A Taste of Home!

        Last week I was lucky enough to have some visitors!! After a very busy travel sesh I was back in Leuven to start classes for the week just before James and my mom arrived! I was so excited to share my home here, with them. We had a big trip planned with lots of places to travel (are you surprised?!). Along with James and my Mom, there were some other great guests: Sue, Marianne, Gerry, Trish, Joan, Sarah, Dotty, and Deirdre (as a later arrival)!

First stop: LEUVEN

Marianne, Mom & Gerry at dinner.

Everyone else at dinner (minus mom, the photographer!) at the brew house.

Starting our trek to Amsterdam bright and early!

Ah train travel, how i've missed you...
actually, no it hasn't been long enough since we parted...

Mom & I in Amsterdam.

James outside the Anne Frank Huis.

     We only stayed in Amsterdam for one night, but we saw a lot nonetheless. We went to the Anne Frank Huis, on a boat ride in the canals, and even made a pit stop in the red light district...because it is something you can't believe unelss you see. James had never been here, so I was so glad he got to see this city. Aside from the crazy things that go on here, Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful places I have been.

Note to self: We're not in America anymore...

Yes, you are really seeing this. In Amsterdam there are public urinals along the public streets.
There aren't too many things that surprise me now-a-days, but this still seems unreal...

James and I before hopping on the train to Paris.

#strugglecity
I guess our little (actually huge) world traveler is a little tired!

PARIS

          Once we arrived in France we had to make our way to our hotel with just enough time to drop or bags and climb the eiffel tower (and by "climb," I mean take a huge elevator). It was great because last time I was in Paris I did not go in the tower, I was so happy to experience it for the first time with some people I love! Paris is really such a beautiful place and I still have to pinch myself whenever I think that I have been there...twice! 

Mom, James and Sue at the Eiffel Tower.

Atop the Tour de Eiffel! 

French fries in France? THAT SHIT CRAYYY!

       We did a lot during our short time in Paris as well. We went to the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and more... The weather was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better day to be exploring the city. 

James and the ladies.

France Fact: The lock bridge in Paris is really quite lovely. The idea behind it is that couples in love come and put a lock on the bridge together. They throw the key into the Seine as a testament to their never ending love. CUTE. 

Frog's leg anyone?

I obviously had to give it a try...
Tastes like chicken!

         After hitting all the tourist spots and searching the city for Longchamp bags, I was content with our stay. We were headed to Brussels for a few nights of "rest," from all the traveling. I had to go to class (yes, I actually have class..sometimes...) and everyone else went on a day trip to Brugge and Gent. I joined the crew the following day to visit Antwerp. 

Gerry & Marianne with the "not so amazing," Mannequin Pis. 

Mom & I in Antwerp!

After a few bumps in the road (AKA 3 of 10 of us being slammed with a stomach virus...), we bounced back and were ready for Germany!

Fun times on the train!
Hey Dee Heyyyy!

         So we arrived in Munich and got ready for our Foor & Beer tour...obviously. It was a lot of fun, we had a great guide and got to go to the Oktoberfest Museum, as well as learn some history of the city, and of course sample so of Munich's famous brews!

Mom & James

Germany can't even handle him right now...

At the Oktoberfest Museum.

We had an authentic German dinner, it was quite a spread!

We ended the night at the famous Hofbrauhaus!

        For our last day in Munich we decided to go to Dachau, where the first concentration camp was opened. Since I have already been to Aushwitz and Birkenau, I knew what to expect, and I knew how powerful the experience would be. It was a really eye opening day, and once again it makes you realize how lucky you are. 

At the Dachau Memorial.

         After an extremely interesting day, we started to make our way back to Belgium. We decided to stay a night in Frankfurt, Germany to split up the journey. 

Rosie lookin' fresh as usual!

Just hanging with the bulls...

Prost!
Enjoying some schnitzel in Germany!

Back to Belgium we go!

Thank goodness he is strong...we had some baggage troubles to say the least!

Brussels, Belgium

That's my huis! HOLLA!

        I suppose all good things must come to an end....early Sunday everyone had to head back to the good 'ole US of A. They made it safely back to New York and I was ready to get back to reality! (even though my life still feels like a dream...) We saw so much in such a short period of time, and luckily everything went smoothly! It was a fabulous trip and I will never forget it! See you all back in America!

Soooooo Many Cities, Sooooooo Little Time. EUROTRIP 2012

           After a dragged out two weeks of studying, I was more than ready to get moving! Nora and I were setting out on a 17 day journey, interrail passes in hand. We ended up hitting 20 + cities within 11 different countries. Looking back I can't believe all that we saw, it truly was AMAZING.

All packed and ready to go!

         Now since there was just sooo much that went on during these 2 1/2 weeks, I am going to try and highlight the major moments to keep it interesting...

First stop, Berlin!

         We left Leuven Friday January 27th en route to Berlin. We headed to Brussels, than Cologne, Germany, and finally arriving in Berlin by evening. We got up bright and early on Saturday to take a tour of the city. I learned so much walking around the historic city because there is just so much that went on there. Berlin was my favorite stop in terms of "history." It is hard to choose a favorite city, so I will just list 'favorites' according to different categories. Some of the top sights were Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, and the Brandenburg Gate just to name a few. There were also a great deal of memorials in memory of all the lives lost over the course of the many conflicts that took place in Europe in the 20th century.

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany

WARNING: Many European cities have statues with men on horses,
and I have many pictures to defend this claim.

Dresdin, Germany

         Prague was such a beautiful place, everywhere you looked there was wonderful architecture. We went on a walking tour of the city and saw most of the old town, as well as making our way across the bridge to get a glimpse of the John Lennon Love Wall. This city was one of my top picks!

Love Wall


Next Stop: Krakow, Poland!

This was our longest train ride, just over 11 hours. Luckily it was an overnight train,
and we had the luxury of curling up in our own car over three seats...

                  Poland was by far the coldest place I have ever been. I never really put much though into the idea that going to Poland in January may not be the best idea, but YOLO. We layered as much as we could and took a tour of the city.

This is the Cloth Hall near the city center. There is a market inside that sells a lot of nice things.
I picked up a pair of amber earrings, as amber is very popular in Krakow.

     The following day we decided to go to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum.We knew it would be a somber day, but thought that it was such an important part of history that it could not be overlooked. We went on a 3-hour tour of the site and learned so much about those horrible times. It was -20 degrees Celsius and I have never felt so cold. It really put into perspective how horrid
those days were when people were at the camp. I had four layers of leggings under my jeans, plus underarmor, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, etc. and the people who were held at this camp had nothing. It was truly a moving experience and it was something that I will never forget.

The famous gate at Auschwitz that translates to say that 'hard work will set you free.'
 It was something that really gave my the chills.

To put into perspective how cold it really was,
my nalgene actually froze while it was in my bag during the tour...

        After a frigid visit in Poland, I headed to Slovakia to meet up with Pavla and Oliver! I got to stay at Pavla's home in Banska Stiavanka. It was a beautiful village about 3 hours outside of the capital, Bratislava. I was welcomed so warmly into her home and I was lucky enough to meet her family and spend the day where she grew up. We went to church and a quaint tea house that was so cozy! I loved every minute!

Banska Stiavnka

            The next day myself, Nora, Pavla, & Oliver headed to Bratislava. Pavla and Oliver had to finish taking exams and we stayed in their flat in the city. We had personal tour guides and we were able to see the beautiful country they call home! We had some delicious traditional food to really get a taste of Slovakia!

Pavla and I in Bratislava, Slovakia.

In Vienna we went on another walking tour. Everything was so beautiful!

Our next stop was Budapest, Hungary. This is a picture of Budapest Castle. We walked over the famous chain bridge that crosses from the Buda to the Pest side of the city. It was fabulous. 

Snow was falling when we arrived in Zagreb, Croatia. It was really nice to see in the winter, but I'm sure it would be even more wonderful in the warmth!
(Note: Another statue with a man on a horse.)

Who's excited to be in Slovenia?! THIS GIRL!
We spent a few hours exploring Ljubljana. 

Nora and I were very excited to head back to Austria to Salzburg. We were heading on a Sound of Music tour to see some of the beautiful sights featured in the film!

This is the fountain the Von Trapp children danced around in the movie.
We are standing in Mirabell Gardens, a site where quite a few scenes were filmed. 

The hills are alive in the Lake District!
Salzburg, Austria

Next, we headed back to Germany. Munich it is!

We went on a tour of the city and ended up in the famous
 Hofbrauhaus to taste was Germany is known for!
Cheers!

I had an authentic German meal: jagerschnitzel and semmelknodel!

Liechtenstein was our next goal, it may only be a micronation, but we had some big dreams to stop by! We had to take a bus because no trains actually went straight there...

Liechtenstein wasn't exactly a tourist "hotspot," which was sort of expected.
But throughout the city of Vaduz there were plenty of car dealerships and banks! 

And regardless, how many people could actually say they have been to Liechtenstein!?!?

Zurich, Switzerland was next! Switzerand was really a wonderful place to visit,
it was really expensive (as expected), but that's the beauty of spending just a day everywhere!

Can I even get any more Swiss?! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NORA! Spending her 21st on a train heading back towards Belgium!
#winning!

Now for our last stop before Belgium, Luxembourg! 

Due to some train problems our day in Luxembourg was cut short,
but we still got to walk around a bit and soak up the country!

THAT'S A WRAP!
I know this was an excessively long post, but that parallels this trip.
 It was an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life! 

Home for the Holidays!

        So after a wonderful first semester in Leuven, I was ready to get some family time! We were supposed to head home December 22nd, but after the imminent threat of the Belgian air-spaces shutting down and us being stuck here until the new year, we decided to hop on a flight as day earlier. Luckily, we beat the threat of the strike and were home in time for Christmas! I was beyond thrilled when my dad and Ciara were there to pick me up at the airport. I got back to NHP in time to get Colleen from school at 3 o'clock, and by that evening, James and my mom were home from as well and we were all together again! Ciara, Colleen, and I made a trip to see Peter Pan in New York City the night I came home..needless to say I was struggling by the second act since it was almost 4am Belgian time. Jet-lag really hit me hard back in the states!

My favorite people!

         Most of my break consisted of spending time at home and soaking up the little things that I had missed for the previous four months..refridergated milk, free plastic bags at the grocery store, and oh yeah MY FAMILY! On Christmas Eve we all went to mass together and than went back to hang out with some more of the Downings, its was really the best Christmas a girl could ask for! On Christmas Day we headed to Granny's in Woodside where everyone managed to make it this year! We even have the picture to prove it...

What a good lookin' group!

       After Christmas, I went to a bunch of James' and Colleen's basketball games, that is one thing I really miss being away! I am sometimes lucky enough to stream Ciara's games live through the Hopkins sight if I dare to stay away through the wee hours of the morning! Ciara headed to California for a New Year's tournament with her team, so myself, Mom, and Col made the trek to Baltimore to see her off. We spent two nights down there and I was so glad to be able to be in Baltimore again. New Year's was fun, it was great spending it at home with the people I love. I really appreciated every moment of the break.

My Fave Ballers

Ciara getting ready for practice!

J-boi warming up! #madhops

Don't let her size fool you, this girl's got game!

         So aside from the basketball, I also got to squeeze in some quality cousin bonding. Although not everyone could make it, Shannon, Joanne, and myself to the ferry up to CT to meet up with Allie and Christie. We were delighted to see a breathtaking sunset on the boat...

What a wonderful world!

   
         So as my short, but sweet trip home winded down, I prepared to head back to Leuven to take my final exams. I had two weeks of studying, and than I was setting out on the adventure of a lifetime around Europe. There are so many more adventures ahead!

Holidays in the Huis: Sinterklaas & Christmas

        December has been quite a busy month at the huis! There has been a lot of homework, traveling, and luckily...holiday parties! Lets start off with Sinterklaas...

         Sinterklaas is a holiday celebrated on December 6th in Belgium. Sinterklaas is a saint that comes from Spain to deliver goodies to all of the good little girls and boys. The concept is very similar to Santa Claus in the U.S. (Santa Claus doesn't exist to the children of Belgium, just Sinterklaas). Another thing that Sinterklaas does is "rat you out," for all that you have done throughout the year. He has his helpers, the Zwarte Piet, who are black with ashes from the chimney. This is the case because the Zwarte Piet climb down the chimney and than open the front door for Sinterklaas to come in. On the night of December 5th everyone in the huis left out one of their shoes, a carrot and sugar cube for the horse, a beer for the Zwarte Piet, and a letter for Sinterklaas. We awoke on the 6th with treats in our shoes and everything else gone!

         The Belgians organized a Sinterklaas party for the other internationals so we could fully embrace their tradition. There were games, snacks, and a few special visitors!

Sinterklaas arriving with the Zwarte Piet!

I got called up to play "Sho Sho Slagroom." In this game you had to put a dollop of whipped cream (a.k.a. slagroom) on your palm and than hit your forearm to fling the cream into your mouth...not messy at all... 

Shayne and I were called up so Sinterklaas could criticize our cooking skillz.
There is nothing wrong with cooking in a microwave! #AWK.

     Sinterklaas was a lot of fun and there was a lot of candy! It was great to share this Belgian tradition with out new friends. I learned a lot and enjoyed all the games. Now, onto Christmas!

       Due to the unfortunate timing of our Dutch final, we had our Christmas party the same day. It was a great way to relax after the final was over, but it put a damper on the planning. Even with a Dutch final to study for, we managed to gather up our favorite Christmas traditions and throw a really fun party.
   
         In the huis, we did a Secret Santa among everyone. We received our Secret Santa at Thanksgiving Dinner, and from that date on, everyone left little treats and notes for that person. It was really fun to sneak around and try not to get caught!

A gift supposedly left for me by my Secret Santa..what is it? Beats me! Little did I know, two of my "oh so funny," unit members tried to throw me off by pretending to be my Secret Santa! (Stipe and Mayank....I should've known!)

                                      At the Christmas party, everyone's Secret Santa was revealed!

Our Christmas tree with all of the presents!

Astrid and I coloring our "Frosty the Snowman."

Here is everyone anxiously waiting to find who there Secret Santa is!

      There was Hot Chocoalte, Gluvhein, and plenty of Christmas Music (supplied by yours truly).

One happy, yet dysfunctional family!

       For our final Unit 3 activity, we decided to have a going away dinner for Shayne. Mayank made us a delicious and authentic Indian meal for dinner. Clara made a delicious apple pie as well..YUM! After our meal we all ventured to the Leuven Christmas Market to get into the holiday spirit.

The beautiful Leuven Christmas Market!

Some of the best people you could ever meet!

        After an amazing first semester, it was time to head back to the states to celebrate Christmas with my family! So many memories, but lucky for me, there are so many more to come! See you next year Leuven, its been real!

                                              Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!