Bergen's Worldwide Adventures: January 2015

British Winter

Warm pubs warm food warm beds to shut out the rain
Books, tweeds, Timberlands;
Doctor Who, rolling plains
Tea black and honey sweet
Pies with fruit in
Pies with meat
Dogs at the beach and Mr. Bean
Red-Dwarf King George Long Live the Queen
Shire hills and rustic mills
Forests deep
And mist and sheep

Salzburg

Sharp mountains scratch the belly of Azure Sky, and she laughs crisp and fresh on our faces. Church bells ring and chatter, sharing the news--Hast du das gehört? Hast du das gehört?
The fortress is nesting down for the winter, white and stark on the mountainside. I wander through her innards on a leash, aching to fly.
Coffee tinges the purple afternoon soft and sweet.

Munich

Sun shines blinding on steeples and museum tops and niche department stores. I seriously consider switching to photosynthesis. Bells, bells, bells, and silent churches. Silent museums. Silent courtyards.
We wander through crowded streets and empty rooms; we lie on our backs in a time capsule and dream about ballgowns.
Jack Frost came in the night and blew softly on every black bough, dusting the rooftops and steeples with magic. The only ones out are catholics and tourists.
I amble alone and look for Narnia.

Bruges

The church is never as close as I think it is. I chase steeples through winding streets, cobbled and uneven. A light rain dusts my eyelids. I catch the scent of gluhwein and waffles, I think, 'this is what heaven smells like.'
Horses clop on side streets, swans shelter under canal bridges, a friendly cat graces my fingertips with his presence. Why are there no birds?
All the churches ask for money and play music to make us feel small.
The comic shop goes back and back and up and out; why can't I read Dutch? I take refuge from the cold in book shops and libraries. I still can't read Dutch.
I drink tea and mulled wine and cherry beer and hot chocolate with cream and strong coffee. I eat when I'm hungry and sleep too deeply to dream in bunks tattooed with the lives of people I will never meet.
A church bell sounds, and the sun has come out at last.

Amsterdam

Gables and crisp gingerbread windows crowd around to see -- what's the show Amsterdam?
Bikes clatter briskly, up and down, over brick and bridge and byway. Learn to dodge or die, city girl.
Sometimes it rains, and we scamper beneath awnings to consult the stars. They are blotted out by the redlights. Not sure if we are lost, or if the streets change beneath our feet -- why lead us astray, Amsterdam?
Sudden whiffs of coffee and cannabis.
Red lights and green lights and blue lights beckon, or warn, or advertise, or excuse. The city is never dark, the city never sleeps.
Aren't you tired, Amsterdam?

Köln

The morning begins misty; boxy, utilitarian post-war buildings peer through the fog asking, wer bist du? Wer bist du?
We bombed the city to the ground, but not the church. The church can be seen from every angle, every corner. The church is the heart of Köln, and inside the vaulted ceiling bounces sound from heaven back to earth. Saturn is in the stained glass.
At noon the mist has a lunch date and clears out quick. I stand in the street and soak up sunshine.
At night the streets come alive, and the church pumps arteries of tourists and bicycles, clogged in the market squares with Gluhwein and bratwurst. A political parade marches past my hostel window. Everything glitters at night.
I am becoming enamored with Germany.

Salzburg, Austria

So first of all Austria is not as great as Germany

But it has mountains and amazing coffee and a castle so...

I guess it's pretty cool too

(And so am I just look at that coat)

And CANNONS. Yeah Austria is pretty great.

Definitely coming back to the Alps someday.

Munich Germany

First of all, I love Germany. The weather is nice, the people are nice, the food is good, college is free, everything about Germany is pretty much awesome.

Munich is a city far to the South in Germany. It's famous for this, the Glokenspiel (yes, you heard me). Every day at 11 am this tower chimes out an off-tune ditty and the life-size clockwork figures inside perform a jousting tournament and a dance. It's been doing it almost every day since the 1600s! Pretty cool.

Also my name is a train stop so Germany wins some cool points there.

This cathedral, besides having the most awesome paint job ever, was also decorate with hundreds of these folded paper shapes that look like a flock of birds that hang suspended in the air. I don't know why it was there but it was very cool.

Carmen and I made an obligatory visit to a Biergarten, or a Beer Hall, and tried some German Beer.

And it snowed!!!! The day after Christmas, just for me! <3

I took a very peaceful, beautiful morning stroll through the snow-covered parks and streets

Poseidon looks a little chilly!

Le me trying to be artsy

I seriously can't stress how much I like Germany

LIKE JUST LOOK

HOW

PRETTY

Also I found Narnia

And left a very confusing note for the owner of the restaurant that this table belongs to.

Hope I made some German Whovian's day.

Then got a blizzard at the airport to see me off! Germany is seriously the best.

Brussels, Belgium

Brussels is the capital of Belgium, and is known for it's combination of medieval and renaissance landmarks side-by-side with modern skyscrapers.

The streets are overhung with tram wires and the sky is grey.

Cranes build skyscrapers as ancient landmarks molder.

Every Cathedral in Europe is grander than the last.

Botanical gardens, the library, and various important buildings

The museum of musical instruments! The metalwork on the building is super intricate, interspersed with music notes and symbols.

Three levels plus the top floor special exhibit. I spent three hours inside and still didn't have nearly enough time.

Exhibits had examples of different types of instruments and an audioguide with samples of music from that instrument. So. Cool.

Brussels at sunset from the top floor of the museum.

Lol waffles in the vending machine.

#Belgium

By FAR the coolest thing about Brussels was the Atomium.

Built originally in 1958 for the World Fair, it's 92 meters tall. That's almost 302 feet!

The structure is an Iron atom blown up 165 billion times

After taking a lift up to the top sphere (the lift was once the fastest in the world)

You get some pretty great views of Brussels from above

There was a marathon happening the same day, hence all the neon joggers

There's a theme part across the train tracks called Mini-Europe, which is probably cool, but is also expensive. So I'll just have to go to the real places instead!

So in 1958 when it was built, it was a really big deal and was supposed to symbolize nuclear peace

It was also originally built to be temporary, like the rest of the pavilions

After the fair, the building became such an iconic part of Brussel's image that they really couldn't justify tearing it down

So they refurbished it in the 90s and have a whole display inside. You go up escalators and down stairs through the connecting shafts between spheres.

It's all very 2001 Space Odyssey

This corridor even had a light show!

Close your eyes, point to a city--that's where I'll go next!

Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is a small city in the north of Belgium, a small country sandwiched between Holland, Germany, Luxembourg and France.

It is well known for its unspoiled medieval architecture and atmosphere.

Another city of canals!

I was a huge fan of Bruges' calm, laid back ambiance and small center. Everything was compact and easy to get to.

Some of the houses were SO COOL. I would live in that house in a heartbeat. All wood paneled and mossy and stone. It's right out of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones.

It's not all quaint gables and village though. Bruges is famous for its massive churches that can be seen from pretty much anywhere in the city.

Seriously though they're huge.

I stayed in a super cool hostel called the Snuffel Backpacker Hostel, which was by far the coolest hostel I stayed in on my entire trip.

All the walls were painted graffiti style

And the wood of the beds was also scrawled with past occupants writing. I added mine to the mix.

The weather was chilly and a bit misty the whole time, but even in the cold the entirety of Europe stays pretty green. This ivy covered canal was particularly pretty.

I promise there are streets too. I just like canals.

Went for a scenic walk to the windmills on the hills surrounding Bruges.

See this windmill? Climbed it.

The sun came out just in time to give me some beautiful shots overlooking the city.

There's a stereotype that whenever Dutch people go on holiday, it's like being home because there are so many Dutch people traveling everywhere. #themoreyouknow