abroad.

hi there, this is a lovely blog! just wondering what your experiences travelling and eating out with an egg allergy were like(esp in the uk). I am allergic to eggs too, so i'm curious! thanks xx

frostedwindows — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:30:38 +0100

Hello and thanks! Eating out was fine as long as I made sure to get the waiter/waitress to double-check with the chef that there wasn’t going to be any eggs in my meal. It’s basically the same as anywhere else, really. Cheers! x

hello, goodbye.

frostedwindows — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 05:03:50 +0100

At the beginning of the month, I made the long trip over to Hong Kong for my maternal grandpa’s funeral. The trip was a quick one and I was sick the entire time because of a nasty cold bug I caught the weekend prior to leaving. If I remember correctly, this was my eight trip to Hong Kong but it was the first trip where I’ve had to stay in a hotel, which was an interesting change. What was great about this trip was to see relatives from my mother’s side all in one place, even if it was under these circumstances.

Anyway, here are some pictures…

Until next time! x

snapshots of tuscany.

frostedwindows — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:19:00 +0100

If you follow me on Twitter or if you follow my main Tumblr, you’ll know that I went to Italy last month. And before your start becoming jealous of me, I wasn’t there for fun as I was there as “nanny,” so to speak. My cousin and her husband invited me to join them on their family vacation but I would be there to take care of their children aged 2, 4, and 9. Safe to say, it was an exhausting two weeks in Tuscany…

Apart from chasing after the younger children and wiping bums, here are some pictures of things that I got to see during my travels to and from Italy, as well as in and around the Tuscan countryside.

Cheers! x

hello, all.

frostedwindows — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 05:22:15 +0100

Just wanted to do a quick update. Yes, I’m still alive. This blog will remain here so that I can always look back and remember my time abroad. If any of you have questions about studying at Leeds Uni or travelling in Europe, feel free to ask. You can ask me through this blog or my main blog and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Cheers! x

all good things must come to an end.

frostedwindows — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:23:00 +0000

And so ends my posts about my semester abroad in the beautiful city of Leeds…

It’s been nearly 2 months since my return back to Vancouver and I’m no longer in the I can’t believe I was just studying in England stage. Right now, I’m in more of a TAKE ME BACK TO ENGLAND AND EUROPE/I WANT TO BE BACK IN ENGLAND type of stage. IIt’s that dreaded exchange withdrawal period that every exchange student goes through and I’ve been stuck in it the moment I stepped foot back onto Canadian soil. Every single day, I stumble upon reminders of England and Europe, from friends who are still studying abroad or tweets about certain things happening in Europe. It probably doesn’t help that I’m taking a semester off because I returned a month into the semester… And if you ask my parents, they’re probably sick of me talking in my appalling London accent all the time. It was my way of trying to get them to send me back to London but it didn’t really work. But anyhow, I’m coping with my withdrawals and trying not to constantly dwell on the fact that I’m no longer in Europe.

For those considering going on exchange or even on exchange at Leeds Uni, I’ve uploaded my exchange report here. The report is something that my university requested all returning exchange students to complete for future exchange students so I thought it would be good for my readers to have access to as well. I know quite a few people have had questions regarding accommodation, travel and such, so I hope that I was able to answer a few questions in my report.

I really do hope that you all have enjoyed reading about my experience on exchange and maybe it’ll convince you to take a chance and apply for an exchange too!

Cheers! x

home, sweet home.

frostedwindows — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:33:24 +0000

This ‘being back home’ post has been overdue for quite some time now. I’ve been back in Vancouver since the 26th of January, which is still something I’m trying to adjust to. It’s been great to sleep in my own bed and on a mattress that doesn’t creak with every move, and also one that doesn’t feel like the springs are ready to burst through the fabric. It has also been great to eat delicious home-cooked meals and good (and cheap) Asian food, which is something the UK lacks. I’ve reunited with my friends and caught up one what’s been happening with them when I was abroad.

Here are some photos of a few things I’ve seen or done since being back!

Gorgeous view from my house

Salvaged cinnamon buns. I had burnt them and had to cut the tops off.

My first attempt at baking an apple pie.

Best sandwich shop in Vancouver. Period.

My second attempt at making apple pie. Went a little better than my first.

Next post: going through exchange withdrawals. Cheers!

london, part three.

frostedwindows — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:52:12 +0000

Here’s the last bit on my time in London and my time abroad in Europe!

On my third day in London, I met up with Michelle and Flavia, as well as Flavia’s friend, Mateus. We walked through the Borough Market even though it was closed that day and then, had lunch at the The Old Thameside Inn. I had a delicious beef and tomato stew (below). We chatted for a while and off we went to Camden to check out the famed Camden Market. The Camden area is a little bit on the old and rundown side, but I guess that adds to the character. It’s a little too grimy for my taste, yet still very interesting to walk through. Inside the market, there are heaps of little shops, a lot of which sold goth and punk clothing and accessories.

After Camden Market, I took the tube over one stop to Mornington Crescent to head over to KOKO to see if I could meet Lana Del Rey. She was supposed to be playing the MTV BRAND NEW FOR 2012 gig, but of course, she cancelled due to “illness.” I waited outside for a while, along with other Lana fans, and I even heard Charli XCX soundchecking. Whilst waiting, Lana’s band filed out of the venue with the instruments in their cases and got into their cars. Lana’s amps were also taken out the venue, so I thought it was a little odd. And a while later, I’d find out from a friend back in Vancouver that Lana had cancelled. Disappointed, I left and met up with Flavia, Mateus, and Michelle again. I said my goodbyes to Flavia and Mateus, and Michelle and I went for dinner with my family. Michelle’s London flatmate, David, also joined us for dinner so that was cool too. That would be my last time seeing Michelle since she would be staying in London and I would be heading back to Canada. Sad, but we all must continue with our lives…

The next day, my parents and I went to 10 Downing Street, also known as where the British Prime Minister lives. Then, we went to Selfridges so I could have a quick browse and also, so we could get some food into us. I’m not going to lie, I think I like Selfridges more than Harrods. It wasn’t as overwhelming and definitely not a crazy busy as Harrods. But my first time in Selfridges was a super quick one because we had to head back to Queen’s Theatre in Leicester Square for Les Misérables!

It was my first time watching Les Mis so it was such an amazing experience! My parents saw it when my mom was pregnant with me, but that doesn’t count, obviously. What was really neat about the show was the rotating stage! I love how it was incorporated into the show. So great! I had to stop myself from singing along from some of my favourites like “Master of the House” and boy, when they started “One Day More,” I started tearing up and tears were running down my face by the end of the song. Even the man in front of me was crying and he had to wipe his face with his handkerchief. Anyway, Les Mis was great and I’m so glad we were able to get decent seats in the balcony. Great way to end my time in London!

Next morning, we had to leave super early because we had an early flight. I barely got any sleep because I was packing till the wee hours of the morning, which was much harder than I was expecting. I literally had to take EVERYTHING out of my suitcases and repack it all. And luckily enough, I still had space in my hand baggage but that means I could have bought a few more things at Selfridges. Oh well, what can you do.

The flight back to Vancouver was just like any other long flight - you watch movies, listen to music, eat crappy airplane food, and sleep. I ended up watching Crazy, Stupid, Love for the second time because you can never have enough Ryan Gosling in your life, and I watched a great film called Another Earth. I had actually seen the trailer for the latter when I watched Wuthering Heights back at Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds and it seemed quite intriguing. The film itself was beautiful and the plot was actually much different than what I was expecting.

After a good 9.5 hours, I was back in Vancouver - home sweet home! But to be honest, it didn’t really feel like home even though it was. I just kept missing Leeds and England, and all my friends, who are scattered all over the world now. More on my adjustment later…

LGW > YVR

Canada Line

The state of my room after some unpacking and re-organizing.

See you next time!

london, part two.

frostedwindows — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:51:00 +0000

Okay, so my second full day in London started off with a trip to see the London Bridge and Platform 9 and 3/4 at King’s Cross Station. If you’re someone who doesn’t know what Platform 9 and 3/4, shame on you! Go and educate yourself by watching the Harry Potter films. After a short stop there, we walked over to a Santander branch to close my account. And my goodness, I wasted so much time there thanks to some person working there. I was lined up and waiting for my turn to talk to someone, and mind you, there was only a couple of people in front of me. Some lady is asking everyone in line what they need and when she gets to me, I told her that I need to close my bank account and she was like ‘Oh, I can help you with that’. I assumed that she would do everything but no, she could only do part of it because she ‘doesn’t deal with money’. Fabulous! All she did was submit a request to have my account closed and I had to line up again. Now, there were a lot more people in line and only two people working. I waited a while and finally, it was my turn. But, of course, I had to wait again because the woman needed her manager to approve everything. My goodness, that was the most frustrating bank experience ever! I’m digressing so let’s get back on topic now…

After that stop at the bank, my parents and I headed over to the Tate Modern to immerse ourselves in all things modern art. If you’ve been following my updates or if you know me, I’m a total lover of contemporary art so I loved being in the Tate. Although, it would have been ever more amazing if I had gotten the chance to see the Gerhard Richter exhibition or the Yayoi Kusama one that I’m missing right now. Adding the latter to the growing list of things that I’m missing or will be missing because I’m back in Canada.

Pablo Picasso, Nude Woman With A Necklace (1968)

Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds (2010)

Günther Uecker, Weisses Feld (1964)

Marisa Merz, Untitled (Living Sculpture) (1966)

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Venus of the Rags (1967, 1974)

Do Hu Suh, Staircase III (2009)

Vito Acconci

Richard Long, Small White Pebble Circles (1945)

Abraham Cruzvillegas, Autoconstrucción (2008)

Robert Morris, Untitled (1967-8, remade in 2008)

Pedro Cabrita Reis, The Unnamed Work #1 (2005)

Jenny Holzer, BLUE PURPLE TILT (2007)

My parents and I spent a few hours exploring the Tate Modern, and we took a breather in their café. Unbeknownst to my mom (I spilled to my dad the previous night at dinner), my aunt and uncle were flying down from Northern Ireland to surprise my parents. My mom was under the impression that my friend, Michelle, would be dropping by and she was definitely surprised to see her sister and her brother-in-law! We chatted for a while before making our way to the gift shop so I could buy a few things. I got a bunch of postcards and a great Yayoi Kusama book to appease my disappointment for missing the exhibition.

View of the Millennium Bridge from the café’s balcony

Fabulous flats going for a mere £2 million

Next, we all went to see the Tower of London (just the outside) and the Tower Bridge. It’s such a gorgeous skyline, especially at night with all of the lights. And good thing it wasn’t raining or else that definitely would have put a damper on my mood… After that, we went back to our second home in London - Chinatown. We had dinner at Top of the Town and then, went to my aunt and uncle’s hotel in Soho. Their hotel room was literally the smallest room I’ve ever seen in my life. It was smaller than my room in St. Marks and there was still space for a shower and toilet. Crazy! But the Soho area is great and I could totally see myself living there. Although, I probably couldn’t afford it but a girl can dream.

Tower Bridge

Entrance to the W hotel in Leicester Square

See you next time!

another question! what is the common weather in leeds? I'm from a tropical country so a cold weather will be a problem for me...

frostedwindows — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Well, I guess you’re just going to have to suck it up and deal with the cold weather! ;) However, it honestly didn’t seem that cold to me. The temperature was rarely below zero degrees but you have to keep in mind that I was only there from September to January. As for ‘common weather’, it was just damp most of the time. I found it much colder in Copenhagen and Stockholm, so you should be fine.

So basically I'm going to study in Shanghai for a year to get my diploma next september, and then transfer to leeds/sheffield. I still confuse about the dormitory that I will chose. I know that the Henry Price building is on the campus near the business faculty, but it doesn't have any common room for students.... so I guess I need to chose another dormitory. do you have any suggestion for me to chose a dormitory that still near the business faculty, with a common room, and a self catered?Thanks

frostedwindows — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:58:00 +0000

I really don’t know much about the other residences that Leeds Uni offers. You should just check out their website (http://accommodation.leeds.ac.uk/) or send them an email. And to be honest with you, I don’t even know where the business faculty is… Sorry, I’m not much help.

I really love your photos, they are beautiful! What camera do you use? and is there any settings you use specifically to achieve the look of your photos? thanks!

frostedwindows — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:25:00 +0000

Thank you! About 99% of the photos on my study abroad were shot with my Panasonic Lumix GF2. The look of my photos isn’t actually achieved through any specific settings. It’s from editing the photos in photoshop.

Cheers! x

hello! i've been looking through your blog (which is great, btw!) and your time at leeds seems like it was really great! i think you mentioned that you were studying communications there. and now that your semester is over, i wanted to ask- how did you find the classes? i'm not sure if you answered this before, but i hope this isn't a bother or anything. in any case, thanks!

frostedwindows — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:21:00 +0000

Thanks! Classes weren’t too difficult, nor where they very easy. The format was the same as my classes back home: lectures and seminars/tutorials. There weren’t any midterms and seminars did not count for anything in the mark breakdown. That just meant that things like papers weighted more in the mark breakdown. Hope that helped! x

london, part one.

frostedwindows — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:47:46 +0000

Around noon on the 21st of January, my time in Leeds as an exchange student at the University of Leeds officially came to an end. It was a sad, sad morning that day, having to say our farewells to the friends that we met during our time on exchange. Lots of tears were shed, and I mean lots, especially from me. I was fine the previous day when Cynthia and I had dropped off Jac at the coach station, probably because I still had a little more time in Leeds. Totally different story the morning after. Linh had to leave around 10AM so her flatmates and I all helped her with her heaps of luggage. After her cab came, we began to say our goodbyes and my goodness, I just burst into tears when I was hugging her. Linh left and I had to go back to finish up the few things that I still needed to pack. Once I finished packing, I said my goodbyes to Cynthia and the girls at my honourary residence (tears were flowing, of course), and I also said goodbyes to two of the most awesome flatmates in the world, Michelle and Houssine. Safe to say, a lot of tears were shed.

The 4.5-hour drive down to London wasn’t the most exciting but it was nice not to have to worry about much since my parents had flew in to help me pack and to spend some time in London with me. How nice of them, eh? We made it to the Glenlyn in the early evening without much trouble and we had dinner at some place called MediGrill, which was mediocre at best but alright considering we were tired and hungry.

With Houssine and Michelle in front of the entrance to our block. Block D, flat 2 holla!

Nice blue sky whilst driving down to London

My first full day in London started off with a traditional British breakfast at the hotel, complete with beans, tomatoes, sausages, and bacon. We took the tube to Victoria station and walked to Buckingham Palace, which was super busy. We didn’t actually plan on seeing the changing of the guard so it was a nice surprise for our timing to work out like that. But I’m not going to lie, the whole changing of the guard thing is a little overrated but I guess it’s just one of those things that you’ve got to do as a tourist in London.

We took a leisurely walk through St. James Park and then, we saw Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. We also saw the London Eye and some of the nearby London scenery. Next, we continued our sightseeing in Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. My mom and I popped inside the National Gallery for a bit and I can now say that I have seen Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, albeit a copy. We walked to Leicester Square and had lunch at Four Seasons in Chinatown. My goodness, the food was expensive and for such small portions! You’d get a lot more for those prices in Vancouver but it hit the spot and it was nice to put an end to the drought.

Piccadilly Circus

Trafalgar Square

After our late lunch, we took the tube to Knightsbridge and went to the heaven that is Harrods. Where do I begin… I practically died in there and I’m not just talking about the collection of accessories, handbags, and clothing. It was actually really busy, probably because it was the last day of sales, and a little on the overwhelming side because there was so much in-store. It is HUGE inside! H-U-G-E. My goodness. I was a little let-down by the remainder of the sale stuff but I lucked out when I got to the shoe department. When I was looking through the racks, I didn’t really find anything so I moved onto the tables and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the right shoe of a gorgeous pair of electric blue Balenciaga pumps. Lucky for me, they were in my size so I tried the shoe on and debated for the longest time on whether I should get them or not. But let’s be real, when you find Balenciaga’s on sale for 50% off, you buy them. Plus, making that purchase totally made me forget about not getting the Céline nano luggage bag that I wanted to get but unfortunately, they only had it in navy blue, which I wasn’t a fan of. After staying in Harrods till closing time, we all went back to Chinatown for dinner and we ate at Dumplings’ Legend. I was really disappointed that they made their xiao long bao with eggs because I was looking forward to having some. Oh well…

See you next time!

i just can't recognize myself, tears of joy run over my face.

frostedwindows — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:32:22 +0000

It’s strange thinking that my exchange is over. I’m now back in Vancouver (and terribly behind on blogging), just getting used to living at home again and the non-British way of doing things. But let’s rewind back to my exchange for the next handful of posts. And yes, this is my way of deluding myself into thinking that I’m still in Europe, travelling and seeing all the things I never got a chance to see when I was on exchange for 5 months. Anyway, my last night in Leeds was a pretty darn good one. There were a ton of kitchen parties going on and lots of groups going clubbing, but those aren’t really my style. I spent the first part of my night having a blast at M83 with my favourite American, Christine.

The concert was so much fun and it was such an amazing way to cap off my time in Leeds. I’m sure a majority of the people who turned up for the sold-out show at the union were most excited to hear ‘Midnight City’ live but nevertheless, you could tell that everyone was so pumped to jam to some killer tunes. The stage set-up was also pretty neat, with some fluorescent tubes of light placed vertically around the stage area. I do love me some fluorescent lights. Highlights of the concert for me would be ‘Midnight City’ (obviously) and ‘Steve McQueen’. Once the concert ended, Christine got a setlist and I got a guitar pick (see below), and we said our farewells. I’m going to miss that girl but I’m sure I’ll see her sometime because I’m totally going to go to Coachella one day…

Miss you dearly, concert buddy!

Because Fruity was still going on in the union after the concert, the night was still young so I popped by my flat to freshen up and head out again. I ended up meeting up with Linh, Cynthia, Ursula, and Claudia, and we all went to the Old Bar in the union for a drink. We all got the same drink and chatted for a while, reminiscing on our time in Leeds. I’m going to miss the girls of K3.2, where I’m an honourary resident because I was over there so often.

Cynthia, Linh, Ursula, Claudia, and me all ended up getting the same drink at the Old Bar in the union - pineapple juice with Malibu.

Clothworkers’s courtyard, how I shall miss taking classes there…

The guitar pick I got at the concert!

Until next time, mes amis…

home.

frostedwindows — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:10:00 +0000

This is going to be a super short post. I just wanted to let you guys know that I’ve arrived back in Vancouver. My exchange has finally come to an end. It was a bittersweet ending but more on that later when I’ve caught up on blogging…

harrogate and a little bit of jamie's italian.

frostedwindows — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:02:20 +0000

A little over two weeks ago, some friends and I took a short break from exams to celebrate Cynthia’s birthday at Jamie’s Italian in the city centre. Jamie as in Jamie Oliver, in case you were wondering. Funny thing about this night is that we waited and waited for Cynthia to show up but she never did until about an hour into dinner. The dinner was delicious but someone needs to remind me not to order the chicken because it was honestly like a glorified version of Nando’s.

The next day, we took the bus to Harrogate, which is really close to Leeds and only a short 30-minute ride. Harrogate is such a pretty town! It’s well-known for its spas and spa water. We walked around the Valley Gardens, which were beautiful! And thank goodness the weather was holding up that day. Although it was very cold, the sun was shining and there were few clouds in the sky. We had lunch at Bettys Café Tea Rooms, much recommended if you’re ever in York or Harrogate. All the girls had been there before except for me so it was a pleasure to eat there for the first time. I’m allergic to eggs so I couldn’t eat a lot of what was on the menu. I opted for a delicious mushroom and chick rösti with a yummy hot chocolate.

Cheers!

berlin, part three.

frostedwindows — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:44:30 +0000

I started off my final full day in Berlin with a trip to the Bauhaus-Archiv, a museum housing things art works, documents, and furniture that all are related to the Bauhaus. You could definitely see the notion that ‘form follows function’ in the things that were on display in the museum. No pictures were allowed inside, but just so you guys have an idea, they had paintings, drawings, models, furniture, tapestries, and a lot more by people like Oskar Schlemmer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Walter Gropius, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

I had a little time after my visit to the Bauhaus-Archiv, so I took the U-Bahn to Alexanderplatz and did a super quick browsing of Cos. I did find some things I liked but I didn’t have enough time to try things on because I needed to get to the Sammlung Boros for my tour of the collection. For those of you that don’t know, the Sammlung Boros collection is the contemporary art collection of Berlin-based advertising entrepreneur, Christian Boros, and his wife, Karen. What is really cool about the collection, apart from the amazing art works, is that it is housed in a WWII bunker, which they have converted to house their personal collection and they also built an additional level on top of the bunker, making it into a penthouse for themselves.

As for the actual collection, I seriously cannot begin to describe how amazing it is. Any contemporary art lover will die and go to heaven in this place. No pictures allowed either here… The collection was by far the highlight of my trip, especially since I had a gorgeous tour guide named Clément. Totally the type of guy I go for. And if you really want to imagine him, he looked like a skinnier version of Gael Garcia Bernal. Anyway, the current showcase of the Boros collection is all about installation works; the bunker will close in August and the collection will be rotated to paintings and photography. Thank goodness I was lucky enough to see this because I am all about this kind of contemporary art. There were works by many leading contemporary artists including Olafur Eliasson, Anselm Reyle, Santiago Sierra, and Sarah Lucas. The Sammlung Boros is totally worth checking out when you’re in Berlin!

Kris Martin, For Whom… (2008)

Since I was still out and I knew that shops would still be open, so I went back to Alexanderplatz again. I was planning on going back to Cos but the window display of a boutique called Ulf Haines caught my eye. In the display was a bunch of the iridescent Comme des Garçons wallets for the holiday season. To make a long story short, I left with a new coin purse. Shopaholic syndrome strikes again!

Pictures of my Berlin purchases:

That’s it for Berlin!

berlin, part two.

frostedwindows — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:08:32 +0000

Continuing on from from the previous Berlin post, I took the U-Bahn to a station near the Berlinische Galerie, which would be my final touristy stop for the day. I got off at the wrong station or exit and ended up so much further from the gallery than I expected. It took me about 40 minutes to get to the gallery because I was seriously that far away! Eventually, I found it and paid for my admission, only to find out that you have to pay an extra 2 euros if you want to use your camera in the gallery. First time that I’ve ever encountered something like that… And as I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect in the gallery, I paid that fee just in case I saw some stuff worth documenting. Not too sure if the exhibitions are the same right now, but when I was there, they had some interesting exhibitions: J. Mayer H., Friedrich Seidenstücker, Eva Besnyö, and a video art exhibition.

After the Berlinische Galerie, I went back to my hostel for a little bit of a break and I met a really lovely girl, Gabrielle, from Wellington, New Zealand. She’s an absolute sweetheart and we got along really well. So, her, me, and Sophie, decided to go for dinner at Mommseneck, which is a restaurant that has 100 different kinds of beer. I ordered the baked camembert and specifically told the waiter that I am allergic to eggs but of course, he didn’t take me seriously and I ended up having an allergic reaction. I’m so sure that the beer batter had eggs in it. Such a pity because it was actually quite good…

Final Berlin post will be up soon, I promise!

love your berlin post! i'm trying to organise myself to have a trip there soon and i was just wondering if you had any advise? i seem to start getting bogged down with lots of details when i weigh up how much everything will be!

frostedwindows — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Thank you! As for advice, it would have to depend on how long your stay would be. Since I was only going to be there for 4 days and 3 nights, I made sure to do everything that I wanted to do. While I know there’s so much history in Berlin, I didn’t have time to do that and frankly, I didn’t want to be depressed the entire time I was there. So, I picked and chose the stuff I was most interested in and did those.

In terms of money, I actually found it wasn’t that expensive… But perhaps that’s because I’ve now experienced super expensive cities like Stockholm and Copenhagen. Just make yourself a budget and plan accordingly. I’m sure it will all work out! Good luck xx

berlin, part one.

frostedwindows — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:28:00 +0000

I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking when I decided to book a short trip to Berlin right before exams, but hey, you only live once, right? The morning I left, I only got an hour and half of sleep. I was planning on sleeping during my flight but my flight from Manchester kept getting delayed. After 2 hours of delays, I finally arrived in Berlin around 3:30pm, taking the train and the U-Bahn to my hostel without much trouble. The rest of my day was relatively chill, as I mainly unpacked and got settled in to the hostel. I did get to go for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Incontri with a few girls I met at the hostel.

The next day was one of those days where I squeezed as much as I could into one day. Surprisingly enough, I did manage to do everything I had planned for that day and I even squeezed in a little shopping too. First off, I took the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn to see some of Berlin’s most famous sights - the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe!

Afterwards, I went back to Alexanderplatz to check out the Rotes Rathaus (city hall) and the Berliner Dom. It’s such a pity that there was so much construction going on around city hall because it’s actually a really beautiful building. I obviously did a little research before I left so I knew that some of my favourite stores were in the general area. Of course I had to stop by my faves, Weekday and Acne. It was quite cold out and I didn’t actually pack enough warm clothing for this trip (i.e. my Oxford Uni jumper, a crop top, and a thin T by AWang v-neck), so I bought a knit jumper at Weekday. Perfect excuse for a little shopping, no? I wasn’t actually planning on buying anything at Acne but how can I resist a sign that says ‘40% off’? Pretty sure you can guess what happened next… I ended up leaving with the ‘Zone’ tank top printed with a drawing by Daniel Silver. I resisted shopping some more at Cos so I put up my mental blinders and went back to the hostel to drop off my new purchases.

I went back out to check out the East Side Gallery, which is a 1.3km-long section of the Berlin Wall. The wall is home to 105 paintings done by artists from all ends of the earth. There are some really amazing works and it was nice to see a little bit of colour in the particularly dreary weather that I had the opportunity of experiencing whilst I was in Berlin.

There are still are lot more photos from this day but I didn’t want to overload you guys with a billion photos so I split this day into two posts. The continuation of this day will be up soon!