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.