brussels

Arriving in Brussels I quickly realized I did not remember any of my high school French. Luckily English is the unofficial third language in the city - there are so many expats that English is commonly used. My first day in Brussels I went to see the Atomium, Mini-Europe (which was closed for the season) and Laeken Park. These are all outside the city and a bit of a hike to get to, but worth it. I also picked up some frites with Andalouse sauce while walking back to the city and then got a waffle when I arrived in city center.

Tip: ask for the sauce on the side

Once I picked up my Liege waffle, I took a gander around the Grand-Place where the buildings are gilded with gold and seem fitting for royals. 

Fun fact: these buildings were commissioned by the guilds of the city
when the originals burned down. Hence why they were all built in the
late 17th century. 

I explored the Palace, the European Quarter, the buildings of the EU and ended by exploring Parc du Cinquantenaire that evening. On my way I saw this beautiful art nouveau building that houses the Museum of Musical Instruments. 

The next day I took a walking tour around the city with my friend and then we took ourselves to the chocolate factory outlet of Neuhaus. They have everything open for sampling and the items are all on sale. I tried so many flavors I nearly didn't buy anything, but I did get some assorted chocolates as a souvenir!

Manneken pis - usually he is dressed up!

They say if you rub the foot you'll return to Brussels...

Thus ended my short time in Brussels. From there I took the train to Luxembourg City which I'll write about tomorrow!

bruges

Last week I hopped a bus to Bruges! I decided to take a short trip once finals were over and while I wish I had picked somewhere a little warmer, it was nonetheless a fun adventure.

Bruges is an adorable little city with distinctive architecture, delicious food and winding canals. Once I dropped my bag off at Snuffel hostel (highly recommend!) I headed out to explore. It was really foggy which made it all the more atmospheric.

Unfortunately I didn't take the atmospheric fog into account when I climbed the belfort - I couldn't see anything from the top! On my way back down, about half way, there was another good vantage point and I got a decent photo. Before I headed to the hostel for the night I stopped and got a box of Leonidas chocolates - very delicious and so many creative flavors!

The next morning I headed to the train station and stopped by The Church of Our Lady where I paid to enter the 'museum' of sorts and see a work by Michelangelo. It's one of the few works by him that are outside Italy.

From the church I wandered slowly to the train and passed through the Begijnhof and Minnewater Park; even in the cold and fog it was beautiful. I then took the train to Brussels where I stayed for two days with family friends - I'll post that tomorrow!

hannover

A few weeks ago I got to visit the city of Hannover in Germany. I tagged along with a friend as she went home on holiday and visited for a few days. We spent most of our time relaxing and enjoying Christmas movies, tea and cookies. The other main attraction was the Christmas markets. Oh my goodness do they have Christmas markets! We visited four different markets in three different towns; they were all different and yet very similar. I tried so many new foods and watched as vendors made fresh burnt almonds and listened as others proudly explained their wares. Such a fascinating and unique opportunity. German Christmas markets are becoming more popular and many cities outside of Germany are creating them, but they're not the same! Definitely go to the real ones if you can.

Christmas market #1

Rådhaus in Hannover (one of the only buildings not destroyed in WWII)

Herrenhausen Gardens

Hot chocolate was a must!

Marienburg Castle

If you look closely you can see the cupboards
and stove and oven - all part of the stall!

Freshly-made burnt almonds

Enjoy!!

xx,

K

københavn

It's been a while since I've posted! Lately it's been busy with the holidays, work and classes as we finished up for the holiday break. We have exams next month so soon I'll be busy studying for those. This last month I was able to visit two new cities, the first being Copenhagen.

Such a lovely city at Christmas time! It was cold and a little dreary but the Christmas decor and bright lights helped it feel cozy. It was a very quick trip but I packed a lot in thanks to the Copenhagen Card - definitely worthwhile if you plan to be there a short time and visit lots of museums, plus then you don't have to worry about transportation!

Some highlights include:

Sunset over Copenhagen from the Rundetårn

My new favorite topping for hot dogs

Tivoli Gardens done up for Christmas!

(Tivoli Gardens)

Wednesday was jam-packed with new experiences - I loved every bit of it! Even the rain...

The original Christus statue by Thorvaldsen

Took a boat tour through Copenhagen (Nyhavn)

Met the King's horses at Christiansborg Palace Stables

Thursday I met up with a friend of a friend and she took me around the city to the last few places on my list :)

Visited the small but lovely Rosenborg Castle
(and saw the crown jewels!)

Stopped by Garnisonskirke where some of my ancestors married

Papirøen for lunch! I tried smørrebrød - a traditional
Danish dish

I climbed 300 steps for this view and it was definitely worth it!

I'd love to go back to Denmark and explore the smaller cities and towns but for now it was great to explore a new city and get a feel for the people and their culture.

xoxo,

K

st martha-on-the-hill

About a week and a half ago I took a walk to the church of St Martha-on-the-hill in Guildford. I mostly wanted to walk through the Downs and from the map, St Martha's Church seemed a good destination. From walking out my door and returning, I spent about three hours out and about. The sun was shining, the weather was lovely and the day was perfect.  The hardest part was walking up Pewley St which is pretty steep; past that you're in the Pewley Downs and then its a short walk to the bridle path which leads you to Halfpenny Lane. It really only took me so long because I stopped to take so many pictures!

When you first enter the Downs...

you get this gorgeous view.

You enter the path...

with colorful leaves and bright blue sky...

and perfect foliage and scenery.

You make it along the path and up another hill to see St Martha's...

and the view is just perfect!

Definitely worth the miles walked and the hours spent!

xoxo,
K

cardiff

Last weekend my student union organized a trip to Cardiff, Wales. My friends and I bought tickets the first week of the term so we'd been waiting a while to go! It was about a three hour drive and we actually got better weather out there (it was raining in Guildford all day). Upon our arrival we went to the Castle as a group and then were free to wander the rest of the day.

We spent about an hour at the Castle exploring the old tunnels, the original castle and the castle apartments before heading into town.

Henry and Jane 

Library in the Castle Apartments

I bought some souvenirs and then we wandered through the German Christmas Market they set up, and then on down to Cardiff Bay. Before we reached the bay, we spotted a Portuguese bakery selling traditional pastel de nata. My friend loves it so we stopped and tried it - it's delicious!

We spent time in a coffee shop and did a little bit of shopping back in the center before having dinner at Bill's. It was an early birthday treat for me!

xoxo,
K