'ello from foggy London town! (part I)

'ello, 'ello everyone! (please read previous in chipper, British accent). Today is Thursday, April 29th, which means last night I touched down back in Bonn after my brief stay in London, England! It was such a great time, and I was able to do so much in the short amount of time I spent in the former Motherland, that it honestly felt as if I had been there for 5 days, and not just roughly 36 hours! So let's dive right in to my UK adventure! **TIP: get comfortable, you're in for a long (historical) read.
Tuesday afternoon I got my things together, like my passport, my boarding pass, my ticket to see GERVAIS etc. and put them all in my bag (I used my large Ralph Lauren "purse" as my luggage). I then took a quick shower and changed and headed to the U-Bahn at around 12:20ish to head to the Hauptbahnhof (main station) where I would then catch a 30 minute bus that would drive me to the Köln/Bonn airport. I got to the airport about an hour before my flight, with only my one piece of hand "luggage" with me, I got through security and everything else in record time. I then waited for my flight to begin boarding. I got on the plane, seated in 1F (window seat in the first row.. amazing how fast you can get off this close with no luggage!) and prepared for take-off. The flight was on time and everything, with perfect weather outside. The entire flight only took about 55 minutes. We touched down at London-Stansted airport (smaller airport which is about an 45 minutes by train outside of the city center), and I made it through customs easily, and when asked why I was only staying one night (I had to fight the extremely intense urge to answer the question with: "I'm just here to smuggle some drugs"), I replied with that I was here to see Ricky Gervais live. The customs officer then responded with "Oh! The famous former British, now seems to be American comedian!!" He then told me to enjoy my time and waved me through. From the airport I changed some of the Euros I had on me (about 70€ came out to be around £50) I then bought a coach ticket to drive me into the city for only 10 pounds. The trip by coach was a little over an hour and I got off at a underground station in Northern London. I then boarded a (famous!) red double-decker bus and took a seat on the upper level in the front seat to see out the giant windows. This bus took me to a stop near my hotel for the night in the Wembley district--which is where I would be seeing Ricky Gervais later that night. I checked into my hotel, and by this time it was about 5:15. I then washed my face and freshened up a bit and then left to head to Wembley Arena--about a 15 minute walk from my hotel. I got there and there was a really cool fountain/patio area in front where local food vendors had set up little stands, music was playing, and many people were sitting around before the show. Realizing I still hadn't eaten that day, I got a chicken sandwich from one of the stands, then went to another and got a nice pint of Guinness. I sat on some nearby stairs by the fountain and just soaked in the sunset and the surrounding scene. Once my beer and food were finished, it was time to head in (it was probably around 7 by now). I went in, bought another beer to have during the show (this time, I chose a Becks.. I think I was missing Germany already), and started toward my seating block. I was greeted by an user who then lead me to the second row, and my seat, seat 7. I was so close I couldn't get over it and had to start giggling to myself at my sheer fortune (thank you, Luck Dust). 7:30 came quicker than I expected and the arena was filled in at this point. A warm-up act came on, and although I did laugh here and there, overall I thought he wasn't anything special. (I thought of his humor as like Mitch Hedberg's; observation comedy/one-liners, although not nearly delivered as brilliantly as Hedberg) After his 20 minute or so performance, there was another short intermission and then the lights when low and it was finally time! Let me just tell you, if you haven't watched any of Ricky's stand-up, let alone his shows/movies.. do yourself the favor and DO IT! He is absolutely hilarious, and seeing him live was no exception. As the Brits would say, he's bloody brilliant! There were only a few times here and there where one of his jokes would make a social reference to a person/place/thing really popular in England that I wouldn't entirely get, but this happened few and far between, and the rest of the show was a riot. My favorite piece that he did was when we read the children's book "Noah" to the crowd and commented on it. (It was a book about Noah and the Ark given to him when he was younger [and still believed in god--he is an open atheist] in Sunday school, and his comments on not only the story, but the pictures, were dead on hilarious). The show was all-around terrific, and ended at about 10:30ish (he was on for about an hour and 1/2). I then walked back to my hotel, watched an episode of CSI--it was the only thing on remotely entertaining on--and fell asleep pretty quickly.

I woke up in the morning on Wednesday (yesterday), freaking out thinking that I had overslept. My plan was to be at the nearby Wembley Central tube station at 9:30 (so that my day-trip tube ticket would be cheaper, if bought after 9:30--after rush hour) and beginning my tour of the Tower of London by 10 or so. I woke up, looked around, no clock in the room. My phone was dead and I was 100% sure that it was 11 or so in the morning and that I had ruined everything. I turned on the TV to the morning news where a clock was located in the bottom left-hand corner. It read: 6:02am. WTF. I then turned the TV volume down a bit and tried to fall back asleep for at least another hour or so. I then woke up for good around 8, washed my face, brushed my teeth and put on my clothes for the day. I then went to the dining room where a full "English breakfast" awaited me. Pretty standard hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, sausage and 'bacon' (aka ham) with the "English" part of it being (as my Granny would say) a 'mess of beans' in the middle. Honestly, baked beans with breakfast? Alright England, give me your best shot. After my meal, I went back to my room gathered my things and headed to the front desk to check out. I then made my way to the tube station and bought my day pass for the London underground for a little under £7. I had looked at a tube map on the shuttle bus from the airport the day before and knew I would need to get on the yellow or green line (Circle Line/District respectively) and head to the stop 'Tower Hill'. From where I was at Wembly Central, I took the tube (mind the gap!) to Paddington station and changed trains for the Circle Line headed for my destination! I must admit, I am rather proud of myself for not using any maps or anything my entire time while in London, just my memory from what I had seen the day before on the coach from the airport, with where certain sites were, and good 'ol fashioned street smarts. I finally arrived to Tower Hill station at around 10am (right on schedule! And they say Osgood's can't be on time!) The view as soon as you get off the station is breathtaking. The Tower of London, which construction on it began under William the Conqueror in the 1070s, is bam! right there, with the famous Tower Bridge (known, although wrongly, as 'London Bridge' to most of us Yanks) right behind it over the River Thames. I bought my ticket for £18.70 (tickets for adults are normally only 17, but I decided to buy the extra 1.70 ticket with the extra contribution going toward the continued upkeep of the World Heritage Site that is the Tower of London--I think it was the geeky Historian in me that did it!). I entered and a free guided tour by one of the Yeomen Warders (aka "beefeaters") was just beginning, so I jumped right in with the group. We first passed through the (main) western entrance that was constructed by King Edward I between 1275 and 1281. It's times like these that I remember why I love history so much, to think this stone wall that I am touching etc. was built in the 13th century. What were the people like then? (smelly). What were they thinking about when walking through the very same walls? (certainly not baths..). I just truly love learning about the past, and the Tower of London is a perfect place for anyone, especially those with a passion for history to visit. Next we passed the famous 'Traitor's Gate' the entrance off the River Thames where prisoners accused of treason were brought to pass to their fate within the Tower. Among those who passed through this dreaded entrance was Anne Boleyn--King Henry VIII second wife, and mother of future Queen of England, Elizabeth I. (Anne Boleyn was accused of treason, which adultery while married to the king was seen as. Most believe she wasn't actually guilty). From here we walked a few feet to stand outside of "Bloody Tower". This tower was given this name because of the rumored murders of 2 young princes that took place here. After King Edward the IV died in 1483, his two sons, 12-year-old Prince Edward V, and his 9 year old brother were sent to live at the Tower on the orders of their uncle. They then were declared illegitimate, and the same uncle that had them sent to the Tower was then crowned King Richard III of England (convenient, eh?). The boys disappeared and were never seen/heard from again. Two bodies of young boys were found buried under a staircase in 1674, and many, including the King at the time--Charles II, believed it to be the bodies of the missing boys. They were then taken and re-buried at Westminster Abbey. After leaving the 'Bloody Tower', we made our way to the Tower Green where we had a view of the famous Tower Ravens (8 on the grounds in total to be exact), and also saw the memorial of the ten men and women who were beheaded on the Green (including Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard--Henry VIII fifth wife (real catch, wasn't he??), and Lady Jane Grey--who was Queen for only 9 days before being executed at the age of 16). Our great Warder tour guide then asked who among the crowd were from Europe, and then Canada, and Australia (both of the latter are still British commonwealth countries where the Queen of England is still technically their head of state). Then he asked which of among us were Americans, and there were a few of us there and he said "And just think, if you're great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents would have just simply paid their taxes, all this could be yours!", where I then quickly called out, "No taxation without representation!". It made him laugh, so of course, it made me proud. From here we walked inside the The Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, the small chapel located within the Tower where the three Queens (see previous) are buried along with others that found their lives ended within the Tower's walls. The small chapel also marked the end of our guided tour by the fantastic and extremely knowledgeable beefeater. After I left the chapel, I headed on my own to the Waterloo Barracks within the tower, home to the British Crown Jewels. First, let's just say, wow. Within the collection were the sabers covered in gems, a mantle made with solid gold thread (it weighs around 20lbs to wear) diamond encrusted sovereign orbs all used during coronation, and of course, let's not forget the crowns! They were absolutely stunning. My favorite had to be "Victoria's little crown", made for Queen Victoria out of diamonds from her personal collection, and of course the Imperial State Crown, which is covered in gems, including the "Black Prince's Ruby", the "Cullinan II" (aka the 'Lesser Star of Africa') a flawless diamond weighing in at 317.40 carrats, and 2 of the 3 dangling pearls on the crown were once actually worn by Elizabeth I. Let it be noted that the "Cullinan I" aka the "Star of Africa" was also on display, set into the royal scepter, which weighs 530.20 carrots, and came from the same solid stone as the Cullinan II. Both of these gems (with a combined value of over £600 million), along with 7 "smaller" stones, were cut from the same original flawless diamond--the largest ALREADY gem quality diamond ever found; weighing in at 3106 carrots (about 1.35lbs of pure diamond pleasure!). Incredible. The exhibition of the Crown Jewels was fantastic.. and soo sparkly! ;)
After looking at the amazing crown jewels and talking about some of the rare stones with one of the men working there, I made my way to the center and heart of the tower, The White Tower, where an exhibit of past royal armor etc. was being held. The White Tower is a magnificent stone building built in the 11th century (WHAT?!).

***NOTE: MORE TO COME.. I must take a break for now, I've been writing this for f'ing ever***
xoxo Megan

Mmmmm Lecker!

Have I ever told anyone how amazingly delicious slices of baguette with butter are? I mean, I know I'm in Germany, not France, but this is one of the simple pleasures in life. A nice fresh baguette with some butter on it. Yum. :)

Big News, Best Steak Ever, Baby News & Screw You, Iceland!

I have noticed recently that I have been slacking when it comes to updating my little corner of the web. I used to pretty much do it at least once a week, but have been droppin' the ball (but not nearly as bad as Hunter drops balls--Andy can attest to this) in the past few weeks. But whatever, because I am here now, right? And that my friends, is all that matters. So I have four main topics/events to share with everyone today. So let's dive right in:
1. Big News:
We (and by 'we' I mean my fantastic host family here in Germany) are getting a DOG! For everyone who knows of my obsession with my dogs at home, Loki and Raven--whom I both miss like CRAZY--it should be no surprise that I am pretty excited to have a four-legged friend around the house again. Although, it has been some time since I have been around a puppy, so we'll see what happens. One thing's for sure though: all my shoes are being locked away for the rest of my time here. We're getting a Portuguese Cattle Dog, and I believe the name they decided on is "Quinto" (it means 5th in Spanish? I think? Maybe? Anyone? Testing?) The puppy should be here in a week from today--that is as long as planes are going to be able to fly again (see point 4 for more details).
2. Best Stake Ever:
This past Friday night, Kai, Lisa, Emilian and I went to one of Kai & Lisa's most favorite restaurants in Bonn: El Tarascon. It's an authentic Argentinian steakhouse, and no lie, the place was incredible. Soooo delicious. I immediately thought of 2 things while I was enjoying one of the best meals I have ever had; first I was thinking "wow, so this is what it was like for Travis & Lisa in Argentina, but granted they probably paid a totally of about 30 dollars (max) for theirs (as opposed to the well over 100 Euro bill the 3 of us had--without wine). My second thought was "wow, remember when you were younger and would eat dinner over at Emily's house (keep in mind dinner for her family growing up was at like 5pm) and you had steak almost every time? They sure love to eat red meat... with aggressiveness". We first had some giant shrimp in a delicious garlic butter sauce, then next came the chorizo sausage and then finish that all up with a giant piece of grade-A Argentinian filet. And end it all with a Flan for desert. It was so delcious/amazing I can't even begin to tell you. Mmmmm soooo good.
3. Baby News:
With a title of a topic "Baby News" I'll go ahead and get this out of the way; No mom, I am not pregnant. The baby I am referring to is of course Krümel (or the new name I have been calling him for the past month of so: Cutie Bear)! He is getting bigger and cuter everyday! He has 2 bottom front teeth already and his top 2 front teeth are comin' in hot. It's so cute when he smiles and you see these two white things just sticking out. They're so tiny! Also, he officially sits on his own and has even been attempting to stand (with the help of something to hold on to near him, of course). He has been eating baby brei (puree) for the past 3 weeks now, and we have finally perfected how to eat and stay clean! It's seriously so crazy how fast he is growing and how many new things he is learning. Such a cutie bear!
4. Screw You, Iceland!!:
As you all know by now (or at least I hope you do.. if not.. read a newspaper or something), a volcano in Iceland (the small island country north-west of the UK for all you that are bad at geography) erupted almost a week ago and it's being an all-around ashhole (see what I did there?). The volcanic ash from the eruption has basically been covering all of western/central Europe since it happened. The weather reports for here in Bonn were supposed to be clear and sunny for the past week, but of course, when you walk outside its gray and just looks hazy/foggy most of the day. People have been stranded at airports for days because there are no planes coming or going out of the region. Iceland better get their shit together and have a sit-down with their volcanoes because if my flight to London to see Ricky Gervais, that is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, gets canceled because of this crap, I am going to lose it.

Spring has Sprung

First let me apologize to my massive hoards of blog followers for not updating for 2 weeks (and by apologize to the massive hoards, I of course mean Granny) ;) Anyhow, not too much has been happening around here lately. I have definitely fallen prey to the dreaded "routine" of life, that has sadly taken a bit of the excitement out of my day-to-day here in Germany. I'm pretty much busy from the moment I wake up until the time I get home from either class or lacrosse at around 9:30/10:30pm Monday through Thursday. And when I come home I usually try to eat something small and then have a little time to myself to just unwind, which usually consists of me watching episodes of South Park or Project Runway online that I have missed while here. So during the week I really don't have much time to be out exploring.. which is kind of a bummer, but that's what weekends are for! AND! It's FINLLLY getting to be a little bit warmer outside, and the sun shines more often--and the best part of all--it's still light out until well after 8:00! Bonn really is a completely different city when the sun is out. The cafes have once again set up their tables outside, and the city is always bustling. I absolutely love it. And not to mention the amazing European phenomenon (God bless them) of Eis Cafes (if you are an ice cream fan like I am thanks to being raised by the Ice Cream Queen herself, Sue Ellen, then you would DIE at one of these places!) I have still not yet gone to the Haus der Geschichte (History Museum) and I also really want to go to Museum König to see a cool exhibit they currently have about Charles Darwin. So HOPEFULLY I actually find a good time to do both of these things soon and then have something much more exciting to tell you about!
This weekend in the nearby Rheinaue (a huge, and awesome park about a 10 minute walk away where Emilian and I routinely talk walks to feed the birds), is the first flea market of the spring/summer season. Lisa told me that its this awesome big flea market that they set up every so often in the park, and that of course it is tradition to barter for the price of EVERYTHING. Which I then told her, is bad news for me, considering I am AWFUL at it. I always feel so guilty when trying to tell someone to make a lower price and then usually end up paying the same price it was to begin with.. I basically just panic and yell SOLD! and then end up paying full-price for something that is definitely not worth said amount. It's actually quite sad/hilarious/entertaining I am sure for others to witness my hopeless bartering skills. But I have a feeling Lisa is good at it, so maybe I can use her as my crutch.
ALSO! In TWO WEEKS from last night, I will have touched down in foggy London town! I am so excited for my mini-trip, I often forget that I will so soon be back in a country surrounded by English. Since I will only be there for a short time, and also taking into account that I have luckily been there twice before, I have come up with my MUST-DO list. Because I have already seen/toured so much of London, I have narrowed it down to things I haven't or things I want to do again. So here goes, brace yourself for the longest list ever:
-Tour the Tower of London (spooky!)
-Go back and spend as much time as possible in the British Museum
-Eat the best Fish & Chips you can find while drinking a thick British brew.
-Speak English
There you have it ladies and gentleman (Granny); my intricate plans for my grand return to London!
Also, 2 weeks from today marks my 6th month of living here in Bonn. I cannot BELIEVE I have already been here for half a year. It feels like just a few weeks ago I was in my living room with so many of my family and neighbors for my "going away" party. Wow. 6 months. Crazy how fast time really does go by. With that said, I can't think of much else to say, but I love and miss you all (Granny) so much and I hope all is well. And God bless the families of the 29 miners and the entire state of West Virginia! Almost Heaven.. I'll leave you with the funniest picture ever that Lisa made. Fantastic. Tschuß! xoxo

fröhlich Ostern

Happy Easter everyone! I hope this finds you all well and that you all back home have a wonderful day. And in the spirit of the day, I'll leave with my favorite Bible verse, which of course is:

"And then the Lord said "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken"--Romans 6:22

xoxo Megan

I Am a Huge Nerd

Over the years I have come to accept that fact about myself that I am a nerd. Yes, I love to play Tetris (and am amazing at it, no joke). Yes, I love Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Yes, I play Civilization and love it. Yes, I write a blog. But I noticed yesterday while trying to get Emilian to sleep that my nerdy-ness has hit a new low. I was humming to him while rocking him to sleep and the next thing I know I am humming the familiar tune of "Do do do, do do do, do do do, dooo dooo" Now of course, reading it like that, it could be anything, but perhaps I could write another way it is sung: Up, Left, Right, Up, Left, Right. (If you understood that, congratulations, you too are a mega-nerd).. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I sing Epona's Song to Emilian. Wow. Nerd. (and Travis, don't act like you didn't recognize it right away)