the Bosphorus river, which was a fantastic way to see the gems of the city. We finished out the day watching the sun set over the river, then headed over to the Asia side of Istanbul for a traditional Turkish dinner.

Istanbul was unlike any other city I’ve ever seen, and I am so happy I made it a priority for my abroad travel plans. 

{nomming on the best crepes of my life from Le Comptoir; hanging out on Pont-Neuf in the sunshine; Sacré Couer; supplies for a sunset picnic; the view from Sacré Couer}

Paris, Part 3

By now this post is emarrassingly belated— I got back from Paris almost two weeks ago. I’ll sum up the last few parts of the trip:

After the Luxembourg Gardens on Sunday, we stopped for the most delicious crepes I’ve ever had at Le Comptoir’s crepe window (in the Odeon district). Then we wandered toward the Seine, stopping at a little island connected to the Pont Neuf bridge. It was such a lovely micro-oasis in the center of the city. Next we headed for the Musée d’Orsay, before finally making our way over to Montmarte to soak in a new part of town. We ended the day by climbing to the tallest point in Paris, at the Sacré Couer, to take in one last view of the city before the sun went down.

I’m writing this post from Istanbul- my friends and I just arrived this evening! I’m so excited to tackle this city and absorb as much as possible here. 

{all photos taken at Le Petite Suisse and the Luxembourg Gardens}

Paris, Part 2

On Sunday, our first stop was a café called Le Petite Suisse right up the street from our hotel. From the outside, this place could not have looked any more Parisian, so naturally I had to give it a go. The food was just as delicious as it was beautiful. Pictured above: the freshest croissant I enjoyed in Paris, café creme, and a croque mademoiselle.

Next we headed to the Luxembourg Gardens, which I had never visited before. I’m not quite sure how I ever went to Paris and managed not to see these gardens- they are absolutely stunning. And so sprawling! They go on for days. After exploring the grounds for a while, we took a break to lounge in the sun (those chairs stay permanently in the garden for anyone’s use) and do some excellent people watching. 

{gorgeous architecture and a lovely candy stand blocks away from our hotel, wine and baguette picnic on the seine, a boy and his baguette, parisian graffiti, sunbathing at lunch in Le Marais, and the obligatory Eiffel Tower photoshoot}

Paris, Part 1

No matter how much I write about my four-day stint in Paris last weekend, I’ll never do it justice. I will say that it was the best trip of my life. We had absolutely perfect weather (mid-70s everyday and hot sunshine) and enjoyed the ability to sunbathe at every possible junction, our hotel was so centrally located (in the Odeon area) that we walked everywhere, and we were lucky enough to be armed with a homemade guide to Paris from my friend Sarah, who lived there last summer. 

On Friday, after a lovely brunch on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, we strolled over to the Seine, stopping on our way for—what else?—a baguette and a bottle of wine. (This became our ritual for the next three days, consistently picking up wine and bread to inevitably munch on throughout the day.) We stayed on the Seine for a while, soaking up the sun and the joyous crowds of Parisians and tourists, clearly also elated by the unseasonably warm weather. We headed over to Notre Dame afterwards to get a glimpse of the beautiful cathedral. Next, we walked to the Louvre (open late on Friday nights), where I lingered in a hall with my favorite Delacroix and Gericault paintings for quite some time. That night, we restaurant shopped until stumbling upon a hidden gem right off Rue Dauphine, Vins et Terroirs (highly, highly recommended). 

We started off Saturday by walking to Le Marais, a shopping district in the 3rd arrondissment. I was thrilled to find streets upon streets of French boutiques blissfully undiscovered by the hoards of tourists that frequent shopping areas like the Saint-Germain and Champs Élysées. We spent hours popping in and out of stores, admiring beautiful French fashion and wonderfully quirky vintage shops. After lunch in Le Marais, we walked to the Eiffel Tower in time to lay in the late afternoon sun against the iconic backdrop.

{1. Trinity College, all lit up for St. Paddy’s 2. the Guinness storehouse 3. Guinness advertisement 4. Alex gettting his chance to pour the perfect pint  5. proud pint-pourers, with a certificate to prove our success 6. float and performer from the St. Patrick’s Day parade 4. parade-goer in all his Irish garb}

St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin was a great success. Though we were only in Ireland for 3 days, we spent our time soaking up everything the holiday had to offer. St. Patrick’s Day, as expected, brought a mass exodus of tourists- mainly American college students- and while the hoards of mostly obnoxious people were less than ideal, they were also prime for a fascinating experience in people watching.

We spent the majority of our time in Dublin pub crawling, which we found a highly effective way to seek out local culture, and of course, local beer. Other highlights included a trip to the Guinness storehouse, and the St. Patrick’s day parade.

Irish people are exceedingly friendly; while other Europeans tend to scoff at Americans, Dubliners didn’t seem to mind the influx of foreigners to their city. I wish we could have stayed in Dublin a few days past St. Paddy’s to see more of the city, but I definitely plan to make it back to Ireland again.

Here Comes The Sun 

Without warning, we awoke on Sunday to the most beautiful weather we’ve seen since arriving in Amsterdam: bright sunshine and 55 degrees farenheit. Wanting to capitalize on our unbelievable luck, we set out to spend the whole day outside. After grabbing lunch on Spui square (where we experienced the flash mob, perhaps performing for the sheer purpose of sun celebration?), we biked to a cafe to grab picnic materials, namely muffins and beer. Then we beelined for Vondelpark, which we had been waiting for perfect weather such as this to enjoy. 

Vondelpark is a stunning oasis near the very middle of Amsterdam. The grass is a gorgeous shade of green—nearly neon—and there is tons of space for biking, walking, laying, and playing. We strategically chose our spot to maximize sun exposure, avoiding all shade whatsoever. (I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not exactly the most nature-oriented person, which is why the force of my feelings about the sun since being abroad has been a surprise even for me. But after living in such a cold, damp place for almost two months, the thing I miss most about California is the perpetual sunshine, and all the beauty and unmistakable optimism it brings with it.)

It was the perfect Sunday. Sitting in the sun with my friends, bare feet in the grass, face to the sky, it was hard not to feel completely at peace. I have a feeling that when these sunny days start to become more frequent, I’ll have to be forcibly removed from Vondelpark. 

As I write this, I’m on the train from London to Wales, on my way to Dublin for St. Patrick’s day! The scenery out the window is quite the opposite of the picture I just described, save the lush green pastures. Despite the rainy forecast for the weekend, I’m pretty thrilled to be on my way to Dublin, which I haven’t visited since living there at the age of 6. Pictures to come!  

{1. Sarah, Skyler, Alex, and I with our chosen drinks at the end of the House of Bols tour 2., 3. room full of Delftware homes 4. obligatory, albeit quite cool, House of Bols promotion 5. multicolored Bols bar 6., 7. sniff-session, during which we picked our favorite flavors to sample in the form of shots at the end of the tour 8. my picks: Red Caiprinha cocktail, and Elderflower, Passion Fruit, and Blood Orange shots}

Over the weekend, we decided to venture to House of Bols, a famed Amsterdam distillery (and the oldest in the world!). Although much lesser known than the Heineken experience, the House of Bols tour was promised by many a guidebook to trump the cheesy, super-commercial Heineken attraction. And, I must say, it did. Filled with tons of cool, quirky features (my favorites included a room filled with adorable Delftware homes, and a rainbow colored sniff-testing session), and ending with a complimentary cocktail and two shots of your choosing, House of Bols turned out to be a worth every penny. Highly recommended to anyone traveling to Amsterdam!

scenes from the weekend, 3.9.2012 - 3.11.2012

1. first signs of spring: fresh tulips. i’m dying to see these beauties sprout up all over the city, hopefully by the end of this month.

2. cat boat round 3, with alex this time. i’m now a certified regular at De Poezenboot, and have a t-shirt to prove it.

3. treasures from Noordermarkt, a pop-up Sunday farmer’s market in the Jordaan. vibrant leather notebooks, hand dyed and bound.

4. just-kitschy-enough Amsterdam magnets that I may have to snatch up for my refrigerator.

5. my never ending quest to find the perfect pair of shamelessly fake spectacles continues.

6. a flash mob. while out for a lazy Sunday brunch, we watched in shock and awe as a group of about ten locals appeared in the middle of Spui square, donned headphones, and began wildly dancing to music only they could hear.