Tomorrow morning I leave for Istanbul for the long weekend. I know, not a bad way to spend what would be my Memorial Day Weekend. But, as I am in the Netherlands, the whole Memorial Day concept doesn't exactly apply. Regardless, off to Istanbul I go! I am really looking forward to the trip and having the chance to visit Turkey while I am abroad. I mean, it's not everyday that I can jet off to Istanbul. Speaking of which, I am awkwardly excited for my flight being that I get a meal onboard and can check a bag and bring not one, but two carry-ons. And you know what, it is very possible that I am going to check my bag and bring two carry on's just because. I'm pretty badass, I know. The best part is that I am meeting one of my really good friends there who is on vacation with her family. Aaaand, one of our other good friends from our sorority is also there-- interning in fact-- making for what is bound to be a fabulous weekend. 


What will I be doing while I am there? No clue. Great question. Lucky for you, I promise to write all about it, pictures included, when I return. 

I am pretty much Dutch

Today was a very exciting day. I walked into the salon that I have gone to for waxings and what not, this time for a haircut, and before I could introduce myself to the woman who was cutting my hair, she hurriedly exclaimed that she had seen me before in Bigoli. For those who are in the dark, Bigoli is a delicious sandwich shop in Utrecht that gets understandably packed around the 1:00 lunch hour. I mean, I know no one is ever going to mistake me for a local, being that I don't actually speak Dutch, and oh, you know I don't exactly look Dutch, but it is definitely exciting to be recognized by a local in one of the best local lunch places. 


What? You aren't as excited as I am? How could that be???

Another day, another blister

I walked out of my apartment today around 1:15 (I know, talk about an early start...) to go into town. After literally having the world's laziest Sunday-- i'm talking two movies, the season finale of Private Practice, and only taking off my pajamas to shower to then put on a new set of pajamas (at least I am clean!)--that for very obvious reasons I am not proud of, I decided that it was a necessity I get off my butt and go do something. Although, in my defense, there isn't anything open on Sunday's in Utrecht anyways but thats besides the point. I was wearing my favorite Lululemon leggings, flats, a t-shirt, and a cotton jacket; weather.com said it was a high of 71 and sunny. Well, 71 and sunny it may have been, but the ever unreliable weather.com forgot (surprise, surprise..) to mention that it was also terribly windy. 


While the wind may seem irrelevant to most, I have a strange fear of the wind that probably stems back to some super windy day when I was a little girl and believed I was going to be blown away. Unfortunately, to some degree, this irrational fear still exists, making bike riding in the wind one of my least favorite things to do. I know, you are probably thinking that I need some therapy or something to get over this wind-thing, and hey, you are probably right, but thats a discussion for another day. I thus made the executive decision, based on my fear of wind, that I would walk into town, as I couldn't rationalize taking the bus on such a beautiful day. Off I went-- fifty minutes later, I arrived at my favorite coffee shop, and yes my favorite barista was there, thinking that the walking into town thing seemed like so much more of a better idea before I had actually embarked on the journey. I mean, it's not exactly like town is conveniently around the corner. But then again, "convenient" is a word I have pretty much eliminated from my daily vocabulary since I got to Utrecht. 


Around 6 ish when I decided I had spent enough time in town, I began my journey back, standing at the bus stop for about 60 seconds before I gave myself a pep-talk and continued my trek. Well, guess who ended up having to stop at the grocery store, about twenty minutes into my walk, because two blisters had formed on my right heel. I swear, if I have gotten exceptionally good at anything since I have been abroad, it is always, and I mean always, wearing the wrong shoes. And, thank god that I never got my Lululemon leggings hemmed (yes, when you are 5'1 you have to even get leggings hemmed) because I pulled those babies down over my newly bandaged feet, making for a wannabe saddle-pant, tucked them into my flats, and continued on the journey home.


Will I walk into town again? Yes.
Will I wear flats? No. 
Will I start carrying Bandaids in my bag at all times? YES!!!! (I can only hope for sympathy from all of you for so long anyways...)

You know how you will drive along the same path everyday, always turning left at the exact same spot, and then one day you turn right instead, and a whole new world opens up to you? Well, that happened to me yesterday. But I was on my feet, not in a car (obviously, i'm in the Netherlands). Behind my apartment building there is more grass and sheep than the eye can see, which while it is picturesque and quite scenic, made me choose to always go one way versus the other whenever I set out for a walk or a run. While I appreciate the beauty of nature, there was something intimidating about being surrounded by more animals than human beings, usually sans cellphone. However, I must have been feeling quite adventurous yesterday as I made the right instead of the usual left, so to speak, and ended up on the most beautiful route. And, I most definitely wasn't the only one who had been back there before, as there were designated walking/running/ and yes, biking trails all throughout what I once thought was only grasslands. There was even a couple restaurants further in, and an entire quintessential Dutch neighborhood. And, only once, at the beginning mind you, did I almost get killed-- by a tractor, none the less. Welcome to the Netherlands!

As I was sitting at my desk chair earlier this morning, around 10:30, I was thinking what I could do to occupy myself until 2 when I wanted to take a yoga class. You have to understand, for the past two and half weeks I haven't really had much time to even think about what I am going to do, just more so about how I am going to get myself there to do it-- i.e. print out train tickets, make sure I have my passport etc etc-- so when I sat back down in bed, my day could only pretty much go one way from there. Sleep! I guess I am up for good now as it is already 1:20, which means, my nap sans alarm clock worked out very well timing wise. I had a funny feeling though when I woke up from this nap. Like, oh hey arielle, you better get this out of your system as real life isn't exactly like this: full night of sleep, breakfast, nap.... Good thing I have a month of fake life left :). 

I really cannot imagine the smile that is going to be on my face when I wake up in my own bed in my own house on the morning of June 23. I mean, I just smiled waking up knowing I am in my own bed in Utrecht and that my biggest responsibility today is to go return something I bought at Zara. And, I am pretty sure there are no humongous mosquitoes flying around, buzzing in me ear, ON A REGULAR BASIS, at my reeeeaaaal home. Or if there are, they are outside, where they should be. Regardless, it is definitely nice to be in Utrecht for a few days in a row. May has hands-down been one of my busiest months abroad. Although, in a very good way as traveling in May has been wonderful weather-wise, and has caused me a lot less packing agony. I am telling you, my best buy abroad has been my jean jacket I got from this Dutch Store called Sissy Boy. A little chilly outside? Jean jacket. Hot now, but "cold" later? Jean jacket. I mean, the potential weather situations in which my jean jacket is handy are endless. And, the best part, is I can wear the jean jacket over whatever else I am wearing when I fly on my arch-enemy airline, EasyJet, in order to avoid the laundry-bag as carry-on incidence part 2. As you can imagine, my winter jacket and EasyJet did not get along as well.


As for my weekend, I do not have any big plans. I am thinking about potentially going into Amsterdam tomorrow (Sat.) to walk around and do some shopping/sight seeing but other than that I am going to resume my "working-out" and pray to god that I can somehow get enough calorie-burning sessions in between now and when I return back to the US that you all don't look at me and think of all the pastries, meals, and drinks I have been blogging to you about. Talk about pressure. 

Is this too weird or what...


http://ny.eater.com/archives/2011/05/fancy_macaron_shop_maison_laduree_opening_nyc_location.php


For those of you who don't feel like clicking the link:
Laduree is apparently going to be opening up in NYC at 845 Madison Avenue in July, a rep for the company recently revealed via email. Guess I don't need to get back to Paris as soon as I thought... 

I said "Hola" on Monday, "Bonjour" on Tuesday, and now I am back to the good-old "Hallo" in what I have come to call home for the past four months. And, I will stick with "Hallo" for the next few days as I am shockingly in Utrecht for a week straight. Until Istanbul that is...

As for Paris... what a fabulous way to spend 26 hours (literally). I got into Paris around 5:30 on Tuesday afternoon and decided that I was going to take the metro and then get on a bus to meet my friend Rachel at her hotel. When I told my Dad that I successfully managed to get to the hotel on my own using the metro and bus system in a country where English is not the spoken language, he said, "You what?!?" Enough said.

We went straight to dinner on Tuesday night with her parents where we got a lovely surprise come dessert time: a candle! It was mine and Rachel's half birthdays on Tuesday. I know, what a great half birthday. Rachel and I decided we should try to make this a tradition but for some strange reason I am not really sure I will be able to convince my parents I should come to Paris to celebrate my half birthday each year. Whatevaaaa.

After dinner we went on a boat cruise around the Seine, which was super beautiful, especially at night time, except it was mutually agreed upon that the cruise would be much more enjoyable if the automated voice didn't feel the need to announce what we were passing in six different languages every two minutes. "On your left, is the Eiffel Tower, built in...." Like, duh that's the Eiffel Tower... 

The next day we had an early start and got to see the wonderful Manet exhibit at the Musee d'Orsay, which recently opened, and was definitely a treat. We then had some lunch, did some walking and window-shopping, and ended up at my favorite spot in Paris, Laduree. For those who do not know what Laduree is, I suggest you visit their website: http://www.laduree.fr/en/scene. Better yet, I suggest you go visit the real thing, but if not, find someone who you know is going to Paris and tell them the only thing you want is a box of macaroons, or else. My personal favorites are raspberry, dark chocolate, and coffee.  I could probably sit here and write about how delicious they are for a seriously long time so I will trust that you will somehow manage to get a taste of one yourself, rather than be bored by my rantings. But, seriously, they are that good. Go to Paris. Now. Eiffel Tower, Schmieffel Tower. Macaroons are where it's at.

But in case you do want to see the Eiffel Tower....

If someone were to ask me what I was doing today this is how the conversation would go:

Random Person: "Hey, what are you doing today?"


Me: "Taking a train to Paris at 2, you?"


Random Person: "No way!"


Me: "Yes way!"


Random Person: "So, like, when do you get back?"


Me: "Tomorrow around 11 pm!"


Random Person: "Cool"


Me: "I know..."

Beautiful Madrid

El Templo de Debod at sunset. Gorgeous. 

Some KEWL trees in the garden between Retiro Park and the Prado Museum (which I did not get to but I am sure google image could do wonders informing me what I missed).

Peacocks in the Botanical Gardens in Retiro Park. I amy or may not have taken 20+ pictures of these beautiful creatures... 

Plaza Mayor

Okay. So, I get home last night and obviously go on People.com to check out all the celebrity gossip that I missed while away. What do I find.... http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20490003,00.html

To Recap: Pippa Middelton and I were both in Retiro Park on Sunday in Madrid. She is probably in one of those boats in the above picture. I really can't believe she didn't call me ahead of time. I mean, hellooooo.