Luckily, Em’s family friend had an apartment near Camden and was in the States for Thanksgiving, so she graciously let us stay there for the weekend. Free (and homey!) housing meant the trip was already off to a great start. When we got in, we were exhausted – the train had not been so conducive for sleeping – so we napped for while before setting out to explore. First on the list was Borough Market, the famed food market in Central London. We navigated the Tube, which oddly enough has you present your ticket both before and after your ride…talk about stressful, and found our way to the expansive gourmet food booths. After perusing what seemed like the whole place, I settled on some amazing-smelling Ethiopian food, while Cassie & Emily went for gourmet sausages. The food was phenomenal, but the atmosphere was even cooler. We sat on a picnic bench and people watched as children played and the smells of a dozen different cuisines wafted in the air. So cool. 

When we finished, we grabbed some dessert from a booth with mountains of treats and then walked off the calories by the London Bridge. Fun Fact: The London Bridge is not the same as the iconic Tower Bridge, it’s actually the more plain-looking one next to the Tower Bridge. Crazy, right? We still took pictures of the Tower Bridge and sang Fergie’s homage to the landmark. 

Upon the recommendation of Em’s family friend, we headed over for a late afternoon drink at The Shard, an 87-story skyscraper in Southwark. The massive building houses a viewing platform, bar and hotel. Instead of paying for a 10-minute stunt on the viewing platform, we opted for the more leisurely bar, which still had amazing views. Our waiter was extremely charismatic and, despite comments from the bartender, brought us the house Old Fashioned, with lavender honey. Yum. It was like Mad Men, except in London and not in the 1960s. We had the best time just relaxing and enjoying the setting as dusk descended on the city. The waiter liked us so much that he ended up letting us into the pool room, or the best view of London, in his opinion. Holy cannoli, it was breathtaking. Now I know where I’m staying when I’m rich and visiting London! 

The weather was getting chillier, so we hurried back to the apartment to change before going to dinner at an Indian restaurant that had gotten rave reviews on Yelp. Mala Bar, in Notting Hill, is a godsend. We ordered half of the classiest Indian establishment’s menu, including samosas, curries, multiple vegetable side dishes, naan and rice. The best part? It was all reasonably priced, something you don’t find often in Londontown. 

We feasted and then rolled ourselves home for an eventful day of tourism the next day. 

Saturday started with wandering around Camden – the neighbourhood we were staying in. We ventured to Camden’s passage, a haven for vintage boutiques and cute coffee shops. Cass & Em splurged on much-needed fur vests and then we bundled up for some museum-going. The museums in London are mostly free, so taking advantage of this is definitely a must. We walked through the giant British museum, wondering at the Rosetta Stone and the oldest preserved human remains. This place can take a good 2-3 hours if you do it right. Then we were off to the National Portrait Gallery, my personal favorite, which houses the portraits of famous people from the dawn of time to the most recent history. I loved seeing all the faces of greatness next to each other and reading about some that I hadn’t previously known. What a neat idea! 

We hit up Soho shortly after, dead tired from all the walking we’d done, but determined to make it to Big Ben. After getting lost (it’s inevitable), we ended up heading to Hyde Park, which, unbeknownst to us, had been transformed quite literally into a Winter Wonderland for the upcoming Christmas season. The line – or should I say crowd – was huge, but we muddled our way through. And thank goodness we did, because I had the best hot chocolate + Bailey’s of my life there. [still dreaming about it now…] 

Although the park was insanely packed, we made it out and cabbed it to the London Eye to at least see Big Ben and Westminster. The line for the Eye was incredibly long – we learned from our cabbie that this was the first year London had participated in Black Friday and the amount of people had been unprecedented…lucky us. Once we finally boarded our capsule, it was worth it. Seeing London from above by night was beautiful. The lights in that city are just right! 

After trekking back home, we decided to grab some fish & chips at a local pub and head out to a bar in Camden to make the best of our final night. 

I was really surprised at how at-home I felt in London. Aside from the fact that we were able to stay in an actual flat and not some rented abode, hostel or hotel, it felt like the people were genuinely welcoming. The city was so full of life and color – something that desperately lacks in Paris. And the adorable British accent didn’t hurt either. 

XO,
Em

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I don’t know about you, but I always pictured Amsterdam as being this dumpy, run-down port city in the north, not quite as advanced as Scandinavia but not as magical as Eastern Europe. And I was right, about the latter at least. It’s so much better!

We took an early train on a Friday morning and got there as the city was still waking up – the most beautiful time of day in my book. I was astounded at the beautiful, neat row houses that lined the canals, and the autumn leaves that hung heavily over the water like arches. The early winter sun shone just perfectly above the bridges and streets…it was like a dream.

The first thing we did, as tired travelers with heavy bags, was to find a place to sit and eat. After contemplating several places (coffeeshops here are not just for coffee, just so you know) we settled on a nice little breakfast nook on Haarlemmerstraat, Vinnie’s. The place was adorable, all painted in white, with comfy couches and a grand dining table that several customers crowded around. We grabbed a seat and ordered a proper breakfast of eggs and bacon, Dutch style.

After hashing out the details of our train trip — there always seems to be something weird that happens on long train rides — we decided to drag out our stay a little longer with some mint tea.

Then, we headed to meet the airBNB host to get the keys to the apartment we had rented. It was a bit of a hike, but the place was entirely worth it. (Yes, I am taking design cues from this humble abode for my new apartment in the near future…)

We claimed rooms/beds and then set off to explore the city a bit. The weather was chilly, but not too cold, and we wandered in and out of side streets until our feet were sore and we needed a rest. De Drie Fleschjes was there to catch our fall — with some Grolsch, an amazing dark lager that we promptly fell in love with. It was getting to be evening, so we strolled for a bit more under the Christmas-light-decorated streets and then found a cozy pub for dinner. I had the most delicious schnitzel — so delicious I didn’t get a picture…

And then, with full stomachs, we headed out to the Red Light District to see what all the hype was about. Oh. My. Lanta. I won’t lie, I was a bit shocked at first. I am a feminist and I was stunned at the idea that these women were selling sex so ostentatiously. We stumbled upon the area through a side street, where we were suddenly surrounded by scantily-clad women behind windows on both sides. It was uncomfortable, yes. But mostly, I found myself intrigued. I wanted to ask them so many questions. And I wasn’t the only one; we soon found a spot in a central bar and sat around discussing the whole ordeal over some steins of Heineken.

The next morning we started our long day of tourism with a great breakfast from G’s Really Nice Place — yes, that is it’s actual name. So great, in fact, that you’ll soon be reading a Foodie Review for it. Keep your eyes peeled!
Then we embarked on our tourist adventure: walking along the canals from the top to the bottom of the city, wondering at the Rijksmuseum, climbing up the Iamsterdam sign (it’s much tougher than it looks!), standing in line for Van Gogh and then marveling at the maze of the late painter’s works. Phew. A lot of walking and seeing later, we trudged home for a much-needed nap.

My favorite house in the city

Loved the pink pop of the bike!

Classic roommate pic

Being touristy

Since we had an early train to catch, we decided to stay in the area (upper Jordaan) for the evening. We grabbed a nice dinner at a sadly unknown restaurant — Dutch names just don’t stick in my memory very well. And then topped it off with a slice of the best apple pie in the Netherlands at Winkel 43. Seriously, it changed my life.

The best apple pie of my life

I was honestly so pleasantly surprised by Amsterdam. Maybe it’s because I didn’t expect much, but the architecture was stunning, the food was to-die for, the strolls along the canal were absolutely magical and the people were some of the friendliest I’ve encountered. I had been told repeatedly that I shouldn’t spend more than a couple of days in this city, but I wholeheartedly disagree. I wish I would have given myself a few more days to explore the city, mostly because it is so large and there is just so much to see!

Tips for Traveling to Amsterdam: 

• Stay as close to the city center as possible — the city blocks here are much bigger and getting places can take up a chunk of your time
• Expect stairs to be more like ladders
• Plan to visit a few things each day, and in the morning/afternoon, since sites can close at 5PM
• Drink a pint of Grolsch
• Try the Winkel 43 apple pie, if it’s the last thing you do
• Go to the Van Gogh museum, it is simply stunning
• Give yourself time for the long waits in lines at museums
• Know that the air will smell like weed occasionally
• Take a stroll down Haarlemmerstraat, it’s the perfect mix of touristy yet local
• Check out the Red Light District, if only for a moment; it’s worth a glance
• Get a dutch pancake or stroompfwafel on the street
• Expect bikers to come out of nowhere, and if you decide to rent a bike, pay attention!
• Ask locals to help you out if lost or just stumped on where to go, they’re always willing to help

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Prague was a whirlwind of a trip. We arrived later on a Wednesday, at varying times due to my mistaking train departures when buying tickets (oops), and checked into the Hostel Santini Prague with zero difficulty. Seriously, it was almost too good to be true. Free breakfast, towels, a nice large room, comfy bunk beds (I know, I thought that was impossible too), it was just perfect.

I was fascinated by the ceiling art in the hostel

I met a friend from my program, Victoria, who decided to join us for this leg of the trip, and we went out to dinner with another SciencesPo friend who happened to be finishing up her time in Prague. It was a very relaxing evening, with more goulash and my first taste of Czech beer – a light, pilsner. We came back to the hostel and found my roommates, who had gotten in a little late. We did a bit of planning for the next few days and then drifted off to sleep.

First Czech beer!

We woke up early (okay, early for us) and grabbed some breakfast at the hostel before heading out to explore the castle that was just up the hill from our place. The climb is killer, but the views were so worth it! The morning was dedicated to exploring the giant estate, between the cathedral and the palace, there is definitely a lot of time that can be killed in that little area.

Even though the skies were grey, pastel buildings made the walk enjoyable

On our way down, we grabbed some mulled wine to warm up from the chilly weather we hadn’t really prepared for.

Then it was lunch. We found upon the Restaurant Residence U Cerneho Orla while wandering closer to the Charles Bridge, and it ended up becoming our favorite food in Prague. We settled in for lunch, with the best soup I think I have ever had as a starter and traditional goulash as our main dish. Emily and Cassie, being the venturous souls they are, opted for the pork knuckle, which sounded very graphic to me but was actually delicious.

South Bohemian Kulajda soup…or the best soup ever

Goulash, dumpings and Czech beer

The intimidating pork knuckle

With happy, full stomachs, we braved the Charles Bridge (a.k.a. the worst place to walk in the history of mankind) and crossed into the Old Town Square area. Mind you, at this point, we had no sense of direction and knew absolutely nothing of our whereabouts. But it’s okay, that’s usually how we find the greatest things anyway, and this time was no exception. We stumbled upon the astrological clock and the main square in Prague, which we would later learn all about. That day, however, we decided to skip the history lesson and instead school ourselves at a brewery a little further out of town. We hopped on the metro – surprisingly easy to take – and found ourselves in a quieter, more residential area north of the city center at Pivovarsky Klub. Famous for their stellar selection, we embarked on a sampling of their best tap choices.

#selfiegamestrong

Sour cherry dark lager

Czech weizen beer

My interest in beer peaked at that moment. I realized I am much more of a dark lager person – perhaps that’s why I always liked Guinness – and that, as much as the Czech beer thing had been hyped up, it really wasn’t much more great than the cheap Budweiser from back in the States.
But I have a feeling my venture into beer knowledge has just begun!

That night, we thought we’d give Prague’s nightlife scene a try and found a giant bar/club, Chapeau Rouge, near the Old Town Square. The top portion was a bar, the second floor down was a salsa dance club and the basement was an electronic music club. We sipped on the Praha speciality, absinthe and red bull, before getting on the dancefloor.

The next day, after sleeping in, we decided to enrichen our historical knowledge and embarked on a “free” walking tour of the city. Our tour guide was bubbly, personable and from Milwaukee, which made the hikes around town worth it. We grabbed our first Trdelniks (roasted, cinnamon pastries) and snacked on those as we listened to fact after fact being rambled off at the various locales. By the end, I had learned more about Prague than I ever thought I would know. But my feet were unbelievably tired, and the other girls seemed to feel the same, so we went home and napped. Later, we traipsed over to Old Town Square again for food at a restaurant near a club we had heard was having a concert tonight. The restaurant was amazing, but the club ended up being exorbitantly expensiv, so we opted for a Mexican bar closeby and called it quits early.

Close-up of the astrological clock

Couldn’t get over the colorful buildings!

Church of Our Lady – and Tycho Brahe’s tomb

Mozart played here once

Cassie, me, Emily & Victoria

Our early night meant that we got up a bit earlier the next day, and enjoyed brunch – okay, a heaping plate of warm pasta…comfort food knows no hour – and (surprise) more mulled wine a cute café nestled in the castle hill. [HINT: This area was also very expensive due to its proximity to the tourist trap of the castle, so if you can make the distance, walk to a less tourist-ridden spot.]

We then followed Emily, who had discovered that the Lennon Wall was just around the corner from our place. It was cliché, yes, but the pictures turned out great and it honestly felt so inspiring to stand there, looking at all the artwork/words and listening to a street performer rattle out some Beatles’ tunes. Once our cameras were filled with Instagram-worthy pictures, we moved on to Old Town Square to do the one thing we hadn’t yet: climb the clock tower.

Thanks yet again to Isabella, we hiked up to the top sans elevator, and crowded onto the veranda to soak in Prague from above. Oh. My. Goodness. The views were incredible. Never have I seen such a photogenic city! I don’t think I put down my camera once, and you can thank me after you look below…

Hi Cassie!

After snapping enough pictures for a hundred screensavers, we climbed down in time to catch the astrological clock show that we’d missed previously. The verdict? Underwhelming. But at least I can say that from firsthand experience, right? We loitered for a while more in the square with another round of Trdelinks and mulled wine, a Praha staple if you ask us.

The apples & oranges they had for you to add was the best part

Watching them make the Trdelnik

Right before devouring said Trdelnik

This was our last night of Fall Break, and so, like any twenty-somethings traveling Europe, we wanted to go out with a bang. We returned to our favorite restaurant from the first day for our “last supper” and loved every second of it. Then we headed over to the southern side of the city to try our luck at Prague nightlife again – third time’s the charm, right? After stepping in and out of several bars, we found ourselves at a nightclub situated at the top of a building downtown. The club itself was quite strange, and we chalked it up the Eastern European culture, but we enjoyed the music and each other for a while before throwing in the towel and trudging home.

The Last Supper Part I: Goulash soup in a bread bowl

The Last Supper Part II: Beef cheeks & potatoes

Our last morning was quite somber, as it marked not only the end of Prague but the end of Fall Break and our carefree lives. We got our stuff around and checked out early, then took our last adventure over to Café Savoy for brunch. I did some souvenir shopping for a bit afterward and then we picked up our belongings to go to the airport.

What a magical land…

Prague definitely stole my heart. It was beautiful, comfortable, friendly and just the right kind of fun. I wasn’t expecting anything from this city, which is perhaps why I was so pleasantly surprised by it. Prague is full of so much intriguing history, amazing architecture and some of the best food I know…and we all know that’s what really matters. I’m already dreaming of spending Christmas here in the future!

• Eat a Trdelnik. Or two. Or five.
• Drink the mulled wine any time you can – it’s the perfect way to warm up
• Stay near Old Town Square or the castle, if you can
• Expect to walk a ton, it’s very doable but you will be sore
• Climb up the clock tower, the views are entirely worth it
• If you’re into beers, this is the place to go crazy
• Souvenir shops have the best scarves and gloves…and for reasonable prices
• Avoid walking the Charles Bridge midday – morning and late night are fine
• Prague is all about comfort food; enjoy it & think about the calories later
• Beware of pickpockets on the bridge
• Learn a few words in Czech before you arrive, just in case & because it’s fun
• Avoid restaurants near very toursity areas, you can find better food for cheaper elsewhere
• If you can, take a walking tour and, if you can, tip well
• Look at the weather before you go – Prague can be quite chilly compared to other Euro cities

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I’ve been working on these fall break posts for a while now, and honestly, procrastination has been a huge part of that time spent. A part of me is excited to share all of my adventures with you, while another part of me is sad to press publish and be done with all the new places I was lucky enough to visit. But you guys trump my nostalgia, so here goes nothing!

First of all, Ireland is magical. Literally. We arrived late at night (early morning?) on a Thursday and were greeted by the cheeriest taxi driver. Let it be known that his only advice to us was to go to pubs. And so we checked into our hostel, which to our pleasant surprise was right downtown, and went out to the Temple Bar district that evening. I cannot begin to describe how delicious that first sip of real Guinness tasted. Live music + good beer + good company, is there anything better?

View from the plane as we landed!

Pubs are not known for their lighting…

The next morning, we woke up ready to drink for a day full of Irish culture. Starting with a traditional Irish breakfast (the pudding is actually blood sausage, in case you were wondering) at Bewley’s, we made our first stop the Old Trinity Library.  It was a book lover’s dream, with bindings up to the ceiling and the giant, old Book of Kells. The Trinity campus was as green as ever and the leaves on the trees were at the perfect fall color peak, so we sauntered around the grounds for a while until we decided to start on our Irish drinking tour.

The grand hall

You should just know there will be a selfie by this point

Stacks on stacks on stacks

It’s like Hogwarts!

First stop: Jameson Distillery 
I honestly learned the most from this place – definitely worth the trek outside of downtown Dublin! I can rattle off some impressive facts about the whiskey distillery process, as well as differences between Irish whiskey, scotch & American whiskey. But if I told you, what fun would that be?
After the tour, we hung out in the bar area near the entrance, which was over glass flooring that showed the original stone wash backs used to make Whiskey and was adorned with Jameson bottle chandeliers (a beauty all in their own), for the best mug of Irish coffee I think I’ve ever tasted! Once again, the lighting was not so great, so my apologies for the poor quality. I guess that just means you’ll have to go see it for yourself

Complimentary whiskey neat at the end of the tour

With our stomachs full of whiskey and still warm from the hot coffee, we ventured out into the chilly rain (yes, it does rain A LOT) back toward downtown and across the river.

Second stop: Guinness Brewery
This place is just enormous. I still can’t get over it. We bought tickets online in advance so we breezed right past the entrance (highly recommend!) and started on the winding self-tour that Guinness has set up. There are no guides. Just you, your hopefully-good sense of direction and some informative signs about the brewery’s history. I also picked up some pamphlets, but that’s mostly because I’m a pamphlet hoarder…
In other news, we finished the history lesson and then took the glass elevator in the middle of the building (we’re talking Willy Wonka-type stuff here) up to the Gravity Bar to turn in our own kind of golden ticket: the free beer voucher. Yes, please!
The views from the 360-degree glass window hangout were incredible. And maybe it was just my imagination, but the Guinness tasted a little better than before.

Our crew in front of the famous gate

Sometimes the information was painted onto the brick

I’m not even sure what this is but it’s giant & impressive

Huge vats…of beer?

Cheers to you, Arthur!

Roomie pic above Dublin

We napped off our exhausting day, as most twenty-somethings would do, and then headed out to our favorite nightlife locale for some of that beloved live, cover music that Ireland does so well!

At 7AM the next morning, we rolled out of bed and onto a tour bus for the Cliffs of Moher – don’t worry, we caught a little shut-eye during the long ride from Dublin to West Ireland. We saw the mini cliffs first, which were just as breath-takingingly beautiful as the actual cliffs. But you can be the judge of that.

(sorry, I had to)

And now for the real Cliffs of Moher…

I just love the incredible colors!

The farm land leading up to the Cliffs

We walked, hiked, climbed, traversed and shuffled so much that day. Aside from editing our Instagrams on the bus ride home, the only thing we had on our minds was food and sleep. As soon as we got back to Dublin, we stuffed our faces with gourmet burgers from Bobo’s Burgers and then mustered up the energy to take advantage of our last night with live music, Guinness and Magner’s cider (much to my dismay, this doesn’t exist in the USA).

On Sunday, we woke up, pulled our things together and headed out for a stroll around Dublin to kill time before our flight that afternoon. We stopped for breakfast at San Lorenzo’s – best huevos rancheros of my life – and then walked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which ended up not being free like we had planned so we admired its external beauty only. I took a quick jog over to the Temple Bar district to snap some pictures and grab a few souvenirs.

#BrunchOfChampions

The famous red Temple Bar

Last Irish fish & chips for a while

We found ourselves with a lot of extra time on Sunday and, in retrospect, we probably could have done a short day-trip or something of the like. Instead, we trekked to outer Dublin to a coffee shop called 3FE Coffee that had been recommended by a friend of Cassie’s. The coffee was roasted all in-house and my latte was much-needed. After that, we rounded up our suitcases and taxied to the airport for our next leg of the adventure: Budapest (coming soon!)

I was overall very impressed with Dublin’s lively energy and friendly people. It honestly does feel like home for me in more ways than one, and I can see myself coming back here several times in the future!

• Stay downtown – the convenience is everything
• Eat at pubs (advice from the taxi driver himself), it’s cheaper and often better food
• Absolutely go to the Jameson Distillery
• If you have time, fit in Guinness
• If not, drink as much Guinness on tap as possible
• Take advantage of the Temple Bar atmosphere
• Bring an umbrella AND rain coat AND boots
• Make sure you have a UK adapter – we only had one for 6 people & it was not pleasant
• Go to the Cliffs of Moher and stray off the path (it’s worth it)
• On that note, that place is extremely windy, so expect to have some windblown hair
• You will eat lots of hearty food, don’t think about being healthy
• Order a Magner’s at least once, you can’t get it often elsewhere
• If you have one, use a DSLR camera – iPhone photos didn’t do any of this justice!

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A couple weekends ago (sorry for the delay!) I traveled to southeast Germany to visit my former exchange student and long-lost sister, Xenia. It had been two years since we’d seen each other last, but it felt like just last week. Anyone else have a friendship like this? It’s honestly the best.

My weekend started off rocky after an early Friday class and almost missing my train since there are so many different train stations in Paris – I was literally the last person on board… But as soon as I stepped off the train and Xenia ran toward me with arms open, my day turned for the better. It didn’t hurt that she had a little one-year-old mop-like puppy that was incredibly happy to see me as well.

[Spoiler Alert: Get ready for a lot of pictures]

Friday night, we walked around Mannheim, which is quite a beautiful little German town. Xenia made dinner and we caught up over a glass of red wine.

Saturday morning was another early wake-up call. We drove (yes, on the Autobahn) up to Heidelberg to explore the town. I fell in love with the colors and architecture, as well as the food – German cuisine always makes me a bit nostalgic for my grandma’s cooking!

The famed Autobahn!

The colorful buildings just get me, everytime

Statue selfies have become my thing

My lovely lunch date

The most delicious Bratwurst

We trekked up to the castle overlooking Heidelberg and admired the ancient building, stopping into the German pharmaceutical museum (it was free, why not?) and taking plenty of pictures at the scenic outlooks.

The Heidelberg Castle

So green and beautiful!

After an exhausting day of walking and sightseeing, I took an (accidental) two-hour nap. Tourism is tiring, okay? That night, we ate a light dinner of our favorite food group: cheese, and then went to meet Xenia’s friend for wine at a patio bar. Very relaxing, and much needed!

The next day brought another castle, this time the Haardt castle in Palatine country, with Xenia’s father tagging along.

Delicious German breakfast that Xenia made for me

The street where my grandpa was born!

German countryside

We hit all of the scenic spots before descending down the mountain again to eat an early Sunday dinner in the most adorable, authentic German town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße! I got a wine steak with onions and potatoes, which I was told is very traditional to the Palatine region.

Xenia’s puppy, Tosca, wanted to spend all day snuggling

And of course, I coudn’t leave without getting a real, German pretzel – yum!

After saying goodbyes and double-checking that I had everything, I boarded my train back to Paris. I never thought I’d truly enjoy visiting Germany as much as I did. Perhaps it was because the culture is so close to home or because a weekend with Xenia was long-overdue, but I highly recommend taking a trip to Heidelberg – the town is just magical!

Tips for Traveling to Germany:

• Print your train ticket & be sure to arrive at the train station 20 minutes early!
• Lookup a few keywords in German – it always makes the experience better
• Ask for the local dish, but when in doubt, bratwurst it out
• Wear your walking shoes and bring a light jacket (it rains a lot)
• Be sure to try a German breakfast, it’s delicious!
• Go to that random museum and learn something new
• You will automatically be served sparkling water; if you don’t want this, ask for tap water
• Eat a pretzel

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