Second stop: Bruxelles

You know how it feels when you've had way too much chocolate, and you're a bit queasy but still rather pleased with yourself, as it tasted really good? That's exactly how I felt by the end of the day I am about to tell you of.

I left Gothenburg early in the morning. Spring had decided to come exactly that day, so I left behind a wide expanse of sunny forests. For one of the ugliest cities ever. But I didn't know that yet.

I got to Brussels airport and proceeded to patiently wait for my friend, who was supposed to pick me up. And I wait. And I wait. And I finally get a phone call: "erm, what airport are you at?". Just great! He was waiting for me at the wrong bloody airport. And he had also chosen the one that was furthest away from the city (about 60km). So I find a bus to take me to the city, and kindly ask the driver in my very broken French (tiny little shards of French, actually), to let me know when a certain square came up, as that's where I was supposed to be heading. Of course he doesn't tell me and I end up travelling to the end of the line.

Oh well. What can a triwi do when stranded in a strange city? Sightseeing, of course. Except it was raining, I had only slept 2 hours the previous night, I was starving and I had 15kg on my back. Not to mention I walked several streets and squares and nothing interesting revealed itself. Only dirt, crowds, chaotic traffic, scaffolding, an unsightly hodge-podge of new and old, (both poorly maintained), and the huge sterile-looking buildings where our Europe's fate gets decided. So I took refuge in a warm Irish pub, where I was refreshed by a huge egg sandwich and the cheerful company of a young man with a tie in my favourite shade of red (random act of kindness no. 1 - thanks, Jonathan!). He reinforced my first impression of the city by candidly telling me there was nothing to see there.

I finally managed to meet my friend, who had returned from his wrong journey into the Belgian countryside, had another sightseeing attempt which miserably failed into ugliness, paid a compulsory visit to a Belgian chocolate shop, and took the train to Maastricht. Upon arrival, half a kg of chocolate was consumed, a hot shower was had, and life seemed a bit better.

So if you want pictures of Brussels, go google them. I blow my nose in its general direction.

Stay tuned for next stop: Maastricht. Lots more fun!

First stop: Göteborg

Gothenburg was for a while in a close competition with Wellington for the title of most beautiful city I've ever seen. They both have that unique quality of soothing the lonely, of making one feel at home and quite welcome. But being that Gothenburg has the added bonus of a solid history behind it, I'd say it will be the winner.

It's hard to describe all the feelings the city gave me, but if I had to put it in one word, it would be "home". If I somehow had the opportunity to live there, I would start packing tomorrow. Looking at the pictures now, I realise they barely capture the idea I'm trying to put across here. The light was rather dull most of the time; serves me right for travelling to Scandinavia in winter! And I also failed to take pictures of the things I loved most: the cute narrow streets of Haga and their overwhelmingly tempting shops, the ginger cat begging for cuddles from each passerby, the almost mystical white lights in all the windows, all the stuff I've eaten, the timid stripy light over a certain wine-red couch, so many original paintings that I couldn't believe I was actually seeing for real... But how about I stop babbling and show you some pics?
First thing I visited: the Maritime Museum. Nice view of the harbour. The statue is the sailors' tower, with a generic and solemn looking woman at the top, waiting for her husband/brother/son to return from the sea. Her fixed stare and the dress billowing in the wind do give you quite a feeling of gloom and longing, especially against those gray skies. The seagull didn't seem to be so impressed though:
This is what I called "the happy church". I don't remember its name, but I was in awe at the mental complexity of whatever architect designed it. Would have looked awesome with a shiny copper roof, but such a thing is impossible there, hence green roofs and green statues are for me a trademark of the city. Not to mention it made this cathedral look... well, happy! :>
The cathedral in the Haga disctrict I mentioned above:
One of the highlights of my trip - the fish church! Apart from looking pretty, it's filled with yummy fish dishes, as well as not so friendly looking whole fishes, staring up at you from their beds of ice. I bought fish prepared in several different ways, which got eaten way before I thought of pulling my camera out.
Behind the fish market... just a normal block of flats. On a cliff. In the centre. Don't you just love this city?
The city hall building and the flag of the city. And a beautiful sunny day, which made me feel like saying "in your face!" to all the people who had warned me about the nasty Scandinavian weather this time of the year.
Founder of the city, with the city hall in the background.
A very pretty street along one of the canals, on the same sunny day.
Can you tell the sun has an instant positive effect on my mood?
Poor sick bird on the side of the road. I felt like a big meanie. Why? Well, how would u like it if one day you couldn't fly and someone took pictures of you instead of calling an ambulance? Nice view of the frozen canal and some more architecture in the background.
At the city museum. Viking treasures galore.

There were some nature walks too (cold memories of snowy paths, wet feet and grumbling, followed by a compensating hot bath).Turns out I did take a pic of at least one thing I've eaten - the semlor. I wasn't impressed with the taste, but they are common fare in cafes, and this tree is quite pretty.
Doesn't this look a bit Transilvanian? The mist, the tower, the naked branches... boo!
I just liked the colours in this one.
The only half-decent pic I have of lamps in the windows. It's taken from a moving tram, so excuse the quality. I loved the look, though, so homely.
The old city gate (obviously) at night.
I know, this last one has nothing to do with history, or architecture, or anythig of the sort, but it is one of my strongest memories. Ladies and gents, meet Billy-Bob. He has a very intelligent expression, doesn't he? He lives at the Natural History Museum and whoever stuffed him was demented. I spent about 10 mins in front of his display case, laughing. One could say this stuffed animal is totally stuffed!

And this was my week spent in the city of the Goths. I have way more memories than photos, but I hope you have seen at least a part of what made this city so cool for me :)

My trip started going downhill from here. Stay tuned for next stop: Brussels!

There and back again. The story of a wandering Transylvanian

... Missed me? I'm back home now. I'm clean, I'm rested. I'm drinking coffee out of my own cup and typing on my own keyboard.

You know how it feels when you've had way too much chocolate, and you're a bit queasy but still rather pleased with yourself, as it tasted really good? Well, I've had too much history and architecture. I couldn't stand seeing another cathedral or museum or historic building, but I enjoyed every second exploring the ones I've already seen. Once I have organised my pictures, I will tell you about every segment of my journey. Until then, you can get some statistics of my Eurotrip.
- I reached my destinations using 4 planes, 7 trains, countless buses and quite a few kilometres' worth of walking.
- I stopped over in 5 cities, only 2 of which I explored thoroughly, seeing 5 museums, at least 10 cathedrals and in excess of 100 Jesus faces.
- I tried 11 new foods, one of which was disgusting, 2 neutral and the rest yummy.
- I spent 17 days grinning ear to ear as each day brought something new to see, learn or enjoy.
- I received 3 random acts of kindness from total strangers.
- I spent at least 3 days being 16 years old.
- I saw the sunrise for the first (and second!) time in my life.

It was a real thrill, I'm so happy I've done it. Stay tuned for stories and photos. And if I don't make you fall hopelessly in love with Europe, then I have failed my task ;)

Notice

Dear hypothetical readers,

1. I am preparing to go on a little European tour, which is about 2 weeks away. That means no new posts for a while. But provided I come back alive and well, you will get lots of pics of beautiful places (and Belgian chocolate shops, hmm).

2. My crafty achievements will from now on be showcased on my other blog, located here.

3. Peace!

Please queue for autographs! There now, no pushing at the back!

Ladies and gents, I'm famous! My dolls have been talked about in a little community newspaper (something like the Waikato This Week). If I had known how embarrasing it feels to see my silly face and my name in such a public place I never would have agreed to it.

The article is not entirely accurate, it also has a few typos and grammar mistakes (maybe I should apply for a proofreading job there), but hey! I've been in the paper! :D

What makes you smile?

Few things in life are comparable to the feeling of contentment I get when I leave the library with a whole heavy backpack of books on my back. It's the curiosity that preceeds research, it's the forging of a complicity with the load on my back, built by bringing out into the light books that nobody has borrowed since 2000, it's the anticipation of my red blanket and a cup of hot tea, it's the teacher's raised eyebrow over one more strange idea the girl in black has come up with.

There are two things that always make me smile, without fail: going home to a doll that needs to be finished, and a backpack full of books. What makes you smile?

Of new beginnings, weak parties and green eggs

Welcome to my humble abode! As promised a long time ago (sorry I was slack), I am posting pics of my new domicile. It loks alright now, but oh, the first time I walked in after the previous tenants had moved out! It felt like walking into a forest. And don't think freshness, dewy grass or the likes. No, think mushrooms. The walls were alive with various species of unidentified multicelular plant material, the dust was inches thick and the bathroom... I won't go into details.













But after a few days of painting, washing windows, moving furniture and pulling out pretty fabrics, the results were as follows:

Above is my sitting corner at night. I'm quite proud of myself for the mirror trick which multiplies the candles and confuses visitors.
Below is my main room: sleeping corner, blogging corner, sitting corner and crafting corner. I have nothing on the walls yet, but patience, I'll get there eventually.

This is the room that serves as hallway, dining room, wardrobe and study room. How? Through the judicious use of space and careful organisation, but mainly by cramming everything in one place ;D

The other corner of the study/dining/wardrobe/hallway, and a view of the kitchen:

And now, a few words about my landlady. Unfortunately, you don't get to see her, as, in the event I managed to take an unexpected shot of her (and those are the only kind you can take), I would be dead before I reached the door with it. She's an 80-something lady whose geriatric parties far surpass the parties at my place both in noise level and the amount of alcohol ingested. She spends her entire summer up in the mountains, swears like the most shameless of sailors, is an absolute gossip relay, kicks butt at backgammon and makes awesome cakes. All in all, a very colourful character. About as colourful as her green eggs :>

Yes, those are real! Her hens (some special kind of hen she got in Germany) make green eggs without being radioactively contaminated or otherwise sick. You know the cool part about that? I can have green eggs and ham for breakfast. Take that, Dr. Seuss!

P.S. Please excuse the quality of the current lot of pics; there wasn't enough light and my photographic skills are null and void once I am confronted with situations outside the range of the "auto" setting on my camera.