Berlin-->Nice-->Barcelona-->Paris

Guten tag (again)!

I’m back in Berlin! Once again my blogging consistency has failed and it’s been three some weeks since I’ve posted. To catch you up, if you’re interested, this is what I’ve done so far.

Berlin, Germany

I spent three days in Berlin recovering from tonsillitis, waiting for my ears to pop from the airplane’s descent (took four very painful days of waiting), waiting for my bank to understand that I would be withdrawing money from strange places and waiting for a train to Nice, France. I tried to spend as little as possible and just walked around the city for the duration of my stay.

I met up with an old friend (from pre-school) who accompanied me to Nice and on to Barcelona. We visited the Holocaust Memorial, which was more striking and eerie that I had anticipated; snacked on some currywurst at a little indoor market waiting for the rain to pass; and visited Soluna Brot und Öl, to see if the New York Times really knew what they were talking about. We bought a two kilo loaf of Rundling bread and some raspberry-ginger jam and snacked on a picnic bench outside a nearby church (and for days after…the loaf lasted us about a week).

Nice, France

We finally boarded a night train from Berlin to Nice the following day to arrive in a torrential downpour. We planned to stay three nights at the Villa Saint Exupery Hostel up on the hill waiting in anticipation of Barcelona where we were going to meet Claire, yet another friend from grade school. We spent two days wandering the beach, harbors and markets, especially admiring the fake-snow covered conifers displayed at the ubiquitous Christmas markets.

Barcelona, Spain

We met Jacob, a student from Stanford who was traveling to Barcelona day ahead of us. With no set itinerary, we cancelled our last night in the Villa and followed Jacob to Barcelona a day early. Together we took a free walking tour around Las Ramblas, the main road through Barcelona, and otherwise just wandered the city taking in sights like Gaudi’s Sangrada Familia.

The next day when Jacob had left, we met up with Claire and spent the next five nights in Kabul hostel off of the Placa Reial. Experiencing the night life in Barcelona requires one to sleep half the day if not more, as things don’t really get started until 2am and last until 6am. We still managed to be awake in daylight hours to see the Barcelona Zoo, the magic fountain and catch a movie at the Verdi Cinema. And lots of paella, tapas and sangria were consumed in those five days.

Paris, France

Claire returned to the States from Barcelona on the 21st. We said our good-byes and Owen and I set off North. We went as far as Montpellier then parted ways, he back to Nice, I to Paris. I hadn’t anticipated visiting the bank-draining metropolis, but it had the cheapest flights out to Dublin, my next stop, so made a pit stop in the interim.

I stayed at a 20 Euro a night hostel, the cheapest I could find, for three nights. I spent the following two days leisurely (and cheaply) seeing the city. In an attempt to travel cheaply I ate mostly out of a grocery marts (with the exception of some compulsory éclairs and crepes), enjoying some Muenster, camembert and bries on bread.

My first site was the Notre Dame Cathedral. I had intended to find an English bookstore, but the metro stop I got off at was coincidentally kitty-corner to the magnanimous church. Shakespeare & Co., the bookstore I was trying to find, ended up being right across the street and rather than finding a guide book as I had hoped, I walked out with a new Chuck Palahniuk novel and read several chapters at a neighboring café with an espresso and crepe. I perused the Jardin du Luxumbourg, the Pantheon perimeter (it was 11 Euro to go inside) and wandered the streets en route to the Tour Eiffel.

That night I visited the Eiffel Tower. I showed up before sunset to see it in daylight. I found another café around the corner and read and consumed copious amounts of espresso until twilight when the lights turned on. I retired to my hostel with a round of brie, a loaf of bread and an orange for a quiet evening.
The next day I circled the Arc du Triomphe (9 Euro to see the center) and the Musee du Louvre exterior. I stopped at yet another café for an espresso and éclair and read. A friend had recommended that I scale the Eiffel Tower at night so I returned for another go. I spent sunset perusing a Christmas market across just across the Seine. I enjoyed some warm Christmas wine and a chocolate crepe in the waiting. At twilight I paid 3.50 Euro to scale the 800 some stairs to viewing level one and two. I waited for over an hour and was on my way down when the delightfully tacky twinkle show started. When it was all said and done I descended the tower, headed back to the hostel and enjoyed some Muenster and rye and prepared for my early morning flight.

Dublin is another story. I'll update soon (this time I promise!).