Saturday, July 20, 2013

Italia :D

 As I described in my last post, I left the Friday night party around 11pm. I came home and slept from 11:30pm-2:30am, in order to shower, pack, and get to the bus stop by 4am. By 4:10 I was on a bus on my way to Schipol Airport. Destination: Italy!

My plane took off at 6:40am (the first time I've almost slept through a take off). It landed at 9am in Naples. I assume it was a smooth flight - since I was asleep for 99% of it! The last few minutes I looked out the window and saw mountains and ocean; I already knew this country was going to be good. 

Stepping out of the plane I felt a rush of HEAT for the first time since being in Europe. That's when I knew this was going to be a good trip :) 

From the airport I took a bus to Naples central station, where I proceeded to find a tourist booth to get a map, and then hopped on a train to Pompeii. 

Pompeii was pretty neat! Crazy to think it was the same as it was in 79 A.D - like when Paul was traveling around Europe sharing the Gospel! I then took a bus to Mt. Vesuvius. The crater was astounding, and the view from it of the Bay of Napoli was even more impressive. It was one of those moments when I was awed at God's Creation. 






From there, I took a train back to Naples. Planned on exploring the city a bit, but it was super sketchy (and no street signs anywhere)…so just went to my hostel. It's a blessing I have a good sense of direction, because I often have no idea where I am, and then just show up in the right spot. Thank you God :) Another travel tactic - feed off of others. For instance, when you're on a bus at 4 am and you see two people get on with suitcases, or two tourists next to you on the train talking about Pompeii, use their extra sets of eyes to find the right stop (and help them if they seem like they are about to miss it). Or when I was walking down a random street in Naples and saw two young girls carrying a pizza, I followed them, knowing they were probably going to my hostel. Sure enough - they basically escorted me to the front desk. 

My hostel was pretty nice - and lots of cool, friendly people. They guy who ran it was clearly Italian - in that he was energetic, passionate, and talked with that Italian 'umph'. He was so helpful. And I met some cool kids from Australia, Holland, Germany, and France during my night there! Yayy for people to talk to; traveling alone can get a little boring sometimes…


The next morning I woke up bright and early, and was on a ferry headed towards Capri by 7am. Capri is a small island off of Italy, and ever since seeing Danielle's pictures of it, I wanted to go there. I slept during most of the ferry ride (big surprise there), but was easily astounded with Capri's beauty when we were pulling into the harbor. The main tourist attraction is to take a boat tour of the island to go into the caves or grottos (almost everyone on my ferry lined up for one of these tours). But they are expensiveeeee, and if you can tell by my adventures, I neither enjoy doing 'touristy' things or expensive things. I was determined to find a way to swim and feel that Med, as well as soak up plenty of sun. And even though all beaches but one are privately owned and most of the island has become quite touristy and expensive, I had no doubt I could stand out from the crowd. 



Upon some initial exploration, I came across beautiful alleyways, peach and lemon trees in people's backyards, expensive tourist shops, a perform factory with the best smelling perfume I've ever smelt, a beautiful hidden hotel that I could never afford, and a garden on top of a giant cliff that overlooked one side of the island. Below I could see gorgeous clear blue water, lots of cliffs, and boats further off that coast. As soon as I set my eye on that water - I was determined to be swimming in it shortly. 

With a map and a good sense of direction, I made my way down the cliff down a windy path, and got as close to the water as I could. Unfortunately, the path was still at least 50 yards away from the water, as it was on its own little cliff. But I spotted a little dirt path after studying the scene for a bit - so there was hope. 
Where I set my eye on - determined to get in that water.
Getting closer...
I eventually found a hole in the wall of the path I was on, and despite the "No entry" sign, quickly jumped through the hole and took the unbeaten path. Winding down aways, while climbing over lots of rocks, I had a smile beaming across my face. I could tell I was getting closer to that water, to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.

Signs like these are meant to be ignored...
Even closer...
And then I arrived. There was a perfect little rock to sit on, dip my feet in the ocean, and sit there in complete awe. The next task: jump in! For one of the first times ever, this sense of fear of the water hit me. So many unknowns…and its been engrained in me to never swim alone. So first I prayed, and then I carefully analyzed the situation. Studying the waves, the force they were exerting on my legs, on the rocks as they crashed against it, the current, how deep it might be, if I'd be able to get out once I jumped in…I also spotted a man fishing within 100 yards, and some tourists swimming off their boat 100 yards out to sea - close enough to hear me if I yelled for help or had to swim to them for some reason. I'd come this far though - there was no way I was just going to walk away and then do the touristy things on the island the rest of the day. So I mustered up some courage, and slipped in the water, careful to not hit any rocks if it was shallow…

And then it felt like I had been treated to a little peace of heaven. The water was beautiful, almost more blue than my bathing suit. The cliffs towering above me were astounding. It was at least 25 feet deep; the waves were gentle, cool, crisp, soothing, and there were some colorful little fish swimming near me. I kept thinking to myself, if I was the God who created this Earth, I probably would have forgotten to make places like this. But God didn't forget, in fact, I like to believe He made certain places that have captivated my heart just for Him. I joined in the bellow of the waves in worshipping our Creator. Rather than trying to impress man, God was impressing me with HIs greatness. I just couldn't stop smiling. 

"For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and diving nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." -Romans 1:20 

Made it! :D
After swimming for a bit, I got out and laid out on the rocks in the sun. A couple discovered the path and found me, wondering where they were. I told them I had no idea, but that the water was lovely and they should swim. So they hung out there for a few hours, swimming, taking pictures for me, and just talking with me (which was quite nice since I'd been traveling alone). They even gave me a fresh peach grown on the island! And with them there - I felt it was safe to dive and jump off the cliffs and swim as much as I wanted. The only bad part was that I didn't bring sunscreen because I didn't check a bag, and couldn't get myself to pay 15 euros for a tiny little bottle of it (since only tourists buy it), so after 5 hours in the sun, I figured I needed to leave and give my skin a break. 

After being there for most of the day, I went and got some delicious gelato :) Nutella flavored and dark chocolate! I then headed back to the port to get on my ferry. The ferry was empty, so I was able to lay down on a bench and just sleep for the hour and a half ride. It was a great ending to the day. When I got back to Naples, I went back to my hostel to pick up my stuff, and then grabbed a train to Rome! 


I was at the blue dot, if you're curious. 
I showed up in Rome at 10pm, and took a bus to where I would be staying, with 3 fellow MIT students. They had a really cute apartment, with their own little terrace in the back. Got some tips from them and a map to explore the city. They also had a Rick Steve's guide to Rome - with all the secrets of how to miss the 2 hour lines for all of the monuments. I had no idea how important that would be! That alone allowed me to "do" most of Rome in just one day! 


I started my day at 8am, heading first to Palatine Hill, where the ancient Roman emperors lived. I then visited the Roman Forum, the heart of ancient Rome, and the Colosseum. The Colosseum was really cool to see. It was like standing in an ancient version of Gillette stadium. Ironic that thousands and thousands of people died there, and now its one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world. 

Overlooking the Roman Forum.



Trevi Fountain - where 3,000 euros are collected from each day!


From there I took the metro to the Spanish steps, then saw Trevi Fountain, got some delicious gelato, and headed to the Vatican. Was pleased to not have to wait in line for the Vatican museum, and I got the student discount! I really enjoyed walking through the Vatican museum, and getting to see works I had studied in high school. I was especially excited to see Raphael's "School of Athens", a large painting that basically summarizes the Renaissance and one I've always loved but never thought I'd get to see! And the Sistine Chapel - WOW. Really impressive, and something I've always wanted to see at some point in my life! Didn't expect I'd be seeing it a short 4 years after I learned so much about it in AP European history! 

"School of Athens"

The Sistine Chapel (you're not supposed to take pictures...)

Michelangelo's "Pieta"
After the Vatican museum, I got to go in St. Peter's Basilica, and then went to the top of the dome! Standing up there and overlooking all of Rome was one of my favorite parts of my day. 

By that point, I had been walking for 11 straight hours, so decided to head home. I got lost on the way back though, and ended up finding a big fountain that overlooked all of Rome. It was gorgeous! And I met some cool Australian guys. And checked out an Italian grocery store, because foreign grocery stores teach you a lot about a country :) I finally bought some Italian pizza which was quite delicious. 



That night, I walked around Rome a bit with the MIT students - so many restaurants, cute alleys, ancient ruins, and people out and about, even on a Monday night. Seeing all that Italian food has inspired me to want to learn how to cook more! 

Tuesday morning I woke up early again, and headed to the Pantheon. On the way I stumbled upon a market, where I proceeded to buy a kg of fresh cherries, which I then ate as I walked down the street. So yummy :) I also found an internet point to print my boarding pass pretty easily! The mathematical perfection of the Pantheon was really astounding - from people who didn't have computers or power tools.

Shortly after I was getting on my plane to fly back to The Netherlands. I actually didn't sleep for once, because I talked to the man next to me for almost the whole ride. I could tell from the beginning of the flight my pilot didn't quite know what he was doing, so when we started to land I just kept praying. The whole plane was quite surprised with our hard landing, but I was just happy we had made it safely. From there I took a bus and a train to home - and man did it feel good to be home. To shower, rest, and be still for a moment, because I didn't do much of that in Italy. However - I loved every minute of my trip. Italy is gorgeous - delicious, fresh food, warm weather, a beautiful coastline, breath taking mountains, and happy, energetic people. I would love to go back :D 


Thursday, July 18, 2013

The summer of parties!

Week four was lots of fun! Not much sleep (or blogging) but lots of meeting new people and getting to know Amsterdam better! Work was also enjoyable - as I got new projects to work on. And our department even celebrated a birthday on Friday - which meant free cake! 

On Wednesday night, I was at Mark's house for our last ConnectGroup before the summer break here. We had an 'American' BBQ - with yummy chicken, cous cous, salmon, and plentyyyyyy of wine (not that I partook in this part, but it still surprises me how important drinks are to any event/meal here, so figured I'd mention it). Got to have some deep conversations with people - people I can already tell will be hard to say goodbye to in 6 weeks. 

Thursday night, my roommate and I headed back to Mark's house for a concert by a local band! They were really great, and of course there was more good food, and awesome people. Mark even sent me home with a giant bowl of leftover pasta (which turned out to feed Carolyn and I for a week). 

And Friday brought it all to a culmination, with the church's own Summer of Parties Parade! The church basically rented out a floor of a bar/restaurant (that was buried back in a tiny ally of Amsterdam). There were tons of people, candy-necklace making, headband making, a talent show, painting, and just a good time overall. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and did everything. Someone even blessed me by paying for my ticket anonymously. Although the party was still going on, I left around 11pm due to fatigue and getting ready for my next adventure…a short 5 hours away. 






These streets are becoming my own.

Hmmm week three of work was interesting. Definitely my toughest week. Partly because I was fully acquainted to work, so it started to seem a bit boring. And I definitely was not made for an 8-5, sit at a computer all day kind of job (I can barely sit still long enough to watch a two hour movie…). But God's been using work to teach me lots - patience, surrender, working hard for Him even if I'm not loving every moment of work (because somehow I love every moment of school). It was still a fun week though: I got access to one of the top secret labs and got to fly drones around it! And got to see an octo-copter fly (think helicopter, with eight rotors instead of one). And watch a 3-D 'movie' with these fancy glasses. 

On Wednesday of this week I went out to dinner (for the first time) in Amsterdam with my roommate and a friend from Hillsong church. Ordered a pizza, and ate the ENTIRE thing. Guess I've been living off p.b. sandwiches for too long…I forgot how good real food is. 


Afterwards, we went to a Bible study with the church which I really enjoyed. It was all about church - how church means a people, not an event that happens on Sunday, or a building. Good stuff. I was quite surprised to here everyone ask me if I was joining them for drinks afterwards. Coffee and doughnuts - ya sure that's what Americans do after church. But go to a bar? 

It turned out to be a ton of fun! It was my first bar experience in Amsterdam (although I only ordered a fancy hot chocolate). But it was a blessing to get to meet more people from the church and just joke around with them. Even when they are all speaking Dutch, I still feel included. Without Hillsong church, I'd be a friendless foreigner, sitting at home, well, probably blogging. So all you faithful readers who've been waiting for new posts - you've got all these cool friends I now have to blame ;) 

Random side note: The fourth of July means nothing in other countries. Every city in Europe may have a "Kennedy Lane", but Thursday was just a Thursday. My advisor emailed me pictures of fireworks in Washington D.C. - I guess that's slightly closer to fireworks than my past 4ths have been the past few years (in Kenya, the DR, and Jamaica). 

My weekend following this week was absolutely delightful. Praise #1: the sun came out. It was warm (note: NOT hot). But when the sun comes out, so does EVERYONE in Amsterdam. Families have dinner outside, the parks are full of people in bathing suits, the canals have more boats than I thought could fit safely. It is a sight to see, it is glorious to be a part of. 

My Friday night was relaxing - started playing piano after stopping so many years ago. Turns out I could muster through the Dutch level 3 book sitting by the piano pretty well!

My Saturday was organized (and payed for :D) by the MIT MISTI program (who sent me here in the first place). Started off by going to the Rijksmuseum early in the morning. Although museums aren't really my thing, I enjoyed seeing the models of ships, old Renaissance works I studied in AP European History, Rembrandt's night watch of course, and the newly renovated building itself! I had forgotten I had even been there before until I stumbled upon two big giant dollhouses that I remember falling in love with as a 9 year old girl. To be honest, I had thought those doll houses were from a dream or something - so it was pretty crazy to see them again, and have a flood or memories rush back to me. After the museum we went out to the gardens, and they had this awesome fountain that stopped squirting water for a few seconds so you could run inside it! I love water, and with such a sunny day, I longed to be like the little girl running through the fountain in her bathing suit. Eventually, I couldn't contain my longing any more - and ending up running through it. I was completely soaked afterwards, much more than I expected. But it was completely worth it. 











After the museum we went out for Dutch pancakes (pannekeok). With MIT footing the bill - we feasted. We all got poffertjes to split, and I finally tried the chocolate milk here! I then ordered an apple raisin pancake with cinnamon ice cream and peaches. Incredible - absolutely determined to have another before I leave. It was also fun because seeing Oma get a huge pancake last time I was here is one of my most distinct memories from my trip 11 years ago. My friend's chicken and cheese pancake was quite good as well :) 


To end our day together we took a canal cruise through Amsterdam. Hanging out the side of the boat and soaking up the sun was the best part…until we got yelled at. 

Afterwards I did some exploring by bike. I went to the museum of science and discovered you could go on its roof, where there was a terrace with a waterfall going down. It was almost like a little beach - and you could overlook all of Amsterdam. Checked out the Amsterdam library too. It was such a nice building - very new, with a view of Amsterdam as well! I almost wished I had homework to work on so I could sit in that building for a few hours…

My Saturday night was extravagant. Mark, a friend from church, invited me over his house. He had a private chef over to cook for a group of us that night. We started dinner at 8pm, and finished around 1am. Guess that's what happens when you have an ELEVEN course menu. The chef was awesome - let us see how he cooked everything, and even let us help out a bit. Got to meet more awesome people, and eat more protein than I have since being in this country: salmon, duck, clams, shrimp, veal…I'm starting to appreciate good food :) Oh - and I got to go on Mark's roof and overlook Amsterdam and see the boats passing by (full of drunk people at midnight). So, so beautiful. And turns out biking home at 1am alone is completely safe and normal! 




My Sunday was a continuation of such a great Saturday. I went to church early, and got to serve on the hosting team! It was a blessing to be able to serve, to greet people, to meet people, to be out in the sun, to be filled with the joy of the Lord! And the message really hit me - kept me thinking all day. 

From church, I headed to Zaandvoort aan Zee aka THE BEACH. Took my bike on the train, so I could bike to a less crowded beach. Slept on the beach for a few hours, and took a dunk in the North Sea. Then biked through the sand dunes on my way back to the train station. Found a cool lake, with weird wild cow things, and swans, and birds. Parked my bike and journeyed off the trail a bit, where I sat on a  bench for over an hour just talking to God. Exactly what I needed. 

That feeling of salty, sun-kissed skin, beach hair, dirty feet, and a peaceful, rested mind - finally had the summer day I've been longing for :D 




Thursday, July 11, 2013

The smell of waffles, lots of diamond stores, an interesting mix of French and Dutch...such is Belgium.

For my third weekend in Europe I awoke quite early on Saturday and headed to Amsterdam Centraal for Antwerpen, Belgium! Biking to the station at 6:30am was quite interesting actually - the city was dead,  except for a few clubs that were just finishing up parties from the night before. And there were HUGE herons just standing in the middle of the road! I ended up missing the 6:55am train I wanted to take, which actually ended up being a huge blessing. Namely because the only planning I did for my weekend involved which cities I was going to and a hostel reservation. I had neglected to figure out which train connections I would need to make - so missing my train (twice actually), forced me to go to the information desk and ask for help. Two train connections later, I successfully arrived in Antwerp at 10am. My only plan for when I got there was to go to the tourist office in the train station and get a map. God changed those plans too - because the tourist office was closed...


So I did what I love to do - explore! I walked down random streets, through the fashion district I believe (fashion is something Antwerp is known for). I stopped in a hotel to get a free map, but it turned out to be pretty useless/inaccurate. I immediately smelt those Belgian waffles, and added getting one of those to my to-do list for the weekend! I started following signs towards the old historic district, where I stumbled upon a big church, a city hall (and saw THREE wedding parties come out in a row), and a tourist office! YAY! There I got three free maps for the three cities I would visit, and made some quick plans for my next few hours in Antwerp. 


Some cool things I saw:
-A castle/fort like thing, which overlooked the major river in the city.
-I walked underneath the river through an infinite infinite tunnel 31 meters below ground (it definitely beat the MIT Infinite). When I came up on the other side there was a great view of the city skyline, so I found a bench to sit on and eat my lunch. At this point the SUN CAME OUT. My weekend was made complete at that point. 
-Some cool murals/graffiti alleys.
-Walking past a cafe I heard someone yell my name - turned out to be a friend from MIT who was working in Belgium! With her and another MIT student, we explored a local market, which had lots of yummy free samples, interesting fruit, cheeses, breads, teas etc. AND they had chappatti! Got one of those with some nutella :) 
-The diamond street! A street with about 25 diamond stores, that had guarded entrances. Never thought I'd walk through so much money. Unfortunatley the stores were closed, so I didn't get to see the armed guards and busy exchange of big money happening, but it was still pretty neat. 

Getting back to the central station around 3pm, I figured out where to buy tickets for my next train after some thourough searching of the station (man I wish I knew more Dutch...). I then had to ask a few people about what train to get on since the signs don't make sense here. In the meantime, peddaled for about 10 minutes to charge my phone (ain't nothing free in Belgium, not electicity (unless you provide the energy), not bathrooms). And finally boarded a train headed towards Bruge, my next destination! 



Bruge is a really old village that has basically been preserved/stuck in time. Old castles, churches, small homes, lots of canals, and very touristy. Its known as the second most romantic city in Europe behind Paris. It was fun to walk through. But I really fell in love with Bruge when I escaped the tourist scene, walked through a neighborhood, and found two big windmills on the edge of the village. I climbed up to one of them, and had a view of the whole city. It was beautiful - to sit there and just be. To talk to God, rest, thank Him for His blessings,and  enjoy another gourmet peanut butter sandwhich. After an hour or so, I started walking towards my hostel. I chose to walk along one of the big canals through the grass, even though it was longer. With shoes off, worship music playing, and a peaceful heart, I slowly made my way down the river, smiling the whole time. It was glorious. I even had a guy stop me and ask me if I had a bad day. Replying that no I actually had a good day, he commented that I looked like I was in love. I replied by saying in fact I was, in love with my Savior Jesus, and had enjoyed a whole day of walking and talking with Him. 

The hostel I stayed at was cute, secluded, and peaceful. I shared a 6 person dorm with an older lady, although I only saw her in bed. What do you do when your hostel doesn't provide towels? Use the pillowcase they do provide of course! 

I was the first one to check out of the hostel the next morning - even beat the receptionist to the front desk. Grabbed some food from the hostel breakfast even though it hadn't opened yet, and made my way back to the Bruge train station. An hour later I arrived in the center of Brussels. 



The hostel I stayed at. 

Brussels was probably my favorite city out of the three I saw. The fact that it was warm and sunny the day I visited maybe (definitely) is influencing that statement. When I got theere, the city was quite dead (it was a Sunday morning). Ended up finding a really nice park, church, palace, etc. Then made my way to the European Parliament building, where I got to go in and have a free tour through their little musuem. It was really neat! 

After that I walked to the Grand Place - the center of Brussels. And ended my Belgium adventures with a long awaited Belgian waffle smothered in chocolate, gazing out at all of the old buildings and towards of the Grand Place. I walked past the peeing statue (I don't know why thats famous...) and ran into a huge market outside of the train station. Didn't find any free samples, but it was so crowded it made me feel like I was in Kibera's Toi Market in Kenya!


The EU Parliament





I dominated the 3 train connections I had to make on the ride home, and even helped a few other tourists, and an African man get on the right trains. The guy from Burundi gave me a bag of coffee too - too bad I don't like coffee, even if it is from Africa. I got back to central station around 4pm, and headed straight to Hillsong Amsterdam church - just in time for their afternoon service! It was delightful. And I got to see a lot of the people I had met the previous week. Such a blessing to be surrounded by so many people who love God and have welcomed me in. :D