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