I have a love-hate relationship with this city and despite walking home in torrential downpour after class this afternoon, I'm currently in a love phase. Actually, I may or may not be curled up on my bed with a cup of tea and genuinely enjoying the rain right now ;)
This post was inspired on Saturday night as I was on my way to my friend Emma's apartment. As I stepped off the Ringbahn and heard the familiar station stop announcement, I was suddenly hit with a pang of sadness. In a matter of months, I will no longer live here, and I must admit that I will be heartbroken (yes, such a dramatic word is fitting here!) when I get back on BART after experiencing the wonder that is the Berlin public transit system. I will miss hearing "Zug nach Nollendorfplatz, ansteigen bitte" and "Übergang zur S-Bahn" on the train, and I will miss looking up at the Anzeige and finding out if I just missed the train or am just on time for the next one.
But that is just one of many, many things I know I will miss when I leave.
A non-exhaustive list:
Brötchen, Schnitzel, and Döner. They might make me fat, but they sure as hell make me so happy that I just don't care about the long term consequences, at least not now.
Bier anytime, anywhere, and for a lower price than a Coke. See above point for note on health.
Mauerpark Flohmarkt on beautiful Sunday afternoons
p/c my friend Gayle
Rotwein evenings with Alicia and our denglischer Quatsch
Watching all my favorite shows again in German because all the media here is dubbed
Watching OmU English/American movies at the theaterand occasionally minding the German subtitles
Going to bed at 4 AM and calling it "early"
Spätis
Tempelhofer Feld
80 cent ice cream cones
Lots of Gouda
Well dressed and attractive people everywhere
Dishwashers
These cookies from the Turkish market. Again, see first point for health note.
The cats
Eating a lot of butter and not feeling like the biggest heifer in the room. This has become a problem ever since I got back to Berlin.
Seasons, specifically sweater weather
Bakeries at all the Bahnhöfe constantly tempting me to buy a Schokocroissant
Going to a different club every night
Riding the party train (AKA the U1) very late/very early
Daily run at dusk around the 'hood
Museumsinsel, Alexanderplatz, Unter den Linden, Brandenburger Tor, Hackescher Markt & Höfe, and all the other touristy places
Schloßstrasse
Weekly dinners with my bombass European chicas (+ fellow American Ella)
Football
Kinder Country
Suddenly, the sun has come out, and it looks to be a completely different day. People say London has the most unpredictable weather, but I think Berlin really takes that prize.
I am quickly coming up on three full months in Europe and soon, my time here will be halfway over. The days have flown by! I guess it's time to start appreciating more and partying harder, ja?
I don't think it's possible to overstate how excited I was when I found this market. After a bit of googling, I realized that in Berlin, one must really go to a place to find out if it's any good or not. There are so many hole-in-the-walls and random little places down small alleyways that might turn out to be your next favorite haunt. In my case, I was just searching for a place where I could get a taste of home, specifically my momma's cookin'. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of Asian markets in Berlin, but I wanted to find one close to me with a good selection of imports. And by that, I meant a store with all this:
THERE IS A BIGGER SELECTION OF NOODLES HERE THAN IN ALMOST ANY 99 RANCH IN CALIFORNIA.
Like the kind my grandma used to make my favorite spicy noodle soup when I was still a little girl living in China. I kid you not when I say that I teared up a bit when I saw them. I am on terrible terms with my grandma now, but that is how much those noodles meant to me. Ultimately, I chose not to get them since I haven't figured out how to buy broth here yet (the saddest realization ever), but I will be back once I do. The only noodles I ended up getting were instant. No shame. I haven't been able to find them anywhere else, or perhaps I didn't look hard enough anywhere else; in any case, I can't say no to a cheap, quick meal here in Berlin, though it's something I try and avoid at all costs back home.
Additionally, I found a decent variety of stinky tofu. It's not nearly as universally loved as noodles, and I didn't expect to be able to buy it anywhere at all! A pleasant surprise for a Chinese American, grocery-loving dork in a very white European city.
as nasty as it sounds, stinky tofu is the bomb dot comb. makin' my pops proud!
There was this hot sauce that I ate like crazy when I was in middle school. It was discontinued by 99 Ranch for most of my high school years and recently slowly reintroduced. Guess what?
JARS AND JARS OF CHILIBOHNEN
And let's get real, I didn't think I would be able to have Pocky or Chocopie or any of my favorite Asian supermarket snacks until August. Well...
true story: my sister eats a bag of these onion rings at a time
There are misses, too. I still have to head next door to the regular grocery store to get normal everyday vegetables. This market stocks a variety of frozen dim sum, buns, seafood, and even gyoza, but sadly it's all so expensive!! We're talking 5,50 EUR for an average package of veggie gyoza which I can admit is too damn much, even if I miss that stuff like crazy.
This afternoon was nostalgia hour in the best way possible. From the merchandise on the shelves to the Vietnamese chatter between employees, everything felt familiar.
I've been home in Berlin for a decent while now, and it's passed by in a flash. My first night back consisted of the usual debauchery with friends at our standby bar. Then, my Vorkurs began...
My lecturer, Claus, is an interesting fellow. He is a native Berliner and extremely kind, but I don't think I've ever had a worse teacher in my life. I'm almost halfway done with the course, and I've learned very little. To top it all off, I'm pretty much failing the class right now, and this has caused my right eye to start twitching spontaneously again. Life is rough.
Sadly, I think I've hit this wall where I feel like I can understand more and more of the German spoken around me but cannot whatsoever reciprocate. I open my mouth and try and say something, but I don't try very hard to produce an answer. Usually, I know I'm with people who speak English, and I simply give up. Shame on me, I know!
There were a few days where I was pretty depressed about my slow progress. I hate that I can't read a book, memorize something, and magically become fluent in German. Languages don't work like that, unfortunately. That's what makes it all the more frustrating. When I didn't understand what the hell my microeconomics professor was doing in class last semester, I could go home, use the lecture notes, solve some example questions, and not feel like a complete idiot at the end of the day. There was always an answer I could eventually drill down to and reach. There is no answer in this case.
Well... then I collected myself and realized that I can't possibly be the only person who feels this way. I know for a fact that I'm not. I asked my host mom and sister for book recommendations to help. They have a wonderful collection of everything from Kinderbücher to nonfiction to novels for adults. My personalized reading list:
Der kleine Prinz - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (pretty sure it's available in every language)
Wörter aus 30 Jahren - Elke Heidenreich
Ich bin meine eigene Frau - Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (about a Transvestit living through WWII and subsequently the DDR)
Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer, Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13 - Michael Ende
Emil und die Detektive - Erich Kästner
I should be ashamed that I haven't actually read a book in English for a very long time. Last week, I started reading Der kleine Prinz and like any Berliner, I do a lot of my reading in the U-Bahn when I'm commuting. This young German couple judged me kinda hard for reading essentially a children's book. They clearly haven't read it in a while because they were being shitty adults :)
Outside of class, things have been crazy. The weather in Berlin has been the most comfortable and warm a Californian girl could've expected for this time of year. This means going out willingly into the sunshine and not begrudgingly trudging (look at this lame attempt at wordplay!) through snow.
perfect weather + view for a picnic on Pfaueninsel with my friend Gayle
pleasant late afternoon stroll through Grunewald, which is still in winter recovery mode
Boy, has my social calendar never been more packed! It's odd because at home, I go for weeks without doing anything, not even going to see a movie at the theater, and I'm fine and dandy. Now, I find myself going out for several nights in a row and sometimes craving a night in. This Vorkurs group is almost entirely new to me, and I've spent the last few weeks trying to get to know as many people as possible. Don't get me wrong - it's been a great time, but it's so exhausting to the point that a night in with a few glasses of red wine and a football game with my host sister is perfection.
"Annie, du siehst sehr dick aus!" Oh, ich weiß...
Admittedly, I'm struggling to hang with the Europeans. I didn't know how to properly set a dinner table, I don't know how to host a dinner party, I don't know how to go clubbing until 4 AM on a school night, I don't know how to smoke anything really, I don't know how to speak many European languages, I didn't know how many times I should kiss people on the cheek when I greet them, I didn't know how to tell when wine is "good" as opposed to "bad," I didn't know that you can keep beers outside on the windowsill to chill them when you don't have enough space in your fridge, I didn't know how to use a waiter's corkscrew...
But I'm learning, and that's all part of the experience.
What I really need to find is a cozy, hip little cafe in Berlin where I can do a bit of light reading, enjoy a good latte (they've been few and far between), journal, and blog like a champ. On the other hand, I like blasting music and taking little dance breaks in my room too.
After spending two weeks in the UK, it was time for me to leave the comfort of English and travel to the land of baguettes, croissants, and macarons. I was quite nervous since I didn't speak a word of French, but I managed just fine. I can assure you the only phrases you really need to know are:
Bonjour!
Bonsoir! (Or be me and just know bonjour and face that people will think you're an idiot at night)
Je ne comprends pas.
Parlez vous anglais?
Pardon.
Excusez moi.
L'addition!
Merci beaucoup!
De rien.
S'il vous plaît
Au revoir!
Words like entrance, exit, push, pull, etc. are picked up quite easily when you encounter them all the time. For example, the moment I got off the Eurostar, I knew "sortie" was the French word for exit.
Speaking of the Eurostar, I had to mention that I thought it was a pretty wonderful experience. It was just like going under the bay on BART from Oakland to SF except it's going under the English Channel from one country to another. Most of the time is spent traveling across France to Paris, and crossing the channel itself obviously doesn't take long at all. The whole trip is faster than a flight and probably very comparable in price if not cheaper, and you can take whatever liquids you want! Plus St. Pancras International is an absolutely gorgeous train station with plenty to do before departure. Fun fact: when my dad was in London in 1993, the train had not began operations yet, but he's wanted to take it ever since. He hasn't been to Europe since leaving that same year, but he was very excited for me when I told him I'd be taking the train from London to Paris.
I don't really have too many words to describe Paris. It is truly as romantic and beautiful and sophisticated as one would imagine, or at least as I would imagine. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, Versailles, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica... the list goes on. There's an endless list of things to see and do. The Louvre itself is something you could spend weeks wandering.
TIP: If you are a student studying abroad in Europe without an EU passport, bring your student ID to Paris!!! And if you already have your residence permit, even better! The only way I guiltlessly funded all my meals out and Pierre Hermé delicacies was by free admission to the places I wanted to see. Keep in mind that I have the shittiest little piece of paper that functions as my ID at FU and normally I show my California drivers license or American passport in conjunction because my ID has no photo. Particularly worth noting:
The Louvre is free AND you don't have to wait in the long line to buy tickets. Just proceed directly to one of the ticket control stations and show them your student ID. It is also free on Friday night for anyone under 26 from 6 PM to closing.
I've wanted to visit the Château de Versailles ever since taking AP Art History in high school. The gardens are free to visit, but with your ID you can also get inside the palace itself for free and see everything from the royal chambers to the Hall of Mirrors. I expected them to be a bit more of a pain in the ass about my ID, but it was the easiest place for me to get into after the Louvre. The guy at ticket control said it was because my ID specified it was valid for the current semester and thus didn't require me to have a residence permit.
Musee D'Orsay - Millet's The Gleaners is here as well as a generally great collection of Toulouse-Lautrec and van Gogh.
Rodin Museum - shout out to my friend Emily for the recommendation!
gotta fund these babies somehow
I was asked for a residence permit for the Sainte-Chapelle and to climb the Towers of Notre Dame. They're only a couple of euros each without though and definitely worth doing. I must say that the meanest person I met in France was the lady at the ticket desk at the Sainte-Chapelle. She was just really mean.
People can say what they want about Paris, but there's no denying that it is a stunningly gorgeous city. It lived up to every expectation and then some. Take the Eiffel Tower, for instance: it never crossed my mind that it would be as big as it is, and I loved climbing every damn step.
I ended my month in Nice. Honestly, I spent more time there than I wanted or needed since the end of February isn't exactly the best time to visit the French Riviera. The biggest torrential downpour I encountered was actually on my penultimate day there. It was also surprisingly more expensive than in Paris. The result: lots of socca for lunch and McDo's & KFC for dinner. (And I'm not sorry because the McFarmer and the Tower were delicious, and we don't have them in the US as far as I'm concerned.)
socca: so simple, so delicious
I think the most disappointing thing about France was that Monoprix failed to be the French equivalent of Tesco. I couldn't get dinky little sandwich meals for cheap, and I didn't eat a single good banana the whole time I was in the country! I was in Nice during Carnevale, but it was quite tame. Nothing like what all my friends in Köln were doing ;) I partook in the Flower Parade and went home with my own little bouquet.
I spent a lot of time wandering the city. There isn't much to do besides shop and walk. I went to the old town a lot and perused the shops in the narrow little walkways. It was quite the peek into what Europe used to look like. I also frequented the promenade whenever the weather was good and one morning I had a pleasant little chat with a Bulgarian expat. He told me that I was the first solo Asian female traveler he's seen in a long time and to top it off, an American! Apparently that's what brings all the boys to the yard. While in Nice, I took a day trip to Île de Sainte-Marguerite. The island is a hidden little treasure off the coast of Cannes. I actually don't have words to describe it. I was there on a sunny weekday and while there were other people there too, I felt alone. It's small and completely walkable, the perfect spot for a picnic. I got a lot of writing and meditation done while sitting right next to the crystal clear water. I have never felt so at peace with myself in my entire life. BLISS, I TELL YOU.
The island also houses the prison cell where the Man with the Iron Mask was once held, if that means anything to you. It doesn't mean too much to me and I'm not really into all the conspiracy theories, but my dad loved the movie so I had to see it.
I took another day trip to Monaco. It was significantly less exciting. I'm glad I went once, I'm glad the Grand Prix is there, I'm glad the women there feel comfortable walking their dogs in heels, I'm glad there are escalators built into hills so people can be lazy, I'm glad the streets are lined with fragrant orange trees. Would I rush to go back? Hell no. I think it took me about 3 hours to walk the principality four times. As lush as it is, I'm a lot happier in grungy Berlin with my alternative bars, cheap eats, and real people. But it is pretty.
Well, this recapitulation took forever, and I didn't even say anything about a lot of the art and architecture I saw, the sketchy situations, some of the not-so-positive experiences. In the end, all the details - the first impressions, images, emotions - are stored in some spot in the back of my brain for me and my memory only.
Before I embarked on this trip, I didn't really get the whole hoopla behind traveling. In fact, before I left home for Berlin, I was satisfied to say I've been to New York and LA.
The beginning of my Vorkurs has taken up more time than I expected (more on this soon!), so my apologies for the delays on finishing up my posts on my travels in February.
In England, I went to London, Cambridge, Oxford, and Bath. I broke up my time in London by traveling to the other cities, and I really enjoyed my time in the country. While not overly fond of the GBP or British food in general, I still managed to have a great time; the only downside was that I probably spent a bit more than I had hoped and also ate a lot more fish and chips than I should have. I did, however, also discover Nando's, Tesco, the Tube, and Caffe Nero (best chai latte I have ever had, bar none, and I had it at locations in London and Bath so I think it's just consistently friggin' delicious!) and rediscover my fondness for carrot cake whilst there.
I loved London. The primary reason is also one that probably makes other people dislike it: the city is huge with a virtually endless list of things to do and a pretty efficient public transit system that gets you anywhere and everywhere you could possibly want to visit. Although I stayed longer in London than I did any other city in the UK & Ireland, it was the one place I left feeling like I hadn't done everything I wanted to do. That's not to discount that I did a lot.
A must: all the free museums!!! The British Museum, National Gallery, Science Museum, etc. ...the list goes on. I like museums, and I found them to be exceptionally wonderful. My favorite of the ones I went to was the National Gallery, in which I stumbled upon the Arnolfini Portrait. This was also where I discovered the paintings of Canaletto, the 18th century Italian painter. One that I still have to go to because I didn't have enough time is the Natural History Museum, which was right around the corner from the Science Museum. Get to these two early on separate days! I did that with the Science Museum, so I got in without a problem. By the time I left, the queues - so British - were looooong for both.
National Gallery
British Museum
Science Museum
Broke student alert: I also went to church not once but TWICE for the first time in many, many, many, many years so that I could get to see the inside of Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral for free. Quite honestly, I found Westminster Abbey to be quite underwhelming. St. Paul's, on the other hand, was simply magnificent, and I actually enjoyed the service too.
Westminster Abbey
St. Paul's Cathedral
As we all know, the rain is quite famous for being a bitch in
London. I did not pack an umbrella and refused to buy one that would
probably not defend me very well against rain + wind anyways. In
hindsight, I was a dumbass. Don't be me.
Of the time I spent in England, I want to say I had just about as many terrible weather days as I had good weather days, which is quite lucky for the middle of winter. Terrible weather days would've been better spent indoors in museums and wonderful days outside wandering. That only kinda worked out, as you can see from the photos above. The day I went to the National Gallery and Westminster Abbey, I got soaked through and genuinely feared that I had caught pneumonia. The next day was all sunshine; I was able to spend the day walking around with two wonderful friends I had just met, and that was one of the fondest memories I have of the city.
I will most certainly come back to London in the future, hopefully when the weather is perfect for a picnic in every park in the city. They're so lovely, and the only ones I managed to explore a bit were St. James's Park and Hyde Park - schade!
Damn, it just hit me smack in the face how much I miss London.
I can't say too much about Cambridge and Oxford because I am the worst planner ever. I only spent about 5 hours in Cambridge while it was properly pissing from the heavens and spent the night in Oxford after arriving late in the evening. All of this alone on Valentine's Day.
Cambridge is quite the cute little college town, and the campus is very pretty and quite historic. I wish I could say I actually got to see a bit of Oxford, but I didn't. I did, however, meet some of the most memorable people I've encountered to date in my hostel, including a young Filipina widow who blew me away with her views on love, confidence, and self respect. I will never forget our conversation that night.
Last but certainly not least, Bath!
Bath is a gorgeous city with an interesting history and quite the destination for the shopping addicted to get their fix. I already knew a bit about it thanks to Charlie from Youtube, and I'm not ashamed to admit this.
I was pretty lucky to have been able to make it out to Bath and back to London without any issues considering much of western England was flooded when I was there. In fact, the day before I left, all the trains to and from Bath were cancelled.
I liked Bath. It was a good place to slow down, relax, take a nice walk up to Alexandra's Park for this incredible view over the city...
Three of the most famous sights: Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent, and the Roman Baths. Probably not something I'd rush back to see again anytime soon but worth visiting at least once.
After Bath, I went back to London for two more eventful nights - Monday night at the club, Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park, popping into my dad's former short-term 'hood in Camden Town, lunch of my people's food in Chinatown - before taking the Eurostar to Paris, which was an experience in and of itself.
If you couldn't tell, I kinda fell in love with England and can't wait to go back. And no, it wasn't the accent because it lost a lot of luster for me when I was surrounded by it all the time ;)
After Ireland, I was pretty excited to go to Scotland. I was expecting more or less of the same as Ireland, but imagine my shock when I got to hilly Edinburgh. I found the two to be night and day!
Just as an aside, I realized after the fact that it's an interesting time to be in Scotland right now. Formally it's at the moment a part of the United Kingdom but - and this was news to me - they are facing an independence referendum this September. I've heard a lot of interesting perspectives from Scots and from others about the issue, and it's something I'll continue to follow in the fall; there are many ramifications of Scottish independence that are simply mind-boggling to think about.
My two destinations were Edinburgh and Inverness. I have a couple of friends who have visited or studied in Edinburgh and loved their experience, and they gave me plenty of suggestions for things to do, see, and eat. Inverness was my getaway from the city to the Highlands.
The first thing I did in Edinburgh was climb Arthur's Seat. My friend Lorraine said she took a shot of whiskey before doing the climb and in hindsight, I might do that too next time. It is a ridiculously windy hike, but the views are quite breathtaking. When I was there, I only climbed the side with the cliffs (see second photo below). I got pretty close to the edge a few times, something that would make my acrophobic father shudder, but generally I kept my distance. Just in case ;)
A visit to Edinburgh is also incomplete without going to the castle. Unfortunately admission is ridiculously expensive at £16 at a time when 1 GBP was almost 1.70 USD!!! I have to be honest and say it wasn't worth it, even though it was a great look at Scottish history, particularly its military history. I think it's a I-did-it-once-and-will-never-pay-that-kind-of-money-to-do-it-again type of deal. And also since it's built on a hill, it is very chilly up there so dress warmly if you plan to visit!
Two things that were free and way more worthwhile, in my opinion, are the National Museum of Scotland and National Gallery. The National Gallery might not be everyone's cup of tea but if you like art, their collection is not shabby! They even have one of Rembrandt's self-portraits and a Vermeer! The National Museum is one of the best I went to during the whole month. It's well curated and organized, plus there's something for everyone. I actually ended up going twice because I liked it that much!
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary - totes had an artgasm when I saw this
one of several well-assembled collections showing the evolution of technology
an exhibit on F1 cars
Now moving on to my two days in Inverness...
Inverness is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I used Megabus roundtrip and somehow managed to get there on 2/7 and back on 2/9 when my tickets were for 2/5 and 2/7. I'm actually quite proud of this feat even though it almost made me have a heart attack. Ask me about it in person sometime and I can give you the full rundown with dramatic twists and all.
I thought I would love Inverness, but it turns out I hated it. In fact, I don't think I will ever go back to the town and I would only visit the Highlands by camping or staying in another town. A lot of it stems from the fact that I didn't like the people I met there. Generally speaking, the Scottish are also very kind, and an old man helped me buy an international post card stamp when I was too dumb to use the machine by myself. Unfortunately at my hostel, I met some of the worst people I have encountered in my life and even though they weren't Scottish, I associated this dislike with the town. (Also there are local youths always loitering on the high street and up to questionable things which made me feel pretty uncomfortable.)
One man in particular, an older Italian, told me that Italians and Spaniards are far better lovers than the British and Germans and that many European men want a good Oriental wife who will be good to him.
Woahhhhhhh dude... you did not just say that to me.
And he went on to ask me to hook it up with an Asian woman near his age as well as asking me for a drink.
Now up until this point, I thought our conversation was quite okay. Clearly, it suddenly took a turn for the offensive. Sadly, this wasn't the last time people thought it was okay to say something like this to me.
I'm actually not going to dwell on this because it irritates me even now, but I will definitely touch on some things I liked about the area.
I was able to rent a bike (which was really expensive, mind you) and spent a morning biking to Culloden Battlefield. There is a visitor information center there with exhibits, but I didn't go inside. I think anyone of Scottish ancestry may really appreciate it though, and there is a lot of information there about the tribes involved in the Battle of Culloden. The battlefield itself is predictably just a flat piece of terrain, but there are flags and markers to give you a sense of where you are. I primarily enjoyed the views of Loch Ness on the ride there.
Culloden Battlefield
In the afternoon, I biked between the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal and attempted to make it all the way out to Loch Ness but unfortunately the path I took had me eventually biking right next to high speed traffic and ultimately I gave up and went home. The first part between the river and the canal, on the other hand, is a beautiful, relaxing ride along a path with very few people.
And finally, I enjoyed one of my best meals all month from The Joy of Taste. This restaurant is a co-op where employees volunteer a number of hours each week and at the end of the year, they split the profits - something that reminded me of good ol' Berkeley! I stopped by for dinner to treat myself after biking around all day and ordered the cheese souffle and pork loin. Oh my goodness. I have no words.
And that wraps it up for Scotland! To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan, especially compared to my high expectations after Ireland. I did promise someone in Edinburgh that I'd go back during August sometime so I could properly enjoy everything with good weather though, so we shall see :)
.JPG)
