Spring Break Bananas

I went to Europe for one week over my Spring Break. I saw three countries, several bananas, and one really great friend. Here are some of my thoughts and pictures of this most enjoyable, most whirlwind experience.

London: My first thoughts were incredulity that they seriously do drive on the opposite side of the street. I mean it's to the point where they have to paint warnings for which direction to look when you're crossing the road, because their driving rules are so completely inane that no pedestrian can keep it straight. They also say ridiculous things like "cheers" and "whilst" and "crisps" and they know they are adorable with their accents and their little red phonebooths everywhere. At first it felt like a little brother of a culture, like it was solely created for poking fun at. But then I remembered how Brits ruled kingdoms where the sun was always shining or whatever the quote is, and produced so many worthwhile writers from Shakespeare to JK Rowling to the author that wrote Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging. Despite us Americans breaking free of this small island nation in 1776, England somehow still manages to influence much of the entire Western World and maddens the other worlds that are left. It has killer fish and chips and ladies who drink beer and people who believe in public transit and the hugest most cool modern art museum I've ever seen; you can just wander in for free. I left with a lot of respect for London, not that it needed it from me.

Millenium Bridge

I got to see only one sunset in London-- and this was it!

Maybe we just agree to say Exit?

Big Ben w/ the Scaffolding- like was that a joke?

photo cred: stranger who liked the Houses of Parliament as much as I did

Hamsterdam: I'd been to this city twice before-- but not since I'd watched the Wire and started pronouncing it with an H on the front. Hamsterdam proved more lovely than I realized it had the potential to be. I had low expectations of the city itself, honestly. I knew about canals and weed and tons of museums -- and it has those things, don't get me wrong-- but it also has this luxuriously rich urban center that left me with a to-do list longer than when I arrived. Netherlands doesn't count as a Scandi country, at least according to the annual Junction City Scandinavian festival, but its suave trendiness, design-inclined imagery and city planning beg to differ. It layers low key 17th century architecture with modern day coziness. In fact I think there's a dutch word with a ton of consonants to describe that idea exactly. I was amazed at all Hams had to offer. I certainly stepped outside to experience some of it, but also spent a good deal of time comfortably swaddled at my friend's most glorious A-frame, steep-staircased dutch apartment, wine glass in hand, giggles and conversation constantly flowing, so that in itself was a delightful experience that made this whole trip so worth it.

The dreamiest

Nike EHQ!

So many Amsterdam Bananas (!):

Gwen the Cat

Copenhagen: Honestly got there and the first word that came to mind: Austere. Pretty complex word, yeah. But it really described my earliest Copenhagen scenes of Danes yelling at the train ticket machines (what are they even saying??) and police gendarmes writing tickets on illegally parked cars (they looked fine to me). This city doesn't mess around, is what it first seemed like. And it's true, I quickly learned the Danes don't mess around, especially when it comes to beautiful buildings and delicious food (most populous city in terms of Michelin 5 star restaurants heyo), and good beer and general breathtakingly gorgeous people and scenes. Everything about Copenhagen radiates cool: from top models (actually just normal Danish people) riding their bicycles thru the City Center, to the eye-pleasing colors of Nyhavn, to the meat packing district that achieves next-level trend setting. CPH doesn't make itself overly accessible to the English speaking world. It requires a little know how and a moderate recognition of Danish word roots to get around (though all I learned to verbalize was "Tak!"). Copenhagen is like the super hot, carefree girl that's playing a little hard to get, the one we all want to be like. I'm too neurotic to be that girl or this city, but I'm so glad I got to visit it.