Portugal

With our internships ending the first Friday of May, and our papers due May 17, everyone on our program chose to spend their final weeks differently based upon appetite for travel and status on paper-writing. Delightedly, I am happy to say that I finished my paper in mid-April, so I was/am free and hungry for some final adventures before returning back to the States in late May.

After a semester filled with travel to numerous incredible European cities, I was ready for a change of pace from hurriedly touristing through all the sites in each city. Instead, I really have been missing the more Kernodle-styled vacations filled with outdoor ventures. So, for my final travels in Europe, I chose to spend the first couple of days at a beach (Portugal), and the latter portion in mountains and lakes (Switzerland).

After a semester bracing through the cold winter of London, I was eager to once again know the feeling of sun against my cheeks. So on the Monday after my internship ending, Alex, Doug, and I flew off to Lisbon for a few days. Due to said desire for sun and relaxation, we chose to stay outside of Lisbon city centre and instead went 20 minutes west right next to the Tamariz beach.

For the next three days, I proceeded to plant my bottom in the beach-chair by our hotel pool or the sand of the Tamariz beach. Now let me preface said beach-laying with a few fun factoids. The last time I went to a beach was 5 years ago. The last time I have really been able to get enough sun to be tan was also coincidentally 5 years ago. The last 5 months I have been in London, where the sun practically doesn’t exist. Needless to say, I was ghostly upon arriving to Lisbon, and had 0 base to get any sun. As such, I roasted. First day in I sizzled, and continued to sizzle throughout the next few days despite excessive sun-tan lotion use. I’m hoping that Tomatoes are in style this season. (Fortunately, since then my burn has largely turned into tan, and I only peeled a very small bit on my arms). But it was worth it. It’s hard to complain when you’re laying out on a lovely beach, with the feeling of sand between your toes, sun against your cheeks, and a light breeze to keep you cool. Then factor in the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the book in my hand, and the assortment of our personal beach-bar of drinks in the sand next to us.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of our time in Estoril was the spectacle we observed on Tuesday night and Wednesday day. On Tuesday during dinner on a deck bar restaurant (which coincidentally was also the name of the place), at one point we noticed a cloaked man approach a nearby diner who he clearly knew and started talking. We found it bizarre to wear a black cloak by the beach, but we didn’t question it too much. Until, that is, upon walking back through the park on the way back to our hotel, we began to spot more and more of said cloaked figures. We realized they were all wearing nice, three piece suits with the additional black cloak over. We also noticed that there appeared to be two clans of them gathering on either side of the park. Strange. The next morning on our way to the beach, we noticed that there were still some of the cloaked figures in the park. Very strange. Still we minded our own business and went along our way to the beach. Then, a few hours later, we saw a stream of 30 or 40 high-school aged looking kids coming down onto the beach. At first they were normal, but soon the started huddling in a circle and chanting… For all I know they could be chanting very normal things, however, with my absence of speaking Portuguese, for all I know they were speaking in some weird voodoo cult language. And then, the younger of the group started digging in the sand. And then, they proceeded to be buried in the graves they themselves had dug by the older kids of the group. At one point, we were able to talk to the lifeguard, who explained that not only were these the same kids as the cloaked figures, but this was some sort of high school induction hazing thing. Very, very strange.

We did go into the city centre one night for dinner for Doug’s birthday, so upon arriving I did get to see the stunning Cristo Rei statue from across the water. Otherwise though, we were all down to soak in some relaxation after a long semester.

Picture of Cristo Rei borrowed from internet because I didn't bring my camera out that night

Perhaps the most relaxing part of the trip though was a nice walk I took along the coast at sunset on my last night. The air was so crisp and the breeze so refreshing, and every few feet allowed a uniquely beautiful perspective on the shore beside me. Also, along the walkway they were featuring all sorts of cool marine-themed art sculptures. I ended up sitting among the rocks of the shore for quite some time as the night draped over the sea.

Before I knew it though, it was time to catch my flight from Lisbon to Geneva early that Friday morn….

Winding Down

After a busy month of travelling in March/early April, the next month I was more than happy to stay put in London. It’s crazy that after so long, there is still so much in England that I have yet to do or likely won’t get the chance to do, but I tried to squeeze in as much as I could in my after-work hours in April. I’ll touch on a few highlights.

Dylan and I went to the annual Cambridge vs Oxford boat race. I am happy to say that our cheering helped contribute to a sweeping Oxford victory!

We went to more concerts at the National Gallery.

I went out for birthday drinks with my coworkers at Vertigo 42 (amazing overlooks of the city).

Our program took a day-trip over to Brighton. Unfortunately we went on a bit of a rainy day… However, we still enjoyed touring through the Royal Pavilion and afterwards dining on an insane platter of delicious seafood. After lunch, we went over the pier, and stumbled into the arcade just long enough for me to win a friend for Nim on my first attempt at the crane game!

Alex, Arushi, and I at the Royal Pavilion

Dylan and I are normal

Seafood Extravaganza! ... before ...

.... after!

Nim's new bestie

As a program, we all went to see a football match: QPR vs Stoke City (still Premier League, but not likely to stay up…). This was pretty cool, but disappointing because initially we were supposed to spend a weekend in Manchester and get to see a Manchester United match because of an alum that works there (last year they got to go out onto the field and such after). However, the match got moved to a Monday to be televised, and we were not allowed to skip work to see it.

QPR lost :/

We went to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to see a performance of the Tempest.

Dylan and I took advantage of the finally nice weather (well, a couple nice days spread out between the typical cold/rainy days) to go picnicking in Hyde Park/Kensington, and utilize the Barclay bikes (more colloquially known as the “Boris” bikes) around the city.

We picnicked.... right here!

Walking/biking through parks

Dylan's beautiful hair billowing in the wind

I got to enjoy some delicious dinners with friends visiting London, such as the lovely Ali Slaight and Katie Bush.

Dylan and I took a trip over to the British Museum, which was overwhelming in its contents.

Dylan and I also took a nice trip over to Spitalfield’s Market for some delicious lunch and a bit of shopping. Then, we walked by Brick Lane, and down over to this wonderful oasis in the city called the Spitalfield’s City Farm. For those of you who know me well, you can only imagine my joy at the sight of some wonderful friends!

I spy, with my little eyes... :)

So much happy, petting a goat in each hand, how can life get better?

This I know for a fact!

Meanwhile, things were wrapping up at work as well. I’m so grateful to have worked for such a great company with such great people. And in a way I really started coming into my Londoner swag, comfortably navigating the city in my suit and oftimes even choosing to walk home from work. Before I knew it though, it was my last day at work. I am so grateful to have worked at a great place like Beazley!

It’s crazy that after so long in London, my time really is wrapping up. Not to jump ahead too much, but as I write this I am sitting on a train passing through the stunning mountains and lakes of Switzerland, and it’s hard not to reflect back upon my time. I am so pleased by all that I have been able to do during my time in London, but on the other hand it has made me appreciate a lot of things about home that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

I miss you all, and will post soon about my end of semester travels (still currently underway!) as time is running down and I don’t want to put off these posts until after arriving back in the States. Hope all is well, and I’ll be back on here soon!

(almost) 21 in Paris

As a nice birthday present to myself, I decided to casually fly off to Paris for the first weekend in April, yahoo! After enjoying a pleasant 30 minute flight on an airline where my legs actually fit without invading my neighbor's space (though considering my "neighbor" was Dylan, I think he could survive), we touched down in Paris! I was off to a great start when at the border control for the city, the young man at the counter was being all friendly in asking where I was headed, and I idiotically answered "...Paris?" (but really, what else was I supposed to say?). And then he proceeds to ask me if I would like a guide for the weekend, and after confusedly asking if he meant that he had a map of the city I could use, he clarified that he had meant himself. Glad to see it's not just the language that gets me confused! Although late, we decided to head into city centre after checking in to get our first view of the city. And also, to get all our stereotypical Eiffel Tower pics out of the way first thing!

Nim!

And to celebrate our first night in, we grabbed some delicious profiteroles at a restaurant right by the Tower. Great way to kick off delicious eatings in France for the weekend. It was also my kick-starting of my very meaningful interactions with Parisians in which I smiled and said "merci" the whole weekend. Nothing else. Just merci. French = fail. Dylan actually did surprisingly well, however.

Nim really enjoyed his profiteroles

That morning, after picking out the most unhealthily delicious pastries at a local bakery, we headed towards the Latin Quarter for a nice stroll down Rue Mouffetard, by Sorbonne University, etc. We stopped by the Pantheon and explored inside, including all the crypt with Rousseau, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, etc. Unfortunately the Foucault pendulum was temporarily away as they were doing construction.

Frolicking around the Pantheon

Tehehe, Nim

Afterwards, we continued our stroll through the Jardin du Luxembourg...

I ruined it :(

Statue posing continues...

Shoutout to Grace Murray! Haha, thought you'd appreciate this shop we stumbled on by the garden

Afterwards, we found some delicious place to grab a bite for lunch, which easily became one of the best meals I've eaten in a long, long time (they don't have Cracker Barrel abroad in Europe soo....). From there, we "hunched" our way over to Notre Dame (get it?! get it?! aren't I just the cleverest)!

Nim got all sorts of love this trip

From there, we went to our ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PART OF THE TRIP OMGGGG IT WAS THE BEST WE LOVEDLOVEDLOVED THE LOUVRE. Okay. Please excuse that, but I do need to clarify something. There are a number of incredible, incredible works of art in the Louvre. However, it was absolutely impossible to appreciate or enjoy them. First I yet again struggled with Paris security to get in when one lady by the bag-xray get telling me to come back, and her coworker next to her kept shooing me away saying I was fine. After staring in confusion for a while, I decided to be safe and come back, but in the end the one lady was just trying to tell me she liked me dress. Struggles. But that's not what bothering me. What's bothering me is that I have never been to an art museum that allows you to take pictures before. And on a Saturday afternoon, it was absolutely impossible to even see any of the art, because people would ask you to move so that they could take pictures of themselves holding up peace-signs in front of the art. Honestly, if I was one of the artists featured in the museum, I would be kinda sad to know that was what my work had come to. After seeing a couple take a selfie of themselves kissing in front of the Mona Lisa, and a group of 30 old Asian men wearing American flag bandanas around their head taking pictures in front of the art, Dylan and I had about had enough. And then we walked by these teenage girls taking pictures of the art, to which one girl said to her friend "Just take the picture of it now, and admire it later." Unbelievable. NO. Admire it while it is IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES. If you want to enjoy it later, which is fine, you may as well just google a picture that will undoubtedly be better than yours. asdifojaposdfjasldfjioasdfj. Sorry. Anyways. After that, Dylan and I just left before I began to permanently hate people.

Wandering to the Louvre

Dreams do come true... we're about to go the Louvre!

The culprit itself

From there, we wandered over to Champs-Elysees and strolled the entire distance from the Egyptian pencil (okay that's not what it's called, but that's what we called it...) to the Arc de Triomphe (this time the Parisian version - as you may recall in my post on Spain we found the Arc de Triumf in Barcelona).

The Egyptian pencil!

Arc de Triumphe... so triumphant!

That night, Dylan oh-so kindly treated me to an excellent, fancy Parisian dinner around the Royal Palace Gardens for my birthday. Such a happy belly! Then that night, we headed back over to the Eiffel Tower again to enjoy our last night-time view, although unfortunately it was too late to go to the top.

On our way to dinner... not sure what this was, but cool!

The next morning, we headed back to the Tower first thing so we could finally go up to the top! The views were stunning, and well worth the wait. There's not much more to say than what my pictures can better tell so... pictures!

Note at the bottom the Paris marathon happening all along the road! We almost didn't make it to the tower because the only way to cross was to hop in with the runners for part of the way... which we did...

Dylan may be cute....

... but I'm even cuter!! (not)

Before catching our flight back that night, we spent our final hour or so over at Sacre Coeur, which was incredibly stunning and had incredible views as the tallest point in the city.

After an incredibly jam-packed, awesome weekend, we made our way back home to enjoy an incredibly anti-climactic actually turning 21 moment after a fantastic weekend away. But still, I couldn't help but think how lucky I am especially when remembering how I spent my 18th birthday in Rome 3 years prior. Continuing to count my blessings every day.