To all of you who have been desperately waiting for me to update my blog... here I am!


First off, before I even begin to tell you about Berlin, I must tell you some very important news...


I CAN BIKE AND BBM AT THE SAME TIME!!!!! I never thought the day would come that I could do anything at the same time while I'm riding my bike besides, well, ride it. And this is only two months in. Who knows what amazing things I will be able to do on my bike by the time I leave here.

Reunited at the Brandenburg Gate

Okay, now for the "more important" stuff (I guess..), I absolutely loved Berlin. I went with two of my best camp friends; one is studying in Florence and the other in Tel Aviv and we all were conveniently able to meet up in Berlin for the weekend. It really gives a whole new meaning to a weekend with the camp friends. Who ever said meet ups always happen in NYC or Scarsdale was clearly mistaken... Any who, it really was such a great city because there was a fantastic mix of the old and historical and the new and trendy. Its also a young city and extremely clean. That being said, obviously so many terrible things happened there so it was definitely a strange feeling to be standing on Track 17 where the Jews were deported and then 5 minutes later be walking along the "5th Avenue" of Berlin. In fact, our hotel that we stayed in was in the square where the book burnings took place, which is now commemorated by an in-ground memorial: an all white room that is full of empty bookshelves. And of course, the graffiti did not fail to impress. I now know what everyone is talking about when they say the Lennon wall in Prague is no longer as exciting once you go to Berlin...

Just your average graffiti design on the side of a school... looks nicer than the beige color that it was meant to be if you ask me 

Track 17 at Grunewald Station... The scariest part about this train station is that it is in the midst of a beautiful neighborhood that was full of people who knew what was going on yet turned their heads the other way...

ANOTHER LIST! Wahoo!

Shameless plug. Follow me on twitter at ArSRoth and you can hear about in-the-moment happenings of my life. Usually they involve food, biking, or comments about the weather. But, then again, so does my blog which brings me to my next list entitled, "Top 5 things I blog about and Why":


1. Food. Well, the obvious reason is that I am in Europe studying abroad and I guarantee most who have done so before me would agree that what you eat and where you eat it is a big part of this whole abroad experience. That being said, if you had already been following me on twitter, you would know that last night I desperately started eating the freeze-dried (ew) strawberries out of my special-K box because I really was in the mood for something sweet. No, it did not hit the spot in case you were wondering.


2. Weather. Okay, so there is this ongoing joke at WashU that all us WashU kids talk about is the weather since we are so lame and blah blah blah we don't have anything better to talk about blah blah blah. I wholeheartedly disagree. Besides, in just one week I feel like everything has dramatically improved here and yes that is mostly due to the fact that I am now confident the sun does exist in Utrecht. Thus, I shall blog about it.


3. Bikes. I mean, DUH. I am in the Netherlands. Considering I have a plethora of unfortunate/fortunate things happening to me whilst on my handy-dandy 80 euro kids-sized bike, I would feel guilty if I didn't share them. Besides, I know you all sit there laughing thinking about me riding my bike to get everywhere/do everything. It's not exactly the LR2  I was used too.. (OH HOW I MISS YOU!!!)


4. Domestic Things. aka cleaning, washing, cooking, ugh I am already getting tired thinking about it. Regardless, abroad has really brought out the domestic side of me and thus it is only fair if I update you every once in a while. However, don't expect any gourmet meals when I get home this summer. I have mastered cooking anything with EVOO in a pan but thats about it. That being said, if you want eggs, I'm your girl.


5. NethaNethalands, of course! While I am almost entirely confident that come July 1 I will have spent 5 months here learning almost no Dutch-- its not my fault, when I speak English to a Dutch person, they always respond in English-- I most definitely know a thing or two about this country. Even if my blogging may suggest otherwise, there is more to this country than stroopwaffles and pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (here I go again with the food). More to come on that.


Now, what gave me the genius idea to write such a list? For one, the fact that I could not be more bored writing my paper that is due tomorrow and this seems like a nice way to procrastinate and two, because I have a lot of fun travelling planned in the next few weeks and am excited to add "travelling" to my list of  top things I blog about. While I know I have a few fans who love hearing about my mani, pedi woes and my cleaning sprees, I hope you are looking forward to hearing about my travels as much as I am looking forward to actually doing my travels. 


The line up is... drum-roll please... Berlin, Copenhagen, Antwerp/Bruges, Barcelona, and of course, Amsterdam. 

I'm having some serious bike issues at the moment. They are as follows (yes, there are that many that I can make a list):


1. My basket is still M.I.A. While I don't actually think it is going to be returned to me, I am debating if it is a worthy 20 euro investment if it may or may not get stolen again. I know, I know... could I be more economical?!
2. Front light is not working. This is an issue for two reasons: (I will now resort to using letters)
    a) If a cop were to catch me riding at night without my front light on I could get fined. 
    b) Safety Hazard (I guess...)
3. My tires are most definitely on their way to being flat. I just keep telling myself that it means I am burning extra calories. Yet, if (and unfortunately, when) the tires become completely flat-- screw the extra calories, it will not be pretty.


That being said, if you are wondering when I am going to get all of this fixed, so am I! Until then, lets hope no Dutch police catch me without my front light on. Although, I guess that would make for a good blog post...

#Fail

I just realized I forgot to push start on the washing machine. Better late than never!

While I can't actually do a spring cleaning in the proper sense, being that I have nowhere to put the clothes that I will no longer wear (code for: regardless of the weather, I never want to wear them again...) nor do I actually have my spring clothes to put out, I decided to do an old-fashioned cleaning this morning. Yes, that means I put some soap on a paper towel and started scrubbing, refolded all of my clothes, and even washed my sheets! The most exciting part of all of this cleaning business is that it is actually nice enough outside that I think my sheets will be dry by the time I go to sleep tonight. Now you understand why I waited until now to wash them. Duh. 

I was on the phone with my mom today discussing how I  DESPERATELY need a manicure and pedicure; yes, I have my own nail polish/nail polish remover/nail clippers etc but it really is just not the same. The issue is that the "cheaper" places are a little on the dirtier side to say the least and the "nicer" places are rather expensive hence why I have been so hesitant to get one up until now. Yet, knowing that I am going to Berlin at the end of this week to a nice hotel with nice food and shopping and so on I have decided the least I could do is have my nails look nice as well. As I was telling my mom my reasoning on the phone--that if I get a manicure and pedicure at one of the nicer places, even if it costs X amount of dollars, it will still be cheaper than had I gotten one weekly like I normally do at home--I came to terms with the fact that this week would be the week. Besides, the OPI nail polish collection in the salon that I bike past every day has been calling my name.


That being said, I went into town today to have lunch with some friends and I decided to see if any of them had any recommendations as to where I should get my nails done. "Any of you guys know a good place to get a manicure and pedicure?" I asked. "I've never gotten one of those before," my friend responded. "Hmmm," I said. Honestly, what else do I say? Here I am thinking that I really am being economical getting an expensive manicure and pedicure for the first time in two months and now I am being told that one of my Australian friends has never had one before. AS IN EVER!! Somehow my logic doesn't seem so logical anymore... 

Still sick. I took a Z-pac this afternoon though so hopefully the antibiotics will kick in and I will start feeling better... 


However, instead of feeling sorry for myself that I couldn't be outside on this beautiful sunny day today, I opened my window as far as it would go and took a nap with my head facing the sun. While I cant exactly say I got tan by any means, I at least felt like I got some sunlight. As Tim Gunn would say on Project Runway, "Make It Work". 

retail therapy

Potential change in plans thanks to a not so fun sore throat...


For now, still in Utrecht. May go into Amsterdam tomorrow (I am crossing my fingers I wake up post-Nyquil tonight feeling better)! However, while I was moseying around this afternoon after class in attempts to "get some fresh air", I managed to find some REALLY great shopping. I know what your thinking, how could have I not found it already.


What is nice about a lot of the stores here is that most of the stuff that is sold is truly unique to the Netherlands. It's not like I have to worry that what I am buying here is already being sold back in NYC since most of these brands are pretty local... for now. Although, no matter how cute the clothes/jewelry/shoes etc are in any of these stores, if they do not accept credit card it is just not going to work out. Hence, my new way of saying hello when I find a store I like: "Do you accept credit cards?"

Happy St. Patricks Day! One of my best friends from camp is coming to Utrecht tonight to visit me as a pit-stop before she meets some school friends in Amsterdam for the weekend. My first guest! Very excited. And Rachel and I also have two friends from WashU who are visiting us this week as well. You know what that means... Amsterdam for the weekend! (If you haven't figured it out yet, I will never say "No" to going to Amsterdam). Hopefully we will get to some museums I haven't seen yet just to keep things new and exciting. However, regardless of the sightseeing we do or do not do this weekend, I know one stop that I refuse to miss: The Pancake Bakery. I figure its not so bad if I go once a month. And, I say this only because my family is coming in April which means... The Pancake Bakery! After that maybe I'll give it a rest but then again when in Amsterdam...

Before I forget...


Has anyone ever seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris? If so, you will understand what I am saying when I tell you that it is somewhat of a let down. I mean, one of my favorite books-- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (for anyone who didn't get that reference)-- that also happened to be turned into a major motion picture was entirely based around this painting leading me to think of it as larger than life. When I went to Paris with my mom in the summer of 2008, I waited on an obnoxiously long line to get into the Louvre in the first place, only to follow the many arrows that pointed me in the direction of the Mona Lisa to once again be surrounded by hoards of people who had the same intentions as me: to get a close look at the "woman" and her famous smile. What did I see? Well, yes, I saw the smile... but could have it been any smaller?! I think not. What a let down! 


Flash forward now to this past Monday in Brussels. My friend and I have our map in hand ready to tackle the major sights in Brussels in the 3 hours that we had allotted ourselves before we had to get back on the bus to go to Utrecht. While the Mannekin Pis (which literally translates out to little man pee) isn't exactly as noteworthy as the Mona Lisa, it is deemed a "must-see" in Brussels. So, I followed the many signs that led me through the main square, up a street, past many chocolate shops and waffle stands, only to get to an intersection that confirmed I had entirely missed Brussels main attraction. How so, you may ask. Well, it is because the Mannekin Pis, this so-called Brussels landmark, is quite literally a bronze statue that stands 2 feet tall and is displayed on a corner between a souvenoir shop and, surprise surprise, a waffle stand. I literally couldn't help myself from hysterically laughing. IT IS SO SMALL. The Mona Lisa has nothing on the Mannekin Pis, I will tell you that much.

I am pointing because I was worried you may not be able to find it otherwise. I mean, I couldn't...