Lunch in Poland

On Wednesday afternoon I had some free time, so I decided to do something novel and head to Poland for lunch. The border is just an hour and a bit away from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, just take the train to Frankfurt Oder and walk across the bridge.

The idea initially occurred to Greg and I, because of our semester ticket of free travel within the Berlin-Brandenburg area. Unfortunately, I actually found out that our ticket doesn't go quite as far as the border (oopsy), but as I was already on my way back by the time the ticket lady caught me out, I was let off with a warning. Either way our semester tickets do go pretty far, so I think I'll be using it for further exploring on my Wednesday afternoons.

Edgy-look-I-was-in-Poland pic.

Germany on the left, Poland on the right.

The two towns are just divided by a little bridge over a river, with no passport control (good old European open borders) and it takes no more than five minutes to amble across. The majority of my afternoon was comprised of wandering along the river bank on the Polish side, which was a lovely, peaceful change from the madness of the big cities that I have grown accustomed to. The town itself, Slubice (anyone able to tell me how you how that's pronounced??) is tiny, and mainly just made up of cheap tobacco shops, hairdressers and tasty food.

The strangest thing I found is that although these towns are sooooo close together, and it was clear that people cross from one to the other on a regular basis, hardly anyone on either side speaks the other's language. Maybe that's something totally normal for border towns, but I just always assumed that if you lived so close by, there would either be a stark sense of bilingual-ness or some weird mismatch of the two being spoken - you know, like Spanglish but in this sense... Deutski. I quite like that word. 

So most of the time I was stumbling through awkward conversations in broken German (regardless of which side I was on to be honest, my German skills can hardly be blamed on the locals) in order to buy cigarettes for a friend and a yummmmmmy lunch of Polish goulash and potatoes.

I know goulash isn't really Polish, but I just couldn't resist.

Loving my alcohol-free Polish beer and rocking the forehead creases.

I think I'm getting old.

My trip was a short one, as I said literally just for lunch, because I had to get back to Berlin for a yoga class that I was yet to discover, would nearly kill me. My fitness/bendy levels just aren't what they used to be. However I did get to potter through Frankfurt Oder a little on my way back, which was typical small-towny with pretty churches and a square with a fountain. I quite liked the atmosphere there actually, though I think I'm just tending towards peace-and-quiet a lot more now after my year of madness.

I liked this weird fountain a lot.

That evening I also moved into MY NEW HOUSE (I'm very excited about this) which is an old hostel converted into a WG of 28 people. Yes, you read that correctly t w e n t y - e i g h t people. I thought that it would be like another adventure in itself. It really is a bit like living in a cross between student accommodation and a hostel; I'm in a four person dorm, there's shared showers, a huge kitchen and a cleaning rota. I haven't met many people yet because it's been a pretty hectic few days plus I'm going home this weekend (WOOOO) for my sister Siobhan's hen do :D So I'll start my mingling and stuff next week, when I can really sit down and get to know people.

Today I think I'm heading to the park for some beers and *fingers crossed * sunshine before catching my flight at 9.30 tonight. Now it's probably time I got out of bed and packed...

First Weeks in Berlin

I have now been in Berlin for just over two weeks for my second study abroad placement. I'm still homeless and living between a friend's couch and a hostel, still can't for the life of me remember how to speak German and am lamenting the fact that as I am no longer able to drink alcohol, I can't taste the beauty that is German beer. Aside from the slight downsides and the fact that an old lady confronted me in the street the other day calling me 'common' because I'm English, I have been able to have at least a little bit of fun, plus I suppose alcohol-free beer isn't allllllll that bad.

On my first night in the city my lovely friend Imogen came to meet me for a pizza and a beer in Friedrichsschain. It was an absolute lifesaver because after a 12 hour flight followed by a quick 24 hour pit stop in London, which was crazy-busy full of catching up with and seeing friends, I was pretty exhausted and disorientated. Not to mention the jet lag which hit me harder than it ever has done before! Even without alcohol, my first German beer was glorious and after almost a year of sleeping on a mattress on the floor, my comfy hostel bed was pretty darn luxurious. I'm staying in a hostel called Plus Hostel Berlin, which I would highly recommend - it's cheap, well located AND it even has a pool!

As I have been to Berlin before (see posts Berlin Meat Sweats and East Side Gallery), I've already done a lot of the main tourist sights. However, when I came last year I fell down some stairs in a club and messed up my ankle (I can thank my old friend Paul for that one), so couldn't walk very far on the last day and missed a couple of key things.

EMILY AND GREG WERE REUNITED (he's doing his study abroad here!) at Checkpoint Charlie, which I'm sorry to say was kind of cool but a little underwhelming... I have, however, heard good things about the museum which I am yet to venture into, so I'll update on that when I finally get around to it.

I finally saw some real life Trabis which were THE car of East Germany before the reunification (I say THE car but in fact it was THE only car you could have... communism and all that) Anyway, I think they're cute but we couldn't go into the museum because Greg is a boring sod and wanted a beer, plus I'm super poor right now, so I probably couldn't have afforded it anyways. Also, I should probably note that they weren't this colour in the DDR...

We also made it to Potsdamer Platz, which is famous for some reason that I can't remember because I am an awful German student, so I have been super kind and linked Wikipedia for you, in case you are interested. The area isn't particularly special; lots of tall office buildings makes it feel a bit like the City of London but I took a photo nonetheless because it makes a good touristy Instagram shot.

I was also lucky enough to receive a visit from my mum and step-dad on my first weekend here (which is another reason why I haven't starved yet. Did I mention how poor I am?) Neither of them have ever visited the city, so we tried to fit in as much sight seeing as we could into two days, wandering from Alexanderplatz, past Humboldt, down Unter den Linden to the Brandenburger Tor, then to the Jewish Memorial and the Reichstag. We also managed to fit in another visit round to Checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz, so most of the big sights in one day IS possible, it's just a fair bit of walking.

The Jewish Memorial

One of many beer stops a long the way!

Some Berlin graffiti which I love and is everywhere. Expect more pictures like this in future posts.

On the last night they took me out for a traditional German meal of dumplings and sauerkraut and goulash (I know goulash is Hungarian but it was in a traditional German restaurant so it's nearly legit)

Unfortunately because of my pobreza and the fact that I'm not very well at the moment, I haven't been able to go out at all yet. Mostly I've just been going to University, which so far I have thoroughly enjoyed, and have been meeting up with old King's friends. Seeing my pals has probably been the highlight of the move so far; the stories of the past year's adventures in various parts of the world and the old 'in' jokes have made me feel a lot more at ease in a strange and new place.

So here's to another week of 'can you repeat that please?' and insults from random strangers on my lack of class. I move back to the hostel tomorrow for eleven days, before a weekend at home for my beautiful sister Siobhan's hen do (SO EXCITED!!), and fingers crossed I will return to my own place.

Get Busy Living

The past week has been a bit of a blur. I'm now back at uni, though my classes don't start until the 30th, as I'm President of my university's German Society this year. It has been a fantastic week, I don't remember being this busy since I was in high school and I used to take on absolutely everything and anything I could get my hands on! Today is my first and only day off in the next couple of weeks, so I'm spending it relaxing and catching up with my flatmates from last year. Oh and of course gorging on Nando's lovely lovely chicken.

As much as I love the freedom of travelling, it's nice to have a little routine and grounding at the moment to get my head back into gear for my second year. I've had a society event/meeting/talk pretty much every day so far and I've surprised myself with how much I've loved having structure in my days. I find that sometimes the laid back (sometimes borderline lazy) attitude can actually become a little tiresome. Even when I'm travelling I love to plan things for each day and find if I spend too many days just chilling out I become irritable and start to inhabit characteristics one would associate with someone who has far too much on their plate. It's almost like I get tired of being lazy.

However I suppose once term starts and I have to forfeit sleep time for work time I'll look back at this post with my 'What was I thinking?!' expression and pray for the days when I could choose exactly how I wanted to spend my time. I suppose it's like anything else; having a balance between the hectic organised lifestyle and the chilled-out-do-what-you-want attitude is key. Plus it makes you appreciate each one a little more (I think my liver in particular would agree on this point).

Our first event of the week was Oktoberfest last Saturday night, at which I took it upon myself to cover everyone in German face paint and a fair few people ended up dancing on the tables. We held the event at Bierschenke, a German pub just off the Strand that is run by the wonderful Oliver. I suppose it's not a particularly great place for tourists that want to experience a traditional 'English' night out on visiting London, but to be fair, as London is one of the most international cities in the world, you could claim you are getting the true 'London' experience. Also it's a lot of fun especially for those who prefer a slightly more chilled out pub-like atmosphere to that of a sweaty, crowded club.

(instagram @kclgermansoc)

Table dancing to the live Oompah Band.

I had planned my first trip in the UK for this weekend, a short night or two stay in Bristol, purely because it's only a 2 hour drive and £4 ticket fee on the Megabus from London. However I managed to party myself into a coma (surprisingly not from alcohol but just plain exhaustion) on Wednesday night and managed to oversleep and miss my bus on Thursday morning. I do plan on starting my weekend trips soon though, though I reckon I'm less likely to miss them once I've settled back into uni life a little more. If you have any suggestions on where is nice to visit please let me know! I've visited pretty much no where in the South or East at all.

So after a rather crazy week I'm very much looking forward to having a few days off and the opportunity to get myself ready for starting back at uni on Monday. Somehow I think I've managed to have a busier Freshers this year than last year and my body isn't best pleased about it... I'm getting far too old for this :P

Siegburg, Cologne and Bonn

Since Friday I've been staying with my friend Mani, who I met in Cusco, in a city called Siegburg which lies between Cologne and Bonn and having an absolute whale of a time. Not only has it been great to see Mani again and be back on the road, I'm also loving the feeling of knowing exactly what I'm doing (sort of). Although my first big adventure was exciting in that I was constantly learning and having to figure out how to do this thing called 'backpacking', it's nice not to worry about the little things that bothered me last time.

Despite having had only two hours sleep in the airport lounge the night before, as soon as Mani came to pick my up from the airport we headed out into Siegburg. I'm just so hardcore. After wandering around the centre and climbing up to the Convent at the top of the hill to see the pretty view (still being hardcore obv.) and sleeping in the afternoon, we headed out to a lake in a nearby town called Hennef, where we had beers and cake and bubbles and music to celebrate Mani's friend's birthday in the sunshine :)

On Saturday we visited Cologne. En route to the Cathedral we wandered across this really cool bridge which was COVERED in love -locks (I think that's what they're called...) There's literally thousands and apparently they're getting so heavy specialist people are starting to worry about damage to the bridge. I love it though!

We then climbed the Cathedral which was FLIPPING high, something stupid like 523 steps. But it was totally worth it, the view was really something! The inside was kinda cool too, you could see the huge bell and all the graffiti on the walls which has been there for years. Usually I'd be apposed to drawing on the walls of a church but I think it gave it character in a weird way. You could see the thousands of names of those who'd visited the church in the past and I personally love to think about where those people are now... does Ole still love Christina? How did Dave's 'eurotrip with the lads' end? I suppose I just like to let my mind wander.

That night we went to see Die Ärtze with two of Mani's friends. IT. WAS. AWESOME. I seriously recommend you check this band out.

I reeeeeeeeally hope this wasn't a real tattoo...

We decided to have a lazy Sunday, which consisted entirely of eating McDonalds, drinking beer, swimming and drinking more beer. Oh and a party in the kitchen where Mani and I learned to catch popcorn in our mouths and I tried and failed a juggling apples.

Today was my first day as a lone ranger as Mani had to go to work. I spent my time getting lost in the centre of Bonn - I'm telling you that city is like a maze, I kept on going round and round in circles. I bought some wool to make a headscarf with to give myself something to do on the train (its like 12 hours long tonight, which admittedly, I would have been ecstatic with in South America, I've just gotta get back into the swing of things!)

I leave Mani's at like 9 o'clock tonight for the station and then it's off to Poland, which is a new country for me which is all very exciting. I'm also meeting up with Mitch, Josie and Steve once I reach Krakow, which suggests to me that tomorrow could be a rather messy catch-up night.

*CHEESY POST ALERT*

'There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them' - J. K. Rowling

First year at uni and a twelve-foot mountain troll have their similarities don't you think?

We did it! We made it to the end of freshers! All in one piece with most of our sanity, which is a nice bonus. I like to say 'we' rather than 'I' as I feel it is something we achieved as a collective, rather than a single handed effort. So this post is dedicated to all those lovelies who've made my life just that little bit brighter, just by being themselves.

Overall, first year has been an amazing experience for me. I've met some of the most incredible human beings to have ever walked to earth and I feel so so blessed to know we have many more years of friendship ahead of us. Little did I know when I started out on my university adventure that I'd make friends that are scattered from Mexico City to Melbourne to São Paulo to Essex.

I was talking to a friend about the pros and cons of having friends from all over the world. Luckily, I'm super good at keeping in touch with people, even if it's just little updates now and then and I don't tend to get awkward even if I leave years before seeing a person again. I cope pretty well with long distance friendships; it's not that I don't miss people, it's just I've learned to not dwell on it. I like that I can travel almost anywhere and I can always find a familiar face. I also like living for right now, enjoying the company of those around me rather than lamenting those who aren't. Plus, it makes it all the more special when you do see someone and you can really appreciate your time together.

'There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature' - Jane Austen

This year has been a strange one as far as making friends goes, with all the exchange students coming and going at Christmas my year has had a strange divide, since the two groups were really quite different. Although I wish I'd got to spend more time with both groups, I wouldn't change it for the world. Though I am looking forward to a slightly more settled year next year, with a continuity of friends and flatmates (well flatmate, it's just me and Will next year!) Doubtless I'll be taking that back after a week or so of normality and craving the antics of Moonraker once more. We've decided there's enough drama that goes on here to create our own soap opera, without even having to exaggerate much. Maybe just chuck in a murder and a wedding scandal to really finish it off. Apparently I would be played by Ellen Page because 'she has that quirky edge'. Pretty pleased with that :)

And then of course, there's the beauts from my course who are stuck with me for another three years. Soz about that chaps. I think I got insanely lucky with this lot. Our tutors have described us as the odd year out as we all get on so well, which if you don't go to uni is extremely unusual for classmates, let alone the entire year group! So yer, it seems I hit the friend jackpot this year and I couldn't be happier about it. Being President of German Soc next year is going to be a lot of fun. 

Basically, thanks for being awesome guys. Here's to many more years of friendship/putting up with me ;) Oh and Will and I put an offer in for a flat today!! Exciting stuff. Let the excitement of summer and second year commence...