Falling in love with Spanish skies...

These three pictures were taken in the Barrio Gotico in Barcelona. I do not think the sky could have been more bewitching. Walking around in this quarter of the city makes one feel as if they have stepped back into another century. It is full of narrow, winding streets and it does not matter which one you take (left, right or straight), you will find yourself back on the bustling streets of the modern city encircling it.


Yo amo la ciudad Barcelona...sobre todo los cielos apasionados. Son como una fantasma de la belleza.

Adios a todos!
Ciao et bisous!

So, does Wayne Gretzky play hockey?

Does the above question sound a little obvious?
Maybe "lame" would be a better adjective.

This is an English equivalent to the phrase uttered by an older, intoxicated gentleman in a bar in Avignon to my mother and I. The exact phrase in French was "C'est quel coulour, l'équipe de Marseilles?" or "Which color is the Marseille team?" It was at this moment that alarm bells should have sounded. If you live in Europe, you know what color the Marseille jersey is.

So, for the next hour or so, my mother and I were held hostage to the drunken (he was a big fan of whiskey and coke) ramblings of Paco. Lovely.

After a nice long talk about how to avoid the creepy, drunken guys, I think the vacation can only get better in that regard. There are some situations that a girl has to know how to manoeuvre.

For the record, Marseilles is orange.

The Big Apple

Before heading off to Barcelona, I spent a few days with my best friend Claire in New York City. This is her final year at Pratt, a top art school in Brooklyn, and she is living it up in an apartment a few blocks away.

On a side note, Claire is a very clever designer and jewelry maker. If anyone is interested in checking out some of her stuff, here is her website:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5364183

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The best part of the trip, besides seeing the best friend, was stepping off of American soil and visiting the United Nations. It's a dream right now, but at some point (not sure when it will happen) I want to work at there. As a translator, interpretor...or as part of the General Assembly. So, since I enjoyed the trip so much, here's a choice selection of photos from the tour.


Administrative building:

All the flags, starting with Afganistan and ending with Zimbabwe:

Security council. See those little windows in the left-hand corner? That's where the interpretors work...

Saying "cheese":

Economic and Social Council :


There are lots of other pictures, but since I've got to get ready for a cocktail party (sounds more glamourous than it really is) and I'm a little tired of posting, I'm calling it quits for today.

Take care all!

On the lookout for Merlin... (photos)

These pictures are from a hike that I took with my friend Megan, her host-sister Anne-Laure and Nou-nou, one of the sweetest dogs out there. Now, these are were taken in November. Only a few months behind schedule.

We packed a picnic and headed off to the Forêt de Paimpont, also known as Merlin's Forest. And to think that this forest, seeped in Arthurian legend, is only 40 minutes away.

We started off at l'Abbaye de Paimpont:

Getting a close-up of the abbey:

Checking out the grounds:

B-e-a-utiful:


About an hour and a half in and no Headless Horseman:


The wind started up and I realized that I should've worn another layer:


The last picture before the batteries died. Here we have Megan, Anne-Laure and Nou-nou:


Since the batteries kicked the bucket on me, I don't have any pictures of Merlin's Tomb, the Fountain of Youth or the Valley of No Return. But, seeing as it such a beautiful afternoon, I'll make the trip back again with some spare Energizers.

London! (photos)

After a long, chilly day of traveling, I finally arrived in St. Pancras station (the new hub for international trains). Farther down the platform, one can view an enormous statue of a couple "snogging". Apparently, PR is trying to up the romance of the new station. It could turn a bit awkward for solo travelers and people meeting friends ("Look, I think you're cool and all but...). Giant P.D.A. statue aside, it just felt good to know that my bed for the next 3 nights was only a Tube ride away.

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Happened to be awake early enough to catch a London sunrise.

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The bar area of the hostel, St. Christopher's Inn. It is a favorite of Australians on holiday and a creepy Armanian guy. The bar also had a pretty extensive collection of Blues Brothers memorabilia to went perfectly with the establishment's name, Belushi's.


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Walking around Hyde Park



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These birds were enormous and ill-tempered. Bad combination. I made sure to use no sudden movements, while getting as close as possible to these guys. But after one came a little too close and I got a closer look at it's beak, I retreated.

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Statue of Cleopatra and her posse. Nobody has camels these days.

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Royal Albert Hall


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World War One memorial.




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Wellington Arch


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This store is ridiculous. Everything from baby rattles to pianos and nail polish to diamonds is sold here. Unfortunately, I left my platinum card in my other pair of jeans...shame. I had my eye on a really nice piano.
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Photo op that couldn't be missed.
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Whatever the guy with a machine gun and back-up handgun says, do it. At Buckingham Palace, what the queen says, goes.
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A church from across the river Thames. Such a cold night.


Unfortunately, I forgot the camera but I did end up going hashing with the West London H3 group and they are great people. For 2£ I had one of the best afternoons. The other perk of hashing in London is the quality of the down-downs. No PBR for this bunch, only London Pride.

Cheers!

My City of Lights

I took these pictures right before leaving Rennes in December. The whole city was covered in a blanket of lights. This first picture is of the Parliament building.

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And here's the Opera:

Deutschland! (photos)

Breathe in that sweet, German air. Megan and I finally made it after a train, metro, bus, plane and a taxi. It was worth it. Welcome to the city of Bremen. This is right outside of the city's train station. Also, something to notice, all the cables are for Bremen's above ground metro system. Just watch your back, these tram cars travel pretty quietly and can sneak up on you. It turns your face a little red to have one honk at you to get out of the way.


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Megan and I realizing that neither of us speaks German.
By the end of the trip we did became capable of ordering bratwurst and spiked mulled wine pretty fluently.
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A mulled wine hut before the crowds hit it. We were part of the crowds. In order to survive the intense winter winds from the North Sea, ein wein break was necessary every 15 minutes or so.

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Vive les hooligans! Turns out that the city's football team (Werder) was playing on Saturday and everyone turned out to show their support. These guys parked it on the cathedral steps with a drum and some beer. In this picture, they are mid-heckle. Watch out if you wearing a red scarf.

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St. Petri Dom, Bremen's Protestant cathedral. Here's a nice shot of the towers' backside.

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Lovely photo opportunity of the Christmas markets that were raging all through December. There was no shortage of Santa Claus impersonators, mistletoe, and sparkling ornaments.
P.S. The girl in the pink jacket is Megan, my partner-in-crime.
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More of the main square.
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The Windmill am Wall. A classic Dutch style monument, complete with overpriced restaurant.
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Different church. This is where Megan and I watched a boy's choir sing Christmas carols.
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The Christmas market on the sleepy Sunday morning.


Bisous!

Coming very soon: London! (photos)