Sightseeing, London Edition

Welcome to 221b Baker Street

Does this address sound familiar to you? “221b Baker Street”

How about this name? “Dr. Watson”

No? Then… “SHERLOCK HOLMES”

Yes! We all know the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and the fabulous tales of solving crimes and kicking criminals’ a**. We have seen the movie with Robert Downey, Jr., and we know the books written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Subsequently, we now make the connection, Sherlock Holmes lived in London. On Baker Street. Right by the Baker Street tube. Indeed, extremely close to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum.

Oh. There he is! Obviously, I HAD to visit this museum. To me, it was already pretty awesome walking around Central London pointing out all the places I remember from the movie. I thereby wanted to see the actual house where Holmes lived.

221b Baker Street, a surprisingly small, narrow building, stands next to a Beatles store and Subway (…Eat Fresh!)

When Jack and I arrived at the museum, many people were already lined up to go inside. Because of its size, they only let about 10 people in at a time. Kind of annoying, but preserving the building and NOT letting it collapse may have been a good priority.

And voila! We finally entered the building. A bit amusing, but none other than Dr. Watson himself greeted us.

“Welcome! Welcome to the modest little place that I share with Sherlock!”

How cute is he?

After a little chat and a little photo sesh with Dr. Watson, we made our way through the tiny apartment. The study room… Sherlock’s room with all his handy dandy detective gear…

A letter Sherlock wrote to Watson also on display…

Then upstairs, suddenly the exhibit turned into a wax museum. They had recreated scenes from each Sherlock Holmes book.

Engaged in a serious staring contest… But those wax figures did look extremely real. When I first walked in and saw the “people” hanging from the roof, I almost let out a small scream.

Though 6 pounds for entry, I thought this visit to the museum was definitely worthwhile. Though not a place I would see multiple times, I had a great time walking up and down the narrow stairs and looking at all the furniture, artifacts and memorabilia dedicated to this “fictional” character.

http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/

Why I Miss Traveling…

Of course there are hundreds (or thousands) of perks of being home – home-cooked meals, easy communication, cozy bed, lovely friends and just the comfort of knowing that you’re close to people and place you love.

But then…Why do I miss traveling so much?

After spending four months away from familiar buildings, faces, food and culture, I was initially happy to be back in my comfort zone. Now that I have resumed an endless cycle of work-eat-sleep, however, I would love love love to return to unfamiliar territories.

First and foremost, I miss exploring. I am not the type to just take off one day and venture out to mysterious neighborhoods, but as long as I have my map, I’m more than happy to take the winding narrow sidestreets.

Oh, I don’t know. How else would you find Waffle-bob Squarepants in the middle of Brussels?

Or these mega-cool Star Wars & Star Trek postage stamps in Madrid?

Besides discovering unique antique stores or tiny family-run restaurants with only three tables, meeting great people and making new friends also make me happy, fulfilled and content.

I may or may not stay friends with everyone I meet on the road, but at least for the brief few days you’re stuck with them in small hostels or extreme-euro dance clubs, everyone is simply BFF(aeaeaeae…).

Aside from incredibly friendly and wonderful hostel owners – Giuseppe, Andrea and Mabri, etc. – I remember having great conversations with and sometimes having awkward/hilarious encounters on streets with a Dutch kid, a Norwegian couple, girls from Wisconsin, crazy Brits on a bar crawl in Berlin, a couple from Texas… Oh, and of course, a BU ALUM! What a small world.

Regardless, transitioning from having nothing in common except for being in foreign countries together to being friends even for just 10 minutes. I miss that kind of interaction with people. The one where strangers just stare at you and bump into you on the T is no fun.

I also missing walking down the street and simply admiring the gorgeous architecture. Granted Europe is certainly a lot older than North America, the beauty of its buildings, churches, houses and schools is incomparable.

London Eye… (I know it’s not Gothic or romantic or whatever, but it’s pretty!)

Vatican City…

Trevi Fountain…

Notre Dame…

And of course, the scenery beats everything, too. The beaches, the river, the park…

The view from Sacre Coer…

Cefalu…

Nonetheless, something MORE beautiful than the coastline and architecture is food. Seriously, one of the best parts about traveling to new cities was trying out new dishes.

I had the opportunity to devour, er, I mean, savor, the best Bratwurst, the Currywurst, the freshest clams, the best pasta, the most delicious prosciutto, the white Sicilian pizza, the English breakfast, the richest Guinness pie… Ah, the list goes on.

Additionally, these fresh ingredients are all available at amazingly low price at markets – even including high-quality wine, cheese and meat.

Often I could have a full 3-course dinner for under 5 euros. Of course, it’s nothing fancy. It’s rather delicious sandwiches from a stand run by two brothers, then gelato and a glass of sangria. But those affordable items from friendly owners and chefs were so much better than five-star, $50 per dish food.

For example, a loaf of baguette, a big wheel of cheese and a huge basket of strawberries cost me 3 euros total in Paris, and don’t you worry, they were DELICIOUS.

Arancine, a fried rice ball with cheese or ham or even curry, is Sicily’s signature food. Big enough to serve as a whole meal, Arancine definitely counted as one of Sicily’s charms. And the best part… Only 2 euros. What? I know.

I would certainly hop on the plane and travel around if given a chance. I mean, why not? All these great food, architecture and people await.

Maybe, if I’m lucky, in the next five years or so, I’ll be able to afford (both time and money) to embark on a brand new adventure. Australia sounds just fine. Or the Middle East.

Frohe Ostern von Berlin!

How did I let this happen? Seriously? HOW COME I STILL HAVEN’T WRITTEN ABOUT MY FAVORITE WEEKEND TRIP? I blame it on the madness that was April – moving out, packing for Italy and studying for final exams – and May – pigging out on home-cooked meals, shopping with mom and enjoying the Texas sun.

Well, anywho… I did go to Berlin, Deutschland for the long weekend in April, the Easter weekend, and to this day, I love love love telling the story of how we almost ended up in Dresden, instead. Lesson learned: Always double check train’s destination before you hop on it, especially in a foreign country after you’ve been up since 2 a.m. to catch the 6 a.m. flight.

Leaving whatever happened at the Berlin Shoenefield Airport train station behind, Jack and I eventually made it to our hostel, located right next to Berlin Haupbahnhof station. Meininger was the biggest and the most modern hostel we stayed at the entire semester. While small hostels, such as the ones we found in Dublin and Sicily, have their own perks of cozyness, comfort and personal attention, big hostels are well-maintained and offer more big-group activities.

After we dropped off our backpacks, we began our German adventures with…THE FREE TOUR! The same deal as the ones in Dublin and Paris. I quickly found Berlin was full of interesting ironies. Brandenburg Gate, at least 300-year-old historic monument, stood right next to the all-glass, extremely modern Parliament building. The Holocaust Memorial, with no clear sign of what it’s supposed to represent, simply sat in the middle of the city. All in all, we saw numerous historic sights, ate almost too many sausages and fell in love with the German culture.

(Brandenburg Gate)

(Holocaust Memorial)

Since close to two months have already flown by since my trip to Berlin, I will actually make categories and lists of places I visited, food I ate, things I loved, etc. – with lots of pictures, of course!

First things first, FOOD & DRINKS. (I mean, are you surprised?)

1. Bratwurst: Yes, sausages. Why else would you ever visit Germany? Grilled perfectly – burnt a little outside but still tender and juicy inside. Moreover, I discovered something absolutely amazing called CURRYWURST. Jack was daring enough to try it first, but basically, it is perfectly grilled bratwurst cut into small pieces with curry sauce and curry powder on top. I know, sounds a bit weird. The taste, however, is superb. By far my favorite food discovery in Europe.

2. Berliner Pilsner: Great German beer. Regardless of what size beer you ask for, you will most likely end up with a huge stein.

3. Cheap Thai/Vietnamese Food: For only 3 euro, I had a big bowls of Vietnamese noodle for lunch. Then for only about 10 euro, I had a huge plate of Thai noodle for dinner. Yum!

(Sightseeing) ACTIVITIES:

1. Climbing to the top of the Parliament building for a gorgeous city view: One downside is you have to start lining up at around 7:45 a.m. for its 8 a.m. opening time. Multiple upside factors are amazing view and no need to pay to enjoy the view.

2. Pub Crawls: Truth – Berlin S-Bahn and U-Bahn operate 24 hours a day on weekends. Need I say more? Great night life – we went to all sorts of pubs/bars during our pub crawl. We started off at Zapata, an outdoor hangout place, went to Die Fisch (Yes, The Fish!), a hip dance-y bar, then moved on to a bro-ish club and finally, sorta Euro-trash club. So. Much. Fun. We also made friends from NY and Norway. Sweet deal.

3. Picnic at Museuminsel: By Museuminsel, I mean The Museum Island where all the major museums in Berlin surround a gorgeous green. By picnic, I actually mean Currywursts. On a warm afternoon, just try it. Couple of Currywursts and a couple cans of Berliner Pilsner!

[Sidenote: At the Museum Island, you can also visit Pergammon Museum, which houses ancient Greek statues and Babylonian architecture. You can also get student discounts!]

4. Oranianburg Daytrip: About an hour away on the U-Bahn, this site of former concentration camp is definitely worth a visit. We ended up spending an entire afternoon there. Not sure how to describe it in words, but you just learn so much and realize how wonderful it is to have your freedom, happiness and simply, joyful life.

Oh Berlin! What a fun city! Throughout the weekend, I also noticed Berlin was full of tourists – almost more than London! I was a bit thrown off by how many people spoke French and complicated Eastern European languages around me, but nevertheless, blended in just fine and had a great time.

If I ever get a chance, I definitely want to visit Frankfurt, Dresden (not accidentally this time) and Hamburg. And also, practice my German skills!

Picnic at Greenwich Park

The weather in London finally decided to let some sun into the England sky the last week of my semester abroad — which means we ditched studying for finals and went for a picnic in Greenwich Park instead. Obviously, what else is there to do when the sun is shining for the first time in four months? 😉

Technically Greenwich is located about 30-40 minutes of a tube ride on Jubilee line, but thanks to the pre-Olympics construction on London’s public transportation, we had to hop on the ferry from Embankment, down Thames River to East London.

Greenwich is home to the Royal Naval College, which totally beats BU in location, beauty and the view, PRIME MERIDIAN LINE, the Royal Observatory and the National Maritime Museum. While I didn’t have time to browse around the museum, I did have plenty of time to stand in two different time zones at the same time, enjoy some wine and cheese and reflect on my Berlin trip while eating Currywursts at the market.

The picture depicts the Naval College’s quad. The grassy field overlooking the Canary Wharf invites passersby to sit down for a bit, read a little and relax in the sun.

Just look at me, magical. That is…Drumroll please…PRIME MERIDIAN! Am I the only one this excited to take a picture with this marker?

Hill/grass filled with people loving the weather and their picnic. Good to know we weren’t the only ones procrastinating?

In the main part of Greenwich you can find pubs, McDonald’s (without a fail in any city), restaurants and best of all, markets. The indoor market, though I don’t have a picture of it, offered many different kinds of souvenirs, drinks and food. The outdoor market – right by the dock – featured the biggest PICK & MIX collection, Currywursts and Paella. Seriously, can Greenwich get any better than that?

Oh wait, I think it just did. 🙂 What a great photo – courtesy of Madelyn and Christina. And what a wonderful day in the sun with awesome friends.