Souvenirs from Spain and Sweden

I took it upon myself to find some really unique souvenirs during my trip in Europe. Among them were a sign saying "WC," the ubiquitous indication of a bathroom (asking for a bathroom likely brought visions of a Roman bath house to the local people, judging from their facial expressions). I also learned that Tove Jansson was not only Finnish, but half Swedish! It brought to mind the charming stories I read as a kid which my mom found in a garage sale or used book store, and also a Finnish store I went into once in Toronto which had a whole mural painted of the characters.

So when we discovered a new fruit (nisperos!) in Barcelona,

I saved the large seeds, and I'm going to use them as beads.

In Stockholm, I found a set of brass buttons which will be perfect to replace the (plastic!) ones on my thrifted black leather jacket. For 30 Swedish Kronor!

Roma, Italia (May 24 - 26)

I won't say too much about Rome because as they say a picture says a thousand words, and if I start writing about Rome, I'll end up writing a novel!

Interior of St. Peter's Basilica

Nice, France (May 21 - 23)

Nice was a little touristy for my taste, but Marc* says that this is what has happened to the Provence area of France, that it had been "discovered," and none of the real French people ever take their vacation there anymore! The city was beautiful, of course, and so were the beaches.

View of Nice from Villa St-Exupery's room window

Great Hair

After a year old haircut which I was never satisfied with, I have finally found a formula for perfect hair.
1. Neglect to get a haircut for a year
2. Once hair is dirty, wash it
3. Sleep on wet hair and allow it to get dirty again
4. Bang forehead into unyielding metal plate edge in a warehouse
5. Observe horrifying bump develop in instants (not pictured)
6. Clip otherwise useless bangs sideways to conceal the bump from friends and public!




Travel Outfit:
Top: H&M
Romper: Red Berry
Leggings: Talula
Shoes: Timberland
Bag: KGB

Berlin, Germany (Jun 15 - 16)

After much difficulty getting out of Belgium, mainly I think because we didn't want to leave, we arrived in Berlin a day late because we had missed our train from Gent. Instead of spending a splendidly sunny day on the train, we spent it with the Gent folks. Bonus!
Some of the most memorable sights were the giant train stations, Alexanderplatz and Potsdamerplatz, the holocaust memorial (a sea of concrete blocks with walkways in between), checkpoint charlie (historical location of access between east and west germany in increasingly strict segregation), the berlin wall, and the successful combination of new and old architecture. Unfortunately the Reichtag was only open for reserved visits.

Potsdamerplatz

Barcelona, Spain (May 18 - 21)

Balmy and beautiful Barcelona... what more can I say? Rambling countless narrow winding streets near La Rambla I saw more picturesque squares than I had ever imagined. Across the square is a seafood restaurant called Cal Pep. There is no menu, and there are only a few tables in the back. The rest of the patrons line up nightly to have a seat at the bar. To order, converse with the bartender/server who will recommend dishes based on what you want, as well as more that you may not need. House white accompanied molluscs cooked with pork bits, "special" mushrooms,  ...

Cal Pep

To the left, a couple from Vienna, Austria received a whole white monkfish, which was de-spined and plated in front of them by the server. I would probably swap the mushrooms for that fish if I'd known. To the right, first a large group of spanish-speaking asian people knew exactly what to order and squabbled over the bill, then a couple from Toronto. In line, a very language-challenged lady from the States condescendingly ordered wine which she jabbed at from a ripped-out page of a travel magazine very loudly and slowly to the server in English, who pretended not to know any. She did succeed in getting what she wanted, which turned out to be the delicious house white.

Paris (Jun 3 - 6) and Switzerland (May 31 - Jun 3)

Bonjour from Paris, epicentre of some pretty serious culture and arts. What more can one ask for than a cafe bistro dinner where there is only one menu, diners get up to pick their wines from the laden shelves lining the walls, and your table is 4 inches (excusez moi, centimètres) away from your neighbours from Norway to whom it is impossible not to talk.

Then there are the churches, monuments, galleries... The Louvre is massive and grand. A diverse collection of works from across time and space so fascinating that I forgot to photograph.

My favourite shot in Paris - no idea what the building is though!