I don't belong to anyone, my heart is heavy as an oil drum

On my way to Berlin, I had a layover in Dublin. When I bought my tickets, it was cheaper to fly back to Dublin than directly to Berlin. However, because of strong winds in the UK many flights were delayed or cancelled, leaving many disgruntled people at the airport. At first I remained positive. This was the only bump in the road during my holiday travels and I didn't mind hanging out at the airport bar drinking a Guinness. But when I found out my flight was cancelled and Aer Lingus said they couldn't put us up in a hotel and to come back tomorrow at 4am to reschedule a flight, I started to panic. We all started to panic at the complete chaos and lack of communication about how we were supposed to get to where we wanted to go. I quickly made friends with MacKenzie, a girl from Florida who was also on her way to Berlin to practice German during her winter break. After five hours of waiting in a pointless line, MacKenzie and I rescheduled our flights to Hamburg and decided to take the train to Berlin together. Aer Lingus did put us up in a hotel, and gave us free dinner and breakfast for the inconvenience. I ended up only having a day and a half in Berlin which isn't nearly enough time to explore everything the city has to offer. I will undoubtedly have to go back.

I stayed at an Airbnb apartment and my host Bergie was great, except she didn't have internet! This also made it difficult for me to meet up with MacKenzie or research where I wanted to go before leaving the apartment. Where I stayed was down the street from the Berlin Wall Memorial. 

 I stayed in the neighborhood of Mitte, which is near the Berlin TV Tower.

 I went to the Brandenburg Gate. While I was in Berlin, the only music I wanted to listen to was James Blake and Joanna Newsom. I thought it was strange at first, but now I understand the connection. Berlin is a haunting city, as is their music.

I don't belong to anyone. My heart is heavy as an oil drum. I don't want to be alone. My heart is yellow as an ear of corn, and I have torn my soul apart, from pulling artlessly with fool commands.

Some nights I just never go to sleep at all, and I stand, shaking in my doorway like a sentinel, all alone, bracing like the bow upon a ship, and fully abandoning any thought of anywhere but home, my home.

Sometimes I can almost feel the power. (In California, by Joanna Newsom)

I also went to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews. I didn't take any of my own pictures. I went at night with a friend and at first we walked silently through the rows of large stone blocks. As they got taller and taller I began to feel insignificant, small, meaningless, lost, and alone. We talked about our childhood, when we first learned about the Holocaust, and how overwhelming it is to take in all the history of a place like Berlin. 

On our way back toward Mitte, we stumbled upon a Christmas Market. One of my favorite things about traveling during the holidays was finding the unexpected. 

This is one of the few synagogues in Berlin that wasn't completely destroyed.

I passed by this church a few times near the Berlin Wall and walked around the cemetery there. It was quiet and peaceful and profound.

 On Monday I planned to go to the Pergamon Museum and the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, but they were both closed. So I ended up at the Museum of Natural History. 

 There were rocks from all over the world, and I searched for a long time to find this one from home.

 I took the train from Berlin to Brussels. 

 And when I arrived in Brussels, I had no idea where my hostel was. I asked several people for directions, but had a hard time understanding since they only spoke French or Dutch. I eventually found my way. Here is Central Square.

 I had breakfast at this cute place around the corner from my hostel. I had a cafe au lait and bread with all different types of spreads and jams. It was delicious and I bought one of the spreads to bring back to Madrid.

To make up for the museums I missed in Berlin, I went to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and saw paintings by Rubens, Ensor, Seurat, and Bonnard. 

Then I stumbled upon another Christmas Market where there was mulled wine and belgian waffles a plenty.

I was absolutely obsessed with this carousel. It seemed like something whimsical and mysterious, straight out of a Tim Burton film.

And here is the famous Mannequin Pis. I would have had no idea that this little statue was famous except that when I passed by, so many people were posing to take pictures. 

On New Years Eve, I took the train from Brussels to Leuven, a university town where my friends Chelsea and Sam live. Chelsea's parents were in town visiting for the holidays, so we all went to New Years dinner together at a wonderful place called Bistro Sud.

We had tuna tartar, frog legs, venison, and salmon. We had good wine and toasted our champagne glasses at midnight. And of course for dessert, I had creme brûlée. We enjoyed good food and good conversation for five hours. 

On New Years day, most places were closed. I spent the morning with Sam and Chelsea having brunch at their place in our pajamas. Eventually we ventured out and they showed me around their university campus. Here is the library.

I've known Chelsea since we went to college together at King's. It was so good to catch up with her, meet Sam, and talk about adjusting to life in Europe. 

Chelsea, her parents, and Sam were so kind and gracious. It was delightful to 

have friends to share the holiday with. After Belgium, I headed for France for the last leg of my trip. 

Catch the moments as they fly

When I arrived in Edinburgh on December 23, my friend Jenai met me at Waverly Station in the pouring rain. We took a moment to marvel at how our paths have crossed over the last ten years, from visiting King's College as prospective students ten years ago, to attending Brooklyn College for our graduate programs, and now living in Europe. We walked up and down the winding cobblestone streets in Edinburgh (pronounced Edin-burda in Scotland) to find the Airbnb apartment where I stayed which was just down the street from where Jenai lives in student housing. 

I dropped my bag off and we went to have an early dinner. I tried haggis, of course, and ate bangers and mash. I would mention that another reason to travel is the food, but everyone already knows that's one of the best parts of traveling. So instead I'll mention that traveling helps you realize how amazing it is to have people in your life who have known you for a long time. It warmed my heart to spend time with a good friend for the holidays.

 We spent Christmas Eve exploring the Edinburgh Castle. I learned about the royal family, particularly Mary Queen of Scots whom Jenai is distantly related to! Inside the castle we visited St. Margaret's chapel, saw the Crown Jewels, the Scottish National War Memorial, and the Prisons of War. I found the Prisons of War the most interesting because during the American Revolutionary War, American prisoners were considered pirates and treated more harshly. There were wooden doors on exhibit that had names, dates, and pictures that prisoners had carved. One door had a ship with an
 American flag carved into it.  

 There was much more to see at the Castle, but the wind was out of control so we opted to take cover at The Elephant House for some soup and coffee. The only thing that is special about The Elephant House is that J. K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone there (i.e. the food wasn't anything special) and they have very good heating.

 After that I ventured to the National Museum of Scotland and saw Mary Queen of Scots' harp, among other things. Then for Christmas Eve dinner, I went to Wedgwood with Jenai and several of her friends from the University of Edinburgh. We enjoyed shredded beef salad, ratatouille, and scallops for dinner followed by chocolate tarts and coffee with baileys for dessert.  One of Jenai's friends, Evy, had her parents visiting for the holidays. Evy's parents gave me the best Christmas present by paying dinner. I felt so grateful for their generosity!
A Christmas tradition in the UK is to wear Christmas crowns! 

Between the appetizer and entree, we had a raspberry aperitif. It was delicious and refreshing.

There's nane that's blest of human kind,
But the cheerful and the gay, man,
Fal, la, la, &c.

What wad ye wish for mair, man?
Wha kens, before his life may end,
What his share may be o' care, man?
And use them as ye ought, man:

Believe me, happiness is shy, 

And comes not aye when sought, man.

                     Here's a bottle and an honest friend! 

Then catch the moments as they fly

-A Bottle and a Friend by Robert Burns

On Christmas day I went to church with Jenai. After the service, I told Jenai I felt full singing together with other people in English. Afterwards we made pancakes, bacon, and mimosas for brunch with Jenai's rommate Ines. We skyped with our families back home and watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

In the UK December 26th is Boxing Day so a lot of places I wanted to visit were closed unfortunately. But it was a beautiful day with clear skies, which is rare, so I took advantage of the lovely weather and walked all over the city.

One place that was open, however, was the Scotch Whiskey Distillery. I took a tour and tasted some Scotch whiskey from the Highlands. They have one of the largest collections of whiskey bottles in the tasting room. 3,500 bottles of whiskey on the wall . . .

Here are a few of my favorites plus the haggis flavored chips I ate at the bar.

 

I also climbed up Arthur's Seat, a mountain that overlooks the city. I was left breathless, from the climb as well as the view.

That night I went to the Christmas market.

We met up with my coworker Leslie, who was in Edinburgh with her boyfriend David, to ride the ferris wheel.

On our way to a bar we walked down a street that reminds Jenai of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.

They even have a joke shop like Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!

My last day there, we had breakfast at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. I ate mincemeat pie for the first time and it tasted like Christmas. 

I spent five days in Edinburgh which was the longest I stayed anywhere over the Christmas holidays. Since I've returned to Madrid, friends keep asking which place was my favorite to visit. Because I had the most time to explore Edinburgh, I think it was my favorite city. But because of a cancelled flight on my way to Berlin, I didn't have enough time to explore all it has to offer. More on that next post!