September 21st // London, England

This photos says it all. Chipped nail polish, a sweater, a friendship bracelet, a fuzzy blanket, a laptop, & light brown coffee.

Chipped Nail Polish // My life is a little bit of a mess right now as I’m sick and trying to be social during Fresher’s week. A runny nose and sore throat have been hindering me from going out with friends.  This is something only time, rest, and lots of medicine can heal.

A Sweater // It’s cold here. A lot colder than anticipated. This would be fine, but I only have a closet full of dresses, tanks, and a jean jacket. One can only fit so much in a suitcase and have it weight less than fifty pounds. I bought this sweater yesterday at ASDA when I tried to make a solo, independent run to prove to myself that I can do this. I did it. And this sweater proves it.

A Friendship Bracelet // Having friends in my life right now is very much-needed. Being sick means relying on others more than I thought. Also, being in an unfamiliar place is scary, so seeing familiar faces and making memories with friends is so comforting.

A Fuzzy Blanket // The warmth of being in bed reminds me of home, however, when I look up from my bed, I am reminded that this temporary room is only mine for a few months before I head back to California. I am able to still have comfort even in a place where I feel like an outcast right now.

A Laptop // Lots of Netflix. This goes along with being sick and trying to rest, but this laptop and lots of episodes of Gossip Girl has been well needed recently.

A Light Brown Coffee // I’m not a huge coffee fan, but a cup in the morning is the perfect start to my day. I mix in oak milk, honey, chocolate, and sweetener which makes this black coffee a nice, pastel brown.

Side Note // Let’s see if by the end of the semester I’m still drinking watered down coffee with lots of add in’s. Maybe I’ll like the taste of plain black coffee. Maybe I won’t. Only time will tell but I know that I’ll walk away from London in December a new woman.

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September 15th // London, England

We have arrived! Most of my posts will now involve events and activities occurring in London, as well as random weekend trips to places like Iceland, Spain, etc. I am all settled into my room and trying to make it feel a little more like home. I have Facetimed my dad at least four times and attempted to cook some meals. With sickness hitting me now, I am exhausted and glued to my bed. I am excited for what’s to come this semester, the people I’ll meet, the places I’ll go, and all the unexpected adventures life takes me on. For now, I am going to watch some Netflix, drink some peppermint tea, rest, and try to fight this illness.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Another day, another flight. This time we are off to Copenhagen which is one of those locations you see on calendars, on screen saver, etc. I will include our whole three-day trip here along with photos. Enjoy!

Day I

The arrival day – We woke up early, carried our luggage down the stairs, and were off for a long travel morning. When we got to the airport, we had enough time to order coffee and enjoy a warm breakfast. On the plane, I listened to music and drew up a couple of sketches that I stole from Pinterest to pass the time, which didn’t take long because the flight was only a few hours. We giggled and acted like children out of glee that we were finally going to Copenhagen. After long months of waiting and lots of planning later, we finally touched down in Denmark. This was only the start to our journey. We then attempted to find our way to the airbnb which included getting a transportation ticket, taking the trams, getting lost, finding a Starbucks to look up directions, getting lost again and having to ask for help, jumping on a bus, getting off this bus a few minutes later, dragging our luggage a few blocks on cobble stone and ruining the tires to our suitcases, and then carrying our three suitcases, two large duffel bags, and giant purses up ten flights of stairs.

Once we had settled in and caught our breath, we headed downstairs and around the corner for some lunch. We ended up going to a healthy little cafe and stuffing our faces with a warm bowl (Check out my blog post “Healthy Hunters” under the Study Abroad –> Foreign Eats section!)

Post food coma, we headed into town on some bikes the airbnb owner had stored away for his visitors to use. We were on a mission to go see the vibrant colored houses along the river which included getting lost, yet again. However, getting lost means seeing a lot of the city we wouldn’t have seen and Copenhagen is the place to get lost. We finally arrived, locked up our bikes, and ran around in joy. Faeln was in awe and Imogen took photos as we all soaked this moment in. The houses looked exactly like they do in the photos, bright-colored and beautiful. Wandering around the city more on our bikes, we grabbed a few snacks and headed in for the night to relax and recoup from our long day.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark

Day II

The exploration day- We made a friend today.

She was very friendly and seemed to give Faeln lots of love. She liked to follow us and keep up company as we walked around the block. Honestly, I’m not sure if the cat was a boy or girl, but we feel like we bonded with her.

Hungry and preparing for a long day, we headed to GROD which was recommended by many for porridge. We all ordered a bowl and talked about our plans for the day (To see what we ordered and for more photos, visit my blog post “GROD” under the Study Abroad –> Foreign Eats section).

Next, we trekked on to go see The Little Mermaid. On this little trip, we got lost multiple times, but ended up finding her. The piece was made by Edvard Eriksen which is based on the fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”. For more information on this piece, visit this website: http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/little-mermaid-gdk586951

Copenhagen

Following the five-hour journey to The Little Mermaid and back to the airbnb, we rested our feet and got a late night snack at a local restaurant nearby. This included rolls, olives, and a green bean salad. Now time for bed before another long travel day to London.

Day III

The departure day – After a full nights rest, we grabbed some breakfast at a small cafe around the corner where we ordered a plate of humus and bread. Once we finished scrapping the last hummus off the plate with our forks, we headed back to the airbnb to pack and bring our bags down. From there, we journeyed to the airport and waited for our flight to London. That story it to be continued…

Copenhagen

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Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle

September 9th // Schwangau, Germany

A two hour bus ride to one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. I closed my eyes and woke up to the view of the Alps along with two giant castles.

It’s not everyday that you can go on a short trip to the Alps, so we decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Once we arrived at our destination, we pulled out the bikes from a shed and hopped on for a little hour tour. On this tour, we stopped a few times for photo ops and to learn about the surrounding nature. After, we grabbed lunch at a local restaurant where Fae and I both got salads. Once we were full of lettuce, the group headed up towards the castle.

biking

biking

The tour guides did an amazing job and giving us the history and the reasoning why the castle were built. A fun-fact about the Neuschwanstein Castle is that Walt Disney based the Sleeping Beauty castle off of this one! It is also one of the most visited tourist spots in Germany and the most photographed building in the country.

Overall, the day was long but unbelievable.

Website for the tour can be found here: https://www.mikesbiketours.com/munich/Castle-Tours/neuschwanstein-castle-tours-details.html

September 15th // London, England

All moved in! This calls for a celebratory meal. This morning I made some avocado toast with whole wheat bread, avocado, salt and pepper with a warm cup of peppermint tea. I will hopefully be cooking a lot of my meals while here in London to save money and to test my culinary skills. But don’t worry, I will post all my recipes and photos here!

Money 

• Everything is more expensive
• Currency is different, of course. They use Danske Kroner so $1 in America is 0.16 Danish Krone
• They prefer exact change

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Public Transportation

• It is so expensive! A one-hour card use is five U.S. dollars, which is an insane amount compared to America
• The biking is crazy! There are so many people biking, so be sure to wear a helmet and be prepared for fast pace cycling
• There are quiet zones on trains
• You can buy public transportation tickets in 7/11
• There are special spots to put your bike in on the train
• You can use the ramps they have to help bring your bike up the stairs to the train stations

Culture

• The people are very friendly and hipster
• All the shops are small and narrow, but very cute!
• More of quiet culture, but the people still love to interact
• Friendly cats

houses

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Houses

• They are vibrant colors and the doors are absolutely beautiful (as you can see from the photos above)
• The door handles aren’t straight. Maybe because they’re old, they kind of slouch down
• Stairs are very common
• In the airport, there were sinks in the bathroom stall
• The trash cans are just a bag instead of a bin
• Public bathrooms reuse their hand towels (See video below)

Copenhagen

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Food

Food

Food

• Lots of vegan options
• Food can also be very pricy so watch out
• The grocery stores are aren’t as organized or clean (The ones we went to at least)
• Most restaurants provide blankets for if you are sitting outside and get cold
• Fancy 7/11’s

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

September 5th – 7th // Prague, Czech Republic

Instead of doing three different blog posts for each day in Prague, I will just divide this one post into three sections based on days. Don’t worry, I will include many photos so you can feel as if you’re adventuring with us in Prague!

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

Day I

The travel day. Faeln and I met Imogen at the bus station before heading to Prague. The bus ride was scheduled to be around five hours which isn’t too bad, especially when you’re traveling to a different country. Also, trips are so much better when you don’t have to do the driving! We all put our earphones in, closed our eyes, and enjoyed the ride. Five hours later, we were looking out the windows and searching for vegan restaurants to eat at later that night. When we reached our stop, we got off and made our way to the train station where we attempted to figure out where we needed to go without wifi or English. Imogen, being very good with foreign languages and directions, found our train and our stop. Twenty minutes later and we met with our airbnb owner who showed us around, answered questions, and wished us a wonderful trip.

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

Starving, Fae and I made our way out into the city in search of a vegan restaurant. Only a couple blocks away, we found an adorable and classy restaurant that we plopped down in. We ordered some soup and vegetables that we ate in what felt like seconds due to the post travel hungry belly (Check out the post “Etnosvet” under the Travel à Study Abroad à Foreign Eats section for more details on this dinner).

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

Day II

The adventure day. We started off the morning by sleeping in and drinking some coffee while the airbnb was filled with jazzy music and warm laughs. Once we decided that we have spent too long inside, we got ready, opened the door, and headed out for wherever today would bring us. We traveled by foot where we got to see so much of the beautiful city from little shops, churches, famous clocks, and more. Once we could feel our feet barking, we let our noses lead us into a donut shop called “Donuterie”. Since there weren’t any vegan donuts, I ordered a delicious hot chocolate (Check out the post “Donuterie” under the Travel à Study Abroad à Foreign Eats section for more photos!)

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

After hanging out for an hour in this donut store, we said bye to our new vegan friend and continued to walk on. We walked and walked. And walked some more. We ended up crossing a bridge and up a few hills until we all agreed that a late lunch / early dinner was just what we needed. A sign that read “Vegans” drew us in and carried us up a winding staircase. We sat outside and took in the fresh air, mostly because we were winded but still. The view of the city was absolutely worth the trek up those stairs. Not only was the view astonishing, but the food hit the spot (For more details on this meal, be sure to check out the post “Vegan’s Prague” under the Travel à Study Abroad à Foreign Eats section). It was now time to head back as we could see the sun setting and the rain clouds rolling in. Before heading home, we climbed to a lookout where your eyes couldn’t help but cross from trying to look at the whole city, roofs of red, and the river shinning blue. I felt a rain drop and looked up to see humongous black cloud racing towards us. Time to go! We skipped down the hill while a violinist on the street played us tunes and sang to us, eyes locked. We locked back behind us and my jaw dropped. It was something you see in movies and paintings, but never in real life. The sky was flaming red as if it were on fire. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The rain was now picking up, but we didn’t care because the view was too captivating. The pictures below don’t do it justice.

Day III

The departure day. We packed up our things, which was only a large purse, and locked the door to our airbnb that treated us wonderful the last two nights. We took a bus over to a vegetarian / vegan café where we ordered lunch outside and were attacked by bees (See my post “Naturezaveget”  under the Travel à Study Abroad à Foreign Eats section for more photos and to see what we ordered.) We walked over to the John Lennon wall where a man was barefoot and playing music for the public on his guitar. After we took in our last moments in Prague, we headed to our next bus and then began our long, five-hour journey back to Munich.

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

Prague, CZ

See the video below for the sweet man doing what he loves