Foon Hawk #SomethingLikeVanGogh

Last weekend I went from London to Berlin. Something really exciting about this is that I can do it all over again when I get back to Wisconsin. Except I’ll get to go from NEW London to Berlin. Not sure if that will really have the same effect. Imma just say no right now and shut that idea down.

The best part of Berlin was most definitely the transport there and back because there’s nothing like waking up at good ‘ol 3am. Yeah there were quite a few 30 minute naps along the way. When we got there, I knew the minute I got off the plane that I liked this place. Twenty-seconds off the plane, I got real giddy and was like “I feel like I’m home.” Don’t know why, Berlin really isn’t like Wisconsin. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, I just found myself having a mad crush on Berlin. We went to see the Wall, which had so much amazing art work on it, and then we ate at Pirates Berlin by the water. The weather was beautiful and maybe that’s why I was liking it so much, but I just don’t think that was all of it.

Our night time adventures consisted of a pub crawl. We didn’t really know what to expect or really how to get there, but gosh darnit we were punctual. First ones there, can I get a Holla?!? No? All right.
On our pub crawl we met some really cool girls. Two were sisters from Brazil and two were sisters from Ireland. Okay come on Corey, where were you? I’m glad we found them because it was definitely more fun being around good people. The music at the pubs where we went were a bit odd in the sense that they were playing music that brought a question mark to mind when thinking about how to dance to it. So all around it was a good night.

Sunday we went on a walking tour with a lovely Australian tour guide named Lucy. For me that was the best part of the day, probably because I ended up sleeping for the rest of it. But yeah, there was a lot of good information and spots we went to see, and I also went a bit souvenir crazy, pretty much getting one of everything because I freaking love Berlin!

Yeah I slept the rest of the day. I might be a sloth. Zzzzzz…..

But all was well because come 3AM and up we were to get back to the airport and come home! WOOHOO.

All right. The end. It’s Friday, and I’m leaving for Barcelona in 20 minutes.

C ya.

 

London Thoughts

Currently at work. Listening to Alicia Keys.

I have completed my projects for the summer by probably 85-90%. There's only 20 minutes left, and I am as they say here blocked. As in I don't know how much more I can do until I have some feedback, critique, and editing on my digital piece.

So for the last 20 minutes I guess I am just reflecting on my experience here in London. I can't believe I am further than the half way point, I can't believe that I have only two more weekends over here and I'm not even spending them in London because we're going to Germany and then Spain after that. I can't see going out any other way.

This trip has been a roller coaster. Like literally at one point we were riding roller coasters. I did not think it was possible to do so much in one summer. It is the most crazy fast paced life ever. It's a bit exhausting but it is so amazing. When I get back it's going to just be a magical dream in my memory. ~ You think that it was an adjustment coming here? No. I think the real adjustment is going to be going back.

There are so many crazy things this life has to offer, and this trip has kind of taught me that you just got to go for them. It may be scary to take that leap of faith, but it is so necessary for you to grow. And I don't think anyone wants to get to the end of their life and feel like they just allowed themselves to get stuck in a rut.

You have one life to live. Write your own story. And few more cliches, but for real.

peace
from london

Status

Taking the day off for some much needed alone time.

The Belgian Itinerary

First off, I guess I haven’t written a post in a while, but I really feel giving just a synopsis of my trips seems super lame, and I just want to be super witty for ya’ll. But synopsis is where we’re going.

So whatever, here is my Belgium trip.

In case you don’t know, my dad’s side of the family is 100% Belgian and that makes me feel super cool. Things I like to tell people like it’s something super interesting and they’re pretty much like yeah whatever, is that I am a fifth generation Belgian gal, and also that I have looked it up and Mertens is like the 5th most popular name there.
So yeah, super cool, it’s like I’m royalty yeah? Yeah no Sara, sit down.

Our adventure begins with two gals frantically running through the streets of London because one of them was a too idiotic to have put in the coordinates given into Maps. Yeah the idiot was me. I’m really good at traveling. I didn’t even almost miss the plane that was gonna bring me to London.

Annywho, so we took this bus to Belgium which was so less ratchet on the way there than on the way back. But don’t even stop me from any of you taking the bus because it is truly a magical experience. (If you have taken the bus, and know the greatness of this adventure to others that haven’t had the pleasure yet.) So zoom zoom huzzah we get to Belgium.

And WOW BELGIUM WAS SOOOOO
dead.
Like very dead. Like ‘Everyone died in a Zombie Apocalypse dead.’

So we wandered around in the drizzle to our little hostel to drop our bags. In the process of reassuring the guy at the front desk that were checking in later, we found that there was curiously no room checked for us. Ah DRAT! Now what were these poor girls going to do?
“But wait! Young beauties, for I have one room left!” the concierge called out.
Oh gosh me oh my, and then all the animals started talking and there was a happy end.
In reality the rooms just weren’t all booked up, and we got to check-in early and take a nap.

Cool nap out of the way.

Now we can do some Belgiumy things. Like:

• Eat a Belgian Waffle
• Try some Belgian Beers, and Fries that had this strange dipping sauce, really good I might add, that we had to ask what it was because it was this crazy stuff called MAYONNAISE.
• Probably took another nap
• Got ready with some new Belgian clothes.
• Went out and ate literally the best dish of food I will ever eat in my life.
• Went to find drinks.
• Found some girls from New Orleans.
• Drank some drinks and Bam.

Ze next day we go to Namur. Super pumped. Homies I’m coming for ya.

Namur is so pretty, I really liked it. We got some hiking in while we walked to the top of a castle. We also found a cute little carnival. Everything was pretty. We ended with sitting for drinks outside at this place that had a piano player playing. And then we decided to go back to Brussels to eat the same meal we had before.

And that’s where the tale ends, because the bus ride back was just too awesome an experience to share.

The end.
peace

I AMsterdam? yeah?

Hallo! From the Netherlands!

Okay guys. Travel travel travel, walk out and see the canal and buildings mind is being blown up with holy shit, this is pretty fucking cool. (excuse my language grandma…)
If I was a great writer and could describe things in a coherent way I would, but we all know that is just way too far off base for me, so y’all can just sit and listen to my great incoherent babble. K cool 🙂

#1 Bikes have the right away, also there are trams that are just all over the place. IT’s nUTs!!
#1.a Maybe it’s just me because I haven’t ridden a bike in so long, but riding a bike there was a mix between “wow, how crazy cool do I feel right now” to “my life may also end today” Overdramatic? Yes. But is it true? Also yes.

#2 Hostel Review:
This little darling of a place looked pretty sketch from the outside.. Like Hi this is a back alley way where you could potentially be murdered. But nah it was pretty cool. I mean the stairs would definitely probably up the mortality rate if it was an old folks home, but for us youngins, we made it all right. Plus we were paired with some really cool hostel mates. (insert a cool emoji I can’t make cuz I am on my computer).

#3 Saturday Overview
Saturday was For The Girls #FightMeDavid 🙂
It was all sorts of becoming old and wise because we were young and crazy stuff. We took a mini -idk do we call it a booze cruise- I mean it sounds cooler. We took an hour canal tour and drank a bottle of wine on it. Very cool peeps. The sights were sighty. Yada yada yada, some events I’m a bit fuzzy about, BUT! The finale of the night was literally going out with our newly befriended hostel mates and we ended up going to the most stellar night club, I think I may ever go to in my life. Again little fuzzy on the bits and pieces. But nah, mind-blowingly cool.

#4 Sunday Funday
MUCH more chill. Making parents everywhere much less stressed. This is when we road bikes getting in some cardio. Then there was the Anne Frank Huis. Very interesting piece of history, well worth the wait. Just one of those things you gotta go to when you’re there. So yeah, we walked through the Red Light District, also very interesting sights. Gals if you want to drop out to make that money, you know where to go. Kidding. (but nah really).

And yeah, that was the jist of my trip. Glad to share it with ya lovelies.
Peace out
(And p.s. I’m booked for Belgium!)

Status

I said most likely about the fake money post. But it is not going to happen.

Instead, I’m just going to say that the first weekend I was here, I was a victim and I say victim of wait for it… A FAKE POUND.

That is all.

London Through American Eyes

Hello guys!
Week 1 is finally coming to a close, so I thought I would lay out some observations.

Numero Uno. The weather is not guaranteed, but I think we all knew that. BUT. Let me tell you when it’s sunny it is really sunny. And I mean this in the way that when the sun is out, it sometimes feels like I am walking into the light. The most blinding light ever. Also I feel a little estranged from the sun because I feel like it’s further away from the earth than Wisco. Weird observation but it’s there.

Numero dos. Scooters are cool shit here. Like plain and simple they are “in”. The youngins use them, the midis use them, and even some of the oldies.

Numero tres. Oh my gosh, the best one!! The pups are everywhere! And they aren’t even on leashes! Like whaaaat?! That makes them so much cooler. It’s like hey I’m just hanging out with my pup, but I don’t need to put him on a leash because we’re mates yo.

I don’t know, it’s pretty cool and kids are just have the most awesome personalities.

Okay see yas!
peace 🙂

First Timer on the Tube

Ok guys, today was the first day of my internship, and with that the first time I traveled the Tube alone. (Also take note that I only took it one time before with the girls.) So here I am trying to follow the map on my phone to the tube station, and mind you it is very windy, very rainy, and in consequence very cold. But I find the station and it surprises me a bit on how crowded it was or should I say how uncrowded it was. I really assumed it would be more packed.

Time to get on and I find a seat, no problem, all is well. But that was only the short trip, then I had to switch platforms to head to the train/tube (whatever) to Wimbledon. On that trip it got a bit crowded at the first few stops, but as we got further from Central London, the crowds thinned out quite a bit.

So all in all, the tube IS NOT as bad as it seems at all.

Therefore ladies and gents have no fear, and ride away to your hearts content.
peace and sunny days from london 🙂

Packing For the Summer

What. A. Nightmare.

How are we supposed to pack for an entire summer in the same suitcase that we use to go to Florida for a week?! Seriously. The females of the world should be allowed a greater weight-limit on their checked baggage right?

Well, that just isn’t the way the world turns my friends. Nope. So when you start to try and pack it can be somewhat of a crazy tornado. As you can see in the picture I have so kindly provided you below. Figuring this out was madness. Plus there is the whole “I can’t put this in my suitcase now because I might need it before I leave!!” So really nothing could be permanently packed until the day before.

With that I also ended up labeling in my check list exactly where every item I packed went because I know the whole “I know I packed it but where did I put it?” schpeel.

I tried to, as they say, pack light. But really what is packing light? I feel embarrassed to even say how much I brought. Possibly too much and possibly too little, the world may never know. It is too late to really change it now as I am three hours from home and leaving in an hour to head to the airport. So I just got to trust I brought what I needed and if I missed something that I will be able to buy it there.

see ya in london ❤
peace

Status

How many times before I actually get to London am I going to think- Wow I am scared shitless -?