Berlin: Monuments, Museums, and Everything Else

My favorite site in Berlin was the East Side Gallery, but Harry and I saw a lot of other interesting things during our visit.  The Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, and the Holocaust Memorial were all near our hotel and very impressive. We also stopped by the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz, which contains a large array of shiny modern buildings filled with offices, movie theaters, malls, and chic restaurants.

The Charlottenburg Palace was another cool site, featuring amazingly decorated rooms (the porcelain room was especially impressive). Our final stop during the trip was Berlin's Museum Island, where we visited several museums and saw an impressive variety of ancient artifacts.

~ At the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate ~

~ Charlottenburg Palace ~

~ Staircase inside the palace ~

~ Fun scarf displays on the main shopping street ~

~ Potsdamer Platz, near our hotel ~

~  Holocaust Memorial ~

~ Ishtar Gate ~

~ Islamic art ~

~ Islamic art ~

Berlin Wall: East Side Gallery

Harry and I had a great time in Berlin, and my favorite part was visiting the East Side Gallery. It's a stretch of Berlin Wall, one side of which was painted by artists in 1990 (the other side has also been decorated by graffiti artists over time). Some of the art is controversial and political, some conveys inspiring messages, and other images are just nice to look at. Here are some of my favorite paintings from the East Side Gallery.

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

Vacances d'Hiver

I have a ridiculously busy plan for winter break, which starts this weekend. I think I'm subconsciously freaking out that I'm going home fairly soon, so I'm trying to squeeze as much as I can into the time that's left (okay, so I might be consciously freaking out). I have four main events planned for my break.

1. Berlin: My vacation starts with a trip to Berlin, where I'll meet Harry for the weekend. I'm excited for my first real trip to Germany (unless you count my quick jaunt over the Rhine River when I was in Strasbourg), and also to see my brother after more than 5 months!

2. Saint-Quentin: After Berlin I'm coming back to Saint-Quentin for a week, where I'll work at a vacation session for high schoolers doing extra review for their final exams. It's only a few hours a day, so I'll have plenty of time to prepare for the third part of my break...

3. Rome: ...in Rome, where I'll spend a few days with Haidee and Sarah. We're going to be there during Mardi Gras which should be fun.

4. Casablanca: I'm flying straight from Rome to Casablanca, my last trip of the break! I'm meeting Madeleine and her sister there for the final weekend of vacation.

*map from Google

Food!

Food is one of the first things that comes up when I talk to people about living in France. I have been eating quite well this year, as I've taken the "I'm only in France for seven months" perspective when it comes to French cuisine. Plus, I've travelled to some places outside of France with great food as well. I photographed some of my best food experiences, from Normandy to London to Istanbul and even Saint-Quentin.

Savory foods:

~ Omelette, fries, and salad from a Saint-Quentin restaurant ~

~ Coffee, bread, and cheese in a Saint-Quentin cafe ~
~Salmon, sauerkraut (choucroute), and potatoes, New Year's Eve dinner in Strasbourg~

Desserts:

~ Chocolate lava cake with cream sauce in Bayeux, Normandy ~

~ Blueberry tart, Strasbourg ~

~ Waffle with nutella, Pierrefonds ~

From Other Countries:

~ Turkish delight and cake display, Istanbul ~

~ Tea and scones from the Muffin Man Teashop in London ~

~ Pies from the Borough Market, London ~

My Own Cooking Successes: (the tart mold opened up a lot of doors for me...)

~ Tomato and cheese tart ~

~ Apple tart; Broccoli, mushroom, and cheese quiche ~

Day Trip: Chateau de Pierrefonds

Yesterday I took a day trip to the Chateau de Pierrefonds with Alex, Sarah, Haidee, and Swenja. The castle was gorgeous, in a fairy tale setting atop a hill surrounded by trees. Pierrefonds has been nicely restored and we had a lovely time exploring the painted rooms, spiral staircases, and long corridors offering amazing views of the village below.

~ Arriving to Pierrefonds ~

~ Approaching the castle ~

~ About to go inside ~

~ Chateau courtyard ~

~ Statues! ~

~ The coolest drain pipe in the world ~

~ Gorgeous interior paintings ~

~ Lion statue ~

~ There were so many cool staircases ~

~ View from the chateau ~

~ Stained glass in the chapel ~

Weekend Trip: Reims

First things first: "Reims" is pronounced as if it were spelled "Rince." Don't ask me why, something about the old French language and ancient French cities and the French people having problems accepting change, etc etc.

Last weekend I took a trip to Reims with Yirah, Katie, and Marie. Reims is a fairly large city in the Champagne region, not too far from Saint-Quentin. It has an impressive cathedral where all of France's kings were crowned, which is cool. We visited the cathedral as well as the Palais du Tau, which houses some of the "cathedral treasures" in a lovely palace converted into a museum. We also stopped by the Basilica museum, and finished off our stay with a tour of some historical champagne caves and a champagne tasting. It was quite delicious.

~ Reims Cathedral ~

~ Inside the cathedral ~

 

~ Impressive stonework in the Palais du Tau ~

~ Some of the cathedral treasure ~

~ Perfect sunset shot down the Reims tramway ~

~ Followed by moonrise ~

~ Historical champagne cave! ~

~ Basilica ~

~ Basilica museum courtyard ~

~ Inside the Basilica museum ~